-------------------------------------------------------------------------- Dyinath's Mating Flight (Or, In the Beginning....) Date: December 2, 1995 Places: Benden Weyr's South Bowl, Outer Infirmary, and Inner Infirmary Game: PernMUSH Copyright Info: The World of Pern is copyright(c) to Anne McCaffrey l967. The Dragonriders of Pern(r) is a registered copyright. -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Kassi's Note: Oh, gods. They just do not *get* more embarrassing than this. This, O reader, is the log of my very first RP--first with Kassima, first on NC; first RP period, really. And, well, it shows. My RP is bad. *Bad*. It's *awful*. It's *terrible*. It's shameful. It mortifies me beyond my power of words to express. If you read it and find yourself wanting to hit me, or mock me, I assure there's no need; I suffer enough just reading this thing. ;) But this is a significant scene: not only is it Kassi's first visit to Benden, and Kassi's first meeting with many people she'd know better later, but the mating flight she watches here would later produce Lysseth and her clutchmates. So here goes nothing. Just don't laugh at me too much, okay? -------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Log: In the Feeding Grounds, Thoth answers the roar with a deafening, challenging roar of his own. In the Feeding Grounds, Chiloth leaves the two ovines to snap at a fat wherry. The wherry is fast, and almost gets away, leaving Chiloth with only a wherry leg in his teeth. The other legs sharp claws scratch at the brown's cheek before a snaking whip of his neck breaks its neck with a crack. Above, Rsonth flies downward towards the feeding grounds. In the Feeding Grounds, Duzorth finfihses his second and then lands on a pack crushing 3 of them T'quinn walks here from the north. Daena turns to T'quinn. "He barely recognized me," she says, smiling. Daelan breathlessly says, "Are they not beautiful?" T'quinn walks to the far end of the bowl, watching Vtanth with a shaded intensity. Daena walks over and stands next to T'quinn. Kassima breathes, "This is absolutely fascinating, Daelan! I canna believe my own eyes! Look you, how they shine!" Darakin's face drains of color as he watches the dragons... G'rel walks here from the north. Daena turns to Kassima. "They don't shine....they.../glow/." T'quinn is not even aware of any presence near him, his eyes locked on his dragon's actions. P'tran walks here from the north. Daelan watches in awe. R'lain walks here from the north. R'lain shambles in, white as a sheet. Jaen walks here from the north. Daena considers putting a hand on T'quinn's arm. F'laav walks here from the north. Kassima blushes. "Pardon, m'lady, for my error." In the Feeding Grounds, Rsonth swoops down from the sky, the only sound is the wing rustling against his wingsails. He instantly pounces ona rereating herdbest, his talons slicing through the rib cage easily. J'cot walks here from the north. D'ris walks here from the north. Jazmin walks here from the north. Daena grins back at Kassima. "No problem." F'hlan, his expression practically stricken, watches Tzornth with a look that's almost frightened. Both his hands clench and unclench. Daena nods at Treyllyn. "I figured." Kassima smiles back shyly. Darakin shivers uncomfortably. In the Feeding Grounds, Thoth almost absently snatches another ovine, killing it neatly with a bite to the back of the neck. His attention, however, is on a Weyr opening...Dyinath's. P'tran glances over to the feeding grounds, folding his arms. He takes a silent count of the number of males present and raises an eyebrow. "Impressive showing," he says softly and with some measure of satisfaction. In the Feeding Grounds, Duzorth greedily fnishes gorging himself on his 3 most recent kills and looks around for more... In the Feeding Grounds, Notreth drops the suddenly uninteresting wherry and leaps off the ledge, seeming to hover slightly before snatching a hen off the ground and returning to feast on her blood. Treyllyn glances at F'hlan, a bit worried. In the Feeding Grounds, Tzornth _BUGLES_, in defiance, to every other dragon in the grounds, whether of Benden or not. His gaze begins to scan the sky overhead, expectantly. Daena's eyes are locked on the dragons, staring at the carnage. T'garrick grimaces as Chiloth's face gets cut, his right cheek twitching spasmodically. Kassima stares, mouth agape in awe at the great dragons. Daelan looks at the awesome dragons. Rickon walks here from the north. In the Feeding Grounds, Chiloth rumbles in anger, and he rapidly bloods the wherry that struck at him. F'laav swallows, and controls his expression. His face displays his normal stony mien as his eyes narrow a few millimeters, surveying the riders. In the Feeding Grounds, Keth roars his challenge with the others, fresh blood still dripping from his lower jaw. Taking back in the air, he circles about the grounds once, then raises half a dragonlength and drops on a fleeing heardbeast like a stone, cracking its spine instantly, with a loud sound and a spurt of blood. In the Feeding Grounds, Rsonth roars and clamps his powerful jaws down on the mangled herbeast body laying before him. He cranes his head back and rips the beast's head off the the body with an audible tear. He turns his head and drops the head of the beast onto the ground, then digs his snout into the gaping fissure of the beast and starts slurping away. R'lain slumps against a wall, weakly, barely able to stand. His eyes are distant as he fights for enough focus to stay with his dragon. In the Feeding Grounds, Valenth sits upon his haunches and BUGLES his own resounding retort to the other dragons! He leaps skyward again and quickly singles out yet another herdbeast. He rakes the animal with his claws, then circles around and drops atop the animal, breaking its neck quickly. In the Feeding Grounds, Chaeth rumbles as a another brown gets the herdbeast he was eying, his anger vented on a helpless wherrie. He roars as the bird is first stunned by a swat and then crunched in his powerful jaws. In the Feeding Grounds, Vtanth purges the lifeless wherry of it's thick blood, drinking with growing intensity. Lifting his head high he whips the drained mass aside, his wings outstreched. Stealthily he shoots into the air and dives into the stampeding chaos, brinking down a fat buck with a blood-curdling screech. The bowl resounding with the herdbeast's death chant as Vtanth relentessly tears into him, sucking audibly he rumbles in pleasure as the blood spills down his throat. D'ris starts breathing heavily and finds a rockface wall to lean against, eyes half closed. In the Feeding Grounds, Thoth falls quiet, coiling himself inwards. His eyes whirl, more violet than red now, locked on Dyinath's weyr. In the Feeding Grounds, Notreth raises his bloodspattered muzzle to ROAR at these upstarts who would dare chase his erstwhile mate! Rickon ignores the riders, watching the dragons with interest, his hands in his pockets. Kassima raises the back of her hand to her open mouth, watching the violence of the feeding, eyes widened as far as humanly possible. In the Feeding Grounds, Tidranth suddenly grows dangerously quiet, red-violet eyes regarding his rivals with an expression bespeaking no love for those who would keep him from /his/ goal. Another bovine falls to his talons. In the Feeding Grounds, Tzornth lash. Turn. Snarl. Watch the sky -- She will be coming, soon. Daena glances back and forth, from the carnage of the Feeding Grounds, to T'quinn's trembling, impassive form. In the Feeding Grounds, Chiloth bugles with an odd sort of eagerness that counteracts the anger of many of the other males, and stretches out wings of pure ceder brown. The red is nearly indistinguishable on his tinted brown hide, and the black spot on his leg is the only mar on his hide. His eyes swirl pure violet and he lifts his head up to the sky. Treyllyn watches in fascinated horror. Darakin shivers watching the dragons;'s face begins to gain it's color back, but then is drained as the dragons kill again. In the Feeding Grounds, Rsonth singles out another beast and leaps for it, every muscle in his hindlegs acting in unison as he reaches the running beast in a blur of bronze. He bats at the beast with a taloned claw, ripping right through its frail flesh. In the Feeding Grounds, Thoth remains coiled, taut...a massive bronze statue, ready to explode into motion. Jazmin mumbles something squinting as she wanders away from the crowd. In the Feeding Grounds, Valenth sits up on his haunches and scans the sky for the gold. He knows she's around. His tail thrashes from side to side eagerly. Jazmin heads in the direction of the shimmering lake, leaving the South Bowl area of the Weyr. In the Feeding Grounds, Notreth licks his muzzle clean snakes his glance from one dragon to another, as if sizing up the competition. In the Feeding Grounds, Tidranth locks eyes with Notreth for a long moment. In the Feeding Grounds, Vtanth suddenly recoils from his lust feeding and looks to the air, his chest heaving with his powerful breaths. In the Feeding Grounds, Rsonth 's tongue darts out and licks his muzzle clean before he hunches over to drain this herdbeast's carcass of it's precious lifeblood. Daelan looks in awe at the strength of the dragons... Public announcement: Asfala announces "The males have blooded, and gold Dyinath is about to come blazing out of her weyr, to fly high and far and leave those silly males behind. Those who wish to watch can +watch on benden-bowl." In the Feeding Grounds, Keth raises his own head, as well, bugling another challenge for the gold. He keeps his eyes eager on the sky, but still uses a chance when a wherry runs nearby to trip it with his tail. More suckling sounds. In the Feeding Grounds, Tzornth, one forefoot gouging the ground beneath him as if ready to tear it, like the herdbeasts, into shreds, growls bassily and rumblingly now. Ignore them. Keep only one thing in mind. Her. T'quinn puts a hand to his brow, soaking up his wells of perspiration. In the Feeding Grounds, Rsonth quickly finishes up with this beast and rolls the empty body away with a handleg, his bright violet eyes now moving to stare at Dyinath's weyr, the bronze dragon completely oblivious of his competition. T'quinn says "It...it's never been this intense before!" T'quinn he suddenly looks around blankly for his glass of water, Daelan says in a quiet and awe-struck voice... "they are death