Like the Sun Rises (Delanth's Mating Flight)

IC Time: Month 9, Late Winter 11AL.
IC Setting: The weyrbowl and sky early in the morning

It was very early. The sun was just beginning to rise above the weybowl without a single cloud in the sky. The air was crisp and cool and smelled of winter. There was even a light frost covering the ground and grasses. As it does in winter, everything seemed to be waiting, like the world was taking a final intake of breath before something important happened.

It was in this stillness that the golden beauty stirred. Her hide trying to compete with the sun itself. Delanth woke and stretched her body sensually. She allowed a yawn to escape from her mighty jaws before standing to her full height to give a loud welcoming bugle to the day. 'Sashike. I am going to conquer the sky. Watch me.'

Sashike had been fast asleep up until that loud bugle her gold gave. In fact she had almost fallen from the bed. 'What? What's going on? What about conquering?' Sashike asked befuddled and confused. She pulled a simple robe around her almost bare body and slipped on a pair of fur lined boots. She ran to her dragon's side of their quarters, but it was too late. The gold was already gone, flying towards the corrals. "It is happening." Sashike said, immediately realizing what was happening. Her gold was rising.

She could hear the frightened sounds of the beasts as they ran from death herself. 'Just bleed it, dear heart. If you are to conquer the sky you cannot on a full belly.' Sashike warned with love and stern determination. She could feel Delanth wanting to disobey, but in the end Sashike's will won over the gold's. The tiny rider had finally made her way down to the weyrbowl to watch over her gold.

Delanth quickly slaughtered the beasts she wanted, each time Sashike had to firmly tell her to just bleed them. With a mighty sweep of her tail and cracking her wings from her back, Delanth leaped into the air. A loud challenging trumpet from her gut rang out over the stillness of the day. 'Come all you bronzes who think you are worthy of a gold such as me. If you prove yourself, together we will rule the sky this morning.'

Mine, wake up. Still M'urn did not stir in his cozy bed. Matresses were so nice...Soft fluffy kitten frolicked through his dreams. Kittens were cute and interesting. There were no cats around in the Second Interval. MINE, wake up! Still no concsious thoughts stirred in Morganath's lifemate's mind and the dragon was continuously submitted to images of kittens and grass and birds and other such strange things. Unfortunately for poor M'urn's mental ears, the dark bronze had had enough of this silliness. MINE, WAKE UP! THERE IS A GOLDFLIGHT! It is time to chase.

M'urn cried out and fell sideways out of his bed, landing sharply on his left arm and shoulder. Grumbling about impatient dragons and their Faranth-cursed libidos, the young man stood and set his bed back to some sort of order. I hear you, Morganath. Have a little bit of patience, will you? He dragged on a pair of pants and shoved his feet into his warm boots. No time! NOW! Grasping at his skull, M'urn had to count to ten to regain his patience. Go to the fields then, Mine. I'll get there as fast as may be.

Rustling his wings, Morganath turned towards the skies and shoved up off the ground, heading towards where he could sense the gold beginning to Rise. His dark wings beat against the early morning air, their true bronze nature shining in the light of the slowly rising sun. Landing shrunk beneath him as he angled towards Delanth, whom he saw blooding her kills. You shall be mine, sweet Delanth! No other of your kin can compete with one such as I! Morganath opened his jaws, roaring against the thin air of the dawn and making claim to his prize.

Rolling his eyes, M'urn shrugged into his riding jacket, not bothering with a shirt, and exited his rooms to make his way towards the goldrider's chambers. It was very different heading across snowy expanses than climbing stone stairs in a Weyr, but either way Morganath's lust was starting to creep in on the young man's better sense. When he reached her position, the bronzerider recalled the young woman to be Sashike. They'd all met the current riders their first week back from the future. Clasping her arm kindly, M'urn looked at her and tried to keep the lust from his blue eyes. "Sashike, right? Do you folks have a Flight Room of some sort? Or somewhere the riders involved can be that's actually warm? I don't think you want your gold's first Flight to leave you with frostbite on a few parts that shouldn't even feel snow."

Zharath had gently nudged Gala who was resting on the sands; he was reluctant to leave her but nature and instinct was strong enough in him that he had moved and blooded his own kills long before Delanth had reached the feeding pens to blood hers. He watched at a bronze larger than himself arrived.. It was Morganath and at the call from Delanth he rose after her barely intimidated by the other bronze beside him. He had already had his claim on one female at least so he knew that even if he did not win this one he had already won a far more fair and beautiful creature who was currently tending to their eggs on the sands.

