Micra Makes a Stand

[Kandarra]

T'rin lazed about in the Weyrbowl following a tiring session of cleaning his bronze. Micra had been too agitated to help scrub for whatever reason, and while she didn't usually cover much area, it was nice to have the company. Well, she was company, he thought, just not terribly pleasant. The tiny green had flown around the two of them in lazy circles, an endless stream of chitters and scoldings issuing from her throat. Even Amparath, who was usually delighted by the little creature, had gotten irritated.

But, T'rin thought, no matter, she seemed to have disappeared now. He settled back, enjoying his little bit of leisure time, and slowly let his eyes close.

Suddenly Micra burst from between somewhere, the most worked-up she'd been yet. She scolded and flew close circles around his head before gliding almost straight up into the air. T'rin shot up from his reclining position and stared at her incredulously.

She is rising to mate, Amparath said.

Are you sure?! T'rin demanded.

I am a bronze dragon. I know these things, came the reply, and despite his unease, T'rin couldn't help but flash a grin at his dragon's comment. He looked around for the other flitts and their people that were likely to start appearing soon, swearing to himself. This was the one drawback to his little green.

[Spirithawk]

Aquas was chittering at his mistress, telling her to get her behind out of her weyr in flitter speak. Something had the little creature agitated and he didn't like the fact that Anassa was more amused and irritated than inclined to leave her desk. There was a score in front of her in her sand table that she was going to try to transfer to hide as soon as she finished.

In frustration, the blue dove into the sand, messing up the unfinished score. Anassa let out a cry of outrage. She would remember the score, she never forgot one that she was working on, but it had taken her a while to set it all down!

"Aquas what is the matter with you?" She chased after the flitt. Priath was having too much fun laughing at her rider to explain the situation. Aquas led the greenrider out into the Bowl where the bronzerider and his dragon were lounging.

"Oh. Greenflight." She said when she heard the tell-tale challenges and the answering warble from her own flitt.

That should have been obvious.

Oh hush. Is this a newcomer?

I'm not sure. I haven't seen him before. He has a fine looking bronze.

Down girl. Priath's response was a chuckle. The greenrider continued to walk towards the bronzerider.

"So it's yours who has set my little pest to squawking? I'm Anassa, rider of green Priath." She offered her hand to shake. "Aquas is determined to get me out here so he can chase your green."

[Akki]

”No, no, no, no, no.” The words were coming out of Akki’s mouth, slurring together and forming one big long sentence.

Her hands were in the air, trying to grasp the green blur flying ahead of her. “No one will want you, Sargon! You’re annoying and kind of a freak! You’re going to have your little, green heart broken!” The rider yelled angrily after the firelizard. She didn’t particularly want the stupid thing joining in on some flight; he always got so antsy and bitter when he lost them.

Sargon was lost though, screeching at Akki to hurry up – she was slowing him down. She walked towards the Weyrbowl, her lips pursed. She stopped beside T’rin and tapped her foot against the ground, “Go figure. I don’t see you for…shards, a long time and when we meet again it’s because your green decided to go all flighty on you.” She elbowed the bronzerider slightly in the side, “How ya doin’, kid?”

Does your little green know not to get his hopes up?

“Nope.” She smiled slightly before nodding towards Anassa, "Hey girly." It was still weird, knowing that she had hooked up with V'ian.

[Kandarra]

T'rin watched as a woman, greenrider from her knots, followed a darting blue out of the weyr. He stood up straight and waited for her to get to him, then held out his hand and grasped hers. "I am T'rin of bronze Amparath. It is a pleasure to meet you, Anassa. Yes, that's my green. A right pain she's been today, too," he added, flashing his white-toothed grin.

Answering an unasked question, he said, "I've just recently returned home, if you're wondering why you haven't seen me before. I was training outside Dark Moon to bring new techniques in." He paused, unsure of what to say, then asked, "How fares your Priath?"