itself, and life... A song of eternity." Darakin shivers again uncomfortably. F'hlan, as motionless as his dragon is fretful, stares with a white and drawn face at the activity. On his shoulder, one of his green fire lizards peeks timidly out from under his hair, before terrifiedly hiding again. Daena runs into the living cavern. Jaen looks drawn and tense, one hand wrapped around her round belly as she stands rigid, in thrall to her dragon's instinct. Daena walks north. F'laav's icy glance slides over T'quinn to land on F'hlan. P'tran looks over towards the other riders for a moment. He feels a little of the affects himself though his bronze is not blooding, a slight amount of perspiration on his forehead. Above, Vidarth leaps from Wereth and Vidarth's Ledge and flies into the air. Daena walks here from the north. Vidarth backwings for a landing. Vidarth lumbers north. Dyinath lumbers here from the north. R'val walks here from the north. In the Feeding Grounds, Chaeth rumbles as he lifts his head to peer at the sky briefly. His muzzle drips with a bit of blood as he waddles across the pasture, pausing briefly to almost pounce on a herdbeast and relieve it of its blood. Daena runs over and presses a glass of water into T'quinn's hand. J'cot stares across the bowl at his dragon. He reacts very little otherwise. R'val opens the gate and enters the feeding grounds, closing it behind him. R'val comes here from the direction of the feeding grounds. D'ris sighs and shakes his head, trying to cope with the heavy feelings sweeping over him. He keeps his eyes out towards the direction of the feeding grounds, keeping them away from the other riders around him. T'quinn blinks and instinctively thanks her, and in the same momentr raises the glass to his lips and gulps it's contents down. Dyinath springs into the air for a quick flight over the fence and into the feeding grounds, where she settles again. R'val . o O ( Wrong window :) ) In the Feeding Grounds, Keth decides that there is time to gain a slight edge over his competition, and raises in the air again. He can still hunt while other dragons don't. He swoops down on a herdbeast, slashing its body along neatly, and starts to drain it off blood, his eyes starting to sink into deep violet shade. R'val walks north. In the Feeding Grounds, Tzornth trumpets, bright and clear and clarion, as the gold arrives. He fixes on her with utter fascination. In the Feeding Grounds, Valenth bugles anxiously to the golden queen as she glides down into the corrals! In the Feeding Grounds, Notreth whips his head around to fix his gaze on Dyinath. A queer rumble comes from deep in throat. Daena looks at the Queen. "By Faranth...look at the way she glows..." she says, breathless. In the Feeding Grounds, Tidranth catches a view of Dyinath, and ROARS, eyes seeming to increase their whirling, if possible. P'tran looks over to Jaen sympathetically, then blinks as a gold form suddenly alights in the feeding grounds. Treyllyn says "She's almost too bright to look at...." Daelan says "by the first egg... They are breathtaking... blinding." Daena nods silently, almost reverently. T'lean stumbles and neraly takes out p'tran... In the Feeding Grounds, Dyinath roars at the males in her way, as she hops onto a fleeing buck, bringing it down immediately. Asfala walks here from the north. In the Feeding Grounds, Keth raises his head to the gold, and ROARS!!! then lowers it down again, finishing his job before assuming usual expectant pose. In the Feeding Grounds, Rsonth turns to the queen and leans back on his haunches, BUGLING to her. He leans back down again and keeps his pulsating violet eyes locked onto the glowing gold. In the Feeding Grounds, Vtanth grows quiet, almost complacent as he bends back in utter admiration of thee brilliant gold, weighing her every movement. Asfala clenches her fists, "Blood, Dyinath!" In the Feeding Grounds, Chaeth looks up from the blood and rumbles to the gold. In the Feeding Grounds, Chiloth bugles brightly, his voice a brassy note to the deep chorus. T'garrick trembles, visibly, a look that could almost be described as horror on his grim face. P'tran manages to jump to one side to avoid being struck by T'lean, then heads over to Asfala. "Just keep her under your control, Asfala. You did this before. Just remember what you did." In the Feeding Grounds, Dyinath raises her head and screams defiance at Chaeth, and clamps down on the buck's throat, sucking hard and fast for blood. In the Feeding Grounds, Thoth locks his eyes on the gleaming golden form before him, twin discs of whirling lambenf violet flame. His greeting, a mixture of bugle and croon, is pure, intense longing. F'hlan starts, just slightly, as a small child with reddish hair comes hurrying out to him. The little girl hugs his knees insistently; F'hlan blinks, then nudges her back slightly, muttering, "'Lani, get out of the way..." The child sniffles a bit, frightened, but doesn't go far. Near the ground weyr from which she emerged can be seen two more children, both watching anxiously. G'rel, in the meantime, keeps his eyes on the feeding grounds, glancing only for a moment at Asfala, his eyes a bit withdrawn already. Rickon looks at the kids, and goes over to them in an obvious attempt to keep them out of the way. Kassima stares, utterly mesmerized by the sight of the glowing queen and bronzes. Asfala nods stiffly. "Good. Just blood, love. Just blood." Daelan shakes off his awe at the thought of children in danger, and goes over to watch over them. P'tran nods to Asfala. "Very good. Keep her to blood only." In the Feeding Grounds, Valenth crouches down over his last kill and watches the Gold intently, eyes whirling intently to show his passions. He is nearly motionless aside from an eager twitch of the tip of his tail. T'quinn stiffens as his scoping eyes fall on Asfala, weakening slightly he again raises his glass. R'lain doubles over, overcome by a fit of coughing. He pulls himself back up, weakly, and looks to the corral with hollow eyes. In the Feeding Grounds, Chiloth tilts a brown head curiously as he watches the gold. His body tenses. In the Feeding Grounds, Chaeth bugles at Dylanth, his eyes whirling faster as he viciously swipes at a beast. In the Feeding Grounds, Duzorth crouches getting ready to spring Near F'hlan, Mehlani blinkblinks, then pipes anxiously, "I want to stay with Father!" F'hlan blinks, nudges her back to the nearby weyr entrance, where Fahloran yells, "I'll watch her, Father!" J'cot slowly tears his eyes from the corral and looks over at the Gold's rider. He licks his lips slowly, then turns his attention back to the corral. P'tran pauses a moment to wipe his own forehead of perspiration. He looks over to the feeding grounds and takes another count of the dragons present, raising an eyebrow slightly as he comes up with a higher count than before In the Feeding Grounds, Keth finally retreats a bit, the last carcass blooded dry, its ribs visible from the dimisished intestines. His attention fixes on the gold, his muscles starting to bunch, getting ready, rippling with dark crimson highlights under his hide. In the Feeding Grounds, Vtanth retreats to the shadows of the feeding grounds, his glowing eyes flecking the darkness with sparks of fiery lustt. In the Feeding Grounds, Rsonth lowers his head very closely to the ground as he quietly observes the glowing gold, the body of the huge bronze in the dark shadow of the bowl, away from the moonlight, the only visible feature is his bright violet eyes in the darkness. F'hlan nods as clearly as he can manage to Rickon and Daelen, thankfully -- then watches his dragon. In the Feeding Grounds, Dyinath finishes the buck and with a whip of her head, tosses it so that it skids across the ground at Chiloth. In a whirl of motion, she hops onto another herdbeast, this time tearing it with her talons. In the Feeding Grounds, Notreth shoves away the wherry carcass that so lately interested him, all forgotten now as he poises on the edge of his ledge, waiting for Dyinath to rise. Littleshadow backwings for a landing. Daena says "Shards, Vtanth....you're incredible. You all are..." Daelan cautions the children, and then looks back at the dragons, in awe. In the Feeding Grounds, Tzornth slash at ground. Growl. Eyes whirl, red-violet-red. Treyllyn says "I dare wonder what Lyath is like....during a flight..." Asfala concentrates again on the gold dragon. In the Feeding Grounds, The herdbeast lands with a *thunk* at Chiloth's feet, and he does spare a second to eye it, but he turns his gaze back to Dyinath. T'quinn puts a hand to his temple, massaging it as it pulsates with his increasing blood flow. Kassima watches. She murmurs to Daelan, "Isn't this the most... most... words fail me. Inspiring, yes, inspiring scene you've ever seen?" Near F'hlan and Tzornth's ground weyr, Fahloran wrinkles his nose, scooping up little Anra, who's babbling in two-Turns-old fright and wonder at the same time. The boy murmurs assurances to his sister, while Mehlani, biting her lip, watches her father. Daena again fills T'quinn's water glass. P'tran nods again to Asfala and takes a step back from her. "That's it, Asfala, good." Daelan whispers to Kassima, "not inspiring... inspiring fails to describe it." Rickon stands with the children, well out of the way. He watches the dragons blood as if he's seen it many times before...as he quite possibly has. D'ris glances over at T'quinn with an almost angerfilled expression for a split second, recognizing his friend in with the rest of the riders. He doesn't stare for long as his eyes spot Asfala, then dart between her and the feeding grounds. In the Feeding Grounds, Dyinath plays with the herdbeast with her talons as she wars with an unseen force. Finally she screams a high note and bloods the second carcass, leaving this one on the ground like a used rag when she is finished. In the Feeding Grounds, Duzorth shifts back and forth nervously In the Feeding Grounds, Valenth croons deep in his throat, watching Dyinath's every move closely. He slowly spreads his wings wide and flexes them slowly. Jaen breathes shallowly, face shining with perspiration, head unconsciously canted towards the corrals. Kassima murmurs back, "Unbelievably incredible would be closer to the truth, I think...." In the Feeding Grounds, Rsonth digs his hindleg claws into the bowl floor, every pulsating muscle in his bodsy waiting to spring. Darakin mumbles, "honor, passion, pride