Plianth FLIES!

[**Auria (etc)**]

[[OOC note: we've jumped out of time a bit and this thread takes place after the Gather.]]

The startled drudged dodged the missile just in time. The cup shattered into shards on the wall across from Penna's back entrance.

"You call that KLAH!?" the Junior Weyrwoman screeched as the heavy door slammed shut.

The drudge, eyes wide with shock, muttering something about a "fat old herdsow", bent to sweep up the shards and deposit them into her collecting bin. At least Penna had thrown her temper when the girl was cleaning, and not carrying a load of fresh linens.

Inside the weyr, the goldrider paced, her eyes glowing bright and glittering in the light that filtered in from the wide opening to the ledge. On that ledge a gold dragon glowed, restless in her sleep, her tail thrashing.

Penna, though not the brightest glow in the basket, had done this before. She knew better than to wake the dragon ... the only time she'd tried that trick, she'd nearly lost an arm. Plianth was ... less than amiable ... in this condition. Her nerves were raw, every breeze sent goosebumps rising on her flesh, and she fought back the urge to tear off her clothing and scream. The dragon blazed orangey-gold in the sun, her underbelly flushed, diamond-like sparks glinting off her hide.

Wake, wake, let's do this my love, the woman thought, carefully cloaking her mind so as not to really wake the dragon, for this had to happen in its own time.

A senior queen people rarely saw, with a rider who was just as recluse and ruled the weyr with fear. Two younger juniors not even old enough to rise yet. And Plianth ... oh yes, this would be just the prize! Plianth rising, Plianth's clutch on the sands, PLIANTH holding the highest status a dragon could hold in a weyr whose senior queen was practically a stranger to most of the weyrfolk. Why, Penna didn't think she'd ever even seen the dragon!

Suddenly she roared, and the world turned red. But no, it was Plianth who had roared! Penna's mind spun and rocked violently, as the glowing gold rose on her bowed legs, lifted her head high from the ledge and screamed again.

Hunger! Blazing, excruciating hunger! It ripped through her insides and she, locked in the mind of her dragon, experienced the drop from the ledge. The herdbeasts, one for each hind leg, grazing below never stood a chance. Plianth fell on them, breaking both backs, and lifted the limp things out of the pen to the flat of the bowl to feast.

BLOOD, BLOOD ONLY! Penna screamed in her mind, "Plianth do NOT EAT!" aloud into the wind. The dragon tore a huge chunk from the belly of the first beast, which was still screaming as she ripped it apart, and swallowed the meat.

NO PLIANTH! DO NOT FEED, BLOOD ONLY!

Plianth turned toward her rider high above and screeched a challenge that rocked the weyr! How DARE she tell her what to do!

BLOOD, ONLY BLOOD, NO MEAT, ONLY BLOOD!

The woman's mind, weak though it was, gripped the dragon's firmly. This she had done before. This she could do. ONLY BLOOD, PLIANTH!

Plianth raised her head high, stretched her gleaming golden breast toward the heavens, and bugled obscenities toward every bronze or brown ear within range. Then she dove for the beast's gurgling throat and sucked out the blood. Hot, rich, delicious blood! Yes, it was thirst, thirst, great thirst for blood that drove her!

Drained, she tossed the first beast aside and clamped her dagger teeth into the throat of the second. It screamed only for a moment as she drew the life liquid from its body. Its carcass hit the side of a holding pen when she threw it, breaking a plank, and three other herdbeast escaped, screaming in terror at the sight of the crazed golden queen.

Plianth spread her great wings and pounced, landing on all three at once, crushing them dead beneath her bulk. Five! Five herdbeasts drained of blood, sucked dry like shriveled figs, between the mighty jaws of Plianth!

And then, the world blazed with the fire that burned inside her. The sky was orange with flame, the air searing hot, and she leapt.

She hit the ground and leapt again.

She hit the ground and leapt a third time, this time catching just enough thermal to get her skyborne. The first clumsy thrust of her overburdened wings took her high enough to gain purchase, and then she was aloft!

Powerful wingstrokes took the gold dragon, screaming challenges to any males foolish enough to think they could catch her, into the skies of Pern.

