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Post by theknightwhosaysni on Jul 24, 2011 13:46:13 GMT -5
The glow to Couineth's hide had been hard to miss as of late. Even more snappish and demanding now than she typically was, it was rather obvious that the dragoness was drawing ever closer to her maiden Flight. She threw tantrums when anyone paid attention to females that weren't her, snapping and snarling at just about everyone, even her rider, Rayna, but particularly any dragon that had the misfortune of being around the testy dragoness.
Luckily for the Weyr, however, the fine late fall day hadn't been ruined by Couineth yet. The weather was unseasonably warm and it seemed as if many people were taking advantage of the fine day. There were heavy clouds on the horizon, but for the moment, the day was clear and calm. Couineth herself was curled up on the ledge, a massive lump of burnished gold hide that practically glowed in the cave that was her weyr. Rukbat's rays beat against her hide, warming the gold dragoness where she slept, tail flicking in the air. She didn't seem to be having a particularly restful sleep and was twitching repeatedly, limbs moving every so often against the stone floor.
Rayna herself was seated at the desk, mostly ignoring the flickers of dreams that danced through her mind from Couineth's head. She was distantly aware of what was coming, but for the moment, she was engrossed in her 'work.' For the moment, she was just looking over wing lists, which wasn't actual work, but Rayna was quite engrossed in it. Even though she kept distant tabs on Couineth, she was paying very little attention to the gold dragoness.
It was approximately noon when Couineth's eyes snapped open and the bulky gold awakened. Her eyes whirled with a fierce crimson as she rose to her large feet, snapping her wings open and flaring them towards the sky. A vicious hiss escaped the gold dragon as she swung her head around to gaze at Hers. Her golden hide seemed to glow even more brightly than it had been moments before, but Couineth remained still for only a moment.
She launched herself into the air, powerful wings snapping to carry her bulk towards the feeding pens, where herdbeasts bleated in terror at the sight of her. The gold folded her wings and plummeted from the sky, hitting the ground with a thud. Her claws sought out the body of a herdbeast and then Couineth moved towards it swiftly, prepared to tear the meat from its body.
Before Couineth had a chance to, however, Rayna shook her head, driving the lust that made her mind fuzzy from her thoughts. "Blood it!" [/i] Rayna screamed at the gold, both mentally and physically. Her voice strained her throat and made her head ache, but she could not allow Couineth to eat her kill. That would make her look weak in the future, and that would hurt her later on. Couineth roared in response, looking furious at the thought. No! She would not bend to the will of Hers! She would eat the herdbeast! "No! Blood it!"[/i] She roared angrily, but Rayna's will kept the gold from simply devouring the herdbeast. Instead, she drank the blood of the creature. The gold remained still for a moment before launching herself at another herdbeast. Again, she went for the meat of the herdbeast, hunger and lust filling her thoughts. Again, Rayna's voice echoed physically and mentally, "Blood it!"[/i] She snarled at Couineth and the gold reluctantly went for the herdbeast's throat. When Couineth went for a third herdbeast, she hissed angrily but drained the blood from the corpse without argument. Three herdbeasts was enough, it seemed, for Couineth didn't go after another. Instead, the gold sat back on her haunches for a moment, muzzle bloodied. She hadn't been a particularly neat or graceful eater. Then again, nothing about Couineth was a particularly neat or graceful. She was Couineth, after all. The bratty Queen, but she was a Queen all the same and expected to be worshiped. She was better than those stupid greens and pinks that Rose so often! It wasn't fair, it wasn't right that dragons should pay attention to them instead of her! The gold remained still for a moment, tail-tip flicking in the air. She couldn't sit for long, however. The lust was burning in her veins and made her want to fly, fly, fly! She wanted to be in the air, soaring and making the males dance for her! And before a few moments had passed, Couineth was restless. She glanced around, crimson gaze sweeping across her surroundings, and then she crouched down, powerful wings snapping to launch the gold into the air. Couineth bugled fiercely, summoning all of the males and she began to fly, surging straight upwards. The lust burned in her veins, driving her to fly! Rayna could feel the lust beginning to fill her mind, making it nearly impossible to think. She stumbled as she made her way to the center of her weyr, spinning when she was satisfied with her position, focusing her attention on the entrance to her weyr, where Couineth's suitors would probably enter from. Rayna's thought process was almost completely gone, however. The lust that pounded in Couineth's veins was drawing Rayna's thoughts upwards, towards the sky that the gold flew through. The two were almost inseparable in that moment, and this, more than anything, would be the moment of truth...[/size][/blockquote]
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Post by purnip on Jul 24, 2011 23:36:52 GMT -5
Had it not been for this particular position of planets and stars, Couineth might have never gained a certain Bronze's attention.
Actually, it had more to do with the position of dragons and their meals. The feeding pens were open to all, if anyone cared to dispute it, and no reservations were set for the Gold that was due to fly this month. Everyone suspected Couineth's maiden flight would occur sometime this sevenday. Most riders of male dragons could feel it as well as their bonded ones could. L'am however, was not part of that majority. Lebeth, unlike most males, was often oblivious to the state of females at the weyr. He missed many Queen and Sub-Queen flights he was perfectly capable of attending, and as of late he even ignored the smaller females as many other Kings did. It had nothing to do with his rank. It had nothing to do with the typical behaviors his kind possessed. Lebeth was no typical Bronze.
A fraction of it was due to his rider's state of mind. Chances are, L'am managed to impregnate Sonia. If it wasn't K'var's child, it was certainly his. This knowledge wasn't sitting too well, swelling up in his chest like a case of bad heartburn. L'am still loved Sonia. He still debated on whether he loved or really liked her. Now, there was soon to be a baby in the picture that he was not at all ready for. What was he supposed to do? What do you think he did? He put himself to work as hard as possible, just as he did when his feelings for the Greenrider were that conflicted. Lebeth was with him every step of the way, but the poor naive creature had little wisdom to impart. Though living to one's fullest extent was a life-lesson to hold on to dearly, L'am felt it was hardly relevant to his issue. Still thinking of himself of course, the young man endured and tried his hardest to be accommodating. Sonia, being herself, preferred to handle her situation without asking or accepting much help. This put the Bronzerider in a very delicate spot that he teetered in for the past couple of months without making any moves. He was treading in unknown territory, upon matters he never dealt with before. Acting was not going to cut it. He needed to shape up or ship out before the child was born. He knew K'var would step in and help care for the child as long as Sonia let him, but L'am couldn't finally decide whether or not he wanted that. He still had feelings for that woman, but he was scared. He truly was.