'Delanth I will chase you to the edge of the dawn and beyond.'

His vow was different than one he would give Galateath but still just as well meant. Mikhael however groaned loudly in his bed and rather than getting up and meeting the freezing air he rolled over and wrapped his arms back around Adrienne's waist, hoping at least he could ride this one out in the safety of his own weyr.


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'Cy'shen? I'm going to chase. You better find her rider before it's over'

It was a plaintive voice that woke Cy'shen from his deep sleep; Thamalth was not a very loud dragon and he didn't often make displays of himself. However as he dressed Cy'shen rationalised that it was the size difference between their dragons and these young first pass dragons that had given him a little confidence to take to the sky after one of the queens; something he would never have thought of doing back home in their time line.

'Alright well you have fun Tham. Don't be upset if you don't win okay.'

There was a small rumble of agreement from Thamalth as Cy'shen made his way though the warmer tunnels to come out near where Sashike and M'urn were standing. He gave both gentle smile and dipped his head for Sashike politely.

"I see she's chosen a rather brisk morning to rise. Hoping to keep us all on our toes is she?"

Cy'shen's voice was light hearted and joking as he looked to the sky to see Thamalth join the two bronzes chasing her. For his dragon who was normally one with a fragile ego and lacking in self confidence. He sure was being one bold dragon today and for that Cy'shen was somewhat glad they had come back with the others.

'Trent, Delanth rises. I'm going to chase. She will be mine.' Demath said rising quickly from his bed to run to the ledge. He then leaped into the air and with a few mighty wing beats was rising and joining the chase.

Trent didn't even have a chance to get up before his bronze was gone. He wasn't too sure what was going on, but then the feeling of his dragon's lust hit him and he knew. 'Alright then, good luck brother.' He replied getting up and getting dressed. Why did the queens always choose the worst times to rise? At any rate he made his way down to where the riders involved were already gathered around Sashike. "Morning all. Sashike." He said to all.
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Delanth flew high and flew fast. She didn't even bother to see where the males were at behind her. The feel of the air whipping past her was glorious. Delanth had never felt so alive in her entire life. It was if now she was truly being the queen she always knew herself to be. It was only the sound of two of the males speaking sweet nothings to her that brought her out of it.

'Those are might big claims from the both of you. Perhaps you should stop wagging your tongues and prove yourself with your flying.' Delanth proclaimed to them.

Sashike still held control of her mind and only felt the twinges of lust from Delanth. She nodded to all of the men gathered about her. She turned first to M'urn who had asked her a question. "Um..no we do not. However we can move back to my quarters where it is warm." She answered him. Sashike was not naive, she knew what was to happen during the flight. The thought of it though made her stomach turn in circles. "Yes she appears to be doing just that." Sashike laughed at Cy'shen's statement.

It had been a morning just like this when he'd first met Lerato. Not winter, not snow on the ground or cold grip to the air, but the sunrise had been just the same. Strange, how similar the past seemed to the present...or was it the other way around now? The present seemed to the future? Ai'ri couldn't say. They'd been here for a month now, and nobody seemed to have any thought of leaving yet. The Caldera wasn't alien to him anymore, but nor was it home, not by a long shot. People were strange here, with strange ways, so different from what he was used to. They even spoke differently; never had he heard so many dialects in one place before. It was strange and different, and also intriguing. Air'i had always enjoyed history.

He sat at the ledge of their weyr - though of course they weren't called weyrs here, just 'rider's quarters'. It was so odd, getting used to a very old culture - realizing that these were his ancestors, that he was descended from them. It made them seem very old, somehow, though of course they weren't. Yes, it was strange here, but he liked it. People seemed friendly and well-suited to the tremendous job they had - setting firm foundations for the future of Pern.

Tairith, whom Ai'ri was leaning against, raised his head suddenly, body going taut, and at the same time something large and rushing shot through the brownrider. Faranth...Tairith? He knew this feeling well, was well-used to the lust that flowed through him, but it was rarely so strong as this. A Goldflight, came the short reply. Ai'ri didn't have to ask whether the brown was going to Chase; it was obvious. Tairith was already standing up, looking to the skies. He was loyal to Nikiath, yes, but Chasing was an instinct and a need, and he would not turn down that need.

Good luck. With his Lifemate's blessing echoing after him, the 2nd Interval dragon leapt into the air, heading for the corrals, where many others were blooding already. He landed and blooded as well, and when the Gold took off, so did he. Morganath and the bronze from this time, Zharath, made large promises to Delanth; Tairith said nothing. He'd never been one for flashiness, and he knew that Flights were not won with words. He'd concentrate his energy on more important things.