She raced at a speed that would have shocked those who had seen fat, clumsy Plianth on the ground. She tucked her wings and did an awkward barrel roll. Her eyes blazed fire as she played with the thermals and waited for her suitors ... for there would be many, she was certain! ... to join in the chase.

On the ledge of her weyr, Penna was gone. In her stead was a mirror of her dragon, a dragon in a human body. She felt the cool wind flow over her wings, rejoiced in the joy and freedom of flight, felt the fire in her belly and the fierce rage of passion that drove her. As Plianth screamed, so did Penna, in a voice that was deep and frightening, the voice of a dragon-burned queen rider!

[Skye]

Gaelrith snapped awake at Plianth's first scream, bugling loudly in answer. A'idin looked up from mending his shirt, eying his brown curiously. Then he heard the gold's second challenge and his eye widened. He hurried out to the ledge where Gaelrith was standing, watching the Queen blood.

A'idin made a face, knowing who the Queen belonged to. He looked at Gaelrith Are you sure about this Gaely? he asked, rubbing the bridge of his nose. In answer Gaelrith bugled another answer to her challenge.

A'idin made a face, but climbed into place as Gaelrith crouched. The brown leaped from the ledge, winging his way up to the high weyr where Penna was. He barely touched down long enough for A'idin to slide down, his feet barely touching the rock before the brown was gliding down to the feeding pens.

A'idin stepped into the weyr, already his mind merging with Gaelrith's as the brown pounced upon two panicked herdbeasts, draining them quickly of blood before leaping into the air.

He once more bugled an answer to the Queen's challenge. He winged his way after her. She might be on the large size for a Queen, but she was still a queen and deserved a range of suitors and Gaelrith wanted to give chase. He ignored her name calling and cursing as he followed her silently now, admiring the shine of her hide.

[M'kel]

The roar that filled the Weyr seemed to shake M'kel down to his bones, and he dropped the mug of klah he had just picked up in the kitchen. The meatrolls gripped in his other hand also fell swiftly to the floor, for the Weyrleader had recognized that bugling challenge. And this was no mere green. For a moment, his heart was seized by panic. Could this be the end of his much-relished, airily flaunted Weyrleadership? Was Aviciath rising? He hadn't seen the queen up close in the past few days, so he'd had no chance to see her glow. Would Tirenth be able to catch her again?

His legs, stiff with fear, forced themselves into action, and M'kel loped awkwardly towards the entrance to the Lower Caverns to peer out into the Bowl. Sure enough, a golden dragon landed immediately upon the backs of two beasts and began feeding. The bronzerider gripped the stone of the wall for a moment, heart racing, until he realized that the golden hide was far more orange than Aviciath's. And as three more herdbeasts went down, the young man knew that Aviciath would never take on so much weight before a Flight.

It was Plianth!

"Oh no," he groaned, eyes already swiveling to find Tirenth, praying that the bronze wasn't rising to the challenge. Sitareh had been livid enough over that green Flight. If she had had any idea that Plianth was due to rise, M'kel and Tirenth probably would have been sent on a 'vacation' for a few sevendays.

A moment later, a bronze blur erupted from his weyr ledge, alighting on a ledge over the Feeding Ground, eyes whirling and throat rumbling. After being spurned at the last green Flight, the bronze was more determined than ever to win this one. His bugle was fierce, daring the other males to interfere again. This time, the queen was his!

His dragon's arousal began to flood M'kel, and he had only a moment for one last pained thought. He really shouldn't have given B'kay's weyr to Penna. There were now a lot of stairs between him and the woman.

While a lust-befuddled rider struggled up stone steps in an achingly clumsy climb, Tirenth watched the queen below with eyes glittering with anticipation. When she made her first leap, his limbs tensed in response, and he nearly dove off the ledge before realizing that she had landed again. The bronze tilted his head to the side, confused for a moment, but she began to leap again, and he eagerly moved to follow suit...until she landed again. Now Tirenth was very confused, for he had done this a few times now, and he knew that the female was supposed to take to the sky with a powerful surge of wings right after feeding, and this was not following that pattern at all.

