Green Ilydeth's Flight (OPEN!)

Tig

<Think you can catch her?> J'mek said goading his black companion as they landed near the edge of the Weyrbowl

This isn't my first flight. Even if it was, I am more skilled than most. Tobiath replied puffing out his chest. 

<And humble. Don't forget humble.> he retorted.

If his dragon's head got any bigger he wouldn't be able to fit through the Weyr passageways. To be fair, he did have good reason to be so confident. J'mek had been the youngest rider to ever impress in his hold and it wasn't long before he was flying circles around the more seasoned riders. Even though J'mek was a mere twenty-seven turns, the thread battles had seemingly aged him.

<Haven't you heard the saying, "A dragon is no better than his rider"?> he said continuing to bait Tobiath. He always flew better when he was a little fired up. 

I guess I am fairly useless then. he replied in their usual banter. It seems that someone might have wanted to get a head start with the human aspect of this flight. 

J'mek followed his thoughts and saw that the lady Laloraine was struggling against a man who had the look of a crazed Wherbeast as he backed away from another Blackrider.

<We can't let him have all the fun now can we?> J'mek replied before running towards the blind side of the attacker. 




    

Tig, Rae

K’ron and Nymanth were returning from patrol when the call came out to help V’sos rescue Laloraine. The bronzerider commanded his soulmate to fly over the area described to see what was going on. They were observing the battle trying to decide on a strategy when the bronze roared.

<<A green rises!>> Nymanth proclaimed, then he said in a softer voice <<It is time rider.>>

K’ron sighed and finally agreed, “Aye, you should not deny your pleasure anymore. She would not expect it. Set me down here and I will see what I can do to help before your needs carry me completely away.”

The silver haired man made quick work of dismounting from his soulmate and headed off in the direction of the disturbance. Nymanth meanwhile made his way to the Feeding Grounds and bled several strong beasts before Ilydeth rose into the sky. His hide gleemed like light rusty metal. As he did not know her, he was a few moments behind Kimkinth as he rose after the green. It did not matter. After all, in his turns he had seen many who were out first finish last in the end.

The last vision Nymanth had given him before heading for the Feeding Grounds had been of Laloraine being carried off by the stranger. K’ron recognized the location they had been through his rides on his runner Faster. He headed in that direction, little did he know that he was running towards Laloraine and Kumari.

--K’ron and Nymanth

Harbinger, Rae, Norbert, vleap

Ilydeth was flying high and fast now, and she was so far ahead of those pursuing her that it was laughable. She could afford now to crane her sinuous neck to see who gave chase. Her eyes gleamed a virulent, vivid red as she snaked her neck around to see the males, the puny ones who tried to stop her Flight! There was a Black, she noted. She did not know him, and he was rather small for one of his rank, but he flew well, she grudgingly admitted to herself. Still, he could not hope to outfly her! She noted the Bronze, and trilled a pleasant note when she saw him. He chased after her, and it was comical how different they were in size. He could not hope to keep up with her! She was smaller, more streamlined and agile than he!

Now the Blues. She viewed them last, looking first to Kimkinth. She knew him. He and His had been there for Laloraine and herself many times since they had come to know one another. She crowed a playful note in his direction, almost flirtatiously. Just because he knew her, didn't mean that she would have an easy time of it! She would give him a run for his marks, that was for sure. Her eyes slid to the other Blue, another stranger. He called to her, he DARED talk to her, when he was so unworthy, so unfit to be with her!

You dare speak to me!? Use all of your energy for the Chase, Blue one. You will need it! She crowed tauntingly back at him, puffed up and full of bravado. Ilydeth was normally a mild-mannered, sweet Green. That personality was gone when she took to the skies for mating. Lust boiled in her ichor and fueled her speedy twists and turns. She soared high, until the air was cold. Now, it was time to have some fun.

