Carried Away By The Wind's Song

Writers: Avery, Heather, Miriah, Suzee, Yvonne
Date Posted: 20th March 2020

Characters: Kapera, D'hol, N'call, K'lvin, J'nus, Teseada, Timassa
Description: A gold rises at Barrier Lake
Location: Barrier Lake Weyr
Date: month 1, day 23 of Turn 10

Kapera

Dawn came to Barrier Lake Weyrhold.

The eastern sky lit up slowly, turning purple and orange and pink as
the sun came up. The Weyrbowl opened to the east, meaning the
brilliant morning light seemed to funnel straight in. Rukbat's rays
shone to illuminate the dragons on their ledges, showcasing their
hides. It was a foggy morning, the light filtering through it all, and
it seemed like all of Pern - or at least this part of it - was holding
its breath, waiting for something.

Anyone awake at this candlemark who looked out at the dragons could
see the way one gold dragon in particular shimmered with those early
morning rays. Gold Riyanth slumbered deeply on her ledge, hide bright
as though the sunlight was shining just on her.

Bronzes especially were attuned to that change in color that
highlighted a gold's readiness to mate. So as they woke up, most
turned their attentions to her, watching, waiting, and nudged their
riders to be ready. Other dragons who were observant of the mood
reached out to their riders to let them know. A change was coming. A
gold would rise today.

A half-candlemark after dawn, one gold stirred from her deep slumber.
Her eyes snapped open, whirling in the mating lust. She screamed a
challenge to the males and projected it with her mind as well, a
wordless call to them to answer her and attend her. She plunged down
from the ledge she was on towards the feeding pens, the fog eddying in
her wake.

"Tes!" N'call nudged Teseada awake. "A gold is rising," he knew Onnyth
hadn't been glowing or acting like she was the one so he figured it
had to be one of the others. Haloth was already at the feeding pens
with other bronzes blooding a kill. "You need to get Onnyth out of
here."

Yumath's bugle of intent jerked D'hol awake and into an immediate sit,
rubbing his face and swinging his legs over the side of the bed,
accidentally jostling the sleeping woman beside him. Hurrying into his
trousers at Yumath's urging, he looked down at Timassa then shrugged
into
his shirt. "Wish me luck." Yumath didn't give him time to say more; the
bronze had already taken a place to watch Riyanth, snagging his own buck
to
blood for three needed energy.

"Good luck," Timassa rolled over into the warmth of where his body had
been and snuggled back down into the furs. "You and Yumath have got
this," she said.

As the group of rider's began to gather, Teseada had hurriedly dressed,
throwing riding gear on and grabbing straps to toss around Onnyth for
long
enough to get them enough of a distance away from the Weyrhold. A short
trip/between/, back to Dragonsfall would be more than enough distance
for
safety.

**You don't have a snowball's chance, Xmrenth. Go back to sleep,**
K'lvin
groaned, rolling over in bed and pulling the blanket over his head.

}:I am as strong and fast as any bronze here,:{ Xmrenth said
passionately. }:I will chase.:{

**I'm retired, you know that.** K'lvin sighed.

}:I am not. You'll be fine,:{ the bronze insisted as he joined the other
males blooding kills. }:Your last healer report was positive.:{ It was
clear
that the bronze wasn't taking no for an answer and if he had to be eat
up
with flight lust then he might as well get to enjoy a flight moth
afterward,
K'lvin reasoned as he drug himself out of bed, dressed, and left.

A flurry of wide bronze wings circled the killing pens, then Kopth fell
on a
herdbeast in anticipation of following his golden Riyanth into the sky.
In
the Weyr, J'nus hurried down the steps to the mating cots. He couldn't
quite
keep the smile off his face. **Good for you, Kapera,** he thought. No
matter
the flight's outcome, no matter which bronze dragon eventually claimed
the
queen, he was extraordinarily happy that Kapera would end the day with a
Weyrwoman's knots on her shoulder. Of all the queen riders at the Weyr,
J'nus thought that she deserved it most.

Kapera ran to the feeding pens, clad in only a sleeping shift, with her
heart in her throat. There was fear inside her, coiling in her belly,
pounding louder than the drumming of her heartbeat in her ears. This
Rise
was critically important. It was Riyanth's first in over a Turn. It was
her
first at Barrier Lake - _anyone's_ first Rise there - the flight of the
_Senior Queen_. This was really happening. She had to get to Riyanth
now.

