Padma's Flight

[etoile]

Padma screamed her challenge at the puny males. This was all that wanted her? Lots of browns, she realized with irritation. They outnumbered the bronzes! Well, she would toy with them all regardless. She might even choose brown if those stupid bronzes acted all high and mighty. The only one who was allowed to do that was her. She was their queen, and they all had to bow down before her. Her spiraling thinned, becoming narrower, bringing them up in a cone-shape. Then, without warning, she dropped through the center of her cone, perpendicular to the trees. Just let them try to gain on her now! Swooping up in a graceful curve, she angled herself only slightly upward. Pushing her glowing body at this light angle, she flicked her tail flirtatiously at her followers. Would they try forcing her to catch them? She liked a little show of dominance, yet she wouldn't even let them do it if they dared. Always, always, they would submit to her. She warbled at them seductively, daring them to even try nipping at her. Crooning, she seemed to tell them to go ahead, try grabbing her. She was curious to see what they would do. Would they be courteous and refuse, or strong-willed and attempt it?

Robika looked around. There were a couple of girls, but they were weyrlings. She couldn't do anything with weyrlings... Looking around, she frowned. Men were also here. Groaning, she quickly darted toward the closest place she could sit away from them-- with Myra. Smiling sheepishly, she downed her klah, trying to ignore her guilty desire and the incoming men. Now, she wasn't scared of men, but they certainly weren't to her taste in this sense. "Hi!" she said breathlessly, trying to ignore everything still. She sighed. "Sorry," she told her, trying to banish the image of Padma twisting around in the air from her mind. "My gold is Flying," she added apologetically, waving her hand in an attempt to dismiss it. Squirming uncomfortably, she felt as if she could see glimpses of Padma's Flight through the eyes of the flitter...

Pulling ahead of her suitors teasingly, decided to add salt to the wound by warbling sweetly at them. Swooping around them, she brushed her tail at Griz innocently before flying at a steep diagonal slope in the opposite direction. She loved this position, being the one that these boys sought! They were at her mercy! Gliding on a strong thermal, she closed her eyes for a moment, simply enjoying this moment as the queen of Pern.

[B'kay]

Skimming the treetops, Griz had taken advantage of the heat rising from the forest, and, flying far lower than the others, was struggling to catch up to the Flight. He repeatedly screeched his frustration, still determined to give that other brown a good whacking for foiling him.

He could see the flash of gold ahead and above, growing gradually closer thanks to the warm draft and the light wind that ruffled the leaves of the trees.

Suddenly, that flash of gold dropped out of the skies! He couldn't believe his great fortune! This had turned to his advantage after all, for the lovely, the wonderful, the glorious Padma was right ahead of him! He still had some catching up to do, but she had dropped to his own level, leaving the rest in the clouds! Did she want him? Could it be? Of course it could be ... for wasn't he the strongest, most agile, most virile brown? Didn't he score himself and ooze for her, like a great one fighting thread? Okay, so maybe the ichor drying on his hide had been caused by scratching tree branches, but it was still ichor!

Hope kindled the fire in his breast, and he beat his sore wings harder. Sharp pain shot through the left one, but he refused to turn his head and look at the cause. He flew faster, faster, his heart pounding in his chest. He was gaining on her! He was almost....

And suddenly, with a flick of her tail, she was gone!

What--- ?

Griz shot past the spot that Padma had occupied a heartbeat before, and caught her out of the corner of his eye. She had made a sharp turn, the tease, fast and reverse, and she was rising again! The glorious, wonderful, scheming tease!

Screeching his aggravation, he lifted a wing to bank and turn after her ... and the pain once again stabbed at him! The air seemed to be out of control, and the simple effort of turning was far more difficult than it should have been.

His cry of challenge was tainted by the vibrato of pain, but he tried to ignore it, and finished the spin. He battered the air with his wings, straining with each thrust, and followed Padma into the sky....

***

B'kay winced, and the sweat on his brow began to run into his eyes. He grasped the table edge, scowling ... what had caused this sudden lurch in his stomach? Certainly it wasn't that the gold's human had left her spot and run toward one of the females present. She was a greenrider, after all, and entitled to her preferences ... in a way that should have been a relief to B'kay, as he didn't even recall her name. So why this pain that tightened his stomach, and caused his shoulders to knot and cramp?

The little brother is injured... Syth's voice, suddenly far more awake than he had allowed B'kay to believe earlier, touched his thoughts with mild concern. You are tired from all the hard work we have put into the Weyrling plans, and appear to be more connected to Griz than one might expect.