All of this kept Lebeth's head in the clouds or on his rider's mind. There was no time to admire pretty dragons, and it wasn't hard to forget they mated altogether. It was fun, chasing. He liked to do it when he did. It was a slice of life nothing else could ever substitute. Too bad he and his rider had been too busy to take another bite of that slice again. Plus, none of these females ever waited for the likes of him to notice them, and he was still an awfully oblivious Bronze.
L'am was on his way to his weyr as Lebeth took to the sky in order to have a better vantage hunting out a decently sized herdbeast. It had been about five days since he last ate, and his stomach was rumbling far too loudly for him to ignore any longer. He was diving down from above as Couineth woke. He was already sinking his teeth into an unfortunate bull as the Gold was diving towards the pen. Glancing up in the nick of time, he pulled his kill out of her way the moment she plowed into her first victim. If he had waited a second longer, she would have torn into him for being in her way. Still, he didn't seem to acknowledge that. He only sucked the blood out of his kill idly as he watched Couineth wrestle with another herdbeast.
It was then that he noticed that gleaming hide, and that thrill in his heart burned with the desire to chase and live that lovely rollercoaster all over again. Chasing Couineth would be nothing like chasing those quick little Greens he raced after in the past. He had a chance to actually catch her. Catch her and...and...do that thing he was supposed to do. It really did seem kind of rude in theory, but it was right, wasn't it? A proper Bronze thing to do. And he wanted to do it too. He felt kind of bad and good at the same time just thinking it. He nibbled at the neck of his meal and tore out a sizable chunk of meat to chew on as Couineth took her third serving. Anxiously, he waited until she was ready. Until then, he was as quiet as a mouse.
L'am wasn't even halfway towards his destination when he started to get that feeling. A feeling he was so unfamiliar with by now yet quick to remember that it made him sigh with great reluctance. Lebeth was thinking of chasing. The feeling was strong too, as it was when he went after Aimeth, only this time he knew Aimeth wasn't flying this month and wasn't likely to be while her rider was pregnant. Thinking fast, without having to for long, he suddenly realized who it was his dragon had his sights on and he held his breath.
No...not Couineth, he thought. That infamous Gold was a disgrace to Dalibor, though she managed to keep that disgrace to a minimum as of late. Lebeth, is this really necessary?
Just this once, Mine, please? I really want to chase. It's been so long, and she's so beautiful.
Shaking his head, L'am moved no further, hoping to sway his dragon off this track. She might look that way, but you know how she is. She's spoiled and mean. She will do nothing but harm to you. It won't be as fun as you think.
That did dampen his dragon's spirits a little. He felt that. But Lebeth's mind was hard to change as he watched Couineth rise and bugle her challenge to the weyr. Oh Mine. I...I really have to chase her. I'll be back soon! Snapping his wings open and using the carcass of his kill to step up, Lebeth returned the Gold's call with one of his own. It sounded sweet and playful, with the same low and throaty tone most dragons his sized possessed. With a powerful thrust of his wings he was soon after her, taking care not to be left behind. It helped to know he was not going to be outclassed by a speedy mistress. It was much more fun to chase something he had a chance of catching!
A strange sort of lust plagued L'am this time, though he tried to cling on to his rational state of mind in the midst of it. It wasn't like the kind Lebeth had in the past, fueled by the determination to catch up and catch on. This time, there was confidence mixed into it. Something like pride that twined with lust and a genuine desire to have fun and make the most of it. It was very hard to quell that feeling, especially after months of being stressed over indecision. He was decidedly happier...and decidedly certain that he needed to relieve his stress and worries by placating his current desires. Yet he insisted upon struggling against it. His dragon's mind kept consuming his but he crippled it by keeping still in the halls, looking like he was at war with himself and slouched against the wall like a man with a migraine. Rayna would be wondering where he was. She would worry that he wouldn't show, and then what? What if Lebeth won? Maybe she'd just take someone else in the room in his place. That would be so much easier. L'am wanted to find Sonia. He had this inexplicable urge to hold on to her until this passed. Then he felt it would have been inappropriate. Such a struggle, and here he was, slowly stepping forward and continuing towards the rider's weyrs. But which weyr would he enter? His own, where he would undoubtedly confine himself until this nightmare passed? Sonia's, where he would hold on to the Greenrider dearly like a child clutching his mother in fear? Or...to her weyr, where he was supposed to be, but never supposed to be at the very same time?
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Azhdarchid
Jr. Weyrwoman
azhct[M:-1490]
Totes.
Posts: 1,627
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Post by Azhdarchid on Jul 24, 2011 23:57:36 GMT -5
Three queens glared at Um'per. For the first time, he noticed one of them had red eyes instead of green. He wondered if it had been a mistake or an intentional variation in the artistry. Someone else at the table cleared their throat, and the Midnight Wingrider shuffled the rest of his hand in for scrutiny: three Greens, and a Purple, which he did not feel too bad about breaking his poker face over. It was just another element of the act, right? He would have had four Greens had he not exchanged one up his sleeve for the extra queen while the cards were still being dealt. And the card he had traded for, the red-eyed queen...he shifted her over to the left side of the hand.
The rough grade of the card leather spoke to him today. Again he was just starting to notice things, senses inhaling the world rather than merely sampling it. Maybe it was just that "the world" was currently defined as a glow-lit table in the comfort of his weyr, among his fellow wingriders and friends. Anything outside the glow's halo did not matter. And that little bit of indiscretion currently nestled against his wrist-- well, that was not Um'per's doing. That was the influence of Radith or some such evil. Radith...
"...I raise one," he said, trying to get his words on the inhale and sending them out raspy and under-voiced.
"How brave," another player chided. None took him at his word. They would pay for it in another couple rounds. Um'per sighed, running his free hand down the back of his sweating neck. The other players looked up to a dark anomaly that slithered in behind the Purplerider, emerging from the dragon's thinly separated quarters with whirling eyes. Um'per blinked up at the rest of them a few times, then turned around and nearly uprighted the table as he jumped from his chair. Radith's big hooked snout had almost poked into him.