As he waited for an answer, he heard other steps and a very familiar face appeared. He started to smile in greeting to the bluerider, but as her words came out, he rolled his eyes instead.

"I am fine, Akki, so you can stop elbowing me," he said, slightly miffed that she wasn't more enthusiastic at seeing him again. But it was Akki, you couldn't expect her to get excited about the normal things. That thought made him grin. "I expect Ebbeth is still drenching weyrlings left and right?"

[Spirithawk]

Rhia was walking Ghost along on his lead-line, giving the runner some exercise. He had started to become fat due to his lack of exercise, and the brownrider didn't want to let that continue. He hardly tolerated the stable drudges, so it was up to her to see that he had exercise.

Let me chase him a while. He'll shape up.

You'll give him a heart attack! She told the brown as she swung into the saddle to ride him out of the weyr. The runner was nearly used to dragons after the Turns living in the Weyr, but he still showed some signs of discomfort. She was going to ride him outside the weyr.

I still don't see why you want to ride that four-legged beast instead of me.

Hush. I like riding. I was a runner healer before I got you. The dragon's response was a snort.

Oh, look Amparath is home.

Bout time he came home. We needed him home a while back. The rider swung her runner in his direction to go greet him.

Suddenly, her flitter Gylfie zipped out of the pouch she liked to ride in on the runner's saddle, spooking the already antsy runner. Ghost reared his dappled hide into the air, catching Rhia by surprise. The brownrider nearly fell from the saddle, but the runner wasn't done yet.

He pitched and bucked as Mneith roared, startling him even more. Rhia fell in an undignified heap on the ground not far from the other riders as Gylfie taunted insults at the other rising green.

The tiny, silvery green creature tried to entice the males to her.

"Of all the sharding times for her to want to rise to mate, she had to pick a time when your fardling flitt was rising!" Rhia fumed from the cloud of dust the runner had kicked up. He was already back in the safety of the barn.

[Akki]

“I absolutely will not stop elbowing you. You left without saying goodbye to me. You deserve my elbows being jabbed into your ribs.” Akki sniffed, elbowing him again. She didn’t look at him; he deserved to not be looked at! You can’t run away without saying goodbye to her! It was an unspoken rule of the Weyr.

“Besides, you should be glad that I’m only elbowing you.” She reminded. Akki snickered slightly at T’rins last comment. “He’s been toning it down a bit. He drowned a couple of Weyrlings and people didn’t like that all too much.” She said it pretty nonchalantly, it was hard to tell if it was a joke or not.

Akki grinned to herself, tucking her hands behind her head as she remembered the days everyone would spend at the lake. They were good ones, that was for sure. She blinked and jolted herself out of the memories just in time to flinch when Rhia hit the ground. “Shards, Rhia! You’re a dragonrider! You’re supposed to expect the unexpected.” She called out, grinning. Two greens, two flights and a whole lot of sexual tension.

“Close your eyes kids, it’s about to be a flitt foursome in here.” The bluerider grimaced.

----

Within seconds another flitt appeared, a little blue screeching at the other flitts. Angry little chiprs flew out of his mouth as he warned off the other males and sweet croons aimed towards both greens.

Within seconds K’ael was in the Weyrbowl, his long hair flying behind him, a piece of parchment grasped in his hand and a green dragon trotting faithfully at his heels.

“Equin! You’re supposed to be delivering a message!” K’ael gasped exasperatedly. He had been trying to track down the blue all day and now that he finally found the creature, it was only in time for a flight. He stopped near the others, eyes on the group of firelizards that was slowly starting to form. “Has anyone seen two greens rise at the same time before? They’re not going to kill each other, are they?”

Did that green just tease the other one?

[Kandarra]

T'rin barely suppressed a grin at Rhia, who ended up in the dirt on her rear end, cursing her flitt the whole time-- but no longer needed to suppress it when he realized that she was talking about Gylfie, her own green, also rising. He looked up, panicked, knowing what could happen when two golds flew simultaneously. He scanned anxiously for his little green.