She dove, on a sure crash course, down to her followers, pulling her wings in by her slender body, and she trumpeted at them, forcing them to flee or be ran over. She deftly turned and extended one wing, banking back towards the Weyr, as she felt Laloraine's presence coercing her not to go much further from her. She hissed angrily, hating anything that would tie her down or make her do anything in her current state. She flew low, her talons almost grazing the tree tops and without warning, plunged down, down, down until she was at the edge of the Weyrbowl where Kumari fled, her inert rider in hand, dragging her roughly behind him. She bugled so loudly that she started him from his fleeing, and he had to turn and flee in the opposite direction, and he ran smack into Taralo, who was in hot pursuit of him.

In his confused, painful state, he released Laloraine, who rolled to one side limply. She sprawled like a rag doll on the mossy ground, her sightless eyes skyward. Her thoughts, her mind were with Ilydeth, who rocked upwards again. The restlessness that the Green felt made her wing in tight circles, stirring the wind with her large wings.

Ilydeth was quite large for a Green. In fact, she was more the size of a small blue. That coupled with the unusual shade of sage green of her hide made her distinct from say, Dagmar's Marlith, who was the classic shade of emerald that was to be expected in Greens. She was beautiful in the sky, her Green contradicting the bright azure of the sky that was rapidly becoming tinged with gray as clouds moved in for the daily rainstorm. She crooned in pleasure as the rain began to fall, happy that she was to be aided by nature herself. Oddly, though the rain was falling, rays of sunlight still cut through the clouds in occasional beams of brilliant light.

Ilydeth momentarily forgot that she was being chased as she hovered in one of the spotlight-like beams, glorying in how beautiful she was in the shimmering light. The smell of earth and fresh rain wafted upwards from the thick, lush treetops below. It was simply gorgeous, and she got to Fly in it! She hissed all of the sudden, recalling those dim glows that dared to pursue her. She hastily winged away from her natural spotlight, knowing that if she lingered too long that they would try and catch her, and mate with her, and then her glorious Flight would be over far, far too soon. She felt Laloraine's mind with her, urging her to stay and not go between, and not go too far. She therefore went in and out of the clouds, her hide glistening with rain as she flew above Xian Weyr.

For the moment, she, Ilydeth the Green, was the loveliest dragon, the most desirable dragon in the whole Weyr! She roared her defiance and the thunder echoed her. She would give them a fight today!

Tig Rae

Before hearing V'sos' words, Zory had half a thought to follow Kimari into the jungle herself. Maybe she could persuade him that she only wanted to tend his wounds and then lace her blade with- "Poison?" With that word, she was yanked harshly back to the reality directly before her. In the seconds where she had been distracted from tending to his wound, the poison had indeed begun to spread. Although she wanted to help Laloraine, this was the more pressing issue. Someone else would have to save the Greenrider. Decision made, she called Hark back with a sharp whistle and helped ease V'sos onto the springy floor of the Weyrbowl.

She mentally rattled through the list of poisons with which she was familiar, disregarding all of the slower-acting types. Something made with rotten waste or flesh wouldn't spread so quickly and much of the Northern continent had poisons that required ingestion. It had to be a dose toxic enough to work in the bloodstream in very small quantities, which pointed at something from the Southern continent...

It had to be from something living; it was unlikely to be from a plant, as nearly all of them needed to be ingested to cause such a reaction. That meant she needed antivenom... but which one?

Shard it! Why were all of the people currently outside with her either in trouble or fighting? And was the Green actually in FLIGHT at a time like this? Although it certainly made biological sense, she couldn't help but feel frustration at the added complication. As she opened her mouth to shout after one of the Blackriders, a shadow passed over her and V'sos as a man ran by. "Bronzerider!" She whistled piercingly for his attention. "Help me get this man to the infirmary immediately!"

H'skal had been a bit late to the party, arriving just in time to see someone disappear into the forest with a woman slung over their shoulder. With the Flight beginning overhead, he felt a surge of strength and confidence - what could be more enticing than winning a victory above and below? - but the Weyrhealer's voice cut through the beginnings of Flight haze. Although it would wound his pride not to go help a lady in distress, he turned back around and sized up the situation.

