Burning Bright (Fayeth's Maiden Flight)

[yaoiwafflez]

Miyuki's stomach was in knots. She was sitting on her weyrledge, legs dangling of the edge, staring out at the faint glow of the late-afternoon sun. She'd been feeling strange for days, but today was the worst off all. Despite it being ridiculously cold out (or so was her opinion) she felt hot and sort of feverish all over, and her thoughts refused to stay in any coherent order. All she could really think about was that she was sort of hungry, and how nice it would feel to just stretch her wings-

Oh. That was Fayeth. and there was another problem. Her gold's thoughts constantly bled into hers, and she was having a hard time differentiating the two. And then a single strand of thought invaded Miyuki's mind.
Mmmm...the bronzes are looking strong. Have they noticed me yet...? Yes. They will, soon. I shall see them all chase me...
What? Miyuki glanced at her dragon, noting the way the afternoon light seemed almost to cause her hide to glow like molten metal. Glow...wait. Glowing? And those strange feelings, and her distraction?
Oooooohhhhhh damn. Miyuki's hazy thoughts cleared and solidified on one thing, and one thing only. Fayeth was about to rise.

Miyuki leapt up with a frantic shout, dashing out of her room and pounding on Shinji's door. He opened it quickly, worried by her screaming obscenities at him, but only got shoved backwards, hastily instructed to take Wrath to Isle as soon as possible, and left as the pink-haired girl bolted from his quarters and back to her own room. Miyuki let out a shuddering sigh, and cast a glance at Fayeth. The gold looked bemused, and far more alert now than even five minutes ago, and didn't seem to comment on how desperately Hers had wanted Shinjiro our of Rocky; she vaguely understood something about the sister-brother relationship, and didn't seem to care that Miyuki had sent the bronze and his rider away for that reason. All her attention was on the weyrbowl, as she eyed a bunch of the cattle hungrily.

And up above, the swiftly retreating form of a bronze dragon departing between finally made her move. Fayeth lurched to her feet, stretching each leg like a cat, and mantling her wings fiercely as she strutted out to the edge of her weyr. Letting loose a long bugle of challenge and confidence and lust, she charged forward, swiftly making the slight trip to the feeding grounds and butchering an ox with lust-fueled ferocity. Miyuki tried to recall all that she'd been taught about this moment, mentally kicking herself for not realizing sooner the state her gold had been in. Damn, she should have alerted someone, figured it out sooner...

Fayeth! You- Don't eat it! Blood only, they say! Blood only! Miyuki forced her will upon the now entirely flight-consumed gold, who just lifted her head with a feral snarl, muzzle covered in red, and let loose another enraged cry of defiance. Miyuki refused to relent, however, and reluctantly, Fayeth cut down another two bulls and drained their corpses of the red-hot blood within. And then she bugled her intentions to take to the skies, spreading her wings and rising on her hindlegs with a show of absolute power.
MALES! I am your Queen! Hear me! I am Fayeth, I am Gold, and Today I take to the skies! Her voice, resounding like a church bell across the minds of the Weyr, left none of her excitement and pleased pride to the imagination. Catch me if you dare to think you are worthy of ME!

And with another bugle, she crouched to the ground and sprang into the skies, huge wings laboring to take her as high as possible. Already she could feel the strain on her, as her too-small pumped to keep her going, but she ignored it. This was HER moment. The gold rose through the air like a comet, and headed into the slowly-sinking sun.

Miyuki, unable to control herself anymore, just panted, feeling the ghost pain in her chest. Or was that just the butterfly-rapid heartbeat of anxiety? she mentally chided her dragon distantly for making so much noise, but she found herself swaying on her feet. She collapsed against her doorway with a soft whimper, overcome by a flood of emotions she was entirely unprepared for. Her mind tangled with her dragon's and all she could feel or think about was the overwhelming urge to find a mate.

Come, do you think you have what it takes to tame me? Males, to the sky, your Fayeth awaits!

[shadowreine]

Not bronze, no. But Ryath was quite aware that there were few bronzes at Rocky. Thus, a brown might have a chance. A brown might have a chance.

A gold? S'tor became aware that his brown chased a queen through a rising tide of purple lust. Part of him wanted to try and ground his dragon. Browns were not supposed to win golds.

Except it wasn't a leadership flight, there were relatively few bronzes and... Yes, this once, he would let Ryath try. The brown, airborne, pursuing her, pursuing everything she was.