As soon as she got to the feeding pens, her focus was on her gold
dragon,
the large gleaming beast who had struck down a wherry already. Riyanth
was
hunched over it, jaws bloody from the killing blow, her talons holding
down
the body, about to tear into it and eat....

**Blood it,** she commanded. **Don't eat. Blood.**

}:I hunger,:{ snarled the gold, who _wanted_ the prey beneath her. She
was
driven by the blood on her jaws and the fresh hot smell of prey beneath
her,
the desire to slash out and kill not sated by the death of only a single
wherry. The gold wanted to eat what she'd taken, and her rider was
stopping
her!

**No,** Kapera told her, but the gold resisted her. Riyanth's foretalons
dug
into the wherry and head swiveled back and forth as she mentally fought
her
rider.

Why was Riyanth so hard to fight? Kapera had been riding a dragon for a
decade now, she should be able to control her queen better! Was the
gold's
will so strong because she, too, sensed the import of this? Because she
knew
she'd be Senior? Kapera knew she could not lose control of her gold now.
Not
with all the men watching. Not with _the whole weyrhold_ watching to see
what would happen. If Riyanth ate the beast, if she was weighted down by
meat and could not fly or was caught too low, if it was a short
rise...would
that be enough to not flick whatever switch caused dragons to
acknowledge
who the true queen was? Which gold to treat as Weyrwoman?

Bile rose in her throat at the thought. If this rising failed... if she
was
unworthy again... for a second she teetered on despair, and with that
weakness, she felt Riyanth's head dart down to rip at flesh, and her
resolve
re-crystallized.

Kapera's hands clenched around the posts, her knuckles going white, an
unconscious act of physical exertion as she struggled to impose her will
on
the gold dragon. There might be bronzeriders surrounding her. If so, she
was
unaware of them. Just like she was unaware of the wood and metal digging
into her hands and cutting them. All she knew was her gold dragon.

**Blood. For mating,** Kapera told her, firmly. She projected her
memories
of prior flights, the feeling of her blood aflame of desire, the glory
of
being pursued and desired by so many males, the superiority of knowing
you'd
outshine them all, being free, uncatchable...

**This is yours, with blood,** she communicated.

}:Uncatchable,:{ the gold repeated back, understanding now the burning
in
her blood was not for prey but was for _mating_.

The watching riders and dragons saw Riyanth suddenly stop fighting and
drop
her head down start sucking the blood from the prey. The wherry was
tossed
aside and the gold heaved aloft again, circling and striking down a
larger
herdbeast. This time the gold immediately sucked the blood from it
without
fighting. Two more wherries were dispatched. When a bronze aiming to
blood
came close enough the wind from his wings buffeted her as she drank,
Riyanth
_snarled_ viciously at him and snapped her teeth.

Four beasts was enough, it seemed. }:I am uncatchable! I am queen!:{
Riyanth
roared aloud and in mind to the taunting males before flinging herself
aloft
to streak away from the Weyrhold.

On the ground, Kapera's hands finally unclenched from the fencing, and
she
swayed back and away, staring off into the sky where the gold had gone,
carrying all her hopes and dreams as she exulted in the freedom of the
sky.

Xmrenth flung aside the beast he had been draining, blood still
streaming down his bronze muzzle as he launched into the air with the
other males, to give chase to the glorious queen. And shells, was she
glorious, Xmrenth thought, reveling in her beauty as she streaked
ahead of them. It was like chasing a shooting star.

Haloth's hunger matched all the others as he also flung himself after
the golden prize. }:I will catch you:{ He declared, knowing this
flight would test him sorely. He settled in for a long chase for this
was an experienced gold and would only pick the very best.

Kopth let himself rise to the front - but not the lead - of the flock
of bronze dragons who followed in Riyanth's gleaming wake. This queen
he knew; he knew they would fly until their wings ached and the
bronzes started to lag behind. But his belly was hot with blood and he
wanted to woo her. Win her. His focus narrowed until she was the only
thing that mattered in the sky.

