Welcome!

[NightSong]

"Ew."

Leahl shook her head, wrinkling her nose as her younger brother dutifully swung the heavy knife at the mess of blood and gore in front of him, cutting great chunks of meat almost expertly. Jessen grinned, but lowered his head to focus on his work, his soft voice drifting around the sounds of the knife.

"Aw, c'mon. How are you going to feel your hatchling if you can't chop meat. It's like fish, just... messier."

"Messier is the problem. How's Jessk?"

"Dead asleep. It'll be a few hours before he wakes up." The boy shielded his eyes with a hand as he glanced up into the late afternoon sky, not quite sunset, but approaching.

"And lessons?"

"Going well." Jessen smiled, glancing over his shoulder at his sister. "Ready for the hatching?"

Leahl smiled, glancing into her lap as Nyra growled and chased her tail against the blue-gray canvas of her bonded's simple gown, splotched a little from her work in the kitchen.

"I'm nervous. It's not as easy for me as it was for you, Jessen. The egg-mother just walked up and chose you for Jessk. And everyone knew you'd be one of the chosen. I mean, Kendrick himself had you pegged for a wher."

Jessen shrugged, sighing as he hung a new chunk of meat over a bucket to allow the majority of the blood to spill into it. Leahl made a face, and Jessen ignored it, continuing his work. "Maybe. But I bet you'd be surprised at how many people think you'd be a great dragonrider."

"Hm. Maybe. Ow!"

Leahl jerked her hand back from where Nyra was, glaring at the little emerald that hissed darkly, before the complicated jumble of furious energy, while slight, hit her.

"What in Faranth's name has gotten into you?" Nyra hissed again, before opening her wings and flicking her tail as sharply as an agitated feline. In a flash, the emerald firelizard took wing, to land on the chopping table, where Jessen moved back in silence as she strutted and screeched, a sound meant to boil the blood of the males around her, as Leahl looked on with confusion.

"What is she doing?"

Jessen shrugged, watching the emerald closely as Nyra hissed irritably, before making a beeline for the carcass of the wherry. It was Jessen's eyes that widened considerably with understanding. "Don't let her eat that!"

"Huh?" Leahl watched Nyra, but pushed back at the ball of rage with her mind. "Nyra, no!"

"She's going to fly." Jessen's eyes were wide with interest, his voice filled with an note of incredulity. "Only blood."

"Why?"

"She's a queen, Leahl. Like the junior weyrwoman has. I'm going to go inside... but good luck." Jessen backed away slowly, before twisting and moving back into the mouth of the caverns below, back to Jessk. Leahl stared at the emerald that flapped her wings angrily, flinching when the green body hurled itself toward the bucket on the ground, perching delicately and flicking her forked tongue in the nearly black red liquid, the eyes glowing from red to black to a slowly lightening fuchsia. Leahl took a slow step forward, fascinated.

"Nyra?"

The emerald straightened, opening her pinions to catch the light and breeze, before leaping up and winging hard toward the sky, shrieking a wild challenge to all those below. The spirited creature wheeled and dove, a tangle of wings and tail as she called again and again for any male great enough to challenge her in the sky.

(Open to NPCs if you don't have a lizard to chase!)

[Wolf Tears]

(OOC- Poor Nyra has no Chasers yet! o.o Well, here's one for her. Annoying wild bronze, at your service! ^^)

There was only silence.

The bronze was not pleased with this. He was an adventurous type, and silence meant that nothing was happening, and that meant that he was bored. Very bored, in fact. What was going on here, anyway? The universe ought to be catering to his whims, and it wasn't. This was not amusing in the slightest, and to show his lack of amusement, the bronze rolled onto his back, stretched out his wings, and ignored the impertinent universe. Let it see how it got on without him, hmm?

The silence was broken abruptly by a cry on the wind, and the bronze instantly rolled over and took to the air, listening. There it was again- and again. A female in Flight! Perfect!

Humming happily, the wild bronze made his way toward the noise; ordinarily he would be much more dramatic about his appearance, but he wanted to conserve his energy for the actual Flight. She- an emerald, he saw as he approached- would have plenty of time to see that he was better than any other suitors. Not that there were any, not yet- they must be too afraid of him. Hmm. Too bad- she was quite pretty, she deserved to at least be Chased by others, even if he was the obvious choice for her mate. Oh well.