and fear, are all with the dragonweyr." In the Feeding Grounds, Keth 's mouth open, revealing large red-stained fangs, his eyes, now deep facetted abysses of violet, fixed on the gold. The wing membranes rustle, stretch, turn a bit more transparent. Wing muscles move a tiny bit, just so, even tighter. In the Feeding Grounds, Vtanth watches the explicit Queen with with baited breath, he rigidly stands poised, ready for the momentum of thhe air above. Daena looks over at Darakin, nodding. She agrees whole-heartedly. In the Feeding Grounds, Tzornth slashes at the ground with his other forefoot, enthralled by every movement the gold makes. His wings whip once, twice, in anticipation. In the Feeding Grounds, Tidranth sits, coiled like a spring, ready to take flight in a moment's notice, upon the ledge he has been using for his blooding, his eyes interested in only one dragon now... In the Feeding Grounds, Chaeth rumbles his annoyance at a bronze who was foolish enough to step between him and Dyinath, blocking his view. In the Feeding Grounds, Dyinath raises her head todirect her violet eyes at Rsonth in open challenge and anger. With an almost negligent motion, she pounces on another herdbeast, not even stopping as her muzzle fastens on it, sucking it clean and dry. In the Feeding Grounds, Chiloth's wingtips tremble, the only thing that keeps him from looking so still he would resemble a woodcrafter's figureine. T'quinn blindly grasps for an unseen object, clenching the glass tightly, his knuckles white. F'laav breathes slowly, keeping ironclad control, his face expressionless as the gory sight is reflected in his slightly too-large brown eyes. P'tran watches the queen blood her kill with an almost expert dispatch and simply nods. He looks back to Asfala but says nothing. In the Feeding Grounds, Thoth waits, poised, firey eyes trained on Dyinath, following her every movement. In the Feeding Grounds, Notreth 's eyes whirl faster, red-orange flames that lick over the form of the glowing gold. In the Feeding Grounds, Vtanth croons lustlilly to the dainty, vibrant queen, his muscles rigid,taut, ready. Asfala closes her eyes, her fists clenched hard and knuckles white. In the Feeding Grounds, Rsonth 's massive dragonform is in the dark, watching intently, his body heaving with every deep breath he takes, his tail flicking from side to side slowly. In the Feeding Grounds, Valenth's croon rises in volume and lowers in tone as his wings rise into position. He crouches low, leg muscles tensing and untensing visibly through his hide. In the Feeding Grounds, Dyinath scans the waiting males, rumbling with contempt. Her tail twitches back and forth, then her eyes train back towards the fleeing herdbeasts. D'ris makes fists with his hands and pushes them against the rockwall he's leaning against, eyes still fixated on the action in the feeding grounds. T'lean stubles, visibly shaken T'quinn seems transfixed to the scene before him, no longer the usual easy-going Quinn, now filled with expectance, inspiration, anticipation, he must fight... In the Feeding Grounds, Keth uses the diversion to take a minor step forward, snarling to the dragon next to him who tried the same. His eyes flash red for a fleeting moment, then he ensues a low, crooning invitation to the gold. G'rel presses his lips together. Swallows, eyeing Asfala carefully. Darakin stands straight watching the dragons, "Rise high in glory, bronze and gold. dive entwined, enhance the hold." smiles, R'lain closes his eyes and draws a deep, shuddering breath, the rock of the bowl wall the only thing holding him up. In the Feeding Grounds, Dyinath takes a step towards the herd of animals, then with a fluid motion, springs aloft, her golden wings beating the air with strong strokes. In the Feeding Grounds, Dyinath takes flight, using the thermals rising from the bowl to carry her aloft -- much to the relief of the wherries. Above, Dyinath rises up from the feeding grounds. In the Feeding Grounds, Thoth BUGLES loudly in defiance, his powerful muscles snapping to full extension as he hurls himself into the sky in pursuit of Dyinath. In the Feeding Grounds, Thoth takes flight, using the thermals rising from the bowl to carry him aloft -- much to the relief of the wherries. Above, Thoth rises up from the feeding grounds. In the Feeding Grounds, Chaeth takes flight, using the thermals rising from the bowl to carry him aloft -- much to the relief of the wherries. Above, Chaeth rises up from the feeding grounds. In the Feeding Grounds, Duzorth takes flight, using the thermals rising from the bowl to carry it aloft -- much to the relief of the wherries. Above, Duzorth rises up from the feeding grounds. In the Feeding Grounds, Rsonth takes flight, using the thermals rising from the bowl to carry him aloft -- much to the relief of the wherries. Above, Rsonth rises up from the feeding grounds. In the Feeding Grounds, Vtanth takes flight, using the thermals rising from the bowl to carry him aloft -- much to the relief of the wherries. Above, Vtanth rises up from the feeding grounds. In the Feeding Grounds, Tzornth takes flight, using the thermals rising from the bowl to carry him aloft -- much to the relief of the wherries. Above, Tzornth rises up from the feeding grounds. In the Feeding Grounds, Valenth takes flight, using the thermals rising from the bowl to carry him aloft -- much to the relief of the wherries. Above, Valenth rises up from the feeding grounds. Daena shrieks. "There she goes!" Kassima gulps and watches the dragons ascend. In the Feeding Grounds, Keth takes flight, using the thermals rising from the bowl to carry him aloft -- much to the relief of the wherries. Above, Keth rises up from the feeding grounds. In the Feeding Grounds, Tidranth takes flight, using the thermals rising from the bowl to carry him aloft -- much to the relief of the wherries. Above, Tidranth rises up from the feeding grounds. Above, Duzorth bugles as the chase begins D'ris inhales suddenly and deeply as his dragon rushes into the air, chasing Dyinath. In the Feeding Grounds, Notreth takes flight, using the thermals rising from the bowl to carry him aloft -- much to the relief of the wherries. Above, Notreth rises up from the feeding grounds. In the Feeding Grounds, Chiloth takes flight, using the thermals rising from the bowl to carry him aloft -- much to the relief of the wherries. Above, Chiloth rises up from the feeding grounds. R'lain's eyes snap open as Thoth takes wing. He looks to Asfala, then up at the massive forms. Asfala stumbles backwards as the gold dragon jumps into the air. Above, Tzornth rises, quickly, seeking to gain an advantage over the smaller Benden dragons and the visitors who don't know the Bowl currents as well as he does. Above, Notreth seems to rise almost lazily, but his wings beat steadily. He'll not wear himself out before the chase truely begins. P'tran's head snaps up as the dragons take flight, and he tries to follow them as they rise fast and high into the air Above, Thoth cleaves through the air, a shimmering blur of molten bronze motion. His talons grasp at the air in front of him, as if trying to tear it aside as he takes up a position above and to the left of Dyinath. Above, Rsonth springs off the ground, every muscle in his hindlegs reaction together. As sson as he leaps, he spreads his majestic wings and starts beating them, falling into the chase. Above, Valenth leaps skyward with a powerful leap of his tensed muscles. His huge wings sweepdownward powerfully, sending him soaring quickly into the dark Benden skies. His eyes are intent on the Gold before him. T'quinn's breath catches in his throat as he chokes on his gulp of water, the excitement of the flight now burning with vengeance in his heaving chest. F'laav slowly, carefully, folds his arms across his chest, watching. Littleshadow takes flight, using the thermals rising from the bowl to carry him aloft. Above, Dyinath is far ahead of the males, climbing almost directly up into the sky. Daelan breathes in, watching carefully.... Jaen moans and tosses her head as the dragons rise above the still figures in the bowl. Above, Duzorth surges forward, putting his size and experience to good use... Above, Tzornth with eleven males in flight is in no mood for fancy acrobatics. He charges after Dyinath on the most direct route he can find. Sherard walks here from the north. Treyllyn watches the dragons, her eyes shining with awe and respect. J'cot stumbles backward a bit as he watches the dragons rise quickly into the sky. After a few moments, he tears his gaze away and looks over at Asfala, watching her. Above, Chiloth springs into flight a second late, some distraction catching his gaze at the vital moment. But his wings lift him up in a single smooth stroke. Then he attaches himself to Tzornth's wake and stays there, letting the bronze cleave the air, and make his passage easy. Kassima remembers to breathe; watching the great golden queen in flight had made her forget. She bites on her knuckles, her green eyes bright with fascination. Above, Keth bounds from the ground, his wings staring to beat in a single fluid motion, totally uncharasteristic for his bulk. The gold in plain sight, he pumps his wings trying to uphold his initiative. No bugles, nor any further challenges come from him, he seems intent on preserving his strength. Above, Tidranth springs from his chosen ledge, almost as a blur, and powers through the air. This young, not-so-experienced bronze chooses to begin the flight with a surge of raw power, displaying his contempt for those misers who conserve their strength. Above, Chaeth follows the pack, climbing into the sky, his tail flicking back and forth as he does, he tries to push itno the pack. Above, Vtanth springs into the air in a sudden burst of energy, no longer aware of anything about him but the gold whose mere presence sends his muscles into convulsions of effort. the wind rushes through his sails as he begins to fight and navigate the squalls of the air. R'lain looks from rider to rider, but his glazed eyes are drawn back to Asfala. He tears his gaze away and rasps, "...where?" Alyssa walks here from the north. T'garrick's fists come around and clentch, tightly. P'tran looks over to Asfala as the dragons start to climb higher in the sky. "To your weyr," he says softly to her F'hlan shifts his gaze to Asfala; in his white face, his brown eyes look almost black. He almost smiles, weakly, as his