Battle Shout! ((Valkyrith's Flight))

[Jenth]

The Weyr was quite in the hours before dawn, yet at least one pair of eyes glowed gently in the predawn darkness. On the heights Valkyrith perched, confident none paid her any attention. No one stirred as she watched the rock walls intencely but she maintained her vigenlence. Over the ridge the first beams of light spilled across the land, the barred lifting her head. It was time!

Silently she lept from the ledge and dropped into the feeding grounds, nearly squishing her prize beneath her talons but hungrily snapping her jaws shut on it.

Blood it! Came the silent comand, tired as it may be the tone couldn't be stonger. Zukah had been away for most of the night, Valkyriths thoughts, mutterings and feelings pulsing in her mind. I know what I'm doing! Fustrated she threw what was left of it aside and roar her challenge, letting it echo around the Weyr but left no time for answers as the barred took to the skies.

Come all you who think yourself worthy! I will crush you all beneath my claws!!!

[ShadowReine]

Tinth launched from his ledge with half a set of straps still attached to him. The other half fell from R'mer's hands.

"Tinth, next time, the female won't get so far away while I get your straps off!"

The blue was ignoring him, sending only a wave of incredibly intense lust. And the image of the target.

Shards. A female rider *again*? Well, Tinth wasn't generally that good at winning flights, and R'mer doubted Zukah wanted him more than he wanted her. He hoped not anyway. He had a longstanding fear that one of these days, a woman would fall for him. Then get hurt.

In the skies, Tinth ignored his rider's thoughts as the man made his way rather reluctantly in search of Zukah. It did not matter to him. What mattered was the pretty barred dragon as she flew, as she reached for the heavens. As she sought to touch Rukbat itself.

He did not answer her cries with words, but only with the strength of his wings as he pursued.

[Sparrow]

Ekirith launched from his ledge with an excited bellow, plenty loud enough to wake his rider, supposing that Valkyrith hadn’t already done that. J’ran sighed. His dragon just had to chase everyone, no matter the time. Likely they would be waking only to go back to bed with an early breakfast of disappointment. Still, he rolled out of bed, put on some clothes, and started trudging sleepily towards Valkyrith’s weyr.

Ekirith shared none of his rider’s doubts, as usual. The Brown would win this Flight. Valkyrith was a powerful, beautiful Barred, and he would have her. She could try to intimidate him all she wanted, but he would never falter. He was big and strong, just the thing such a female would be looking for.

The only crushing she would be doing this morning was when they spiraled, tight together, in the mating flight.

[kandykat]

M'ran had to wake early, just like the weyrlings did, but not this early. And the early mornings made him value his sleep even more, so he groaned and tried to turn over and doze off again when a dragon bugle woke him up. Then, his dragon spoke, making clear that there would be no more sleep for him. Valkyrith rises, and I chase.[/color]

M'ran sighed and dragged himself out of bed, dressing quickly. He knew better than to object when his dragon wanted to chase. Firth had caught one female before, but dragons were not faithful like humans, at least not when it came to Greens and Barreds. It looked like Firth fancied himself a new mate. M'ran went off to find Zukah while Firth took to the sky.

The small brown did not bugle, he crooned. He planned to tame Valkyrith's fiery temper with his sweetness. He beat his wings steadily, rising into the sky after the stunning Barred.

[Jenth]

Zukah paced her weyr, already lost to Valkyrith so paid no attention to the gathering riders. Dressed only in a nightgown and clutching a robe to fight off the autumn chill, she had had no desire to worry about how presentable she was in the lead up to the flight. Tired and mirroring her dragons temper, she had very much doubted the riders cared about her lack of presentability.

Hmph, a blue and a couple of browns. She might get a work out out of this but she had expected more, but apart from the slight backwards glance she didnt care but to sate her curiousity. No matter, she would see victory before the sun rose high. Her head start had seen her rush for the clouds, rising till the air began to sting her lungs with its chill. There she waited for the boys to catch up before darting away and dodging around them. She was a mighty fighter, probably the most vigoriously vicious the weyr of even Pern had ever seen. Thread or other, her oppoent didn't matter as long as she came out on top.

[ShadowReine]

She was fast, and she flew so high, so *high*. Tinth twisted his body into another roll as she darted between them, ignoring the other suitors unless they came so close a collision entered into the equation. Focused on her, only her.

Of course, she was the best. She was the one who determined who was worthy, she was as important in this moment as any queen. She governed his heart, she controlled his flight. What flowed through him, through his beating wings, was the need to be with her, the need to claim her. Even R'mer, back in Zukah's weyr, only felt that, only knew that.

The fact that she was a woman meant nothing in that moment...although if he won her, it would mean much the next morning. She was her dragon, his lust-filled eyes saw only silver-green wings.