They were larger than the 1st Pass dragons, by far; Morganath, also Chasing, was just as large as the Rising queen. Tairith was not as large as Delanth or Zharath, despite his advantage, but he was larger than the other bronze that was Chasing, whose name the brown did not know. As one of the two browns up against three bronzes, and doubtless more to come, he was unlikely to win, but he would give it his all regardless.

Ai'ri submitted himself to Tairith's will easily and completely; there was no reason not to. He trusted his dragon and supported him, even if he did doubt he would win; if Tairith did win the Rise, then Ai'ri would be all right with it...as long as Delanth's rider understood that another held his love. It was to this very person he turned to now; Lerato had not been up when he was, but she was stirring in bed now. He did not mind submitting to the Flightlust, but he would do it on his own terms. He stepped back into the weyr - quarters, whichever - and towards the bed.

"Lerato..."

((hope you don't mind the slight PP of Leri Iski; can edit out if need be))

M'urn grinned as his wingmate Cy'shen came over and clapped the other man genially on the shoulder. This was a flight but there was no competition between the two of them. It wasn't a life or death matter and they had both been through enough flights to be able to control whatever more aggressive and harmful emotions hit their minds from their dragons. "Indeed she is, friend." Looking back at Sashike he could tell she was nervous so he rubbed her arm comfortingly. "That sounds like a perfect idea. Why don't you lead the way, Goldrider?" This had to be handled professionally, as the young bronzerider doubted Sashike had even had a man before, based on her nervousness. Unlike in his time, it seemed the female riders here did not make sure to be acquainted with intimacy prior to Impression.

Morganath shared his amusement mentally with all the dragons participating as well as his rider. So gold Delanth wanted a quiet chase, hmm? Well he would give it to her! Pumping his bronze wings firmly, he easily surpassed the current pass dragons in the race to meet Delanth's airborne form. Keeping his eyes trained on the gold's lithe figure slicing through the air, Morganath relished this feeling of Chasing. He always enjoyed Flights, be they gold or crimson, though there were no current crimson females in this time besides D'karon's who'd come back in time with them.

D'lor. At his dragon's voice, D'lor stirred, wrapping his arm tighter around the voluptuous cook he'd brought to bed with him. D'lor, wake up. Delanth rises, and I intend to catch her. Groaning slightly, the man rolled over and straightened up, ignoring the hushed protests of the woman beside him. "Sorry, darlin', but I have to leave you. Duty calls..." It wasn't exactly a lie, but, said with the usual indifference D'lor showed once he'd had his fun, the woman probably recognized it as such. Standing up, he slid on his pants and boots, and then as he went to leave he threw on his shirt, his dark chocolate locks gloriously messy. "I'm coming, 'Naulth. Go on."

At his rider's assent, Revenaulth leaped from the beast pens, having already blooded his kills when instinct led him to. Driving his wings down, he quickly gained altitude, and within seconds he was on the tail end of the line of Delanth's chasers. Oh, she was beautiful, and in the morning rays she looked like a brilliant star streaking across the sky. Lust pushing him onward, he kept rising, moving above the other dragons then bursting ahead, twisting mid-air as he tucked his wings and executed a beautiful roll to pull up alongside her. His hide glinting in the light, he told her, his voice smooth and soft, like velvet thunder.

It's been a long time since I've smelt beautiful.

He made no claims; instead of swearing to best all the others, he just offered a seductive compliment, one meant to appeal to her sense of self-worth as well as her confidence. He wasn't lying when he'd said it, either... but let her figure that out herself.

Back in the weyr, D'lor eventually found where Sashike and the others waited, and as he strode up he offered M'urn a quick, friendly nod of his head, as well as Cy'shen and the oldtimer, Trent. "Morning, beautiful..." he told her, his usual charm echoing through his voice, "and good luck, boys. May the winds prove fair." It was a customary flight saying, and as such he offered it to all there. he knew there wouldn't be any hard feelings between himself and M'urn, as they were good friends and had participated in many flights together before this one... but the others, he wasn't so sure.

Delanth rose higher and higher into the sky until the air was thin and cold. Only then did she stopped an hovered for a moment in the air. The only thing she could hear was the beating of her own heart and the wind as it rushed by her. Then without warning she folded her wings to her back and dove back down to the earth, flying right through the middle of the males without touching a single one of them.

'After me boys. This flight has only begun.' Delanth declared.