Micra, who had been darting with agility between the blue and the green male, taunting them, suddenly screeched angrily and dove towards the other female who suddenly threatened her flight. She circled nearly on wingtip around her, shrieking a warning to stay away from her males. She might be smaller than the other green, but she was not about to lose her suitors!


Uslanee soon was making her way out of the Lower Caverns, nearly ahead of her lazy blue, Chub. He winged without much enthusiasm towards the others. Shells, but that flitt was a useless thing. She was surprised he even gave chase, given all the scraps he begged off the drudged and the amount of time he spent lazing near the fire. She came upon the group of riders, much irritated at being taken from her duties. Looking at each of them in turn, she immediately received a guilty look from T'rin.

"So it's you, then," she said, annoyed, "that has the offending green." She meant no real sting with her words, but shards, she had things to attend to! She looked curiously at Rhia. "And what might you be doing down there, brownrider?"

[Spirithawk]

"Do you know how long it has been since I rode a bucking runner?" She tossed back acidly to Akki. She glared at her friend. "You stay on him when he wants you off his back." She turned her head to catch T'rin's grin. "And what are you grinning at boy?" She started to fuss, but then saw his grin falter.

She turned to find Gylfie scolding the other green. "Oh Shells. Gylfie quit that!" She rose from the dust, brushing off the particles that stuck to her wherhide pants and made them a few shades lighter than what they were.

"My flitt spooked my runner." She told Uslanee. "I certainly wasn't sitting there for fun."

Gylfie shrieked back at the other green. She had been here. Where had this green come from and who was she to take HER males? She puffed herself out, trying to appear bigger than she was to intimidate her adversary.

[Akki]

Akki let her face crumple into one of disgust. “Ride a runner? No thanks. I fell off Ebbeth just a sevenday ago, I’m not going near any runners.” She huffed. Of course Ebbeth was trying to fling her off on purpose but it was still a nice bruise on her dignity when she slipped off of him and went flying.

She snickered as a larger blue flitt came into view and grinned at the Headwoman who followed, “This is the first time I’ve seen Chub fly.” She would admit that she had tossed the critter a few pieces of food when Uslanee wasn’t looking. Chub had adorable, pouty ‘Feed me’ eyes.

Akki lifted her eyes to the two greens and frowned. “Weirdest looking girl fight I’ve ever seen.”

Sargon was busy twisting and swerving about in the air, crooning at the two females while hissing at the competition. It was a little flurry of action going about.

----

I won’t be like that when I’m older, will I? Osaith crooned, staring up at the smaller dragons.

“Faranth, I sure hope not.” K’ael sighed, running a hand through his hair as he watched the two greens go at each other. He paused for a moment and glanced at Rhia, “Are you alright?” He hadn’t seen the fall itself but still, getting bucked off of a runner wasn’t exactly the most pleasant thing.

Equin shoved himself into Sargon, angrily scolding the male green. This was his flight to win, both of them! Not his!

“Stop hitting him Equin! At least play fair.”

[Kandarra]

T'rin shifted uneasily at the appearance of a male rider, his dragon, and a blue flitt. He knew it wasn't his choice, and what would happen would happen, but he would really, really prefer that the male greenrider's flitt not win. Still, despite his discomfort with the thought, he greeted the man. "Good day, greenrider. How fares your dragon and yourself?"

Meanwhile, Micra had had enough posturing. She decided the best way to win over the other female would be to just go. And go she did-- she suddenly swooped out of the turn she'd been making around the other, larger green and began to fly straight up, calling a challenge to all the males.

Uslanee grinned at Rhia's irritated grumbling, recalling days past when she, too had been thrown from runners. Not that it happened anymore, she thought almost sadly, because she simply didn't have the time to ride. With an amused look at Akki, she said, "Oh, he flies. He just doesn't usually make it out of doors."