son yells out, "Tzornth!" with enthusiasm. Above, Dyinath snakes her head down to bugle a challenge to the males, her awkward position in no way slowing her acceleration. Above, Duzorth tries to position himself to block the advance of the other males T'garrick rumbles, "There." He starts marching steadfastly North. T'garrick walks north. Above, Notreth sweeps forward, below the pack, drafting off a larger brown as he keeps his eyes on Dyinath's bright form. T'lean walks north. Jaen walks north. Alyssa walks north. F'laav turns, as P'tran speaks, and strides back northwards. F'laav walks north. Asfala blinks, struggling with staying with the queen and obeying P'tran's command. She stumbles slowly north. Above, Thoth remains silent, answering the challenge with redoubled strokes of his huge wings. He draws ahead of a smaller bronze. F'hlan waits for Asfala -- as if her own motion is required to move him, as well. Asfala walks north. F'hlan walks north. R'lain walks north. Treyllyn blinks Above, Chaeth warbles faintly more to himself than anything as he pulls around to the side of the group, his light brown wings pumping the air as he follows the brilliant gold. Above, Valenth quickly rises above the bulk of the pack, using his huge pinions to their best advantage. He gives a quick bugle in response to the Gold's taunting. J'cot walks north. Above, Rsonth keeps his violet eyes locked on Dyinath. He then cranes his neck to look at his position. There. Vtanth. The bronze Rsonth rumbles as he dips to the left and surges ahead, falling in behind his larger bronze clutchmate and using the winddraft to his advantage. G'rel walks north. D'ris walks north. P'tran watches the other riders leave and heaves a sigh himself. He looks tense, but not nearly as much as the other riders, and not in quite the same way [Editor's Note: For fun, I'm leaving in an account of who was +watching the Bowl at the time. Spot the long-gone names! I also typed 'look' at this point; I've left the desc in for posterity.] Watchers in this room: Amalie Celie Cl'rek Daena Darakin Darci Devron Flannery Germaine Jaconda Kelei Kestrall Kyriel Leara Lecil Leykos Meli Miran Natalia Opa Piebol Timma Zifnab South Bowl The southern half of the bowl is the largest. Its expanse stretches out, partitioned into sections by the color of the ground. The shore of the lake stretches out to the southwest. The bowl's patch of wildflowers, gardens and a few small small trees stretching out in that direction also, grading into the Runner Pasture. The rest of the southern bowl is pressed earth as hard as rock, raked with dragon talons from turns of launchings and landings. Towards the weyrling barracks, the ground is scarred in regular patterns from the performance of age-old drills. The rest of the ground is scarred more irregularly, and a large pile of firestone is stacked neatly by the wall. The ground also has black stains from the firestone. The meadow near the lake is strewn with wild flowers, like little stars of pink, yellow, and white. The ground by the the barracks is quite muddy. A light, warm rain falls around you. Contents: Sherard Daena(#7253PJceq) Rickon P'tran T'quinn Daelan Treyllyn Darakin Kayne's Trader Wagon Obvious exits: Feeding Grounds Runner Pasture Lake Shore Weyrling Barracks North Bowl Weyr Entrance Above, Vtanth lashes out his forked tongue, letting it flick over the dried rivulets of blood freckling his maw. Stretching his neck to the limits his arrows his body out, making himself more aerodynamic as he cuts through the misty sky in an unabated effort to reach the stunning gold. Above, Duzorth rumbles annoyingly at the males behind him and climbs slightly higher while sitll bloking their advacne Sherard snakes his way over towards P'tran. T'quinn stumbles after the crowd, a blank expression on his face. T'quinn walks north. Above, Tzornth snarls irritably at the sight of Thoth in his way and swings out wide around him, looking for a better path. The air is full of bronze and brown wings, and picking a clear path is difficult at best. But the compactly built bronze does his best, arrowing through the sky determinedly. Above, The gold form of the queen cuts through the misty drizzle, and seems to glow in the gray sky. She continues in a straight line, away from the powerless browns and bronzes. Above, Tidranth, off to a powerful start, quickly overtakes some of the more cautious elders, drafting several for short periods to gather his strength for the next surge upwards. P'tran turns his attention back to the skies as he watches the procession of the flight Above, Keth catches a thermal, suddenly bumping off a bit higher, getting the first clear advantage as he seems to be above most of the chasing pack. His rhythm is undiminished, his huge wings beating through the cold air. Above, Thoth ignores Tzornth, ignores all the forms around him, save for the glistening golden one far ahead. No fancy aerobatics...he simply muscles forward, challenging air, dragon, or the Red Star itself to get in his way. Above, Tzornth gleams in the rain, brilliantly reddish-bronze, and takes the far right edge of the pack of males as he starts looking for the clearest path to Dyinath's radiant tail. Above, Chaeth rumbles as Tzornth pulls in front of him, ducking down a bit to follow in his draft. Kassima smiles, and nudges Daelan. "Which dragon do you favor to win the queen?" Above, Valenth moves to the side a bit, finding a clear path to the glowing Gold before him. His rain slicked hide gleams in the dim light as his muscles flex powerfully. Above, Dyinath shifts the position of her wings, and she executes a tight arc, so that she zooms off to the right. Daelan looks blankly, blinks, and looks at Kassima. Rickon mutters. "May it be a Benden dragon." Daelan gives sort of a stunned whisper "huh?" Above, Vtanth follows the queen, the gleaming gold acting as a beacon to light his way as he floats on in matched grace, pumping his wings tirelessly to satisfy the burning within him. Above, Notreth adjusts his angle wide, leaving lots of room for maneuvering. Daena looks over at Rickon. "Fort has a strong chance. Vtanth is incredible." Daelan looks at all the dragons. Kassima whispers back, "Which one do you think has the best chance?" Rickon says "I know, but I want a home dragon to win." Above, Duzorth raises his wings and arcs suddenly, cutting in font of some of the oeht males in pursuit... Above, Thoth banks, wide, his position on the outside left putting him at a disadvantage. He goes high and then drops, only losing a little ground. Treyllyn is glad her weyrmate was away on sweeps, and nowhere near here.... Above, Rsonth wings silently behind the larger Vtanth, using the bronze in front of him to cut through the windcurrents, making it easier for him. He dips to the right but still stays behind Vtanth, beating his wings in long powerful strokes. He keeps his violet eyes locked on Dyinath and continues towards his quest, his wet body shining in the faint existing light, reflecting the deep dark bronze color of his hide. P'tran glances over to the others. "Actually, what's important is that the strongest and fastest dragon wins the flight," he says casually Above, Tidranth banks, sharply. No strategy here, just the precise and powerful flying techniques learned in Benden, as he follows single-mindedly. Above, Valenth banks after the Queen, never pausing his stride for a moment. Rain trails off his wingtips and tail as his form cuts through the wet Benden sky. Daelan gives a quiet, awe-filled whisper "I have no idea... they are beyond my experience" Alyssa walks here from the north. Darakin says "I agree with you P'tran." Above, FLAP! Translucent membranes of Keth's wings readjust to the abrupt change in the currents about them as the large bronze cuts inside the gold's turn. With only nominal inertia he diminishes the distance a bit, his strength unspent and seemingly bottomless. Daena looks back. "Vtanth will win." She says it as if it is not open to discussion. Kassima nods in agreement with the Weyrleader. Above, Duzorth shifts his position, searching for a thermal to aid his speed... Above, Thoth drives forward, muscles taut and working smoothly. His position above the pack enables him to concentrate on closing ground, rather than maneuvering, and he slowly draws forward, an inch, a yard, half a dragonlength... Kassima studies the dragons flying. "Vtanth is a fine dragon, I agree, but I wouldn't count the others out yet...." Rickon says "Which one's Vtanth?" You say "T'quinn's bronze." Above, Duzorth catches a thermal and gains some altitude, rising slightly above most of the pack... P'tran looks up and peers, narrowing his eyes. "From this distance its getting hard to tell which dragon is which ... Daena grins at Kassima. "I /know/ Vtanth." She points. "The bronze, there. About three lengths behind Dyinath. Vtanth's tricky.' Alyssa nods to P'tran. "I moved closer, but it's not helped..." Treyllyn hmmms, "Were there any High Reaches dragons here?" Above, Dyinath drops suddenly many tens of meters as she hits an air pocket. She does not lose speed, however, and postures herself to seem more inviting to the males. Her great wings stroke powerfully, and she keeps her head low. Rickon looks up. "I think I see him." Above, With a powerful grace, Vtanth's bronze wings cut through the misty air, sending rain droplets about in spattering explosions of rainbows as his slick body heaves with the beating of his heart, forcefully pumping blood full of adrenalin to all his working muscles, glancing over his shoulder he spies his clutchmate and banks to the side, quickly leaving Rsonth to his own stead and cutting across the path of the others to glide on the right side of the Queen's path. Kassima grins back. "Well, I always expect a surprise--that way, I'm rarely disappointed. You never know...." Above, Chaeth uses the bronze in front of him to cut the wind and follows along closely, very closely in fact. He rumbles as Dyanath looses altitude, watching her fall. Above, Duzorth folds his wings and dives after Dyinath, ready to pull out for any sudden moves... Above, Tzornth keeps his position as best he can, but the dragons on his left flank are dangerously close. Infuriated, he starts looking for a way to slide up and under Dyinath, but he can't quite pull ahead of his nearest competition. P'tran hmms and squints. "I'll take your word for it. From here I can only recognize some of the Benden