"Follow me, if you please." Sashike said walking back towards her weyr. D'lor had finally joined them. Sashike couldn't say she really liked the bronzerider, too much charm for her tastes. Too much of a womanize too she thought. So she tactfully ignored his 'beautiful' comment. She knew she shouldn't be biased against the riders lest she have an effect on her dragon's choosing, but she really hoped his bronze did not win this flight.

Zharath merely inclined his head in response and followed after Delanth in spectacular aerial display. Even being a bronze and even with it being instinct in which he was chasing her; Zharath had no real preference about if he won or lost. In fact he would be fine either way; Gala may not like it so much if he won; but if he didn't win, well there wasn't anything to loose now was there..


Thamalth also followed; less spectacularly and more determinedly; he was determined in a way Cy'shen had not seen him be before. It was refreshing for the rider and admittedly it was refreshing for the brown as well. Finally a queen within his range to catch; he had always wanted to try but had always been to shy of making a spectacle of himself in chasing. Seeing another brown in chase also made him less nervous about what he was doing.. Cy'shen accepted the clap on his shoulder and nodded acknowledgement to the riders; even managed a good natured grin when Sashike laughed at his comment.. Inclining his head he followed her; turning back to the others he grinned at them..

"Well now fella's lets not keep the lady waiting now."



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All was not to be on this brisk morning as it seemed to be; Lisbeth and Kashinath were both too young to be bothered by the flight of Delanth much. At least not in a way that would make them dangerous to her. Galateath was busy with her eggs as they were far more important and she had long since sated that lust within her. Airliath however was not happy; it was with great distain and a predatory watch over Delanth that she woke Ravana. When Gala had risen; Ravana and Airliath had been out doing surveys; along with Sashike and Delanth as well as several others. As such they had missed the flight and were only aware of it upon their return.

It was with a predatory nature that Airliath glided her way down to the feeding grounds and with one great lung pinned the beast beneath her tearing at it feeling the hot sticky blood spray across her skin as she dove for the jugular of another beast. The blood felt glorious on her hide and even better when she tasted it; she needed it, wanted it and again she struck out at another and another. Though it seemed towards the end she was merely killing for fun than for strength of flight. The hot blood slipping down her throat making Ravana gag as she blearily made her way towards the ledge to see Airliath shoot up over the Caldera bowl.

She was in hot pursuit and flying higher and faster she made it above them where she; waited and watched. Oh how dare they all; this was her place and hers alone. How dare they make her feel inferior; how dare they rise first; how dare they garner all the attentions of the males. How dare they. There was rage from Airliath; a rage that scared Ravana; a rage that no matter how hard she tried she could not quell nor control. Flying above them like an animal stalking it's prey; she watched them all. She was hungry; for blood and for something to sate the lust in her veins, both needed to be quenched. With a loud echoing keen; something akin to a bird of prey she dove; hoping that Delanth could quench her thirst for blood..

Delanth was not paying attention to anything than the air around her and the males chasing after her. She felt so powerful, so alive, so...queenly. All these males wanted her, only her. Even Galateath's mate was amongst them. It made her feel on top of the world. Then the worst thing that could happen, happened. Airliath rose also.

Now instead of Delanth getting to give HER males a run for their money, she had to defend against another gold. 'How dare you!!! These are my males!!' She yelled at the other gold, her eyes now whirling red in anger instead of the purple of lust. After that she turned on her rival, ready for the attack.

Sashike was leading the boys back to her weyr when the commotion started happening. She wasn't quite sure what was going on, but she knew that Delanth was very angry. That's when she realized that another gold had risen and something told her it was not going to end well. She grabbed onto M'urn who was closest to her, "What are we to do? They're going to fight?!"

M'urn swore under his breath and stared upward at the battling dragons, shoving back his lust to try and deal with the situation calmly. There had been a situation similar to this between the junior queens when Mor was only two Turns old. The young rider had been thankful his dragon had chosen not to Chase, as one of the bronzes who'd helped divert the second queen had been hurt badly enough to be in the infirmary for weeks. Still, it was better for a few males to receive injuries they could heal from than for two queens and the eggs they could have clutched to perish in such a stupid fight. Mine, we must act quickly! You are close to the lead. Can you fly between them and divert the second queen? Only if you are willing to risk your hide, my dearest. Deep in his heart, though outwardly he was calm and levelheaded, M'urn was just the teensiest bit scared that his beautiful brave Morganath would be hurt badly in what they intended to do.