Zoryana picked up V'sos' feet and nodded towards his shoulders. "Don't touch his arm. He's injured and poisoned; I need my notes and antivenom to treat him."

With one final, quick glance at the sky, H'skal obediently helped Zory pick the Bluerider up - not a small guy, either! To her credit, Zory showed no outward signs of struggling with the weight. Together, they hurried him to the infirmary. With noted reluctance, Conleth remained at the feeding grounds. Although he had already blooded a kill, H'skal's constant, firm admonitions prevented him from rising after the pretty green. Sulky at missing the opportunity, the Bronze consoled himself by ripping into the underbelly of his prey and feasting instead.

Rae, vleap, Norbert, Harbinger

Ilydeth screamed her rage into the sky. The Green was pulsing with fervor, with life. She was the glowing goddess of the skies. The occasional thunder echoed her fury, and the rain added to the clamor. Beads of water formed on her Green hide and slipped away. Ilydeth was well-oiled, Laloraine always made sure of it. Now, she was slippery, and somewhat water-resistent.

No, you will not, The Green replied scornfully to the Bronze, You will never catch me. You will never have me. And yours will not mate with Mine. She is Mine and only Mine forever!

She shot, like a Terran rocket of old, straight into the sky, and a piercing thunderous clap echoed through the atmosphere, almost as if she had gone so high that she had penetrated the very sky. She crowed her laughter - none of them would ever catch her. She wasn't even tired! Energy surged through her, making her feel alive. She could fly circles around them all, especially that slow, bumbling Bronze!

Laloraine was on the ground, dropped from Kumari's grasp when the Candidate had attacked out of nowhere. The man was livid now. He tried to rise from where he had sprawled, but ended up knocking into a pursuing Bronzerider before he could.

Had the Greenrider not been with Ilydeth, she simply could have arisen from the ground and fled at that point. But as it stood, Laloraine was with Ilydeth, soaring in the skies, mocking her lovers with laughter and the certainty that they would never catch her.

"I and I alone will outlast every one of you," Laloraine mumbled, as the Green taunted her Chasers.

Again, the Green above took stock of her followers. Two Blues, one Black and a Bronze. The Black and Bronze were big and slow. They might could make fancy moves, but even their fanciest moves were not as adept and agile as her own. The Blues...they made her eyes whir a little quicker. Yes...they were closer to her size, but neither one of them had the stamina as she, Ilydeth the Quick, did.

She twisted in the air and winged over them, bellowing. Those who were not fast would never keep up with her. She folded her wings against her sides and streaked across the sky, like Green lightning. The very thunder echoed her again, as if longing too, after the sky's very own Green vixen.

"I will never succumb, and never slow down," the redhead on the ground murmured from her supine position. Her eyes opened sightlessly, reflecting the scene in the sky above in her Green eyes. The world, the whole world, was Green...green like the lady of the skies, her Ilydeth.

Ilydeth screamed again, her horrible taunt louder than the thunder, even managing to best it.

Rae Tig

The sudden collision jarred Taralo somewhat - while she knew she would catch him, he had changed direction so quickly and Ilydeth's sudden proximity had been a surprise, and so the woman didn't have time to brace herself for the impact. She staggered backwards, finding her footing once again in time for K'ron to arrive and make more claims of the prone Greenrider. Laloraine was completely helpless, lost in the sky - something Taralo recognized from the few times she had managed to sneak into a flightweyr rather than wait outside for the losers.

She straifed to keep the two men in her sights but also to move between them and Laloraine. Fists up, she sneered at the two men, almost daring them to try to make a move on her ward. The Greenrider was not just some resource to be taken an used. She was a human, having all the rights of any other. She was a member of Xian Weyr, and thus an important piece that made up Taralo's Weyr. She was a Dragonrider, and was due the respect from all of Pern for risking her life to protect it.

Neither of these men would just claim her.

"Step any closer and I will break you."

---

"Never," X'ric hissed - a single, defiant word. He had given up once, and that was enough for one lifetime. He would continue onwards until the Red Star itself fell from the sky and never returned.