[Kit]

The little brown was resting curled up around the neck of His when the first screech reached the flit's ears. It was unmistakable and it did its job, the brown's body responded in burning eagerness. Eyes whirling the color of lust he quickly scampered up the wherhandler's head and unceremoniously launched into the air quickly narrowing down where the call had come from. He followed the repeated beckoning and was elated that the owner of the call was so close to his location.

He glided in closer to the emerald but soon someone else moved into sight. A bronze. That would not do. He had been cheated of too many Chases to lose this one. Tucking his wings tight to his dark body he dove straight at the rival male. Not to harm but to make it clear that he was not pleased and would put up a fight. Hissing his challenge he then made for the awaiting female. Giving a -I have come for you- croon Mudd was more than ready to take the beautiful female as his.

(OOC- I is made of fail. ><)

[NightSong]

Nyra looked like a rather irate hummingbird, if one were watching from the ground. She darted back and forth in frusterated bursts of energy. At the first two calls from the males that had caught the sound of her bugles, the emerald flitter hissed, surveying the coming dots of color. One bronze, one brown.... Not bad, at least for now.

Putting on an incredible burst of speed, Nyra nearly disappeared as she zipped upward, the sunlight catching her color and making her sparkle like a tiny gem, and she bugled to those below as well as those behind. She was not little pet, not today! Today she was all fire and rage, and the tempest she would ignite in these males would put the rest of the flights of Sinthera to shame! The delicate female leveled evenly, barrel rolling a few times and calling out her pride and agility. Was there any male in the world to rival her?

Abruptly, Nyra dove, falling like a stone and plummeting toward the earth, before opening her wings mere feet from the weyrbowl's stone floor, and climbing again with heavy beats of her wings. The breeze of summer carried her aloft easily, and she began to twist and dance in the air, letting the wind carry her away from the weyr and toward her favorite place in the world.

The lake gleamed like a diamond in the direct sunlight, a beacon to firelizards all that wished to take part in Nyra's truimph.

[SaidalTam]

Zafien stared at Zepnar, waiting patiently for their game to begin again. The older the firelizard got, the more often they'd played. It was downright fun, and challenging for both of them. Zafien held the leftovers of his lunch between his fingers and waited for the telltale flicker of movement that betrayed the firelizard's surge to life.

Sure enough, it came, but not as expected. Zepnar shifted, but when he shot into the air, it was not toward Zafien, but toward the lake. Blinking, Zafien stared after the bronze. "Hey!" he called, scowling. "Where are you going!?" Zepnar didn't even slow down.

A faint glitter of green, however, was enough to answer the question, and Zafien sighed, biting a chunk off the meatroll. So much for that game.

Zepnar shot toward his sister, trilling as he flew. Fleetingly, he noted the lake glittering below, but it was a passing acknowledgment. He'd long since noted its usefulness for getting high, swiftly, and that could be of merit, but thought was far from the handsome bronze's mind, just then. Unless, of course, that thought was Nyra. Well, then, it was right there, flooding his senses. The deep, violet whirl of his eyes followed her eagerly, wings beating furiously in an effort to catch up. He was going to fall behind, if he kept this up, and he was NOT ready to fall behind!

---

Nyiko was hunting, again. Normally, that meant that Gyrfal would be able to help her, but she had left him behind, today. Too dangerous, she'd said. The flit, properly speaking, hadn't understood the words, but the image of an angry tunnelsnake had been enough to convince him to stay put. It wasn't that he was scared of them, of course. It was just that, if Nyiko thought he should stay behind, then who was he to argue? She was like his gold, except much bigger, not gold, and she didn't fly. Or Fly.

Unfortunately, that meant that the sleek brown was bored and restless. He could have waited right there, of course, but when did he ever? She'd call when she needed him. There was no reason he couldn't go flying.

It was that that saw him by the Weyr when Nyra took to the skies. Nyiko didn't go this way. She didn't like being that close to the people. He didn't particularly understand it, but when they were together, he abided by her wishes. Today, however, he was alone, which meant that he could go by the dragons. Dragons intrigued him.

The emerald flash over the lake intrigued him more. ...One, two, three... competition, but for that stunning emerald hide, it would be worth it. Soundlessly, for Gyrfal had never been one for theatrics, the firelizard angled toward the lake, taking a slow downstroke to join the coterie of suitors pursuing the gleaming, gem-like belle. She would see him, there. It was enough.