Once the Purple had gotten his rider's attention, he dragged his long body around and went out onto the ledge. Um'per glanced between him and the card game, then noticed that he had dropped his entire hand on the ground, the painted gold bodies as exposed as the greens, and the nearest players leaning over the table with great interest. Um'per whipped around and hunkered down to try and protect his lovelies from view. Then Couineth's first grumble of malevolence as she picked out a herdbeast rattled up the Bowl wall to all their ears. Um'per's shoulders hunched as he connected the sound to Radith's uncharacteristic present intensity. But a queen? Why? Radith was not answering with anything but a demand.
Um'per rocked back onto his feet and waggled his hands hopelessly at the other riders, then pinched his thumb and forefinger around the bridge of his nose before he executed a little bow to them for the interruption. He turned around and made for the ledge, picking up the riding straps from their wall-mounted hook. Before Radith could get down to business, his luckless rider had to delivered across the Weyr like a very horny gift basket. Um'per cringed, but stopped with his hand on the straps. Maybe they wouldn't need all that to get across the Bowl. Besides, the harness would slow Radith down.
He left the straps where they were. How brave indeed! Putting his best foot forward, he strode into the heatless noon sun, head turned back at the other card players. An odd gust of wind traveled through his hair, prompting Um'per to return his attention the ledge.
Radith was gone.
The young man stopped himself just before he tore off the side of his own weyr and expired via the most ignoble fate known to his kind. Somewhere far below a herdbeast cow uttered her last terrified bleat and Radith fed of her blood, strengthening himself for the fight to come. For a fight it was, even when he did not end up bleeding himself. Um'per's light blue eyes widened, fixed on the hollow space where his traitorous dragon had sat. Shooting his empty hands up to the sky, the rider crushed them into fists and vented his complaint in a time-honored affectionate oath:
"Dungbrained cock wherry!"
She would not wait for me, Radith answered, though it was clear the Purple had to try as hard to concentrate on delivering words as Um'per tried-- and failed --to keep his composure. But the dragon still piped in his thorough amusement as he delicately lowered the herdbeast's head and neck to the ground. Couineth sprang, and Radith bounded after her. The Purple twirled in his almost vertical ascent, dark even under the sun. Um'per's rage slowed, and the wonder seeped in as to whether Radith knew how well the maneuver displayed his handsome form. Um'per watched the Flight out of the Bowl, then dropped his gaze to the queenrider's weyr-- all the way across Dalibor.
Um'per's lips twitched. His eyes watered at the distance, and then he took off down the sidesteps toward the Bowl floor with a howl that was half-laughter and half...indeterminate. He had just landed on the Bowl floor, galumphing along like the lanky half-runner he was, when some courteous dragon from the card players' circle plucked him up-- with a scream on his part --and bore him the rest of the way to Rayna's weyr. Thissss might top it, Radith murmured as Um'per stumbled from his conveyer's claw into the unfamiliar shelter.
What are you on about? Um'per snapped as his eyes readjusted to the dim center of the weyr. For some reason seeing the other riders clustering like a hand of cards around the queenrider forced a squeaky "ah!" of surprise from him. Then he joined the ranks without apology. Radith did not answer immediately. The Purple was right behind Couineth, darting wherever she turned, beating his wings faster than any drill had ever required of him. He was trying to out-think her, to get ahead so that she would slam herself into him. Um'per started to relax, but the dragon's cryptic words still nagged at him. And what nagged him nagged Radith.
Impressing you. This will be almost as good.
Um'per did not even reach his feeble w-what? all the way to Radith before the Purple's soul overwhelmed his own, and together they spun after the brilliant Gold in their grandest prank yet.
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Post by blue on Jul 27, 2011 18:08:10 GMT -5
It had been a quiet morning, as things went at Dalibor. G'kar was oiling and checking his riding straps for wear and tears, and Natoth was happily ensconced on the Rim, sunning and keeping an eye out for suspicious activity. If everything had gone according to plan, they would've have continued with that until dinnertime. Of course, that would have been too simple. G'kar sighed as he felt a sudden surge of the familiar lust and set aside the riding straps. Another silly green? he asked exasperatedly, heading out of his weyr to find the other rider.
No. A gold,[/i] Natoth said smugly.
A go- Natoth! You can't chase Couineth! She's crazy! This was most certainly Not In The Plan.
I like her,[/i] Natoth said imperturbably.
Because she's crazy!
She's interesting,[/i] Natoth corrected. And flying. You'd better get to her weyr,[/i] he advised, swooping off the Rim to follow his beautiful golden queen.
Cursing under his breath, G'kar did as Natoth suggested, making his way to Rayna's weyr and joining the rest of the suitors there.
Natoth ignored his rider and the other males chasing Couineth. She was all that mattered, glowing brightly golden against the sky. He remembered that she didn't like being spoken to, so he made no entreaties or calls for her attention, just poured all his energy into keeping up with her. It didn't matter that he was only a sub-king; he was still a king, and browns had caught queens before. He would do his best by her.
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Ruin
Wingrider
ruinct[M:-786]
We build the worlds we wouldn't mind living in
Posts: 1,137
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Post by Ruin on Jul 31, 2011 13:14:04 GMT -5
Slender fingers swept across the sandy brown dragonhide; soft as down, yet rippled with a texture that caught at his oiled fingertips: Dragonflesh had always been wondrous to him. Every crevice between muscled joints, every expanse of taught skin over defined curves, and every breeze-curled inch of deceptively fragile sail was slicked with oil and set to shining in the light of nooning. This work, what was sometimes more of a chore for Dragonmen, had become a respite for A’kai; his thoughts still lingered with pained definition on the destructive events that had transpired at Dalibor Weyr. That fire and subsequent explosion had claimed lives and injured many more; it was a shocking blow to a community sevendays away from the reality of Threadfall: That was yet another notch in his belt of contemplations on this day.
So, he oiled, and awaited the inevitable. The Wings would rise, and he would fight, and that would be life; until his ended. With a sure power to his body, he scaled his dragon’s muscled shoulder; far easier to do while the great beast was lying prone—especially when strapless. Foreclaw to forearm, and then it was easy to find purchase between the great muscles that roped along those powerful arm and wing shoulders. He stood then, between those powerful apparatuses of flight, and began his work anew on places he could only reach from this position. His hands were quick and agile on the fleshy ridges which served as support foundations for flight, and the straps which would keep him tied to the brown neck. This was his world, as far as he was concerned, nothing else existed but his dragon and him—this was his conclave.