dragons." Above, Rsonth snorts, not needing Vtanth. He beats his wings even more powerfully as he cuts through the stagnant mist in the air. He dips downwards and uses the decline to speed up, his youth supplying unboundless energy to his powerfully beating wings as he inches towards the gold ahead of him. Above, Thoth furls his wings and drops, letting gravity add to his considerable momentum. He levels out, swooping forward with powerful wingstrokes, in place behind Dyinath once again. Daena grins at P'tran. "Like I said, I /know/ Vtanth." Above, Tidranth misses the air pocket himself, and loses altitude in a more conventional manner, using the loss to gain speed as he dives, accelerating. Above, Notreth watches Dyinath drop ahead of him, and rumbles deep in his throat again, obscurely pleased. He seems to have only the slightest attention for the press of browns and bronzes around him. Above, Valenth levels out, but doesn't descent after Dyinath. His eyes follow her descent, studying her every move. He rumbles eagerly as he tracks her, following far above her for now. Daelanquietly whispers to Kassima "They seem a part of the air, do they not? They fly like a whispering wind themselves, like they are the wings of the storm..." Above, Keth folds his wings as fast as he can manage, his mass overshooting a bit, but after gravity firmly embraces him, he drops his altitude in mere seconds, cutting the path of several competitors in the process, sending air vortices in his wake. He trades the altitude for speed, closing even faster now. Rickon says "And doesn't Notreth have the advantage of having flown her before?" Above, Chiloth sees his first opportunity to gain some ground, and cuts down quickly, using the drop to give him some forward gain on the bronze Tzornth who matches him in size. Keth, with his long wingspan, still is ahead, as is Tzornth, but Chiloth catches a small current caused from air sinking towards the lake to gain ground. Kassima considers. "Rsonth and Vtanth are of the same age, aren't they? So neither will have any particular advantage of youthful strength and stamina over the other.... But I'll take your word for it, lady Daena." She grins shyly. Alyssa puuls her cloak around her more firmly, wrapping her arms around herself. "I've never seen such flying. It's incredible, no matter which dragon wins." Above, Dyinath tilts her head to the right and bugles a challenge to Vtanth. With that, she suddenly banks off to the left, away from the upstart bronze. Her golden hide shimmers as the rain attacks her from a different direction. Kassima whispers back, "Aye... like pieces of wind and sky, they are." Daena grins at Kassima. "When a dragon talks to you, you tend to remember what he's like..." Daena turns and looks up, continuing to watch the Flight. Above, Tzornth keeps practically neck and neck with Chiloth, much to his irritation. The luminous fire of his eyes turns completely violet, brilliant, their light refracted by the misted rain. Kassima widens her eyes. "You've talked to him, lady Daena? How marvelous!" P'tran hmms at Rickon. "Well, not necessarily. Though Benden dragons will have a slight advantage in that they know the thermals and wind patterns Treyllyn nods in agreement with Daena, "Yes...one can't forget...but it still gives me a start when Lyath talks..." Above, Thoth sees the opportunity and seizes it, as Dyinath banks out in front of him. His regular, even wingbeats explode into a frenzy of speed, as his position on the left flank puts him in a superior position to draw close, very close... Eleos walks here from the north. Alyssa nods at P'tran's words to Ricko, as if to remember them. Eleos wanders from the north. Above, Duzorth wings overs, and surges forward, using his strength and speed to aid his turn and shoots after dyinath with powerful strokes, attempting to block the other males P'tran nods to Eleos. "Benden's duty to you and Ruatha," he says softly Above, Rsonth banks to the left, mirroring the movements of the glowing gold in the distance. He spreads his wings and catches a windgust right into his wing membrane, pushing him fowards even fast. He rumbles deeply to the gold ahead of him, weaving his way nimbly around the larger and older bronzes, approaching the other smaller bronzes and browns of the pack, inching his way closer to his goal. Kassima bows deeply to the Lord of Ruatha. Above, Vtanth's maw falls open slightly as the Queen veers away. Rather than allowing himself the disgruntlement he mimics her actions, arcing to the left after her, a seemingly magnetic force connecting his body to hers as he slips through the dank, moist air. Daena seems to involved in the Flight to realize Eleos has walked in. Eleos nods, replying softly, "Ruatha's duty to you and yours." Above, Valenth bugles eagerly down at Dyinath and follows her turn. He slowly starts descending, building speed quickly towards her. Above, Keth seems to expect the sudden turn of the gold. He has been aiming for her left side after bronzes descent, and closes up with her from behind, and with a slight altitude reserve, above. Instead croons to her almost playfully, saving the breath but nevertheless challenging. Raindrops' paths cross in the two huge clouds leaving his wings. Daelan looks thoughtful for a moment... and whispers again, gazing at the dragons in flight, "More than that... They, a part of nature, ride the wind like a person singing a song, plucking at the harpstrings of the world. Like a protecting hand over our world, protecting us from thread, they fly in an endless tapestry, a dance of such magesty and grace, that I have no words to describe it." Above, Thoth croons a vigorous agreement to Dyinath's assessment...she's perceptive, as well as gorgeous. :) Eleos mutters to Daena, "... you... permission... here,... Attholl... not give you... to be... you... You... your..." Above, Tzornth arches left after Dyinath, and finds many males between him and his desired goal. Can he dart _under_ the pack? He tries, snarling at Chiloth and Notreth in passing. Kassima smiles at Daelan. "Are you a Harper, Daelan? If not, you should be, with that sweet tongue of yours!" Above, Notreth stays back, back, fighting the urge to push ahead, letting the younger dragons follow Dyinath move for move while he waits for the right moment... Above, Notreth ROARS at Tzornth! Daena spins around to face Eleos. "What?" Alyssa shudders and says softly to herself, "By Faranth, how long can they fly like this?" Eleos' expression shows his fury, he does not repeat himself. Above, Tidranth falls in behind Rsonth for a moment, allowing the younger bronze to do the work of breaking path for a moment while he gathers himself for another surge forward. P'tran grins at Alyssa, folding his arms. "As long as it takes to catch her." Treyllyn says "I hope there are no injuries..." Kassima smiles at the truth of that statement. Eleos turns and walks away from the cadet, to stand near the Weyrleader. Above, Tzornth's lashing tail bumps brown Chaeth as he darts his way under the pack, trying to go low enough to avoid the claws of the other males. Above, Dyinath rumbles in anger at the dragons now on her close left. She folds her wings and drops straight down, emerging from among the dragons like a gold bomb. Daena disappears down the tunnel that leads out of the Benden Caldera. Above, Chiloth hears the snarl, but puts his strength rather into a quick burst of forward speed as Tzornth spends energy going down. This puts his head nearly under Keth's claws, and he has to dodge a little further right not to get snagged. This gives Tzornth the space he needs to go down. His eyes stay fixed on Dyinath's golden tale. Daelanwhispers to Kassima, "They fly like they attack the red star itself... By the first egg, such strength... Grasping the winds and flinging them into eternity, their wings chase the sky." Alyssa watches the vague outline of Dyinath's body, eyes wide. "It's so amazing. I never knew they could fly like that, so...all out." Above, Tzornth roars, pleased, as Dyinath suddenly drops as well -- the gamble worked. He charges after her, trying to draw level with her and get behind her. Kassima looks at Daelan in respect. "A poet, you must surely be--or a balladeer. I could not have described it so well in a thousand Turns." Above, Duzorth power dives after dyinath almost recklessly, aiming to pull out just slightly above he, ready for any sudden moves Above, Thoth bugles angrily as the prize drops away. He folds his wings and plummets, ready to pull out in case of one of Dyinath's patented sudden banks. Above, Notreth arcs off to avoid snarling his wings with Chiloth's, allowing himself to fall and swerve under several bulky bronzes. He loses distance on Dyinath and snarls in frustration! Above, Chaeth ROARS! as he gets knocked off balance with a tail in his face.. he drops almost straight down as he tries to regain himself. Above, Vtanth watches in icy anticipation as Dyinath falls farther beneath him, rumbling fiercly he drops lower, his talons bared to rake other males out of is way, to close down slightly above the breath-taking gold's path. P'tran notices Eleos' expression but does not inquire about it. he simply nods at the Lord Holder as he approaches Above, Chiloth draws his wings in close to himself, his way down straight blocked by Tzornth, and his way forward blocked by Keth,a nd his sides blocked too. He gives a frustrated rumble as he is forced to dive only at the eye-popping velocity of the rest of the pack. Above, Rsonth roars as the gold drops into a quick drop. He draws his wings inwards and dips downwards quickly, the bronze bulleting right after the queen. The rain droplets hitting the bronze hide with a slight noise as he cuts through the air like a rocket, violet eyes still transfixed on the beautiful glowing gold. Daelan 's face grows blank, thoughtful... he gazes at the dragons quietly. Above, Keth starts dropping immediately, seeing a more agile brown chaging his direction faster. His wings waver behind him, the reflected light dancing in a suddent change, arrowing for an instant, then straightening a bit, as he matches his dropping speed with gold's, ready to maouver at the eyeblink. Above, Valenth watches Dyinath's plummet and folds his wings partially, dropping quickly downward to close the gap between him and the Gold. He gathers quite a lot of speed as he descends, moving nearly atop Dyinath, though much above her. Fern