The large bronze was indeed at the front of the pack of males Chasing Delanth when Airliath rose and challenged the first queen. He had a sinking feeling in his stomach and though his many faceted eyes continued to whirl with the intense violet of lust, worried yellow and angry scarlet were seeping in around the edges of his orbs. He had been wondering how to help when his lifemate's voice entered his mind. Morganath shared the memory of their first Goldflight as full riders, which they had not Chased in, though they had witnessed the battle. My beloved M'urn, you know I would do anything for you. It is a sound plan. Do not let all of the males turn to Airliath now. Some must continue to Chase Delanth. As his powerful wings drove him to ascend between the two queens in Chase of Airliath, Morganath asked for one last bit of assistance from his rider before concentrating on keeping Airliath from tearing out Delanth's wings or throat or eyes.

Try and get Revenaulth to block Delanth the way I will block Airliath, if you can. And Thamalth may be able to help somehow too, though his rider may not want to put him into danger. And then M'urn could feel his bronze go into the intense place where his concentration during drills came from. Placing an arm around Sashike, who had grabbed onto him when the two golds began to go at each other, the bronzerider turned to his Wingleader and wingmate. "D'lor, can you get Revenaulth to go after and somehow block Delanth from attacking Airliath? Mor is going after the second queen now. Thamalth can help too, if you're willing to put him in danger, Cy'shen, but it's your choice." He hoped that neither would back down from his request, though D'lor and Revenaulth's greater experience with Goldflights would prove invaluable in this dangerous situation.

Morganath leapt between Airliath and Delanth, quite a very dangerous position that he was well aware of. Instead of trying to coax her into stopping her attack, the large bronze hoped to distract her with the lust that was certainly bubbling up inside her golden being. Well, well, my pretty, certainly it is the second prize that is much better than the first, he said only for her ears. You are worthy of a big, strong bronze who can keep you in the air much longer than any from your own time. Fly with me, oh golden queen, and we shall conquer the skies leaving these others to merely glide beneath us and wish for a shred of our glory. Your glory. Just in case she chose to strike out at him, Morganath made sure he had enough room to evade or defend himself if necessary, though he would be sure to be less hurtful than a vicious, lustful queen.

'After me boys. This flight has only begun.'

True, very true. Tairith sped after the gold, seeing out of the corner of his eye Revenaulth joining the Chase ostentatiously. The huge bronze passed him quickly, which Tairith could only expect; he could only hope that Revenaulth would lose energy quickly by trying to impress the queen. He, Tairith, would not bother with rolling and twisting to look fancy; he was merely planning on keeping up. The brown knew he was at a disadvantage in this flight - knew that was all he could manage. So he stuck to it.

Then suddenly there was a roar, an angry, lusty roar, and Tairith's blood ran cold. Oh, no. Another gold - Airliath, he remembered - was rising too. No! They hadn't made the other golds leave the moment Delanth or Airliath had shown signs of Rising? But then...they wouldn't know too yet. Well, they'd know by the end if this. They needed to separate the golds - satisfy both...

He saw Morganath split off from the group, tail Airliath, and understood; they had to have a plan. He added his own comment to the other future dragons: Revenaulth and I will stay with Delanth; Thamalth should go with Morganath. We need to get them away from each other. He blocked the two queens from the projected thought, of course. He sped up closer to Delanth, crooning to her, trying to calm her. They needed to be calmed and separated or they could both be killed fighting each other. My dear queen, I would never think of leaving you for her. I will Chase you as long as I am able.

Ai'ri turned a foot from his bed, alarm clear in his eyes. Oh, no...he couldn't believe this was happening. He had half a mind to order Tairith away from it, because they could all get hurt, maybe killed, if this went badly...but they needed to try and avoid the clash, and maybe Tairith could help with that. But, oh, if his brown got hurt...Be careful, Tair, he pleaded, fighting the lust running through him as he stepped back to the ledge of his weyr, trying to see what was happening above. Just be careful. Always, Tairith promised, not taking his eyes from the queen before him. It didn't matter who won anymore. They just needed to stop this.

Airliath squealed in absoloute blood lust; how dare he, how dare he come between her and the blood she was craving. Those words meant nothing to her; would do nothing to her. He could not lure her away so pitifully when she lusted for blood; a piercing keen came from her as she descended upon him. At the last moment she rolled underneath him claws reaching up to try and rake down his belly as she slid past him with deadly speed. He could not keep her; and nor could Thamalth who just watched in horror; not even Cy'shen could get his beloved brown to move before he caught a claw to the eye. With a loud cry Thamalth fled back to the safety of the ground; with Cy'shen with a worried look excused himself to flee and assist his dragon.