Injured? B'kay thought back, dismay darkening his eyes.

He still flies well, he is determined. I am proud of him.

Will he be alright?

It remains to be seen. He has a strong spirit.

Frowning, B'kay ducked into the shadows along the side of the dining hall. His eyes still on the greenrider, his thoughts were focused, worried, on his little brown friend.

[Kitari]

When Rukbat's light had barely dawned on Pern, B'rec had decided to take advantage of a quiet morning to bathe Dagonth in the lake. The pair had slipped out of the Barracks, with a yawning Griffin on B'rec's shoulder, and had since submerged themselves deep within the comforting waters. Awakened by the unexpected dousing (for he had fallen asleep again), Griffin squawked and leapt off the rider's shoulder to circle chittering in the air, but soon joined eagerly in the fun. Dagonth's whirling facets glinted happily from below the water's surface, and B'rec teased the blue by trying to catch him, an impossible feat when the dragon used his wings to swim and escape.

As time passed, B'rec settled in the sand with his head just above water and Dagonth lazily drifted across the Lake. Griffin was swimming in circles around B'rec, still chipper and energetic, keeping up a running commentary of warbles and chirrups. The rider smiled fondly, watching the brown fire lizard's progress. Although he had been preoccupied with Dagonth lately, and rightly so, he still greatly enjoyed the flitter's company and had hoped that the little brown wasn't upset at the recent dip in attention. This conversational chittering, accompanied by brilliant colours in B'rec's mind, seemed to negate this concern.

Suddenly, though, the colours took on a sharp hue, and Griffin abruptly swam to clamber painfully onto B'rec's bare chest, his voice rising in pitch. "What is it?" cried the Weyrlingrider, grasping the little brown in his hands and holding him where the clinging claws couldn't rake his skin further. Suddenly, Griffin began to struggle, twisting in an attempt to escape the rider's grip. B'rec held on more tightly, anxious to determine the cause of this sudden upset. "What is it?" he demanded once again.

A flash of a golden fire lizard, soaring marvelously over a jungle canopy, entered B'rec's mind, and his mouth dropped open, aghast. "Oh no," he muttered. With that, Griffin suddenly bit his hands, and B'rec cried out in pain. His fingers went slack with surprise, and Griffin was free...only to fall back into the water, his wings too wet for proper flight. He started screeching in frustration, and B'rec quickly waded forward to grasp him once again, ignoring the attacks on his hands.

"No, Griffin, you can't," he murmured anxiously. "I don't want...I can't...whose gold is it?" he added as a second thought.

Kmarath's rider, Dagonth supplied. That did nothing to reassure B'rec, for he believed that the green's rider was a woman, and...

While these panicked thoughts raced through his person's mind, Griffin managed to free his wings, although his body was still trapped, and he beat them furiously at the hands entwining him. If he wiggled just a little bit more that way, and twisted just so... Unknowingly, the brown was serving to dry his wings while freeing himself, and he suddenly burst free, soaring above the Lake and disappearing between.

"No!" cried B'rec, frozen where he stood. This was not good. This was not good! He was not prepared to...if Griffin caught the queen...with a woman...

I'ts okay, B'rec, he's just playing chase. Although Dagonth sensed his rider's anxiety, he was confused by it. After all, why would Griffin chasing a golden queen be such a terrible thing?

-----------

The triumphant Griffin emerged from the chill of between, unaware of how lucky he was to have dried himself before entering that frigid nothingness, and surveyed the horizon with critical eyes. Confused by the rush of directions sent by the other fire lizards, he was delighted to discover that his trip had delivered him to a positition ahead, if below, of the onrush of flitters. Eagerly, he began angling upwards, his little wings pumping. Although the others may have thought him unfairly fresh for joining late, the fire lizard had been burning energy all morning in his swim and then battle with his person.

Still, his fiery desire was alight, and after a victory over that trap his silly two-legs had created, Griffin was confident that he could conquer this challenge too! His pumping wings drove him further towards the golden queen, her sweet warbles drawing him onward and the flash of her golden hide a torch in the darkness of his need. He caught the thermal she was soaring on, rising up beneath her quickly. Would he be lucky enough to catch her by surprise?

[Shikai]

Pan chirped back, annoyed that the others were mad at him. It was their own fault they hadn’t managed to get out of his way, after all! He zipped away as one of the snooty browns attempted to whack him with his wings, and then ignored their insults as his eyes scanned the area for the queen. Where had she gone?