[Spirithawk]

"Oh ho, so it was true that you took a tumble off the blue." She grinned wickedly at her friend. "I'd have thought you wouldn't admit that in a million Turns now that we are out of Weyrlinghood! Shards but we did some crazy things."

When T'rin asked how the greenrider fared, she turned to see one of her pupils. The WLM nodded a greeting. "Osaith is growing well K'ael. Hopefully we will be able to get back on schedule with your training."

She chuckled at Uslanee's comment about Chub. She was relieved when Micra decided to veer off, but shuddered when Gylfie decided not to just let matters drop. The tiny flitt chased after the other green.

"Mneith! Tell her not to be a bully!"

She might not listen but I will try. Gylfie quit bullying the other flitt! There are enough males for both of you.

Gylfie let out an indignant screech and then crooned at the males.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A brown flitt came shooting out of a weyr, bugling a challenge to all the males who were chasing after the beautiful greens. He didn't know which one he wanted to look at first.

"Shells and shards, what is that noise and what is Falarn up to?"

Two green flitts are rising to mate.

"Great. Falarn better not catch one of them. I have enough problems." The bronzerider's sides were still stiched up from the knifing he had gotten from the bandits. He carefully made his way out of his weyr. He couldn't ride his dragon because he couldn't get out. He moved carefully.

"Hello WLM, Akki, Headwoman." He wasn't familiar with the other two so he nodded a greeting. "P'rin of bronze Kilzanth." He would have offered a hand to shake but there were two of them.

[Kandarra]

Sticking his hand out to shake, T'rin greeted the other bronzerider. "I'm T'rin, of bronze Amparath, that big mountain just over there," he said, gesturing in the general direction of his dragon, who was basking in the sun less than a dragonlength away. "I'm afraid my flitt started it." Inwardly, he cursed at the appearance of a second male rider.

You do not even know what it would be like. You have never been with a man, Amparath said, answering his thoughts.

I know that I wouldn't enjoy it, T'rin said irritably back, the emotions of the flight starting to take over his senses.

Micra was also irritable that the other female was still in the mix. She flew higher, diving a quick circle around one of the blues as a taunt, using her small size to its full potential. She considered them. Why, that one blue wasn't even half as high as she was! He would never catch her. And just as well, because he wasn't worthy. She turned her attention to the brown. He was quite strong, but he had a late start, and was far back. The three blues closer to her were all working very hard. Perhaps. She turned to screech at the green flying close to her, but suddenly realized it was a male. What interesting choices she had. But she would not choose yet. She wasn't tired.

[Akki]

“Oh, forgive me.” K’ael laughed quietly, realizing how rude it was for him not to introduce himself. “I’m K’ael, a journeyman healer, and this is Osaith.” He was going to offer his hand to shake but reconsidered it considering the interesting circumstances.

“Ah, please don’t take this the wrong way but I’m really quite hoping that your green makes a good decision. As in not my blue.” A sheepish grin was offered to the bronzerider. He had the feeling that the boy was having, more or less, the same thoughts.

Equin shoved himself one more time at Sargon and then bumped into Chub, screeching loudly before darting between the two females – not entirely sure which one to follow. Two females! It was too confusing!

“I hope so too WeyrlingMaster Rhia. I also hope that you and yours are well today.” K’ael bowed his head respectfully towards the woman.

Hello Mneith! Do you know one of the smaller dragons?

-----

Akki grinned to herself, enjoying watching Chub fly about. It was probably the only chance she was ever going to see the blue outside. She’d visit him tomorrow, sneaking him some food every now and then.

She tore her gaze away from the blue and shrunk into herself slightly. “I didn’t fall! Ebbeth threw me! The jerk threw me off!” Ooooh, she was going to beat his blue hide – no one would let her live this one down. Who fell off their dragons nowadays? She cupped her hands around her mouth and cheered, “Show her who’s boss, Gylfie!” She glanced up at Micra, “Don’t take this Micra!” She loved inciting fights.