He cry still echoing across the skies Airliath descended upon Delanth from above; her hind leg extending to go through one of her wings and then down her thigh; or at least she had planed that as her claw reached for Delanth's face as she collided with the gold who was only marginally bigger than her with full force.

Delanth couldn't care less about the boys trying to divert her attention. Right now the only thing she cared about was the gold who was interfering with her mating flight. She didn't want to share the males, they all belonged to her and this whelp would be put in her place for such insubordination.

Delanth darted past the males trying to distract her and flew towards Airliath. She wasn't fast enough to protect herself though as the angry, bitter gold descended on top of her. The force of the two queens colliding made an audible boom in the sky like thunder. Delanth cried out loudly as Airliath's hind leg went through her right wing's membranes and down to her thigh, leaving a gaping wound. To add insult to injury Airliath's claw mauled Delanth's face on the left side, cause the slightly larger gold to loose vision in it.

Bleeding, hurt, furious, and out for blood, Delanth shrieked in pain. 'You will not defeat me, whelp. It is not I, but you who shall be lying motionless in death when this battle is through.' She snarled fiercely. With a mighty heave, Delanth managed to untangle from Airliath.

Her right wing was all but tattered shreds, but she used that to her advantage. With a quick motion she furled that wing between herself and Airliath to throw the other gold off. With Airliath distracted she went for the throat. Delanth was a dragon confident in her own abilities, but even she was slightly surprised when she felt her teeth sink into the soft flesh of Airliath's neck. Blood slowly poured into her mouth and down her throat. It tasted so wonderful.

With her front claws she grabbed Airliath's face, digging her claws into it. Her back legs began raking at the under belly of her rival gold. That in itself was devastating enough, but when Delanth clamped down as hard as she could on Airliath's neck there was an loud snap. Delanth growled triumphantly, but just for good measure she pulled a hunk of meat out of Airliath's throat.

As quickly as it had happened, it ended. Delanth let go of Airliath, not caring she wasn't dead. She knew she had won. 'You see my males? I am the best gold in these skies. Now which of you will be brave enough to catch me?' She was bleeding badly, this flight had to end soon otherwise she would die of blood loss.

Sashike was absolutely mortified and at the same time as angry as her queen. She began thrashing at M'urn. "You will not win!" She yelled, more as Delanth than herself. Once Delanth had stopped her attack she stopped hers and just stared up at her queen, worried but still feeling the angry lust Delanth was feeling. She held on tighter to those around her for support.

Airliath's scream of defiance was cut off by the sudden mouth on her throat and she fought; she fought back, leg tearing at her right wing further. And in a last effort before her throat was ripped from her the claws dug deep and torn through the muscle that connected her wing to her shoulder; it was deep and lasting and Delanth would not fly for much longer; Airliath was certain of that as she was released and plummeted towards the ground. She was satisfied; blood dripped from her; was splattered across her, she was satisfied with the lasting mark she had left on a possible three dragons. She was superior now; and she would not be forgotten. With that she blinked between; not a sound coming from her as she disappeared.

There was a loud cry from Ravana who heedless to her own safety in an effort to get to her Airliath ran off her ledge; she too fell towards the ground just as her gold had. However it was underneath her that Airliath appeared; through the pain she reached for Ravana and caught her against her chest. Just before they hit the ground together the were gone; between forever. Forever together.

Morganath bellowed in pain as Airliath's talons struck his belly. He was lucky that she had not aimed for his wingsails, which kept him in the air even though dark green ichor flowed from the gashes in his hide. Even luckier was the fact that Airliath was so concentrated on blooding Delanth that her strike at him struck his ribs and upper belly, rather than his lower stomach which could have proved deadly had she even punctured part of his intestines. Striking the air hard with his wings, the large bronze continued to follow the fighting queens as they attacked each other. He barely noticed Thamalth leave, though he had felt his wingmate's pain as his own for a split second.

M'urn felt his throat ache as he cried out, one with his dragon. His own abdomen throbbed while his dragon bled. And as Sashike struck out at him he continued to grip her fast to him, pulling her even closer to his chest so that she would not land as many blows. Mor, catch Delanth! he cried, seeing through his bronze's eyes. They watched Delanth's wingsail be punched out and her strike for Airliath's throat. Dipping downwards towards the shimmering pair, they wanted to halt the death that was sure to follow.

And then Airliath was gone.