She was high in the air ahead of him, and Pan creeled in dismay. He had been ahead for a moment! Flapping his wings frantically, he pushed himself slowly higher, but wasn’t making much progress. Creeling sadly, he gave up, letting his wings rest as he dipped one slightly and glided in a large circle under the gold. At least he could watch from here. Or maybe he could console himself by finding a big, juicy fruit in the jungle. Ah, that would be nice! His eyes left the tantalizing golden beauty, glowing like Rukbat itself high above him, and turned to scanning the trees below him, wondering where to look.

Suddenly, a gold flash zipped past him, causing him to squawk in alarm. Pan back winged, hovering in place, and his squawks turned to chirps of delight as he realized that the queen was diving down to his level…and past him! He chittered in annoyance as some of the others dropped past him as well in pursuit of the queen, and joined the chase again, glad of the rest he’d had. Pan pushed his wings down vigorously, giving him a lift, then dove, nose first, wings pinned to his brown body. Falling was the one thing he was good at!

Yet the others were still far ahead of him, and he chirped in dismay. He turned with the gold, flying in the new direction, and bugled to her. He was here, and what a good choice he would be! Just look how well he was flying – woah! Pan dropped several feet as he nearly collided with a small bird, but continued chasing after the gold. He wasn’t too far behind the other fire lizards, miraculously! And this time, he was not going to give up.

-----

Myra shook her head, groaning softly to herself, as she received sporadic images of Pan in the chase. The silly fire lizard! He wasn’t even a bronze! Whatever was he thinking? Well, knowing Pan, he probably wasn’t thinking. Silly fire lizard.

She looked up as Robika sat down beside her. At least she was a woman. But weyrlings weren’t allowed to have relationships! The girl thought, her mind drifting to her happily sleeping blue dragon. She smiled awkwardly back as the greenrider spoke to her. “It’s alright…” She replied. After all, it wasn’t Robika’s fault that her fire lizard was flying. She probably couldn’t stop her any more than Myra could stop Pan from chasing after her. But what a predicament it put them in…

[.K.aci]

It was only a moment. Every frame flashed by, and the King settled back to watch, to wait. Beat by beat as they entered the air, slowly more `lizards entering in, but he was amused to see that only one Bronze had yet to enter the race. It didn't matter. He would win himself a Queen by the flight was over. Confident, he streached out his wings and beat the air faster, followed safetly behind the leader. Until the idiot decided to dive!

Squaking indigniantly, he hovered for a moment, watching as she pulled into a dive. For a moment he hesitated, waiting, thinking that she would lift back up. But a risk was not a risk without the decision, and he waited, suddenly confident in his decision. Until she turned around to shoot the other way, ducking even farther down. That meant he was in last, high above them.

With a hiss of anger, he banked sharply, spinning around and flying, pumping his wings, letting fury bleed, help him win. No way was he letting any jester of HIS court conquer him! Above her, past her he flew, fighting to overtake her. And then he was ahead of her, and he snapped his wings close to his body and dove, dove, until he was snapping his wings out just as he was next to her, creeling, chattering with slight adgitation. But the ladies man he was, and he had to show off, looping around her and then... The warm thermal he was using suddenly slipped into air that was not helpful, and he dropped like a stone.

A scream of anger rent the air as he fought to rise, catching the thermal, but once again in the pack. The Queen would be his!

[etoile]

A cloud passed over the sun, darkening the jungle ever so slightly. Padma bugled, beating her wings once again. They were beginning to tire, but she was certain to keep these males at Chase until she was ready to drop! Twisting around, her lithe body tipped to the right, and she executed a perfect barrel roll, managing to keep herself horizontal. That was a feat not even the best of males could compete with! Bugling triumphantly, she turned sharply to the right, tilting downwards slightly. Aiming for the trees, she led the males into the forest, warbling her siren call. After she had gotten deep enough into the maze of branches, she twisted herself out. Perhaps she would lose some in the trees... Shooting out, she found quickly her next destination: The weyr lake. Trumpeting in her bold challenge, she sped towards the lake, now relying on speed. She had found another thermal, but even when she was caught in the current, she still pumped her wings, causing her to go even faster. This was the speed part of the Flight! She definitely wanted speed; she was tiring, but she would live. These males would have to be fast enough now!