[Kit]

Mudd followed silently now, concentrating more on keeping up with the emerald than making a show. If her hide didn't gleam in the sun like it did he dared to think that with her speed she would easily disappear from his sight. But her calls would be there to follow. They were full of declaration and defiance. He had to agree, today she wasn't a tame pet, and neither was he. He carefully watched as she did her acrobats, calculating, waiting. The brown was built for power, not speed or agility. He didn't dare to imitate her barrel rolls fearing it would throw him off and lose ground. He would impress her, but not yet. For now he would prove he had the stamina for this Flight.

If the little emerald queen was not so far ahead of him he would have flown right over her when she made her sudden dive towards the earth. Luckily he was far enough behind to have the chance to react. He followed suit letting his bulk lend gravity a hand. The space between them started to shrink and Mudd's eyes whirled excitedly with vibrant violet. He was so close. But then he had to take into account what her next move would be. She would have to even herself out sometime. Analyzing his limitations he ended up halting his dive a few more feet above Nyra. Better to be above and ready to make your next move then use extra energy trying to climb the extra few feet back up.

Happy with the outcome of his choice Mudd carefully followed Nyra towards the lake. Yes, he realized where she most likely was going. He was paying just as much attention to his surroundings as he was the emerald. He has seen plenty of fools who had lost a Flight because they hadn't been wise enough to pay closer attention around them. In his younger days he had been one of them. He never made the same mistake again. He watched as Nyra danced in the air. She really was a beautiful firelizard. At that moment Mudd couldn't recall a more spectacular female. He wanted her more than ever. He beat his wings harder once again trying to close the gap between them.

[NightSong]

Posie was snoozing, the bronze thoroughly pleased by his place on the rocks by the lake, soaking in the sun. But when a flurry of activity overhead roused him, it did quickly, eyes opening from rainbow shades to a deep dark violet in a matter of moments, and he too pushed away from the stone to rise after the emerald that darted across the sky.

----

Nyra crowed truimph as another few males joined the race behind her, and she barrel rolled easily on the currents that swept above the cool waters below. Freedom... It felt so sweet, the cooler currents igniting the adrenaline in the little body that sparkled in the sun. Taking the time to look over her shoulder, the emerald crooned at the line of males, before diving suddenly, crowing her excitement as she plummetted toward the water. Pulling out of the sharp dive expertly, she spun along the surface, dragging a wingtip to splash the males that followed too close, before rising again, just as sharply, for the great trees that lined the far end of the water's edge.

The foliage was as dark as she, and the little queen dove into the leaves, twisting and turning among the thick trunks and whiplike branches, dancing between each fork like a blur. She twittered with amusement at her game, moving fast to lose her suitors among the confusing brambles and branches of the trees.

[Kit]

Imitating Nyra's movements Mudd dived towards the lake below. This time he pulled out of his dive a little closer than before and paid a small price. His tail dragged in the water for but a moment but it did little to slow his pace dramatically. Regaining his poise he beat his wings hard to once again try to catch up with the little queen. He was far enough behind to miss being splashed but not far enough to be ready for her quick ascent. He raced passed right underneath her. Looking back and up he pin pointed out Nyra and used the air currents to help raise himself somewhat level with her again.

He gave a small trill of delight at her next destination. The trees. He may not be the most agile flit but he was more than home among the thick foliage. The years he had spent traveling with His through different forest had given him more than enough experience. As the emerald twisted her way through the branches he kept his senses more alert than ever. Her speed was impressive, and just trying to keep up with her had worn the stout brown out considerably. But still, this was his element. He would not lose here. Instead of trying to keep his eyes on his target he kept his ears on her instead. His acute hearing made it very easy to hear her twittering and wings beating, as well as the foliage moving in response. With her locked on he concentrated on maneuvering around the thick trunks and branches where he could fit without hitting anything that would slow him down. She meant to confuse and lose them, but he would not fall pray to her game.

He kept to the lower portions of the trees where there was less branches to get in his way. This way he didn't need to worry about the tight spots and losing speed to perform the tricks needed to successfully pass through them. But Nyra seemed quite content with staying in the more complicated regions. But he soon saw an opening and went for it. Diving in between two very close trunks he folded his wings back and twisted himself sideways, barely making it through. He could almost feel the bark touch his back and stomach as he slid by. But it was a small trick he had long come to enjoy and it only raised his confidence even more. Once he was through he quickly rose to a small gap high in the trees where there was little leaves and just as few branches. The gap wouldn't last long but he was more than ready to show off. He was suddenly more than confident in himself and his ability to dodge the obstacles that now layed between him and the emerald.