Behind Delanth's call for the bravest male to catch her, Morganath could see she would not stay in the air much longer unless she was caught. Diving down he caught her body with his, only half a foot longer than her, the bronze and gold were matched in the air. Catching her parallel to the ground, he beat his wings against the air, pushing them forward. Since they were not vertical, their flight would last luxuriously long. Do not worry, dearest queen. I am here to catch your fall. I am here to save you. As they tangled, Morganath sped their flight away from the other males.

They remained in the air, copulating, for as much time as they could stand with the wounds they had both obtained, and M'urn pulled Sashike into her weyr since they were all clustered right out side of it anyways. When Morganath and Delanth were quite done he brought them down to the center of the Caldera on a gently declining angle. Gently he set them both down so as not to injure either of them further. Caressing Delanth's gold face with his nose, he raised his head and bellowed, hoping that among those who were sure to come to the noise would be healers. They could not stand so much blood loss and Delanth's wing needed seeing to as immediately as possible.

Revenaulth was easily keeping pace behind the queen, his big wings carrying him easily across the sky over the Caldera as he chased the pretty Delanth... and back on the ground, D'lor wasn't himself, the bronzerider lost in the skies above and the air under his/Revenaulth's wings. Delanth was close, and she was truly a prize... D'lor grinned with his dragon, confidence surging through both with their shared experience. With another heave, he was closer still, and he was gaining on the other males....

...and then Airliath's piercing call reached both Revenaulth and D'lor at the same time, and the lust immediately left the Wingleader's mind, experience taking over. Why had they not taken her away? Did they not know? His gaze shifting from those around him to the skies above, he stepped away from the others and took firm hold in his bronze's mind, both turning their attention to ramming the enraged descending gold away, but then Morgananth acted first, and with his wingrider going after Airliath, Revenaulth added a burst he'd been hoping to save for the end in order to get in Delanth's way, crooning to her as they flew in hopes she'd be distracted.

But, she was not. Darting lithely around him, he snaked his neck to get her but the only way to really stop her would've been to bite her, and the bronze was unwilling to do it. As it was, he could only dart back and forth as the queens collided, moving to pull them apart, but D'lor's grip on his senses kept the bronze from doing so. An act like that this late would mean injury for the bronze and, though Sashike was intriguing, he was not going to risk Revenaulth. All he could do was wait, and hope to the gods that both survived.

Finally, when D'lor's knuckles were white from his grip on the railing of the ledge, Delanth prevailed, though not without serious loss. Airliath, bloody and mortally wounded, disappeared, and within a moment he knew she'd gone between. Revenaulth keened the loss briefly, then looked to Delanth, who was continuing on with the Chase but was faltering even as she pressed on. Heaving his wings to catch up with her, Revenaulth was once again closing in on the queen...

...but in his concentration he'd forgotten Morganath, a vital mistake. The bronze came across just as he was moving to make the catch, and Revenaulth could'nt surpress the slight snarl that clouded his features and the other bronze mated with the queen. He'd won, though, and there was nothing he could do... Nice run, 'Naulth. Let M'urn and Morganath have her. They're too high-born for our tastes, anyway. As you say, mine. Head down to the Weyrbowl... They'll need dragonhealers when they finish. Will do. With a fleeting glance towards the direction M'urn and Sashike had gone, D'lor grumbled under his breath and followed his bronze's directions.

He was just about on the ground when Morganath bellowed, and taking the hint off of his rider's agitation at the close, loud noise, Revenaulth bellowed shortly back as he landed beside the hurt pair, telling both, D'lor is here, if you'll wait just a moment. With a few seconds, just as he'd promised D'lor jogged into view, stopping before the bronze and gold pair. "Back up, 'Naulth... Morganath? I'm going to tend Delanth first, because the shock could do the most damage to her and her future children. If you don't mind, I need to to move over a bit... Delanth?" The bronzerider stepped closer, his trained eyes moving quickly over the queen's injuries. He wasn't a full dragonhealer, so to speak, but he knew more than most others because the topic had interested him and he'd delved further into dragonhealing than those who took weyrling training with him. "Beautiful Delanth, let me see your wing..." He moved around to the gold's side, hoping to all the gods that Morganath and Revenaulth could keep her from eating him, should she get upset. "Let me help you, darlin'."

Cy'shen had just finished up with Thamalth's eye; it was a nasty gash but it would heal; of that he was sure. He was proud of his shy brown for at least trying but he knew that he would never try again; as the saying went; once bitten; twice shy and Thamalth was definitely not willing to try again. However he did amble over after Cy'shen who's bag was slung over his shoulder as he moved towards D'lor who was trying to help Delanth.. Oh dear his Wingleader was not suited to this damage.. Shaking his head as he came closer he let out a loud sigh..