Not the brightest of bronzes, he was thus delayed in his reaction when Plianth finally made it off the ground. Finally! This was what was supposed to happen! Eagerly, Tirenth plunged off his ledge, sweeping his wings downward to carry himself skyward after her. The pudgy queen's little rolls of fat meant little to him as he admired the healthy sheen of her hide. No matter her weight, she was still a queen, and all queens were lovely creatures. He warbled his admiration to her, sweeping to the side after her when she barrel rolled.

[B'kay]

I won't leave you stranded THIS time! The deep bronze rumble that slammed into B'kay's mind almost made him jump out of his new boots! He'd been on watch duty all morning, Syth sunning on the fireheights.

Suddenly a great shadow was upon him, and he was being grabbed around the shoulders by two powerful fore-feet!

SYTH, what are you--- Oh NOOOO, not HER!

Syth raced toward the weyr, their OWN old weyr, and swerved to the side just in time to toss B'kay onto the ledge before veering off. Penna stood there, face on fire with dragon-flight ardor, staring to the skies. Swiftly, Syth's passion overcame B'kay -- yet resistance still fought against instinct. He pulled himself, scraped and bruised, from the ledge, and backed against the wall near Penna, grasping at the stone with trembling fingers. Others were approaching, but the bronzerider was unsure of who they were, for his mind was quickly becoming lost in the skies above Araelen....

The enormous gold dragon had just leapt ... after several failed attempts, for the skies. There was another bronze above, and a brown soon hot on Plianth's tail. For such a large queen, she was surprisingly swift! Syth's great nearly-black wings pounded the thermals as he raced to catch up! As the queen rolled, he dove toward her, attempting to cut off the great Tirenth and brown Gaelrith.

Bugling his ardor, Syth was closing fast on the pursuit! He could smell Plianth now, the wind pushed back by her wings carrying her spicy scent to his nostrils. The smells of dragon and blood enflamed him, and he pressed harder into the chase!

[**Auria (etc)**]

Plianth screamed at the bronze dragon pursuing her! It was Tirenth, the Weyrleader's own! Of course the finest dragon in the Weyr would want HER, the marvelous Plianth from the Past!

And then a brown joined chase .... just let them try to catch her! Just let them!

Suddenly another bronze, this one dark and swarthy, smaller and less powerful but agile and sure....

Yes! They all wanted her, they all....

The great gold squealed as the dark bronze darted toward her, the brown was almost upon her, the huge lead bronze far too close! She may be large and formidable, but Plianth was experienced in Flight --

Suddenly she backwinged, turned on her tail, and darted for the heavens in the opposite direction. Her wings were immensely powerful, having worked so hard to maneuver and propel her magnificence all her life, and they cut through the air with tremendous force. She sped forward, using her one talent ... straight-line speed ... to her advantage!

Yes! Plianth the Great! Queen of the Switchback!

She was well ahead of them now, her three handsome suitors, and bent her head to toss a scream of challenge in her wake.

[M'kel]

Another bronze had joined the race, much to Tirenth's displeasure. As he glanced back at this new competitor, he bugled in frustration. It was Syth! Syth, who had stolen that emerald gem from between his reaching talons, the bronze who had rivaled him from the very conception of Araelen Weyr. This upset gave Tirenth a new burst of speed, and he winged after the gold with greater focus.

He was gaining on the magnificent Plianth, and her golden hide beckoned him onward. Tirenth crooned enticingly, but suddenly she was no longer in front of him. He backwinged quickly, swinging his head around in an effort to spot her. There! She was going back the other way! His floundering efforts to turn slowed the great bronze's momentum, for he was not as graceful in the air as she. Once he was back on course, he needed to pump his wings madly to make up time.

Below, in the stairwell of the Weyr, a panting M'kel continued to make his way up endless stairs, his sweat-slick fingers grasping at the wall to steady himself and draw himself forward. He finally reached the doorway and heaved the barrier open, nearly falling into the weyr. The bronzerider was momentarily cognizant, and he experienced a wave of repulsion at the sight of the airheaded, over-indulgent goldrider ahead. This feeling was quickly washed aside, however, and he gazed on her as the golden beauty that she was. She did make excellent redberry pie.