He saved, though, his energy. Preserved it and hoarded it. He was not bronze, and even at his age, he knew this flight would be too long for him if he squandered it. She flew for the sun, though, and he followed. No sound from him, no bugle of challenge, although Ryath wished for firestone. With that, he could be sure to win her.

Miyuki, of course, might not be pleased at all to see S'tor stride into her weyr. The brownrider's reputation was not exactly savory, although he had never actually done anything to anyone. No, it was simply his words. HIs attitudes. The fact that he was clearly miserable at Rocky and clearly strove to spread that misery, to encroach upon the joy of others.

Right now, though, his dragon flew, flew into the air, flew into the sun, pursuing a prize that glowed and glittered more than any other.

[phyrstyr]

Yurith’s head shot up from his perch. He had been basking on the ledge of an escarpment while Nomics was taking a swim in a frigid pond below. You are walking home, Mine. He said bluntly.

Nomics’ mind filled with confusion, which overflowed into his dragon. “Wait, what?” The rider said in disbelief. “you can’t just leave me here in the cold! I’m all wet!” As the Bronze spread his wings to take off he felt a momentary pang of guilt. Feeling obligated to explain himself, he elaborated, Gold Fayeth is Rising. I WILL NOT miss it. With that he jumped into the air and sped away. Still a twang of guilt gnawed at him. So he looked back a moment and said, Maybe I will ask a Green or Blue to come and get you.

"Fat lout!” Nomics shouted at his dragon. After a moment he softened, and the last thing Yurith heard from HisRider before he went between was 'Good luck'.

Appearing just above the lake, Yurith tried to quickly locate Fayeth. A golden twinkle caught his eye and turning towards the feeding grounds he caught sight of her. He began flying toward her and the pen of cattle, trying to decide whether or not he could go without blooding this time.

Come, do you think you have what it takes to tame me? Males, to the sky, your Fayeth awaits!

Torn between the need to feed and the desire to take to the Chase immediately, Yurith bugled his presence to the radiant Gold. Shining like the sun itself and filled with the confidence that all Golds possessed, she was irresistible. But the Bronze knew from years of experience that if he wanted any chance of catching Fayeth, he had to be at the top of his game. So down he went to the feeding grounds and blooded a single cow, all the while watching the magnificent Gold. Finished, he bugled again and shouted, Beautiful Fayeth, I Bronze Yurith come for you! As he shot into the sky he sent an image of Nomics, cold and wet, by the escarpment to one of the Blues hanging about. Hopefully he would understand and go get him, and if not the Bronze could always Time It later and bring him to Miyuki’s Weyr.

No longer feeling obligated to help his Rider, Yurith devoted his entire being to following the luminous creature before him. The hot blood of his kill flowed through him and the Bronze pumped his powerful wings, slowly gaining ground on the enchanting prize before him. There was another chaser ahead, a brown. He found this rather odd for a moment, but was quickly overcome by a wave of desire for the Gold ahead. Putting out all thoughts of the other Chaser, Yurith continued striving to catch up for the time it took him to blood his kill.

[PhazonDragon]

That whole day, Lawrence had felt unusually annoyed. More than the bronzerider was on a normal day. He figured it came from his bronze, but when asked, Elonverrilth only responded with a brief ‘I must be ready’. There wasn’t much else he was going to get out of the bronze, even if he threatened to hit himself. Instead, Lawrence shut himself in for the whole day. It was too cold to go outside, and he wasn’t in the mood to talk to anyone. Besides, Elonverrilth would just make every confrontation worse by saying he had to be nice or some other boring advice.

A bugle startled Lawrence out of his moody musing, and he jolted back in his seat, nearly knocking the off-balanced chair to the ground. “What was that??” he hissed between clenched teeth, sitting up in the chair. “Elon! Elonverrilth! What in the world is going on?” The bronze weyrling jumped out of seat, only to get a warning growl from Elonverirlth, who was in his half of the weyr. “... What?”

She Rises! She’s Rising, and I’m going to Chase, Lawrence. Elonverrilth pushed himself up with his wings, leaning back to sit on his haunches, and peering outside of the weyr with his head. Gold Fayeth Rises! he clarified for the young man, before leaping out of the weyr and into the sky. He spread his wings as he hit the air, instantly gaining altitude.

