Flights

Veloth twitched her tail and watched the blues that had volunteered to chase her. Of course there was Blue Agrarith. Her clutchmate hadn't hesitated to enter in the flight. Veloth knew her rider Faris still very much liked Twan, Agrarith's rider. At first Agrarith had been meant to chase another green, but he had lost. To take revenge on Faris he had entered Agrarith in Veloth's flight. It hadn't really started out as a way to win her heart, but one could only wonder what the relation between these two was.
"He looks very good." Veloth said, looking at Agrarith.
"He does, doesn't he..." Faris sighed, looking at Twan.
Maybe she had been too quick about wanting an open flight. What if any of the others won? There was one dragon ridden by a woman... Faris had never considered women. She knew it was getting more common, but that didn't change the fact. The other three were ridden by males. Two were about her age and one was older.
Faris listened as Veloth was giving comments on the blues. Things like: "I really like Ornith's colours..." and "Kelvereth sure looks like he could give me good children." But she wasn't really there.
Suddenly Veloth lifted in the air. "Enough thinking, I'm going to fly and see what will happen." She grasped up a nice big herdbeast and sucked it dry. As she licked away the last drops of blood from her mouth she looked at the blues...
"Catch me if you can!" she bugeled and was off.
Omith was the first in the air, eager as he was to finally do something. He was closely followed by the two dragons from Sidra who's owners had made a bet, then came Agrarith and last was Kelvereth. The last blue soon got up to speed and followed Veloth more closely.
Faris felt some sadness about Agrarith being last. Agrarith had always been slower than Veloth, she had known that, he was bigger than most blues too, another disadvantage.
Veloth looked back. Oseth and Saphith were close. Very close. She started picking up thoughts.
"Choose me! I'm the greatest!" Oseth said to her.
"No me! He's just a big lier!" Saphith remarked, "like his rider is a thief!"
"He is not!" Oseth bugled.
Oseth slashed his talons at Saphith, only missing him by a hair. Next thing he knew he was falling, out of balance from his punch. To the blue's disgust he saw Saphith getting closer to Veloth. That wasn't supposed to happen! Oseth grabbed Saphith's tail and pulled him down. As they struggled down the flight passed above them.
Veloth was displeased. Very displeased. Chasers should chase her, not each other. She focused on the three remaining. Omith and Kelvereth were close and Agrarith had caught up slightly in the fuss of the two blues fighting. Veloth thought it might be time to lose another few of them. She quickly started making loops and turns the way she was taught. Omith lost her, his horns a mere reflection in the distance.
Now it seemed like only Kelvereth was close enough to catch her. One last loop, Veloth thought, to finish the excercise.
"Salto Moratle." Faris whispered, knowing what her green was trying to pull off.
Twan blinked. "What?" But Faris didn't answer, she was back with Veloth. The words had gotten Agrarith thinking though. As Twan joined him again he noticed he was nowhere near Veloth anymore.
"Where are you?" he asked.
"You'll see!"
Kelvereth closed in, trying to grab Veloth's tail. He missed as Veloth reraed her tail up. Suddenly, from below A blue form came up. Agrarith swooshed by Kelvereth. Up, up, and even more up. Finally he reached Veloth, twirling in the sky. She had overestimated her weight a bit, and now had difficulties stopping her spin in the clouds. Agrarith gladly obliged in helping her, as it meant coming close enough.
Down on the ground Twan turned to Faris, a soft smile playing on around his mouth.
"So much for being friends..." Faris said.
"Our mothers will be delighted." Twan said and kissed her.