Rirth would not protest; even if he thought his Rider should seek out the comfort of others—which he did not—there was not an inch of him willing to throw off those tender ministrations: If this helped his bonded, then it helped him as well. Yet, today, there was something in the air that distracted him from falling into the respite; something A’kai had not yet sensed, or remembered. They were an aged pair, so the taste of the wind translated into the mind of the Dragonman should have sent signals that would receive immediate understanding, but today the Brownrider’s thoughts ran far too deep, and the changing mood of the Weyr around him went unnoticed. Onward he worked into that noon; Rukbat beat warmth down onto his shoulders that made the work of his back even more pleasant an experience—cathartic.
Ever onward his hands slathered oil upon the flesh of the dragon to whom he had given his heart twenty-seven turns ago: Down, and down further, eventually finding his feet planted once again on the Bowl ground; fingertips carefully oiling the twin tines of Rirth’s tai, and the crevice between—he’d known many a Weyrling dragonet to nearly lose a tailtip when their bonded neglected to care for the area properly. Dragonflesh stretched to grow, and so quickly over those first crucial months of development. Of course the Brown grew no-longer, but the connective tissue between those tines could chafe and split much like the damp flesh between men’s toes could. It was far better, for dragon and Rider, to be ever-vigilant in the way of dragoncare.
The Brown shook himself experimentally, finally free from needing to help his Rider balance upon his back, and then he unfurled those massively broad wings. Shaded now from the warmth of day light, aside from the glow that permeated the terra upon which he stood from the rays passing through the wing membrane, he worked the oiling brush quickly over the underside of those wings. Each quadrant of sail received a coating from spar to spar down to the pinions; again and again: Five quadrants per wing. The topsail was done simultaneously, Rirth simply folding his wingfingers beneath to expose the Rukbat-warmed flesh to his Rider. Then it was finished. The Brown was a glorious sight of sun-flashed flesh; every inch of sandy brown throwing spars of light as if covered in reflecting metal. He was beautiful—not that A’kai was biased, but he was distracted.
Now at long last a distance away from the bulky Brown to drink him in as whole, rather than as separate pieces of oiled hide, A’kai found those facetted eyes lanced with crimson that billowed outward to fill each compartment before being viciously swirled away by further layers of the bloody colouration. Dark to light, and back again, and laced within were the mixings of Rirth’s typical content sea-blue—turned to purple flashed by the overbearing scarlet. Though the Brownpair matched each other in an even temperament that rendered their speech emotionless—save for the underlying foundation and ever-present love—there was absolutely no doubt in A’kai’s mind as to the emotions that now began to roil from his bonded. Only Dragonflight possessed the subKing to this level of emotionality.
Couineth, my Queen, flies—I will chase, A’kai
A Gold? aren’t you a little old to be chasing young Queens, darling?
With my age comes experience answered the Brown with a rumble in his chest that brooked no argument. Those defined muscles that his Rider had only just oiled now roiled beneath taut hide as he gathered powerful limbs beneath himself and rose to all fours—ruby tinged eyes roiling as that triangle head honed in on the great Golden form that fell from her weyr and swept across the Bowl to the pens. Did I not carry the Gold egg upon my back? I am worthy, and she will be mine
Rirth knew that his bonded would find the Goldrider’s weyr; he would be drawn to the human as his dragon was drawn to the Queen herself, so he took his leave with an agility that belied a bulk which—while slimmer than the Kings who rose in chase—possessed little of the agility his fighting skysiblings could claim. Wing fingers swept forward to taste of the Rukbat-warmed bowl air; those sails rippled against invisible winds as he tested the rising heat from terra for a thermal that would lift him to the Rim before the Queen finished her display of blooding. When he found it, he claimed it, powerful haunches gathering beneath his body to launch him forward: Unlike those fighters, he could not achieve a vertical flight, but he needed far less room to find the sky than the bulky Bronzes and Irons. One powerful leap from where he had been standing; his wings matching that great powerful thrust with a downstroke that scattered dusty sand from the stony Bowlfloor, and then he lept into the thermal; wings finding purchase that only dragon could command, and he spiraled skyward inside that pillar of warm updraft; claws alighting upon the stony Rim only when he was certain of the distance he had placed between himself and the Bowl—long ago having learned that dragons of bulk must first fall to Rise. There she was, fang-deep below him and bleeding from her beast the life-blood that beat within courageous chests and powered mighty wings: When she screamed her challenge to the Weyr he responded with a flowing bugle of his own—today he was King for her.
When she Rose; having drawn the moment out for what seemed like an eternity, he dropped—wingspars folding tightly to his body as he allowed Pern to pull him home: There, scant feet from dashing himself senseless on the floor below, those powerful pinions broke open with an audible snap that echoed across stone. Wingspars pulled mainsails open with delicious tightness as each individual membrane caught and held at the warm pillar he had used previously. One furious downstroke at the nadir of his dive, body caught within the confines of that updraft, and then he was arrowing skyward—a body of flashing light against the nooning Rukbatlight due to the oil on his hide.
She was there, above him, her own glowing dragonflesh brighter than the light of day itself: A glorious ray amongst the cobalt of the sky, and he rose to her with an agility he had wrested from the air itself—he Chased. Even as, far below, A’kai found his place among the other suitors whose dragons Rose, maintain a respectful—if waning—distance from the young Weyrwoman who had no more choice than he.
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Post by theknightwhosaysni on Jul 31, 2011 15:01:57 GMT -5
Lebeth might have been feeding, but Couineth hadn't noticed him and wouldn't have noticed him at all if he had not answered her bugle with one of his own, one that was much less challenging than Hers. Which was only proper, since she was the one who was challenging them. They were not challenging her! They were trying to impress her, as they should be! She was the most beautiful, the most amazing, the most awesome, and finally, the Weyr was going to recognize it! The dragons were self-centered and stupid and lowly, but they were chasing her as was proper!