Robika cleared her throat awkwardly. How suave she must look. But how was she supposed to look? Right now, she was imagining what sort of things she might do with this... WEYRLING. Shard it, couldn't she even remember that this was a weyrling she was speaking to!? She should be ashamed, thinking these sorts of thoughts about her, fantasizing about how she would... No. "This is her first Flight," she babbled, all too aware of how flushed her face was becoming. "So, she's never done this sort of thing before. She's been grumpy lately, but I never thought she would get too grumpy when it was time, you know?" Great, now her mind was in the gutter, she thought irritably as she stopped herself from thinking, yet again, about how cute Myra looked. She should've stopped to think before deciding she wanted to use these feelings. She could feel Kmarath rumbling in amusement, which Robika pointedly ignored.

Fortunately, Padma made it to the lake. She was getting quite tired now, but she wasn't willing to end this Flight without a fight. Angling down to the top of the lake, she dipped her claws into the water, letting them skip over the nice, cool liquid. She was thirsty, but now she wasn't in the mood for water. Pulling away from it, she zig-zagged up. Now, she was going to go up and stay up. These acrobatics were draining her, and in case she stopped Flying, she wanted to be high in the air. She would be Caught when she was far off the ground. Deciding to toy with her males, she paused, drifting backwards slightly right until she was near Pan. Crooning to him, she got almost within his reach-- before pulling straight ahead very quickly! She was cruel, but she loved it. These stupid boys needed to learn their places. The wild brown was next. This time, she got so close that he probably could've Caught her if he comprehended this fact. Yet again, she pulled away. Oh, she was a desirable minx, and she knew it!

[Journye]

Reryu tucked his wings close to his body as he saw the queen flash by, following her like a bronze dart as she spiraled down. He admired her teasing of them, it only making her more desirable to him. He crooned loudly, singing his admiration of her and praise of her at the top of his lungs as he skimmed long the lake surface after her.