She casually laid her arm across P’rins shoulder, “No worries, kid. If your brown catches his green, I’ll just step in and diffuse any awkward situations.” Not that she wouldn’t mind seeing some boy on boy action but she had the feeling they wouldn’t be all that up for it.

Sargon nipped at Equin, screeching loudly at him. Stupid blue, getting in his way! No one got in his way! He whipped away from the little creature, focusing on the greens – crooning sweetly at both of them. Minemineminemine.

[Spirithawk]

P'rin returned the shake. "My Kilzanth is on his ledge." He gestured to the reddish black bronze. "Well met."

Falarn crooned at the females. He used his size to cut in with Micra, crooning to her lovingly. She was closer to him anyway and Gylfie was still being pissy towards Micra.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Rhia grinned. "Suuuree he threw you Akki." She gave her friend a sympathetic look." Faranth knows you need to keep up appearances."

"I hope your Sargon doesn't catch Gylfie Akki. We all know that we don't have to partner each other because our flitts caught each other, but it would be rather awkward anyway." She realized that K'ael shouldn't be here, not with Osaith being so young.

"K'ael, you might want to lock yourself in your weyr if your flitter catches one of those females. Your dragon isn't mature enough to handle sexual relations right now. That's why we have that rule for the weyrlings."

Gylfie was not happy with Mneith's order but she knew she was supposed to listen to the bigger cousin. She veered away from Micra but stayed close. She didn't want to lose any of the males.

When Micra went for one of the males, Gylfie scooped in, crooning and flaunting her green body enticingly so that she could catch that male's attention.

[Kandarra]

"Oh, thank Faranth," Uslanee said as Chub dropped, literally, out of the flight, barely spreading his wings in time to keep from hitting the ground. She glanced around the group of riders, then walked back to the kitchens to arrange a couple of empty weyrs. She sent a few escorts out to guide the riders along once the flitts had decided, but she herself stayed out of the way. Chub would be frustrated enough.

Micra shrieked in anger at the other flitt trying to steal her males.. again! She zoomed by Gylfie angrily, which took her closer to the brown, then kept flying. She would get the best one! She would! The field had narrowed to two blues, a brown, and that curious male green. She dropped her altitude, beneath the brown, to investigate Sargon, trying simultaneously to remain a safe distance away from both, but she was tiring, and her flight becoming less precise.

T'rin could feel it. He shook himself, with difficulty, back to the ground for a moment and noticed that the Headwoman had gone, but all the others were still there. But as soon as he had acknowledged that, his head was sucked back into the flight.

[Spirithawk]

Falarn couldn't believe his luck! That beauty of a green was so close to him! All he had to do was swoop down over her enticing little body and she would be his!

"Oh...shards..." P'rin moaned, as Falarn swooped quickly, using his larger body weight to dive down faster than the blues. He spread his wings, catching the air right above her. His tail twined firmly with hers and he let out a triumphant bugle.

P'rin was at a loss. The flight was nowhere near as intense as a mating flight of dragons, but he was still in a sorry state! It had been too long since he had been with a woman and that was apparent to all who saw his condition. He was not going with T'rin. He would remain frustrated, painfully so, before he went with another man, and he was sure the other bronzerider felt the same way.

[Kandarra]

Micra was caught by surprise when the brown suddenly swooped down on her, but didn't mind much. He was strong, and he was hers! Just see that other green get her tail on him now!

T'rin felt her elation but soon realized that the brown that had caught her belonged to the other bronzerider. A slow horror began to sink in before he could stop it. This was not happening. It wasn't that he was homophobic, it was just that.. that.. the Hatching sands would grow cold before he went off with another man! That was just the way it was! But he didn't know how long he could hold himself in check. He had to find another option quickly.