Frankly, though, he was not a fighter. Not trained, at least, though the same could likely be applied to Ulrict. As one man hacked, the other swung deftly with his hammer, trying to hit his mark just as he would if he was shaping metal. In this case, however, his intent was to dent and blunt the machete, though whether any of his swings hit was questionable given that backing away from the lunatic in an attempt to avoid a deadly strike was affecting X'ric's ability to concentrate and aim. From the outside, it would probably look as if the two men were simply flailing at each other.

He was not escaping unscathed, however - one poor move caused the machete to sink into his left hand, a bad block caused a cut across his cheek, and most terrifying was the slice across his chest. If it wasn't for the heavy apron he had been wearing, X'ric would have been in trouble. As it stood, both his apron and tunic had been ripped through, and he felt the sting of what was, thankfully, a shallow cut across his pectorals. This fight needed to end quickly, and so X'ric would try to find an opening to slam a hefty left hook into Ulrict's temple.

---

There is always energy to compliment a powerful and graceful dragon like yourself, Hezzath replied, hoping to use his charm to sway her towards him, however tiny of a chance that may be. His razor wings cut through the air as he chased after the rising Green. He wasn't gaining altitude as quickly as his fellows, unable to grab as much air with each wing beat. That said, as Ilydeth reached her zenith, he was ready, turning and folding his wings back into a sharp V, diving into a stoop fast enough to rival Terran peregrines. He pulled out of his dive earlier than Ilydeth, not wanting to crash into the canopy with his momentum, which ended up causing him to ultimately fly a few dragonlengths above the sage-colored Green as she saved her lifemate.

It gave him a slight advantage as she headed skyward once again, allowing Hezzath to add a flourished twirl to his movement as he echoed her, staying on her tail but at a polite distance to avoid any attacks. She was a powerful, glorious thing, and he didn't dare intrude. Not yet, at least. He returning bugle was more gentle than the booming voice of thunder claps - Hezzath was a lover, not a fighter. He would put all his energy into chasing, yes, but not into challenging the glorious one he followed or the others he competed with.

Ilydeth's movements caused Hezzath to do a loop-the-loop, a maneuver he made tighter than necessary to show off his agility and brilliant, lithe form. The neon of his hide was now accented with the sparkle of raindrops clinging in vain, only to fall off as he sliced through the air after the Green. Her last call was met with a crow, a happy call into the air for the Green that gave such a spectacle, such an admirable challenge!

Ilydeth was darting in and out of clouds, her hide sparkling with raindrops in the sunshine that peeked through the clouds, her sinuous neck bent to survey her followers once more. The Black appeared to be lagging behind, she noted to her satisfaction. It appeared that she was outflying at least one of her chasers. The Green crooned her satisfaction. As for the others...they were too stubborn.

Ilydeth hissed at them, and darted upwards, her wings plastered to her sides before evening out, viewing the scene below. One of the Blues had now dropped as well, she noted. In the back of her mind, she recognized him as Kimkinth, and she would have felt concern if there had been room for such things in her mind. But at moment in time, all there was room for was lust and anger.

The Queen intruded, and Ilydeth bugled in alarm, warning her back from her Flight, her eyes whirling a disturbed red. She saw that the actions of the Gold had caused Kimkinth to rise once more, and the Green twisted so that she would not collide with him upon his re-entry to her flight. She voiced her displeasure that he had left at all before surveying the others.

The other Blue - Hezzath - seemed to understand how beautiful and powerful she was. She let herself croon her approval at him, playfully flitting around him before bolting again. She would not let him catch her!

Now as for the Bronze, she snorted her disdain, We will see about that! She challenged. Bronzes were so bulky and large. He didn't have a chance of catching her!

Below, Laloraine saw only through the eyes of her dragon, but Kumari, unfortunately, did not... He was fighting two against one now. His eyes darted to the inert form of the Greenrider and he knew he had to try. He darted forward to try and claim Laloraine, maddened with grief and lust, not caring for the consequences.