And Radith was there as well. Couineth noted him twirling in the air and hissed sharply to herself, snapping her wings and driving upwards again. He shouldn't be showing off! All of the attention belonged to her! Stupid, self-centered purple. He didn't deserve any attention! It should all belong to her! Couineth snarled again, but for the moment, she did not react to Radith's actions. Her eyes whirled fiercely with crimson, but for the moment, Couineth simply flew.
Natoth got a few brownie points because he did not speak to her at all. He didn't take any of the attention that rightfully belonged to her. Couineth was the one who deserved all of the attention! All of it! She was amazing! And she was beautiful! Couineth was the one that deserved all of the attention and Natoth was recognizing it! That was the proper way that things should be! Everyone should be paying attention to her.
Brown Rirth was there as well, she noted with a snap of her jaws. So many lesser Kings, but they were Kings all the same. They showed her the adoration that she deserved, and though they were still stupid and self-centered, they were less so than the rest of the Weyr, than the Kings and lesser Kings who didn't chase her, though she was by far the most amazing of the Queens that Dalibor had to offer. Oh, it was so unfair! She had so few chasers.
The anger twined with her lust as Couineth flattened out, far above the ground. She focused all of her energy on flying forward, snapping her wings powerfully and driving herself onwards. The lust gave her the energy that she needed to fly, to get away from these selfish, self-centered, stupid dragons. She deserved more!
Rayna gazed at the suitors that had entered her Weyr, head tilted slightly to the side as her brown eyes narrowed. Three of them stood there, hoping to win Couineth and herself's attentions, but a fourth dragon was in the skies, chasing after Couineth. His rider hadn't entered her weyr. That earned a slight hiss of annoyance from Rayna as she stared at the three of them, examining all of them, measuring the ones that were brave enough to enter her weyr. After a moment, she whirled away from the three and moved purposefully away from them, moving towards the ledge of her weyr and staring up at the sky. Couineth was long gone, but Rayna felt as if she was right there with her gold, soaring through the skies along with the gold queen.
They had been flying flat for too long, Couineth decided with a hiss. She angled her wings and dove downwards, determined to put as much distance between the stupid, self-centered males and herself as possible. Though she would eventually have to choose, Couineth definitely wasn't picking anyone yet. When she was about a dragonlength above the ground, Couineth's dive flattened out and the gold whirled around to survey her suitors, eyes whirling fiercely with red. Her claws lashed out at the nearest dragon, intent on ripping into hide...
And missed.
Couineth had misjudged the distance between the nearest dragon and herself. Her claws didn't close the distance between herself and the dragon, so after a moment of hovering in the air, Couineth gave a very pleased croon. She'd totally meant to do that! It hadn't been an accident at all!
With that, Couineth was flying again, sweeping upwards and driving forward, soaring through the sky, her failed attempt to maul the suitors shoved from her mind. Rayna would tease her about it later, but for the moment, it meant nothing to Couineth. Stupid, self-centered dragon had moved! She had totally meant for it to happen, too! [/blockquote]
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Azhdarchid
Jr. Weyrwoman
azhct[M:-1490]
Totes.
Posts: 1,627
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Post by Azhdarchid on Aug 1, 2011 14:55:41 GMT -5
Radith had forgotten that Couineth was a Gold-- strongest and fastest of dragons. Far faster than him when she wanted to be, a point driven home as she shrank into the distance while he was already flying hard enough to send fire through his wing muscles. He had thought of her too much as a "lounging" queen. At least he was still in the front of the pack: only three beasts ahead of him, and behind... The Purple's questioning chirrup turned into more of an incredulous quack when he found the skies empty. And only the one king? His head swung back ahead and he arrowed through the added distance the examination had cost him. He flickered up behind that Lebeth, chest and throat pulsing as he panted. The Bronze's body chopped some of the air resistance for him. That was nice.
Then the queen hissed, a sure telegraph of her intent to change direction, and Radith barrel-rolled away from the king so he would be free to follow. When Couineth's wings flexed inward Radith immediately closed his and dropped. At first he let himself accelerate without correction, then flicked open a finger or two to steer himself after the bulbous brown-gold body of his beloved. Inner lids flexed a double-layer of wind resistance over the boiling red of his eye facets, misting but not obscuring his view of the rapidly closing ground. Couineth was brave in Flight, skimming so close to the earth like that. Braver than him, with the scar patterns on his shoulder ensuring his flight would never be as flexible as it could. His wings flashed out to halt his descent over Couineth's head rather than on her level, then immediately tucked back in to send him into a horizontal corkscrew.
Couineth was turning! Radith flicked his inner lids back to get an eyeful of the incoming queen, but she was fixing her claws elsewhere-- and swiped helplessly at the air below. The Purple gently decreased the spin of his body and opened his wings to preserve his momentum, tilting his head ever so slightly to keep one eye on the Gold.
I think this one might be kind of stupid, he observed candidly, causing a slight disconnect as his man-half, Um'per, realized the very same words had tumbled just as carelessly from his own lips. His hands clamped in a restraining cross over his mouth, which he choked behind when he tried to gasp. Wide blue eyes searched the circle, then blinked and turned out toward Rayna. She had gone onto the ledge. She had not heard.
Oh thank Faranth! he sighed.
Thank Couineth,[/i] Radith corrected tartly, and Um'per echoed the verse behind his hands. The Purplerider rocked on his feet, then managed to lurch into his own stride out after the Junior Weyrwoman. He tried to ignore how the motion played a queasy mismatch to Radith's glide, and tried to focus on the back of the woman he approached. Couldn't have her falling off a ledge on her maiden Flight! "Cou..." Um'per-Radith started, but corrected himself. "Rayna." He swallowed back the dryness in his throat and said her name again. At the moment it was sweet as Couineth's. "Rayna."
How different from her dragon would the queenrider be by now? Um'per extended his hand, which did not tremble like he thought it would. His long, tanned fingers strained to within an inch of her small hand, then changed directives and went for her shoulder to turn her and bring her back into the fold. He had never really noticed anything special about the weyrwoman's features. Her hair was plain. She slouched a lot. A lot of dragons stood behind their riders when he considered them, but Couineth sort of sucked away Rayna's presence in the maelstrom of her own. Even now, from moment-to-moment, everything about her seemed new. Nothing was retained. He thought there were hints of black and purple on her arms. Plumpness around her hips. But he could not recall the same details a breath later. All he could really see was Gold...