sails here from the north. Above, Duzorth uses his speed from the drop to surge forward, closing ground You say "The rain doesn't seem to affect the way they fly... you are more than right, Daelan; it is the most amazing thing on all of Pern...." Rickon mutters "Long...clutch." to himself. Above, Tzornth closes in behind Dyinath, or at least tries to, with Rsonth coming in fast just over him. Lengths diminish, painfully slowly. Above, Chaeth bugles his frustration as he watches the pack far above and ahead of him now, slowly he spirals down toward the bowl. Chaeth backwings for a landing. Eleos nods back, "I don't see Laerth up there..." Above, Dyinath swivels her head to observe Tzornth, surveying his full stature while she continues to drop, totting up his attractiveness while she begins to come out of her dive, very slowly. Her wings work to ease the turn, while keeping her speed Kassima watches the beautiful bronze land in awe, then glances back up to the flight--or what she can see of it, anyway. P'tran watches Chaeth land, the first one to drop out, and then turns back to Eleos. "He's not in this flight. Its a junior flight, so I thought it best to throw it open like this." Renna walks here from the north. Above, Tidranth plummets with the pack, actually moving forward a bit before he pulls out with a nearly wing-wrenching swoop, which leaves him a few more positions ahead. Taking advantage of his recklessness which leaves him with a good deal of momentum, he powers forward at a furious rate. Above, Tzornth does not bother, for once, to crow about his own attributes. Too much energy to waste, to do so. He strives his best to outpace Rsonth, his brilliant reddish wings slicing the sky. Renna finds Alyssa in the crowd and waves to her. Alyssa takes a deep breath and sighs, smiling tenderly at Chaeth and Jazmin. Above, Duzorth bugles a challenge toa ll the other males as he calls upon his superior size in an attemp to block the other males and surges forward with powerful storkes, reaching out for dyinath Eleos ahs, "I see, did he want to participate? I don't know much about this..." Daelan whispers "to think... no being, anywhere, will ever see again what today we see... A spectacle never to be repeated, and one of such beauty, should be written by the hands of dragons in stars, walking the wind like a dragon's wings... The cold of between is nothing, compared to this beauty..." Jazmin comes racing in from the lake shore and over to Chaeth. With wings and tail even now a bit long for his body, this lanky looking brown has grown into his strength, not bulky but long and lean at 35 metres. His movements on land are still not the most graceful to watch but once he's in the air the natural grace of dragonkind returns to him. His hide is similar to a corkboard, tiny collections of various browns from head to toe, oddly uniform in their irregularity. His large feet with splayed toes occaisionally still get him into trouble for stepping on things he didn't mean to. He turns his head on his long neck to peer at you, trying to determine if you are a new person and interesting or not, but his attention quickly wanders as something bright catches his eye and the huge head turns away again. Chaeth is 2 Turns, 10 months, and 21 days old. Above, Notreth shoots out leftward of the pack, a tremendous TRUMPET escaping his throat as he sees Tzornth close on Dyinath. He rushes forward, eyes intent on his prize, tactics thrown to the winds! Above, Thoth bludgeons the air down and back, forcing himself forward. Molten copper, his muscles surge and ripple, as his sides heave. He's lost the advantage of height, but still has a bare lead on most of the other dragons, though it's much diminshed. Alyssa, looking toward Jazmin, notes Renna's presence and moves to stand beside her. Above, Rain washes off Chiloth's brown hide where he is not spared it's assault by the rain-shadows of the big bronzes. He levels out with the pack, and then, in a surprise move, he makes an dexterouss-shaped twist that pops him up and out of the back, to the upper right of Keth, with free sky ahead. He beats his wings powerfully and rapidly, expending his reserves. Chaeth warbles softly, a welt across his muzzle as he looks completely dejected. Above, Keth bends his wingtips, carrying himself to the side opposite from Tzornth, approaching from somewhat less guarded side. He ballanges his speed with Dyinath's, creeping through the bumpy rain winds a small distance at the time, but never undiminishing, as long as the ground features grow in his eyes, the observers getting bigger, the bowl rushing to meet them all... P'tran grins at Eleos. "Well, he felt a normal urge, but he's pretty 'attached' to Leilanth." He grins and then adds softly, "And Leilanth said something abotu her sharp claws before she left." Above, Rsonth spreads his wings ever so slightly and eases out of the dive slightly, easing up just a bit more than the Queen who is now just below her. He cranes his neck and notes Duzorth reaching out for Dyinath and ROARS at him. Youth surging through through his body, he increases his rate of decline, aiming for the object his violet eyes are lustfully fixed upon, Dyinath. Above, Angling his tail from side to side, acting as a rrudder to steer the massive bronze, Vtanth maneuvers himself through the air with a controlled grace, pushing himself into the chasing pack just behind his object of lust, Gold Dyinath. Eleos chuckles, "Now *that* I can understand..." Sherard blinks, bolting towards Jazmin from his stationary position. P'tran chuckles as well and turns back to watching the flight. Jazmin leans her head on Chaeth as she murmers quietly to him before looking at his nose, she glances around before moving to touch it carefully. Kassima hides a smile behind her hand, her eyes still snapping with mirth at the comment about Leilanth's claws. P'tran catches Jazmin from the corner of his eye and loosk over to her with concern. "Are you all right, Jazmin?" Alyssa moves toward Jazmin, catching Sherard. "Easy!" she whispers sharply. "Chaeth is very emotional right now." Above, Tzornth maintains vague awareness that bigger out-Weyr bronzes are his nearest immediate competition. He snaps his wings against his flanks -- and drops again, almost sliding down the rain, at a long and shallow angle. Momentum is what he needs to carry him past the bigger males, and momentum is what he seeks. Sherard blinks, obviously not understanding. Above, Valenth slowly levels out, keeping in the clean air above Dyinath. He peers downward, watching her intently with luminous purple eyes. Above, Tidranth watches the misers begin to expend their reserves, and ROARS as he attempts to keep pace with them, and maybe even surge ahead with raw youthful power. Jazmin starts to nod and then shakes her head, "He got a tail across the face pretty hard.. he says it hurts.." Alyssa smiles thankfully at Sherard, then glances toward Jazmin. "Will Chae let me look at it?" Above, Dyinath bugles as Rsonth's roar warns her about Duzorth. With a forward sweep of her wings, she decelerates quickly, and all the dragons behind her must act quickly or collide. Kassima nods in a friendly manner to the guest. Treyllyn smiles faintly to the guest. Chaeth rests his head upon the ground, flopped where he is. Sherard looks from Alyssa to Jazmin, doubly confused. Above, Thoth drops immediately, realizing that a drop in speed means a descent. P'tran narrows his eyes and looks from Chaeth to Jazmin. "Was Chaeth cut, or just a bruise?" Emne heads into the South Bowl area from the lake shore to the southwest. Alyssa moves over toward the great brown, her attention intent on Chaeth. "Ssssh....Chae, it's just me," she murmurs. Above, Tzornth, already dropping, starts trying to brake and come up level with Dyinath once more. Above, Duzorth pulls up sharply with a braking manuever, gaining altitude to avoid the rest of the pack crushing forwad, looking for a path to make a decent to dyinath... Above, Valenth nearly mimics the Gold's manuver, staying nearly directly above her still. He watches her intently, watching close to see what she does next. Jazmin nods to Alyssa, "Could you? I've no idea.. numbweed.." she looks at it closely, "It's bruised for sure.. I dont' see any cuts.. oh hold on.. a little one.. nothing big.." Daena emerges from the passage to the entrance cavern. Above, Notreth seems to rear in the air as he fills his wings with air and drops down, snapping at an out-weyr brown who has the temerity to get in his way. Daena walks over to the Lord Ruatha. Daelan speaks again in a whisper, "And also, to think that these creatures of such great beuty have such powers of death and life in their grasp, of creation and destruction, fire or healing, why, it is a poem by itself... No singer could do it justice. How can one describe this flight? Shards! By all that is within me, no words, or statue can do it justice... Today and tomorrow go on, and eternity holds its breath for one single moment... Pondering which dragon it will be. Walking on the winds, a ballad of reality, and of unreality, ethereal dancers in the winds of life, the dragons fly." Daelan watches, tears rolling down his cheeks. Above, Chiloth's odd maneuver to lift him out of the pack is the only thing that prevents a collision, for he was flying far too close to the bronzes to stope before. Now, he has free air, and risks little collision, but suddenly that sky is filled with ascending bronzes and browns trying to prevent a collision. Using his smaller size, he weaves among the bronzes without slowling down much, and gains a much closer claim on the gold, rivalling the big bronzes in front. Eleos glances over at Daena and nods, "Stay here. You will go back when I do." Daena nods and looks up to watch the dragons, silently cheering on her favourite. Alyssa looks carefully at Chaeth, examining the cut carefully. "I don't know, Jazmin...it looks like it could use a bit of attention. Can Chaeth bespeak Vidarth and have Uri come down? With Selenay away, he's the ranking healer here..." Chazme wings over towards the brown with a soft croon. Guest3, a stout man in his middle years, walks up to Daelan and scratches his head. Daena looks over at Alyssa. "May I assist?" Eleos shakes his head at Daena, "No." Daelan sits down, out of words, gazing up into the skies. Jazmin nods slowly, "I'll try.." P'tran watches Alyssa carefully for a few moments. He looked like he was