[kandykat]

The only thing M'ran cared about as far as Zukah's presentability was that her nightgown and robe left some parts of her open for viewing. He saw her shiver, and he thought how much he would like to warm her up in creative ways. Then he blushed, a bit embarrassed at the way the Flight was making him think. He would be relieved when Firth's thoughts totally took over his, so he didn't have to worry about the human side anymore. He edged into the weyr, bowing slightly to Zukah. He didn't say anything, not sure if he was coherent enough to speak.

Firth rose faithfully after Valkyrith, following her even when the thin air began to sting his lungs. As he darted towards them, he rolled to the side, even though he knew she was graceful enough to avoid a collision. Her fierce flying was thrilling to him. He twirled around, making sure he was going the right direction as Valkyrith dodged around them.

[Sparrow]

Ekirith eagerly followed Valkyrith high into the sky. He had chased queens, a Barred’s take on high altitude was less trouble for the older Brown than it would be for the others. He spun, cupping wisps of cloud under his wings and sending it swirling with him. Valkyrith would know of his strength, even here where the others would be weaker, as well.

The trick backfired a bit as his female turned and darted off again. Ekirith was unsure if she had paid attention, hoped she had, and shot off in pursuit. Showing off had put him a tad behind, but it was distance easily made up. Ekirith was hardly worried about wasting energy here. His opponents were rookies and Valkyrith, though vicious, powerful, and beautiful, was reckless. Her attitude would make this a short flight, and Ekirith planned to take advantage of every moment to catch her eye. A draconic smirk to his jaws, he stalled his wings a bit, dropped, and then flipped quickly upwards, shooting to the front of the pack again.

[Jenth]

It was fun to keep them guessing and watch them twist and flounder, some easier then others and others more often then not. There was some pomise in her suitors... maybe, but she was yet to see more then a spark. Dodging around between Firth and Tinth was sudden dropped down and out into a dive and left the clouds far behind. The boys had been starting to crowd her too tightly, let this cool them off.

For miles she fell, looking like she was on a suicide course with the groud rather then be caught. But no, knowing her limits she pulled up, but only when she was reaching the end of safe measures. Would not do to break her pretty neck smashing into rock, what a waste that would be. For a brief moment she let momentum glide her, waiting for the boys to catch there wits. They were far from home now, a change of scenery was always nice.

[ShadowReine]

Tinth was smart enough not to follow the barred all the way down. She would pull up, they always did...she meant to leave the males floundering, and if she could get one of them to drop out with some injury from pushing it too far? Well, that would only make her choice easier.

Her choice should be him, he sensed her ahead of him...pulling up close to his own safe limit, blue wings snapping outwards. She was not that much faster than he, not much more agile, not like a green would have been, but this still kept him above her...and a little to one side, as he mis-guessed which direction she would pull out in.

Steel-blue wings strained as he turned to regain her path, his tail straight out before him. He did not waste his breath, not on a call to her, not on a challenge to the other males.

Everything in his body and being was devoted to the single task of flying.

[Sparrow]

Valkyrith's dash between the other males rather than near Ekirith made the Brown a bit antsy. It was a teasing move, but as far as he was concerned, it should have been geared more towards him than the younger two. He struggled around, trying to turn tighter than he was used to in order to follow her in her drop back through the clouds. It ended up slowing him down more, but they were diving... it would be easy to make that up.

When Valkyrith only continued to dive, Ekirith drew up. He wasn't as agile as a Barred, and there was no way he was going to let another quick turn slow him down. He hovered a moment, waiting for her to pull up again, and then finding her trajectory before shooting forwards after her again. Valkyrith was a daring one, but Ekirith was sure this Flight wouldn't be going on much longer because of that.

[Jenth]

Valkyrith had succeded! The males were too afraid to follow her and it opened the gap between them. It was such a relief to have them off her back, her strength was faiding after leading them this far and avoiding capture. This barred still had some fight in her though, at least for one final push.

She searched for termals, anything that might buy her a little more time but none found her wings. Agrivated she pushed on, puting everything she had in a burst of speed. It was her last trick and the boys probably knew it. Since she would be caught she might as well taunt the one most likely to make the catch, and the one she had been trying best to avoid. Already she could feel his talons behind her readying for the catch.

I don't think you know what you think your getting into Ekirith. Catch me at your own risk!

[Sparrow]

Despite Valkyrith’s warning, Ekirith’s thoughts were on everything but the risks catching such an aggressive female. All those details were the sort he would deal with in afterwards, and if him having a little fun meant that J’ran was going to get chased naked over a cliff when everyone came back to their senses (Ekirith just ahead to catch him, of course), then so be it.

Ekirith put in an extra burst of speed to not match, but overcome, Valkyrith and snatched her from the air. Talking at the catch wasn’t really his habit, but Valkyrith’s taunt felt like one that deserved some sort of reply. To that end, he crooned and spoke playfully as he twined with her, I’m sure you can imagine how much thought I’ve put into this.

Honestly, this was a Flight and he had won. The worst ‘risk’ of winning he could think of was that Valkyrith’s Flight had taken them far from the Weyr, and they were both tired.

…That was another thing to be dealt with later.