"Move aside D'lor.. Her wing can wait; it's her eye I'm most worried about."

This was the most serious anyone would ever hear the normally laid back Cy'shen; he was a Dragonhealer after all. Had almost attained his mastery too had he not been dragged back by D'lor and the others to assist. It annoyed him some but he let it go after he had become used to here. Realised how valued and needed he was here. This situation only proved how much he was needed as he nodded to Thamalth who through his now ebbing pain focused on keeping Delanth calm. Ever since it was discovered he had the skill Thamalth and Cy'shen had become Dragonhealers; though Cy'shen had been a beast healer before he impressed at a young age to Thamalth. Compliments and flattery would not help an injured gold and he pulled out some redwort to scrub both his hands and to clean the wound with as well as some saline solution though it wasn't known as that to them.

"If you want to make yourself useful D'lor then I suggest you stand back or let me know what Morganath's wounds are like. I suggest cleaning them with redwort and then putting on some numbweed if I don't have to stitch them closed."

As Cy'shen got a better look at Delanth's eye he could see from where he was standing that she would most likely not see out of it; unlike his Thamalth who had been lucky.

"Alright now Delanth; you'll have to let me look at you if you want to stay pretty."

He knew the easiest way for her to let him see her was to threaten her beauty; a vain thing she was he had noticed; and he knew a simple threat of loosing her beauty would be enough to coerce the gold into letting him see her injuries. He was thankful the flight had been such a short one; one of the shortest on record if he remembered correctly. He was glad that she had come down so soon; after all any longer and they could have lost two queens instead of the one..

Delanth was hurting, badly, though she didn't let it show. However she didn't even try to outrun Morganath as he came for her. She was glad when he caught her and helped her to fly. That wing was killing her so much. However they pain died a bit during their mating. She was happy that the dark bronze had caught her, he was a good mate.

Sashike was confused and had so many feelings rushing through her that she was confused on what was happening. Then she was aware as Morganath caught her injured Delanth. Then she was being pulled into her weyr by M'urn.

'I hurt, Sashike. Make it stop.' Delanth pleaded to her rider.

Sashike wasn't in too good a shape herself after M'urn's lustful treatings, but she didn't blame him for that. Quickly she through on a light robe and ran down to the weyr bowl to be with her queen, leaving M'urn in her weyr to follow if he wished. 'I'm coming, my love.

Delanth was thrashing about madly, not letting anyone but Morganath near her. She snapped and growled at the men around her. Sashike ran up to her horribly wounded gold and hugged her neck. "Please darling, you have to stay still. These men will make you feel better. Please stop thrashing." Sashike said to Delanth. Not only was she feeling intense pain from her own experience, but the pain she was feeling through Delanth was immense. She felt light headed and whoosy.

Delanth calmed down a lot as soon as Sashike was near her. She was even so good as to extend her wing and lower her head so her wounds could be looked after. She didn't say anything, just crooned miserably.

M'urn watched as Sashike rushed out of her weyr to comfort her queen. He didn't blame her in the least. Pushing himself up from her bed, the bronzerider grabbed his trousers up and stepped into them. Shaking out his tousled hair, he stomped into his boots and tucked his shirt into his pants to make his way outside. Once daylight hit him, M'urn ran towards the Caldera center and his Morganath. How are you doing, my sweetheart? How are our brave golds? When he arrived he saw Morganath gently nuzzling Delanth's shimmering neck as she submitted herself to the attentions of Cy'shen and D'lor.

Rubbing his bronze's shoulder, M'urn peered under the large dragon's belly and winced. Those gashes looked painful and deep even if they weren't fatal. And M'urn could feel the throbbing in his own abdomen reach a new height in sympathy with his drdagon's pain. I am alright, my dear heart. Delanth hurts. I am worried for her. Cy'shen is too. I can tell. He had not moved his head from near Delanth's, comforting her even now that she had calmed down since Sashike had arrived.

M'urn smiled at his dragon, knowing this was only the beginning of his bronze's streak of paternal pride of sorts. Morganath always did find a bit too much interest in the gold's he flew and the eggs that were being hatched. The young man looked towards Sashike by her gold's side and saw her sway, faltering. With a last caress for his strong bronze's hide, he dashed to her side, slipping one lithe arm around her waist. "Are you all right, Sashike?" he asked, concerned. It must have been such a shock for her dragon to have been attacked during their maiden flight and M'urn knew she was not an experienced lover. It must all be quite too much for her right now. We are here for you and yours, Morganath said soothingly to Delanth, crooning to her.