going to say something to her, but subsides and then nods slightly as she calls for R'val Daena snaps her head around to regard the Lord Holder. "If a dragon is injured, why should we not try to help?" Above, Vtanth realizes the decceleration at the wrong moment and pulls out in the nick of time, but not soon enough to weigh his actions, with a painful scrape, he hits the side of the bowl. P'tran answers Daena with a question of his own, "Are you a dragonhealer?" Above, Keth 's wings emit hissing sound, as the wing tries to pass where just a moment ago hasn't been any wing membrane and fails. The manouver bumps him above a dragon that was in his path a fleeting moment ago, reserves some speed, gliding straight to the gold, emerging above her just at the time his speed is matched again. Above, Tidranth ROARS defiance for those who would interfere with his plans, and brakes, a bit too sharply. The maneuver leaves him safe, but a good distance behind the pack, and tiring rapidly. Above, Rsonth rumblecroons to the Gold Queen under him as she decelerates. He makes his dive towards her more vertical and steeper to compensate for he slowed speed. A streak of bronze and violet eyes is all of Rsonth that can be seen as he cuts through the misty rain directly downwards towards the beautiful Dyinath. At the last moment, he springs his wings out and catches the wing full-force, himself decelerating directly and very closely above Dyinath. Above, Notreth seems to rear in the air as he fills his wings with air and drops down, snapping at an out-weyr brown who has the temerity to get in his way. Eleos turns to look at Daena, growling, "That is enough. The last time I check you were a guard cadet, not a dragonhealer." Kassima winces. "Ouch... that had to be painful." Above, Chiloth's odd maneuver to lift him out of the pack is the only thing that prevents a collision, for he was flying far too close to the bronzes to stop before. Now he has free air, and risks little collision, but suddenly that sky is filled with ascending bronzes and browns trying to prevent a collision. Using his smaller size, he weaves among the bronzes without slowing down much, and gains a much closer claim on the gold, rivalling the big bronzes in front. Above, Valenth nearly mimics the Gold's manuver, staying nearly directly above her still. He watches her intently, watching close to see what she does next. Guest3 comments to the young man. "'Bout time you shut yer trap. It's just a Gold Flight, not Moreta's Ride." Daena shakes her head at P'tran. "No, sir, but I thought if I could assist in any way....if I could help at all..." Guest3 directs this at Daelan. Eleos nods to the Weyrleader, "My apologies, my cadet has a problem forgetting herself." Daena bows her head, so that Vtanquin can fly off her shoulder unobstructed. Above, Thoth drops immediately, realizing that loss of speed means Dyinath is going to have to lose some height. Renna ohs at Vtanth's situation Chazme flits about, landing lithely nearby Jazmin's feet. He inspects first one,t hen the other, fascinated. Rickon watches the injured dragons, concerned, but staying out of the way. Alyssa scratches Chaeth's eyeridge carefully, trying to keep him calm. Her gaze flickers between Jazmin and Chaeth. "Did Chaeth get through to Vidarth?" P'tran replies, "That's why you cannot help. If a dragonhealer pressed you into service, yes, you could help, but otherwise you could do more harm than good." Daena nods and looks up. "Vtanth!" she yells. Sherard slowly begins to creep towards Jazmin again. Rickon blinks and looks up. "Oh no!" Kassima looks worried. "Do you think he'll be all right?" Daena blinks away tears. "I hope so." Above, Emmith appears over the rim of the bowl from the direction of Benden territory. Kassima bows in respect to the blue dragon Emmith. P'tran nods to Eleos. "Quite all right." Rickon watches worriedly. Above, Dyinath has lost too much velocity, and finds all the males around her. She snarls at them, focusing not on who they might be, but on how to get herself out of this mess. She beats her wings powerfully, and bugles her strength! Kassima knows he can't see it, but she does it anyway.... Emne takes a bit of oiled hide out from beneath her arm, spreads it on the ground, and sits, head tilted upward Jazmin sighs, "He seems to be sleeping.. or at least not paying attention." she bites her lip a moemtn and then smiles, "Tehy're coming.." Above, Vidarth leaps from Wereth and Vidarth's Ledge and flies into the air. Vidarth backwings for a landing. R'val slides down from Vidarth's back and lands in a crouch. Above, Notreth swerves and crashes between two massive bronzes, trying to make it to Dyinath. Daena cranes her neck up. "Vtanth, no. You have to keep going. You /have/ to." Above, Thoth draws up short, under Dyinath, and torques, surging almost straight upwards towards her with all the power his massive wings can give. P'tran looks over to Jazmin. "Jazmin, does Chaeth have enough strength left to move to the ... ah, there's R'val." Alyssa sees Vidarth arrive, and says, "I'll get a kit from the infirmary." R'val heads towards Chaeth and Jazmin, frowning in alarm, "Vidarth talked to me, is something wrong?" Chazme hops up onto Jazmin's foot, startled by the sudden landing. Alyssa walks north. Daelan sighs. Above, Vtanth BUGLESCREECHES, the sound as bloodcurdling as the pain that is obvious in his rider's face. Blemished and obviously frustrated he swings away, his torn wingsail flapping at an awkward angle in the breeze and spirals out of control towards the bowl floor. Renna gasps Treyllyn says "OH no!!!" Above, Tzornth charges more rapidly towards Dyinath's glowing form, looking now for any path to her through the condensing pack. Daelan looks in horror. Rickon says "NO!" Darakin eyes go wide watching... Guest3 looks up at the falling male and tsks, "Too bad." Above, Valenth nearly folds his wings, dropping quickly downward towards Dyinath. His violet eyes center on her neck as he guides his descent towards her. Daena shrieks! Rickon says "Can the blues that are up there support him or something? Help him land..." Alyssa walks here from the north. Sherard freezes, looking up. Kassima raises a hand to her mouth in horror, her face drained of all color. Jazmin nods to R'val, "He took a tail to the nose.. pretty hard.." she glances up, pauses and gapes, "I think we've got more to worry about than Chaeth.." she comments as she watchees Vtanth's wing. Above, Duzorth jockeys back and forth positioning himself for an attempt, ready to use his builk to push the other males out of the way Treyllyn closes her eyes, not able to watch the dragno falling Vtanth backwings for a landing. Two pairs of whirling eyes on Rickon's shoulder tinge with red, and one human and two firelizard heads turn to focus on the bronze. R'val's eyes widen hugely as he sees Vtanth descend. He barely breathes out, "Oh, Shards." Renna walks quickly over toward Vtanth, waving to get T'quinn's attention. Alyssa races in with a healer's kit, her face blanched. "By Faranth..." P'tran sighs as he sees a second dragon get injured and shakes his head. "I was starting to think that the sky was going to start to get crowded ..." Above, Keth snarls at the nearby competitors, now breaking his way through, his wings constricted in the dense pack, but he still is getting closer, descending upon the gloving gold through the thinning ranks of bronzes and browns, his tail swishing, helping him keep his ballance. Renna shouts to R'val. "I'll look over him. Come over when you can." Sherard bolts away from the falling dragon, almost across Chaeth's nose. He doesn't stops until he trips over a dip in the bowl surface. Daena starts to run over to Vtanth, but balks. She turns to the Lord Holder. "Lord Eleos, may I go see him? Please, I beg you. I just want to see if he's ok." Above, Rsonth bugles back to the Gold as he finds himself fortunate enough to be close to the Queen and above her. He cranes his neck down to her as his wings to beat as strong as ever, the youthful energy he contains not leaving him just yet. He maintains his speed with the now-accelerating Queen and drops in altitude, inching ever closer to the Gold, tail outstretched to her. R'val gestures almost imperiously towards Renna and Alyssa as he spots them, "Renna! Alyssa! Get yourselves over here, I'm going to need all the help I can get. Jazmin, get Chaeth to calm himself, while I look to Vtantth, he's more seriously injured." Rickon moves back, out of the way of the healers, but his worried eyes remain on the bronze. "I wish I could help." Daelan says to guest3, "Do you then have such disrespect for those that protect our homes? We have too few dragons already to lose any." Renna frowns at Daena. "Stay back, please." Kassima wrings her hands, wishing she could help. Above, Chiloth drops his wings in one, two, three powerful strokes, taking the cleanest route across the rising air currents at the side of the bowl. He tries to weave his way around Valenth's big fat tail, making a final push that leaves him parallel with the bronze, but still above. That sharding tail. R'val begins striding towards Vtanth, and gestures to Daelen, "Stay back, stranger, I don't see a certified knot on your shoulder." Above, Dyinath is too wing-crowded to gain speed. Her wings begin to shimmer as she starts to weave back and forth, the rain streaking across her golden body. Daena bows her head. "Yes, sir." Eleos sighs and nods, "Do not get to close, unless you are bidden by a healer, do you hear me? Keep your distance unless told otherwise." Jazmin nods as she confers with her dragon, convincing him to get out of the way. Daelan steps over and stand by the door. Eleos nods, "There is your answer." Alyssa moves as directed by R'val, her attention riveted on his orders. Rickon hovers, weight shifting from one foot to another. "Shards...I can't do anything..." His 'lizards eyes tinge redder. Renna runs near Vtanth. "May I, T'quinn?" She gestures to Vtanth. Daena turns to P'tran and Eleos. "I'm sorry, sirs...he...just..he's my friend." Above, Duzorth bugles and then dives at dyinath, using his wings to gain speed and attempting to use his bulk as a wedge to get between the other males and dyinth T'quinn walks here from the north. Guest3 shakes his head, saying to Daelan, "If that dragon falls permanently, that would be a shame. The harper-like language you use to describe the Flight is a bit flowery, however." Chaeth