Radith knew Couineth would have to ascend. Had to mate high. How high? Could he choose? Only seconds before she left her hover, but he would be seconds ahead if he started climbing now. The Purple wheeled around so that he faced the queen again and then lifted his belly to the horizon, slithering upwards on big, passionate plunges of his wings. Rukbat was so far now. He did not know how he had even gotten up there the first time, nevermind while twisting and prancing as he had, aggravating-impressing great Couineth with his showmanship. Some part of him, the grumpier, Um'per-influenced part, babbled out a cynicism along the lines of I don't know how you'll manage a full Fall if you can't even manage this.
But Radith knew he could fly the Fall. He could Fly Couineth. Everybody would have a laugh. And he, Radith...he would enjoy himself. He was a piece of the night broken into the day, and Couineth would be cloaked by his shadow. The Purple bugled a renewed vow of strength, even as Couineth's first few wingbeats shot her back above him. Radith was chasing the sun herself, continuing his vocal taunts where his aerobatics had fallen to exhaustion. He crooned, he roared, never quite outdoing her volume but still determined to reserve her attention. Radith would happily fit the role she had assigned him: the most greedy and self-centered of her kings. A perfect match.
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Post by purnip on Aug 1, 2011 21:07:31 GMT -5
The lone King didn't pay any heed to the others, so far as being utterly unaware of how many suitors were chasing alongside him. For all he knew, Blues and Blacks were competing against him. It wasn't about them though. They weren't hurt, nor did they need and demand his attention. Until one of them called out to him, he couldn't possibly spare them a glance. All he could see, all he could admire, was the Gold he sought to catch. He had to be focused; it would be nothing like the Greens he chased before. Couineth was quick too, but she was powerful. She would fly for far longer than her smaller sisters would. Acrobatics were not as important when chasing something this size. That had to be saved for later.
Lebeth spent his energy simply keeping up, allowing the Gold the space she might have desired. It was a lax pace for him, which was pleasing and highly enjoyable. Now this was living. He wondered and hoped that Couineth could feel it too, but she seemed to be too busy to hear him out. His own taught him to recognize that. A younger and slightly more naive Lebeth would have asked quite a few questions by now, but older and somewhat wiser, he was a little too focused on trying to stay in the best place without causing his Queen any disrespect. When she rose, he followed. When she dove, his course adapted to her own. It was fine to let her lead, as it was only natural to do, but he did too intent to catch her. It was just rude to try now, as she had only just started.
Even the cleverly maneuvering Radith was ignored, shows of machismo and intelligence alike. Lebeth wasn't into that sort of thing. He knew what he was and what he wasn't. He wasn't a violent creature--not at all. Times when he should have caused harm, he held back with little resistance. He didn't need to puff out his chest or anything like that. It was already kind of puffy. He did start to hum to himself a little, just because flying was oh so nice and this game/chase or whatever was deserving of a little sunshine. When the Queen decided it was time to show she meant some business, Lebeth was far enough away from her swiping claw that he didn't even flinch. Was he lingering at the back of the group this whole time? Well, that wouldn't do. He'd never win if he kept letting them get past him so easily. As Couineth rose again, Lebeth beat his wings harder, using some of that agility he practiced in catching the smaller, faster dragons. Now he was as quick as any Brown or Purple, though it would exhaust him just a little more than they. He could deal with it! He wanted to work himself tired--to really try his hardest. You couldn't expect great things to come to you in life. You had to pursue them! With a long and determined trill, the Bronze quickened, intending to lead the rest of the way. If any of the others managed to pass him well...he'd just have to try harder!
L'am was at his own door, hand on the frame, fighting away Lebeth's mind as it kept taking over twice as fast. He too wanted to chase. He wanted freedom, and to feel the ocean spray. He wanted to feel what it was like to stop worrying and just live.
But he had more than just his pride to contend with. He had responsibility. He could be a dad. L'am could just as well be the father of Sonia's child. Sure, in the world of dragonriders this sort of thing was not only understood, but acceptable. That didn't make a difference. L'am loved that woman, that guarded woman, no matter how many times she'd shrug him off or pretend there was nothing between them. Why couldn't his desires be for her? Why did he want to abandon what they could share?
With Lebeth's mind becoming more and more his own, details were beginning to slip away like the petals of summer flowers in the fall. He wanted to keep moving. His feet guided him into his room, up towards the ledge. He stopped there, pace slowing to not quite a halt. He was in no danger of falling, but he knew this room was too small for him. It contained him, when all he wanted to do was see someone. Suddenly he started to make excuses again. It wasn't a crime to pay the Goldrider a visit. It wasn't as if he would ever go that far. She was just an acquaintance. She was their Jr. Weyrwoman, and therefore in a superior position to his own. She demanded his presence, didn't she?
Popping into the air just above the ledge, Suede chirped to his human, worried about His's safety. Amelia was out playing with younger flitters that afternoon, but she was never quite as close to L'am as the Blue. L'am glanced up at him with a hollow gaze, looking past him at to the sky. A shame he couldn't just chase like a dragon and abandon these burdens of loyalty and love. What ever happened to those days? By now, his mind was nearly wiped clean of L'am's logic, or his ever human morals. He started to wander back into his room again, out into the hall, and towards the Goldrider's quarters. Suede followed, though he understood it could be dangerous. He wanted to make sure his human wouldn't end up hurting himself. Keeping low to the ground, landing every once in a while and following L'am at a run, the firelizard wanted to stay off everyone's radar, but he needed to be close enough to act appropriately when and if the time came.
The room felt cooler than the halls, or his tiny old weyr. It felt like wind whipping up at his face and thrills chilling up him spine. His gaze wavered, as if it was either taking its time or reluctant to find what it was looking for. Other forms and figures were in the room, but they weren't important. Obstacles for his eyes to glance over. The real point of interest stood upon the ledge of the larger weyr, staring out to the sky.
She was beautiful.
He stifled a whine, which sounded more like a failed attempt at a more mature protest. L'am was still in there, somewhere, objecting to this wretched idea. What little good it did him. He stood amongst the other men, eyes still fixed on Rayna. She appeared to him like a challenge, rare and desirable. Something beautiful that hurt in an inexplicable way. This wasn't fair. That's what he kept thinking, and he was neglecting to go into the 'why'. On the ground, near the entrance to the Goldpair's weyr, Suede watched the men like an innocent bystander, favoring his human above the others in regards to attention. He still felt like he had to be there, but he wasn't sure how much longer he needed to stay.