[Akki]

“Whatever Rhia. I hope Mneith throws you off.” Akki sniffed, making a show of holding her nose up in a rather snooty fashion as she turned away from the woman.

Akki grinned in agreement with Rhia, she didn’t particularly need Sargon catching Gylfie. Awkward situations ahoyyy.

Though it didn’t seem like she had to worry about that, there were bigger things on hand. Like the fact that P’rins flitt had caught the other green? Akki stretched her hands up in the air, wincing slightly as the bone cracked before letting an arm drape along P’rins shoulders once more. “Well, kids. It’s time for me to diffuse this awkward sexual tension. Let’s roll P’rin.”

It was pretty safe to assume that the two male riders didn’t want to get it on with each other.

----

K’ael blinked at Rhia’s words and looked down at Osaith.

“Oh shards. I didn’t even think about that.” He blurted out. How could he forget! He felt quite dumb now. “Come on Osaith, we have to go.” He urged the green.

Now, Osaith wasn’t as flirty as other greens. But she was as stubborn as them. Why? I want to watch. She snorted, her eyes whirling as she watched the firelizards throw themselves at each other. K’ael opened his mouth to reason with the green but by then it was too late.

Equin hissed loudly at Falarn and quickly swept by Sargon, heading straight for Gylfie. Within seconds he was right there in front of the green, wrapping his tail with hers as he followed Falaran’s example and crowed happily. He was not a loser! Nope, not him!

“Oh dear.”

[Spirithawk]

Aquas gave a dejected chirp. He had lost both females! He slowly began winging back towards the weyr.

"Uh oh." Akki was leading P'rin away. She had only just realized that the two male riders' flitts had caught each other. "Awkward situations are right Akki." She was aroused, none of the riders who's flitts had taken part wouldn't be, but her flitt hadn't caught either female. She could feel his frustration.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Gylfie let out an angry shriek when the other female stole the brown. She was distracted and wasn't able to escape when she felt a tail twine around her own. Twisted her head to see who had caught her, one of the blues. She was well and truly caught, so she acquiesced. She angled her body so that their wings could keep them aloft.

Back on the ground, Rhia felt a moment of panic. Her student's flitt had caught her female and he hadn't had a chance to leave the vicinity before the flight had ended. She felt the drudges leading her towards a weyr, and couldn't really stop them.

"Shard it." She murmured.

~~~~~~~~~~

P'rin let himself be led off, not really knowing who it was that was helping him. He would be quite embarrassed in the morning because he really didn't know how long he could last right now.

"Good thing I recover quickly," he told the woman beside him. He just hoped it wasn't Akki, please not Akki....but then again, it would have been more awkward to have wound up with T'rin or K'ael, or Faranth forbid it, Rhia. She wasn't his teacher anymore, but he still hadn't gotten past the fact that she had trained him.

[Akki]

Drudges were everywhere now, grabbing hands and leading people towards empty weyrs. It wasn’t like K’ael could exactly shove one off of him and run away, that wouldn’t exactly be very gentlemanly. It seemed he was stuck and had no choice to follow.

Still though, this was rather unfortunate luck. Out of everyone there, he was finding himself be herded away with Rhia. His WeyrlingMaster! Dear Faranth, the Weyrling classes were forever going to be awkward after this. Do you think he could get away with not looking her in the eye any more? This was all Osaith’s fault.

Rhia’s mutter of ‘Shard it

[/i]’ seemed quite suitable for this situation.

----

Akki more or less knew who she was leading away. Not that it really mattered for this was Akki, when did she ever care or she was romping in bed with?

Well, that didn’t sound very ladylike.

“You recover quickly? Well, that’s what I like to hear.” The words slipped out of Akki’s mouth and were followed quickly by a loud laugh. Poor P’rin. The boy was probably going to have a panic attack when this was all over and he realized who the mystery woman was.

This is why I don’t like letting you leave the weyr[/center]