Yumath roared as he burst into the sky. Riyanth had been his mate, his
queen, and he meant to have her again. Even more, his rider's thoughts
on the ground, the importance of this flight made his determination
stronger. Yumath singled out those he felt were the strongest
competition; the older, wiser bronzes were more likely to have the
stamina to match hers, know how to pace themselves and not waste
frivolous energy on acrobatic displays or juvenile jostling. So he
matched pace with them, neither striving to immediately lead, nor
allowing himself to fall back.

Riyanth raced upwards first to break out of the clouds and the fog.
The wind was under her wings, the sun was warm against her hide, the
need in her blood was burning fierce. The golden dragon relished in
the knowledge that males were competing for _her_ favor, to be chosen
by her. She flew silently for long minutes, flying a winding course up
the mountains nearby.

}:Keep up!:{ she taunted, as junior bronzes began to flag. She had
briefly flown in a circling spiral through clouds and unexpectedly,
the pack of bronzes had gotten closer than the queen wanted. Close
enough that some could lunge for her. Even as they closed in on her,
a large bronze to her side, two close to her tail, she snarled. But
her blood was hot with the mating lust and she was not ready to be
caught! If they were this close, they were close enough to get
reckless and tangle.

She wheeled back towards them, then broke unexpectedly *downwards*
into a narrow ravine to get out their way, rather than rise up seeking
for greater height like a younger queen might have done. This confused
a few bronzes; a young one ducked back and away and fouled with
another bronze, both needing to drop out, while another one went high
expecting her to and met with another who was diving down for her.
There was sudden jostling and confusion in the pack.

Riyanth flew through tight ravine walls for a moment of solitude
before the burning urged her to get higher, instinct telling her she
could not be caught this low. She saw a waterfall and then performed a
steep climb in front of it so close that droplets splashed her hide,
cooling her body if not her needs. When she regained height she craned
her head to see who was still with her, what suitors remained for her
favor.

Xmrenth snarled in disappointment. If that young bronze hadn't bungled
that turn and flown into him then he would still be up there chasing
Riyanth! The bronze flew towards the water to cool off while K'lvin
gratefully succumbed to a waiting flightmoth.

Haloth raced along the rim of the ravine knowing it would come to an
end and ready to be hot on her tail. He was nearing the end of his
strength but he wasn't there yet and when she popped up he was hot on
her tail bugling his desire.

On the ground, N'call swayed nearer to Kapera.

Yumath easily dodged the flailing young bronzes and used his carefully
stored reserves of strength to surge forward towards Riyanth. He
crooned his desire for her, slipping around Haloth and edging between
he and Kopth.

Haloth's last remaining strength was almost gone and he didn't have
the reserves to challenge Yumath as he surged past. But he kept
trying, she still might turn and choose him.

Kopth's wingstrokes were steady and strong and his attention was fixed
on the shine of Riyanth's hide. He barely noticed Yumath as the other
bronze edged in beside him in the sky. The bronze readied himself,
anticipating that the queen might turn her wings and fly for altitude.
The blood he'd drank burned hot in his belly as every beat of his
wings proved his desire.

On the ground, Kapera turned away from the fence and towards the men
who gathered in a throng, sliding through the crowd of them but
snarling at any who tried to touch her. She would be seen and
worshiped by them but she would not be touched until _she_ chose it.
She knew the faces of the bronzeriders well after the last few months,
and in her merged with Riyanth state, she found herself imposing their
dragons over them, making judgements that dragon and rider shared
between each other.

Riyanth counted wings even as Kapera counted faces. Haloth was a
proven flier of golds, but she knew his rider was tied elsewhere - and
besides, he'd flown Onnyth before. Yumath had flown her before and
they had sired a beautiful clutch, and his rider steadied hers. He had
proven experience leading. But Kopth had flown her before, as well,
and his rider was dear to Kapera...

She flew a little closer to the sun, aiming for the heights, as she
debated who she'd choose. The choice she'd hoped to make was snatched
away as a bronze unexpectedly caught her, twining with her. She
surrendered to her need and his grip.

On the ground, one rider whisked Kapera away, claiming her as his as
his bronze claimed her gold.

Last updated on the May 31st 2020

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Carried Away By The Wind's Song