Eusyscth's Flight

Days often pass quickly when you are dreading an event taking place in the near future. Eusyscth grew more and more proddy with each passing day, snapping and snarling at anything of the male gender that approached her (which meant that Solange's bronze flit and male green-yellow leap flit were banished from the weyr when the red-white striped green dragoness was present). How she endured her dragon's irritability without becoming so with others, Solange never knew. Mostly she supposed it was because she'd spent the last sevenday locked in her weyr.

She feared the riders of the male dragons who had signed up for Eusyscth's flight. Not that they were particularly fearsome, but that they simply weren't R'lvaag. On one of her less-proddy days, Eusyscth had told her rider that he had indeed bonded at last, but the dragon was still a hatchling and thus ineligible for her flight. Not that I'd let the beast actually catch me, were he older. she'd whuffed confidently. "Be that as it may, I could have done without you telling me this now." Solange wailed, pacing fretfully back and forth across the weyr that evening. The red-white striped green dragoness looked slightly hurt, that her rider acted so ungrateful for the news she had kindly shared.

It does not matter anyway because the time has come... she trailed off and whipped from the weyr in a flash. Solange caught a glimpse of disappearing red-white striped tail before she felt the rush of emotion and a strike of realization. Eusyscth was rising now! A wave of panic flooded over Solange as she rushed to the feeding grounds where her bond swooped low over the beasts. "Blood ONLY!" she screamed mentally to the green, but felt none of the expected resistance. I am no fool, these males will have to work for their prize! she bellowed her challenge to her suitors and fastened her mouth over the bleeding throat of her catch. It's frightened screams died instantly as she drained the life from it.

It took five wherries and two more herdbeasts to slake Eusyscth's thirst before she spread her glowing wings and trumpeted one last challenge to her chasers, then leapt for the sky. All five males followed quickly, each even to the last centimeter with one another at first. As time passed, the smaller brown-black Evth and blue Caillarth trailed behind and got caught in a small scuffle when the blue's wingtip brushed the brown-black's, sending them spiraling off course. They finally regained their aerial balance only to find they were too far behind to hope of catching up.

Eusyscth rumbled happily, already two chasers down! Only the bipedal red-striped yellow Filijyn, blue Cetinath and his clouded starry red bond, Kashvtaith were left. The blue was having to work harder than his bond and the yellow but he struggled valiantly until his wings became too tired to carry on. Calling a farewell and good luck to his bond, he turned back for the ground to watch the end of the chase.

Meanwhile, on the ground, Solange was fighting off the advances of the four men around her and resisting the instinctive urge to switch to her bear form. She had no wish to hurt any of these men, they were trapped under the spell of their chasing dragons, just as she was. A'li was the first to walk away, a little wobbly, to console his blue and arguing with K'slan, the rider of the brown-black he swore had fouled up his bond, not the other way around. Only one continued to hover, R're seeming to realize Solange's struggle to stay human and backing off for his own safety.

I am tiring, it is time to pick and let the flight be over with... Eusyscth panted mentally, casting a wary glance back at the two males still struggling to chase her down. Unable to decide and all out of strength to continue running, Eusyscth closed her eyes and folded her wings. She plummeted for the ground leaving the two males vying for her to make their own choice who would win.

In the end, it would be Kashvtaith that managed to capture her first, folding his own wings tightly to his side and grasping her claws in his, twining necks before re-opening them to slow their descent. Eusyscth crooned to the clouded starry red, spending a few blissful moments in his embrace before Filijyn caught up with the two. The red-striped yellow bellowed angrily and ripped the two apart, how dare this red beast take what was his!? Filijyn crooned lovingly to Eusyscth and twined his own neck with hers, spreading his wide wings in a slow descent to the ground. Solange was left in R're's care for the evening as Kashvtaith met with his crowing bond on the ground.