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Ruin
Wingrider
ruinct[M:-786]
We build the worlds we wouldn't mind living in
Posts: 1,137
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Post by Ruin on Aug 1, 2011 22:03:34 GMT -5
He felt the eyes of his Queen on him, on all of them, judging and weighing them and finding them wanting—as all females of the sky did. None were worthy, not even him, but one of them would be proven. One would catch or be captured and then there would be the great falling; twined together as Pern called them home to her embrace as they consummated the joining. Yet that was not now, and would not be for some time yet; this Queen wanted to test her suitors—and they would rise to the occasion as proper males. The updraft threw him skyward on the power of wind beneath sail and he expended none of his energy in following her to those greater heights; here they swam amongst an endless blue that swept across the arc of terra below. His facetted eyes flashed across her golden form as it caught and reflected the light of day back at him; she was glorious.
She leveled out, but he allowed the pillar and warmth of sky to carry him higher still; he had little interest in the others that chased. Here he could watch the subtle changes in the muscles of her hide; in a way he could read her mind—see her actions: Such a young and daring Queen, but naïve. Her only interest was in proving herself. There was always the possibility she would wear herself down too soon—he had seen it happen in the young ones before—and those were opportune moments for subKings who lacked the size to fully foil a Queen’s perpetual momentum. Those crimson-hued compartments flashed along the golden wingshoulders of the Rukbat-dragon as her pinions drew sails taut and forced an effort from them.
Forward, ever across the sky-turned-sea, she pulled away from them in her haste to leave them behind and he allowed it; to an extent. He would not fall behind the tailmost suitor, but he would not break himself against the pulling of the wind to surpass her effort and gain—not yet. There was a fire burning in this Queen that needed stoked by the chill of fall sky and the heat of Rukbatlight. He stayed above, his open wingsails casting a shadow down upon the wispy clouds that clung to the lowest atmosphere; they promised a fall storm would come and go, and in that threat of marred open sky his instinctual dragonlust was fed the fire of Flight; not only those of dragons but that of Wings—it was in his blood like a distant memory of his heritage, and it was nothing that he could understand.
Predator of the sky the need to fulfill this part of his existence crowded out the memory of Weyrlife and bonded minds; he was only the dragon, as his Rider was only the dragon—they were one and had never been anything save this entity: Here above the open waters and hard ground. Here where fragile dragonwings could fly high enough to beat ineffectually against air too thin to support them. He stalked her like a preycat of the Southern lands, he kept himself between his golden Queen and the burning heat of the brilliant Rukbat; yes, he could see her illumination as a flawlessness there below him—no matter the distance that existed between them.
Then she was diving, and he was nearly powerless to answer that call; he knew it was a ploy—dragons must fall from on high, but she was beautiful. He had to chase and catch, had to make her his, but the logic of age warred with the lust in his beating heart even as he folded wingfingers to his sandy chest and fell in tandem with his Queen. Not as far, and not as steeply, no; she would need to Rise again and he would be there. So he leveled out above her, again keeping his broad wings flashed full of the light that beat down upon him from the sky. Her exhibit of power—and rage—did not go unnoticed; it released a thrilling response in his nerves. She was dangerous, at least she wanted to show that she was; exhibit her prowess to her suitors. He wasn’t fooled, and he wasn’t close enough to feel even threatened by her display, but it called to him.
Yet even her wild abandon with her anger served a greater purpose—it drove her upward. He responded immediately; he did not want to be in her path, not yet, not this low. Spars tested the warmth of air currents as they swept around him and then hooked into the nearest thermal, his broad expanses of sails served him well as he commanded the air to his need—to his will. Upward he rose with her; his path was more vertical than her forward drive, but he would slope to meet that forward momentum when he had achieved distance from terra again. Higher, and higher, and then forward as if a bowstring loosed—one powerful downstroke; spartips curled to cup the air and cast it backwards.
Ever forward, ever after, always chasing—his Queen. While far below, and far behind, A’kai remained motionless within the Queenrider’s weyr; even as another moved to her ledge, even as another joined them. This was a duty, his duty, he who was Rirth more than Rider. There was no need to move, no need to follow or touch; he waited. Biding his time: They were not an aggressive pair; they were tenacious, and patient.
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Post by blue on Aug 2, 2011 7:51:30 GMT -5
All of Natoth's attention was fixed on Couineth, his whirling reddish-purple eyes taking in every twith of her wings and movement of her body. He would be ready for any move his beautiful queen might make, ready to claim her as his own, or to be claimed himself. He was ready for her dive and freefalled after her, wings clamped against his side and body as streamlined as he could make it. He could dive faster than her, and the ground he had lost in straight flight was quickly being made up.
Natoth didn't flinch when she snapped at him. Of course she wouldn't actually bite her Natoth! He knew to give her the space she loved! He was smarter than to antagonize her by moving into her personal bubble without an invitation. He was smarter than all the others. He wanted to croon to her, but he managed to stay silent. He would do nothing to distract from her glory. This was her flight, and Natoth knew that she demanded all of her suitors' attention. He didn't even look around to see who the other chasers were or how many there were. Couineth was the only one that mattered just then. She was the most beautiful queen on Pern.
G'kar's objections to the flight had been forgotten in the floods of lust from Natoth. Just as his brown was fixated on Couineth, so was he fixated on her rider, standing out on the ledge. He kept his distance while Natoth kept his, but he leaned forward slightly, captivated by the young queenrider.
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Post by theknightwhosaysni on Aug 2, 2011 13:17:25 GMT -5
Rayna blinked slightly, dragged from her place in the clouds by someone addressing her. It took until Um'per had repeated her name for the second time for it to sink in that he was addressing her and that it wasn't a dragon speaking to Couineth. Rather unwillingly, she dragged enough of her attention from Couineth and her home in the skies just in time to feel the purplerider's hand reaching towards her shoulder and turning her away from the ledge.