[C'lyn]

Seath bugled his own challenge as he appeared from between, L'kas clinging to his riding straps. L'kas groaned as he saw the gold in the air, not her!

Seath why her?! he screamed at his bronze, but it was too late, the bronze had already adjusted his flight to hover near the edge of the ledge high above the others. L'kas undid his straps and failr tumbled from Seath's back as the bronze shook himself. After only briefly making sure that his rider was completely on the ledge his he take off after the gold, still in his straps.

L'kas laid still for a moment, his heart pounding from both the fright of nearly tumbling from the ledge and from lust fired by his bronze. He shakily got to his feet and made his way into the weyr, noting the others already there. He wished that his errand had taken him longer. He shed his flight jacket, the last thing his could think to do on his own before his mind was merged with Seath in his lust.

Seath bugled another challenge as he took off after the Queen and her three other suitors, he was behind, but only for the moment! He was in his prime and more the ready to fly this Queen. He hissed at Tirenth, that younger bronze may have bested him the last gold flight, but not this time!. Plianath would be his!

[**Auria (etc)**]

Plianth screamed with triumph! Another bronze had joined the flight! At Ista, for some mysterious reason, the bronzes were often out of the area when she rose -- but here she had THREE! Three strong senior bronze dragons and a handsome, fit brown, all vying for her glorious self!

She rose higher, great wings pumping hard, and caught a thermal, attempting to use its lift to ease the strain on her wings. But her ... grandness ... appeared to be a bit too grand for the updraft, and instead as she eased her wing strokes she began to slowly lose altitude!

Suddenly, gasses from the meat she'd downed before sucking dry the herdbeasts hit her in the belly, and she cramped in her wings in discomfort.

The males were catching up!

No, not yet-- ! She felt their hot breath on her , too close, too close! In a rare clever moment, the great gold decided to use her situation to her advantage. She snapped her wings to her sides and dropped like a stone!

When the males were left several dragonlengths above, Plianth spread her wings again and began to pump, screaming her insults at them for having fooled them! Each thrust of her wings grew harder, and again the gasses rumbled in her belly and erupted in a loud belch!

In Penna's weyr, a golden-halo'd angel dropped from the sky. A third bronzerider! Feeling her dragon's pride for having lured four handsome dragons into the chase, she threw her head back, and laughed (a bit maniacally) along with Plianth's triumphant joy!

[B'kay]

Syth had just gotten himself turned around, floundering after Tirenth as they were surprised by Plianth's sudden turn, when he realized a third bronze, this one still in harness, had joined the chase. He bugled a challenge to Seath, and struggled to gain on the golden beauty ahead of them.

He was gaining, gaining, and it looked like Plianth was faltering! She appeared to be having trouble with an updraft! A-ha! He would catch her, she would be his, she would be....

Where did she go!?

The dark bronze dragon spun on a wingtip, searching the skies, and spotted the golden glow below them!

He roared and dove after her as she gained her wings and sped forward! Syth took an angle trajectory, and shot like an arrow, aiming for a spot ahead of the golden queen. He would have her!

Plianth didn't appear to notice him! As he reached her altitude, he snapped open his wings, and pulled in front of her! His gleaming burnished neck reached for hers, determined to stop her, determined to entangle her!

He had her! Syth's bronze neck arched for the gold, he altered his body to bring himself alongside!

And then, he was spinning, turning end over end! The great weight of the enormous queen had propelled her forward like a shot from a cannon! Syth's attempt to tangle her had instead fouled him!

Out of control, the dark bronze roared with frustration. The ground sped toward him at a dizzying pace! He struggled to open his wings, to gain some ballast ... and finally caught just enough air to pull himself out of the fall.

But the others were now far above, far ahead, and Syth's mistake had nearly exhausted him. Still, determined, he pumped his great wings and tried to rejoin the chase.