He allowed his praise song to slowly fade away as he followed, wanting to save his breath for more important things right now.

~~~

Journye shook her head and finally moved out of the door way, trying to hide the nervousness in her step. She was struggling to fight back the thoughts she was having about the green rider, who was a lovely woman after all and worthy of...she shook her head sharply, no she would not think about that!

She sighed and picked up a cup of fruit juice and headed over to Myra's table, where Robika was now. She cleared her throat softly and smiled shyly. "I...um...Hello!" she said cheerfully, her nervousness making her voice a bit shrill as she greeted the two women. She felt acutely self concious about her bi colored eyes and her white hair framing her face, but she couldn't turn and run now, though that was probably just what she should do.

[Kitari]

Powering upwards, Griffin neared his target high in the sky, when she suddenly barrel-rolled horizontally and then veered downwards past him. Relieved at the removal of his need to continue climbing through the air, the most difficult of tasks, the brown eagerly tucked in his wings to dive after her. He delighted in the rush of the air that cooled his overheated form, and he enjoyed even more the view allotted by his new position in the chase.

As the golden beauty led them into the trees, Griffin performed what he believed to be some quite astounding aerial acrobatics, managing to swoop under and between branches. At one point, though, his luck ran out, and he was forced to burst headlong through a thick patch of leaves that left him momentarily disoriented. Panicked at the lost sight of the queen, he swerved out of the forest for a better view and saw that she had taken such a path herself.

Eagerly, he dove after her, skimming the lake and pushing himself to the limits of his strength to stay in the race. His delicate wings motored once again to lift him into the sky, and he bugled his desire to the object of perfection.

-------------

An anguished B'rec had not yet left the Lake, although primitive urges were pushing him to do so. He sat determinedly in the sand, glaring out over the waters in challenge. He was not ready for this. Besides, it was against the rules; he was only a Weyrling! Muttering this to himself, the young rider's eyes lacked focus as he mentally battled with himself, fighting the ever-growing desire to seek out the person whose gold was in the Flight.

Without even realizing it, he was beginning to shuffle backwards through the sand, and his feet were beginning to arrange themselves to push him up. However, before B'rec's body could seize control once and for all, he was snapped back to the world by a rush of wings and mingled bugles and warbles as the fire lizard Flight passed right in front of him over the water. His jaw dropped open in surprise, and he vaguely wondered which of the lithe brown bodies was Griffin's.

Griffin is doing well! He is maintiaining good proximity to the queen, Dagonth informed him, ever-helpful. Surprisingly, this elicited a growl from his rider rather than thanks, and B'rec was able to resist no longer, rising and walking woodenly towards the Lower Caverns. "Augggghh...." he groaned, still trying to fight every step. Dagonth's whirling eyes followed his rider worriedly, but then he turned to watch his little cousin. After all, B'rec was just being strange, and the little cousin was doing very well!

[B'kay]

It seemed that Griz had hardly cleared the trees, when the little queen was darting back into them again!

His wing paining him terribly, he caught the thermals along the treetops and, pulled both wings in closer to his body. Instead of diving back through the branches, he skimmed the crown of the forest at the speed of an arrow, his narrowed shape piercing the air. The little brown, who was rapidly tiring and succumbing to the pain, traveled a parallel trajectory to Padma's flight, and broke over the Weyr bowl just in time to see her come out of the trees and head toward the lake.

Griz pulled in tighter and dove, his speed increasing with each narrowed thrust of his wings. Staying to the side and away from the main flight, he shadowed the glowing gold rocket, and when she shot toward the skies again, he followed a parallel, though several dragonlengths to her right.

His wing was screaming in pain, and as he pulled it forward to thrust through the air for more speed, spatters of ichor flew across the side of his face.

***

B'kay had started to become concerned that so many Weyrlings appeared to be drawn to this flight. They all knew the rules, but he knew, as well, that the emotions of a flight, even that of firelizards, could not always be resisted. He clung to the wall, watching the gathering group, fighting the urge to join them. He thought of their dragons, worrying about them ... this sort of thing could be very confusing to dragons so young. If a Weyrling's firelizard caught the gold, there would be a great deal of emotional untangling to do in the aftermath.

He was a taskmaster, not a mental counselor!

Then pain shot through his left arm and shoulder so sharply, that he looked down, expecting to find his tendons torn, and himself bleeding.

Syth's mental touch grew more and more concerned. We should call him off... we should try to call him off.... the dragon said into his rider's mind.

B'kay forgot about the Weyrlings, about the little gold. His only thought was for his own little brown friend. He shot the flitter images of landing, of resisting, of pulling back from the flight. You're hurt, come home! he called into the little mind, but felt only resistance, determination. He could see in vague flashes of thought the image of the little queen, and feel the demand to ignore the pain and keep pace with her.

Pulling against the emotions ... emotions which, at his age, he should have in far better control ... B'kay headed toward the open. Perhaps if he could get outside, see the flight, get a visual fix on Griz, he would be able to call him back.

Suddenly, the Weyrlingmaster cared not who caught the queen, as long as she was soon caught, and his little friend could land and be cared for properly.

[Flamewolf]

A new set of wings joined the flight. Late, yes, less determined; no. The new flit suddenly dropped out of the clouds near the middle of the pack, eyes bright, energy pulsing in him. He was quite, eyes bright, sailing through the air, forcing himself to hang back, observing. New, he wasn't sure how these other males worked. He swooped in and out, slowly, calmly, watching. A few wilds, a few from the weyr; all in all, a good mixture. He settled into one spot, thinking. He probably didn't have a fair chance; he, of course, was late. The gold probably wouldn't even consider him for it. But hey, why not give her more honor by giving her another suitor?

Meanwhile, his owner was outside, peering around. Where'd he get off to now... Keldara thought with a frown. Her eyes combed the sky. He wasn't there. Well, Rudd always came back; and he seemed very apologetic if he was gone for long without saying. The Weyrling wasn't really worried about him. The flit could certaintly take care of himself. She glanced back to where her weyr was, and where her brown was currently snoozing. He'd wake up soon. Maybe he'd know. She started towards it.

Meanwhile, the bronze was dipping down to the lake. He could see the queen now, tiring, while he was still fresh. He noticed not many of the suitors had noticed. Smiling (if firelizards could do that, anyways) he gave out a bugle, fairly loud, ringing through the air to suddenly pronounce his presence. It wasn't the least bit conceited; but he wanted them to know that another had joined in. Just so they wouldn't be caught unawares. It wouldn't be fair, of course. Does that make sense?

The bronze's hide shone and glittered as he dipped his wings, claws breaking the water, before climbing back up again. Water droplets glittered on his front claws as he flew up, did a back flip, twisting around to right himself. Rudd's eyes gazed around. The queen was toying with other males. Amused, he flew underneath the pack and rounded back to hang at the end. He wasn't going to be unfair by taking advantage of his energy. He settled for the back, watching her with guarded, intrigued whirling eyes. Would she notice him? Would she ignore him, the late-comer? What would happen?

((Late! But I just got back from a major......school homework dump-down. Hope ya don't mind Kel's bronze Rudd coming in to join the fun.))