Her eyes narrowed sharply and she pulled away from his touch, viewing it as an unwelcome advance. If she had been completely Couineth in that moment, she would have lashed out at him. As it was, Rayna moved purposefully away. The other suitors were too close to her. Too close, too close. She needed room, she needed space. Rayna needed the open skies. She needed to be able to get away from all of these stupid, self-centered suitors that wanted her. Rayna didn't want any of them!
Closing her eyes for a moment, Rayna focused on Couineth once more. Her shoulders felt like they were straining to carry her bulk upwards and when Rayna opened her eyes again, she barely saw the world around her. All of her mind was focused on Couineth. She felt like the two were one whole in that moment. They were both straining to get as far away from these self-centered dimglows as possible.
Couineth herself had leveled out for a moment. She twisted her head backwards to stare at her suitors, crimson still whirling fiercely in her gaze. The first hints of being tired was beginning to dance in her muscles. Her wings still drove her forward, but Couineth was beginning to tire. This was going to end soon, but Couineth was not interested in ending it yet. They were so stupid, so self-centered! Radith, Lebeth, Rirth, Natoth. None of them were worthy of her, the most amazing Queen that Dalibor Weyr had to offer. They were the only ones who recognized how amazing she was, though. Couineth was pleased by that much, at least. They did recognize that she was amazing! She was the greatest Queen ever!
The thought was enough to drive Couineth onward again, her wings snapping powerfully. She flew flat for a time, driving herself forward as quickly as she could go. Couineth was no lithe and swift green, however, and moving her heavy body forward at such speeds was hard for the Queen. She wasn't ready to stop, not yet, but she was growing more tired with each moment that went on. A glance behind her informed her that her suitors were gaining on her and a snarl escaped Couineth.
She shot upwards again, wings pumping powerfully to carry her upwards. Couineth didn't want them to get too close to her! She wasn't ready to choose, not yet! All Couineth wanted was to get as far away from these stupid, self-centered suitors as possible! Couineth flew upwards, driving her wings until the gold came to a stop, wings beating to keep her suspended in the air. Couineth's crimson gaze swept across each suitor in turn.
Now was the time to choose the least self-centered of her suitors, the one who was most worthy of her amazingness. Couineth gazed at each of her suitors in turn. Her wings were sore and the energy was bleeding from her veins
Her final decision was hurried, but Couineth dove for Lebeth. Her claws pricked against his hide, drawing ichor as her tail twined with his and Couineth let herself fall. Mine. [/i] Couineth snarled. Lebeth was hers and only hers! He was the least self-centered King, the most worthy of her amazingness! Rayna's eyes had drifted closed again, but they snapped open within seconds of Couineth choosing Lebeth. The lust swamped her almost completely, making her mind go fuzzy and blank. The only thing that Rayna wanted in that moment was L'am, and she moved swiftly toward the bronzerider, closing the distance between them as quickly as she could.[/size][/blockquote]
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Post by purnip on Aug 2, 2011 14:16:34 GMT -5
Um'per's bold move was hardly registered by the Bronzerider. No matter what the other men in the room started doing, they were of no importance to him. He stood, like he was getting ready to run the moment someone gave the signal. But there was no definition to his stance. There was no telling which way he planned to bolt. His gaze remained focused on Rayna, but his steps could fall either way. The exit called him just as strongly, but his senses weren't balanced. He couldn't hear a thing, aside from the breeze blowing past his ears and the low, throaty sort of sound his dragon made when he was starting to exhaust himself. Panting, was it? Oddly enough, L'am wasn't breathing heavy at all. He was barely breathing. An unsettling bout of anticipation kept him rooted in place, with two opposite intentions vying for control. He couldn't leave Rayna, but he had to get away. He couldn't hate her for it either! Desire replaced anger and frustration, up until the point when what he was most annoyed by was his own indecision.
Lebeth wasn't sharing these problems. He was the cause of them. Normally he'd be sensitive to that sort of thing, at least when it came to his human, but this was a special time for him and he had to let his blood boil with wild abandon for a change.
She looked so angry though, glancing back at them with nothing but contempt. Nearly every dragon he chased took this ordeal too seriously. Couldn't they see the fun in it? There was a certain quality that Lebeth had to admire. It was like a game, but thrilling, with more on the line and nothing all at once. It was both a duty and a pleasure. He only vaguely remembered how just a couple of turns ago he had no idea what he was up to. He knew not of what this meant, or what it was for, except that it had to happen in order to keep his species alive. After coming back alone so many times, he learned of something others might have missed. It was more than a birthright. This was life.
Flying flat was simple, but gaining elevation so suddenly after cruising for so long was not. Lebeth remembered pulling a muscle once this way, so his ascent wasn't as clean or as steady as his smaller cousins'. Still, he managed to rise without hurting himself or the others. He was put behind a bit, but his wings pumped him up higher without much of a protest. It was best that he continued to allow her the space she likely craved, but all the while he was determined to get close enough to be noticed.
When she stopped, it was only the slightest of a struggle for Lebeth to remain still as well. It was no simple task keeping a dragon of his size suspended in the air, even with a couple of strong wings for support. He really wanted to just keep flying--that was his favorite part so far. He never experienced the climax of a chase before as victor. Suddenly, after a quick sweep of her suitors with a trained eye for the right mate of the lot, Couineth was diving again...towards him. He swerved, preparing to catch her, anticipating her fall. Though those claws pricked mercilessly at his hide, he held her firmly, feeling happy in a different way than before. What was this feeling supposed to be? He recalled his rider...how His felt with her...he sort of felt the same way.
Lebeth crooned to the Gold, answering with a polite and simple, Yours. After all, he did belong to her. He belonged to Dalibor and she was its Queen. Even with tired wings and more than his weight to carry, the Bronze's great big wings were just wide enough to glide them safely towards the horizon.
It was happening a lot quicker than L'am expected. The first time Lebeth chased a Queen...Copper Kalith it was...it was so different. He wasn't scared of winning in the slightest. He let his dragon take control, despite the fact that the Bronze knew not of what was supposed to be doing. Rayna was coming towards him, and by then he knew he had won and it was wonderful. What could possibly be left to argue with anyhow? He took her up in his arms and embraced her, almost as if he needed her in another way. For comfort.
But that was swept away by Lebeth's understanding of what was to follow, and without further hesitation, he tilted Rayna's head to face his before placing a kiss on those lips. "I'm yours..."
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