B'kay hit the floor of the weyr hard ... dizzy and disoriented, his head spinning with the plummeting bronze whose mind had so entrapped his own. He roared with Syth, and as the dragon finally righted himself, found himself looking up at the other riders in the weyr. The fire in his mind had cooled slightly with his dragon's near death experience ... but as Syth struggled to regain the Flight, his vision again clouded, his mind faded away, and the bronzerider had no idea he was still flat on his back.

[Shikai]

“There.” A soft smile played about H’run’s lips as he applied the last bit of oil to his green firelizard’s hide. The weyrling got to his feet, crossing his weyr to return the pot to its place on the shelf. Eloise leapt off his desk and flew to his shoulder, chirping in appreciation with an unusual amount of happiness in her usually mournful voice. She even nuzzled him, rubbing her head sweetly against his neck.

H’run walked back to his bed, seating himself upon it as he considered what to do with himself next. He was vaguely aware of dragons trumpeting outside, and a strange feeling slowly seeping through him…

Plianth flies.[/color] Gawyth rumbled from his place on the stone dragoncouch, and H’run groaned. “Shards. I hate queenflights…” He grumbled, allowing himself to fall back onto his bed, his arms spread out. Eloise hopped onto her chest, peering into her bonded’s face with a worried, inquiring chirp. H’run petted her head absently, pondering taking a trip to lake. Why do you hate them, mine? When queens fly, new dragons will be born at the weyr. Plus, we bronzes can give chase.[/color] Gawyth asked, confused. H’run was silent, unsure how to reply. Gawyth was still young, although he was fast approaching his full size and strength. “I…I just don’t like them, that’s all.” He decided not to even attempt to explain to his dragon that it wasn’t the results of the flights he minded, but the way the lust of the dragons had a way of getting into all the people nearby.

You’d better get off to Penna’s weyr.[/color] Gawyth said, taking H’run by complete surprise. “Penna…what? Why?” But he realized the answer before Gawyth gave it to him, for it flooded him in the form of cold fear. “Gawyth!” He exclaimed, his voice pleading. I’m a bronze, H’run-mine! I need to be in the skies, chasing Plianth.[/color] The bronze couldn’t fight his instincts any longer, and leapt from the weyrledge, descending to the feeding ground to drink his fill before taking off in pursuit of the queen. I’m sorry, mine. I know you’re unhappy, but I know I can win her![/color]

“Shards.” H’run hissed under his breath, walking shakily to the door. He fumbled for the knob, and slowly proceeded to make his way toward Penna’s weyr. Penna. Why Penna? She was nearly twice his age! If it were one of the Junior queens, at least, it wouldn’t be so bad! Plianth was probably the last dragon in the weyr he wanted Gawyth chasing.

At least he wouldn’t win. Gawyth was a finely built bronze, a bit less agile than others, perhaps, but he made up for it with strength and stamina. Nonetheless, he couldn’t possibly beat out dragons like Tirenth, Syth, and Seath! But Gawyth was still just a weyrling dragon, not quite full grown! Why did he have these urges already? This wasn’t supposed to happen yet! Why did he need to chase? Why put his rider through this? Oh Faranth, and what if he did win? H’run had seen Plianth, and she was surely far from the ideal member of her color. By some bizarre twist of fate, perhaps Gawyth could manage to catch her, as H’run doubted the pudgy gold’s ability to hold off her suitors for long.

But that had better not happen! Because if Gawyth won, where would H’run find himself? The very thought of waking up with Penna made H’run shudder, his face turning pale. This couldn’t be happening…

Finally, he had reached Penna’s weyr, and he entered quietly, trying not to look at the Junior Weyrwoman. He hung back against the wall, wishing for as much distance between himself and the woman as possible, the mask that usually hid his emotions slipping as outright fear shone through. Thankfully, at that moment, the most peculiar sensation took hold of him, and he was no longer in that room, where he wanted so terribly not to be, but in the skies, his bronze wings beating the air strongly as he pushed the earth beneath him, rising higher and higher…

Gawyth bugled as he joined the others, loudly declaring himself an entrant in Plianth’s flight. He was young, yes, but strong, and Plianth had called for the bronzes to come! He could hardly ignore the command of a queen!