”What.” Lawrence’s eyes went wide. Elonverrilth wasn’t even that old! Not even a year yet, right? He was trying to Chase too early! He could injure himself! Elon--you can’t Chase! Get back here! Lawrence mentally shouted as he ran to the weyr ledge.

Catch me if you dare to think you are worthy of ME!

Elonverrilth’s instincts kicked in as he angled his wings for the feeding pens. There, he saw the golden shining form of the Queen that was to Rise, along with his current competition. A brown, and another bronze. Both were so much older than the young bronze, and in good shape too, he noted as Elonverrilth came to land, bat-like, on the ground nearby. In his eagerness, the bronze fidgeted. His first Chase. His first Flight. He was proud. He wanted to win. His eyes were burning red in their hunger for the gold.

He only barely noticed that the gold blooded her meal, and the bronze did the same. The thought crossed his mind that he should do the same, blood a kill, to give himself strength, but his inexperience was overruling. He debated the idea for too long, and before he could decide, Fayeth was in the air, wings spread and beckoning the males on. Elonverrilth answered the gold with a trumpet of his own, falling back onto his hind legs to spread his own metallic wings.

Powerful hind legs bunched up and ready to burst, Elonverrilth launched himself into the sky after the brown and the bronze, a threatening screech emanating from his open maw. His first Flight, and he was determined to see it through to the end. To the end, where he won, Catching and Claiming the gold as his own.

[yaoiwafflez]

Fayeth bugled again, proudly. She had been feeling her rider's nerves, feeding off of Miyuki's anxiety about her flight, but nature was taking over, and the gold felt fantastic. There wasn't a trace of worry in her, just pride, lust, and energy.

She rolled in the air, executing an elegant wingover to examine her potential mates. First to follow was a silent dragon, a brown she recognized vaguely. Ryath... she liked the quiet brown all of a sudden, despite his rider's unsavoury attitude. But Ryath...no, he was strong, and handsome, even if he was a brown. Perhaps Fayeth had a thing for the underdog. She swept back and just by him, encouraging him with a sly bugle.

Then came a handsome striped bronze, Yurith. Fayeth crooned softly to him, and darted between him and Ryath. He was a big one, and she knew him to be experienced enough to be a challenge. Well. It would be one she would enjoy.

And behind her, a straggler and an odd one at that, another young bronze. Fayeth called out to him, her curiousity piqued by the strange silhouette he gave... and then she let out a cry of surprise. He had long, elegant wings, but his forelegs were so small! So he had a defect like hers, his body had not formed right. That was right; he was Elonverrilth, the odd one.

Below, Miyuki's vision swam with superimposed images of all of the bronzes, while her own mind matched the dragons to the faces of the men who partnered with them. She didn't see anyone yet, but she knew, dimly, that they would come. They were as strung into the flight as she. It wouldn;t matter what she felt, what she hoped, no. It was up to her gold...

Well. This would be a good flight; Fayeth pumped her wings furiously, rising still ever higher into the air. Tiny wisps of cloud streamed past her, covering her golden hide like little mirrors. She reveled in the sensation, and momentarily closed her eyes to feel the setting sun on her hide. The air was getting colder now, and she knew she was reaching an impressive altitude; the bowl spread beneath her like a map, she saw when her eyes opened again.

My wonderful males, Ryath, Yurith, and strange Elonverrilth! She called. You are mine, all of you mine, but I can only have one! Her wings beat again, carrying her still ever higher. Who will it be?

[shadowreine]

The queen was encouraging him. With few bronzes, S'tor realized Ryath might have a chance to catch a queen and sire a clutch.

And they did not need a gold egg, so there was no real reason why not other than tradition. And at least...St'or found the goldrider. She was reasonably attractive but, assuming Ryath lost, he had an idea of somebody with whom to slake his lust.

Some of these earth women were as easy as any greenrider, he had found. Others practically wore chastity belts. You just had to work out which ones were which.

Ryath was in the air, the wind across his wings as he increased his speed after the lusty gold. Her form glowed, and there was no other than her, for this time. Dragon instinct had pushed aside all reason.

She was gold and he would catch her, have her. He would, at the least, not drop out before the horribly deformed bronze. He had to beat THAT one at least. The striped one, that one could win, but not the hideous THING with no forearms.

He wished for firestone. He wished for fire, to consume them all, but her fire was enough. More than enough, for that.