seems to almost forget about his sore nose as he watches the bronze, warbling to him. R'val looks over his shoulder, "Alyssa! You've been to some classes! Take a preliminary look at Chaeth's injury, come over here and report to me when you have a prognosis!" Jazmin /th T'quinn runs in, outwardly crying, his arm flopping limply to his side, as he sees the tattered wingsail. Eleos glances at the Weyrleader, looking truly discomfitted at the behavior of his guard cadet. Above, Thoth climbs quickly towards the queen's vulnerable, glistening underbelly, seeking to come at her unawares while she's distracted by the dragons above and to her sides. He draws closer...closer... P'tran walks over to R'val. "R'val, you may need to get the dragons over to the infirmary so Selenay and the other dragonhealers can get a better look at them." Kassima raises an eyebrow, and says softly, "But you must admit, he comes closest of us to describing what is indescrible--the flight of dragons." Rickon looks frustrated and helpless. Renna rushes over to T'quinn. She helps him take off his jacket carefully." Alyssa nods rapidly to R'val and moves back over to Chaeth. "P'tran's right...can you get him to move, Jazmin?" R'val nods to P'tran quickly, "Yessir. Soon as I get a look here, can't move 'em till I see the injuries. " He growls, "Shardit, and we don't have a gold to calm the dragons." P'tran is too concerned about the happenings in the bowl to worry about the cadet's behavior Daelan looks again, saddened out into the bowl. Above, Notreth avoids the claws of a red-eyed bronze and slides right and downward, instinctively moving towards Dyinath through the crush of dragons. Above, Dyinath swivels her head, back and forth, noting each strong male. Caught in the midst of the strong bodies, she has to choose, and she bugles her frustration in getting caught in such a situation. Daena sits down on the ground. "By Faranth, please, please let him be all right, please..." Tears stream down her cheeks. R'val looks to T'quinn and calls out tio him, "Quinn! Man, you've got to get Vtanth moving! He can't stay in the bowl, T'quinn." His voice is low and intense as he moves to T'quinn's side, "C'mon. He's injured, but it's not too serious that he can't move, I can see that." P'tran nods to Alyssa. "I don't want Selenay screaming at me that I let people that were not full dragonhealers yet tend to injured." Above, Keth pushes his way aside from another closely packed bronze, and suddenly the gold is in his unobstructed sight. His descend is now a bit faster, even if his eyes still dart from the golden form before him, to the flittering wings all about. Sherard timidly stands, ekeing back over towards Jazmin and Chaeth. Above, Rsonth rumbles as the rain continues to spill over his sleek dar bronze hide, his bright violet eyes locked downwards at Dyinath. He decides that it's time to try and tilts downwards, using the speed in his drop to dip towards the glowing Gold, intercepting her in one of her expect weaves, the bronze's wings outstretched and tail seraching fowards to the gold. Kassima bites her nails in worry, feeling incredibly helpless. R'val glances over his shoulder at P'tran, "Sir, *I* am not fully trained yet." He smiles ruefully, "But I'm going to do my best." Above, Valenth carefully guides himself straight at Dyinath, following her weaving motions carefully. Alyssa smiles briefly and in complete understanding to her weyrleader. "Yes, sir." Above, Tzornth is flanked now by Notreth on one side, Chiloth on the other, and Rsonth and Keth overhead. He tries now to only hold his speed, as the out-Weyr bronzes try their descent... Above, Notreth trumpets to Dyinath, above her, desperate to reach the glowing gold he has caught before. Jazmin pokes at her brown herding him towards the north bowl, as she does she nabs T'quinn and looks him in the eye, "C'mon.. get with it.. you've got to be strong." P'tran nods to R'val, "I know that, but you're the most experienced here at the moment." Guest3 looks around and wipes his brow before looking above for the outcome of the Flight. R'val nods to P'tran, "I'll do my best.' He repeates quickly and turns back to Tt'quinn, "Come, T'quinn. You must move Vtanth for us. To the infirmary. South, T'quinn." He murmurs intensely. Chaeth lumbers north. Above, Tidranth continues chasing from far back, gamely, though it's clearly a hopeless battle. Frustrated, he emits a truly ear-shattering roar of anger at the receding pack. Alyssa walks north. Treyllyn watches the flight, worry clearly written on her face Daelan stands well out of the way. Above, Keth drops a small portion of his speed, still matched with the gold, but at the lower speed he suddenly weers to the side, and drops, emerging at Dyi's left and already changing direction to the touchdown course, the gold growing furiously in his rain-dimmed sight. Above, Dyinath attempts a similar move as she did before, to drop out of the bottom of the pack. Unfortunately, she nearly collides with Thoth, and pumping her wings furiously, pulls back up, hurtling her golden body between the dragons above her... Kassima stands aside so as not to hamper the dragons or their Healers, worry written plainly on her features. T'quinn grumbles and just about rips off his jacket with Renna, his arm still hanging limp as he groans in explicitt pain, urging his dragon forward, "Vtanth! Please, you must move!" Rickon is barely watching the flight now, more worried about the injured dragons, he absently scritches one of his flits to calm them. Above, Tzornth sees his chance -- and lunges forward desperately, trying to outpace the browns so close nearby him. Dyinath's tail lashing in his field of vision, he reaches... T'quinn nods quickly to Renna "You may touch him, do anything, just take away his painn!" Above, Rsonth 's violet eyes flash and sparkle as the Gold under him drifts upwards. He leans in and reaches out his wings, crooning lovingly and longingly to her, his tail outstretched. Above, Chiloth gamely keeps up the chase, his lungs going visibly concave with his heaving breaths, and seems almost surprised as the hurtling Dyinath charges up in front of him. He darts forward, reaching for her with outstretched neck at the tail that flashes by. Above, Thoth bugles and surges upwards, throwing everything into a last surge of speed as he seeks to twine his form with that of the shining golden queen who was so close... Above, Duzorth bugles as dyinath surges up towards him and spreads his wings and surges forward to catch her as she rises, attempting to block out the other males...reaches out with his tail, eyes whirlling rapidly P'tran says to T'quinn sharply, "Get your dragon to the infirmary, rider. I know he's in pain, but if other dragons start landing hear as they fall out of the flight, he may get himself hurt even more." R'val grimaces as he moves to stand near T'quinn, moving up at Vtanth, "No! No treamtment out here! This isn't a prop environment! T'quinn, is he in too much pain to move to the infirmary? Otherwise, he must move!" Above, Keth now banks quickly toward the rebounded gold, his tail first swishing to the right to compensate for the inertia of his body, then down, ready to twine with another that seems coming his way. His neck is lowered eagerly, the nearness almost palpable... Renna runs over with a bucket and paddleful of numbweed. She shouts to P'tran. "Perhaps if he's numbweeded, he'll be able to move!" Above, Valenth drops nearly straight down atop Dyinath, moving frighteningly fast. Just before he hits her, he spreads his wings open with an easily audible *snap* and a groaning of muscles and pinions. He slows and reaches for the Gold, bugling anxiously! Kassima notes that two of the dragons she'd favored are in the lead, but her attention is split between the flight and the scene in the bowl. Daena is now ignoring the Flight above, but concentrates on watching Vtanth and T'quinn. Vtanth lifts his heavy head, slowly, painstakingly lifting his weary body and lumbering off to the south, his tattered wingsail hanging limp at his side. Taylar walks here from the north. Jazmin walks north. Renna nods. "Let's get Vtanth moving, Quinn." Sherard walks north. Renna follows Vtanth closely. Chazme sails north. Vtanth lumbers north. Renna walks north. Above, Notreth rakes his claws along the back of a bulky bronze and stretches his neck towards Dyinath. T'quinn walks at a quickened pace after him. R'val puts a hand on T'quinn's shoulder, smiling reassuringly,, "C'mon friend. We'll get your dragon taken care of." R'val walks north. T'quinn walks north. Daena watches Vtanth lumber to the infirmary. She turns to P'tran. "Will he be all right, sir?" Kassima sighs. "I hope the dragon will be well...." Sherard walks here from the north. P'tran sighs with a mixture of exasperation and relief as the injured are cleared from the bowl. "There's a disadvantage to having such a good showing for a junior flight ..." Rickon glances after the dragon, too worried to pay much attention to the drama still unfolding above. Sherard is about five foot seven, of a subtly powerful, wiry build. His shoulders have the slight broadening which betrays aging from youth to manhood, and his chest and arms seem to be undergoing the same change. His long blonde hair falls loose down his back, ending somehwere short of the small hollow of his back. His build is still light and slim, although the muscle which comes from labor and exercise is now more chiefly visible against his clothing. His eyes glitter softly in the available light, and his lips seems to make him appear to constantly muse. He wears a pair of high, hard hide boots, and loose black trousers. He wears a loose, fine silky shirt, of deepest black, with a rich red sash of the same silky material. The long sleeves of his shirt billow slightly, and the cuffs are tight. A thin strap of hide is worn around the neck, with a blue stone dangling at the center. He wears his Bitran knot proudly alongside his apprentice healer knot. He looks a bit the worse for wear, harder, leaner, with a dark tan and sunbleached hair. Above, Dyinath cannot correct her motion and plows directly into Valenth. She keeps her head low as she feels his tail come down behind her, and she bugles, with anger at being caught, and with deep mating fervor. Kassima nods in solemn agreement. Taylar shakes his head. So much hurt to bring new life to the world. Eleos nods to the Weyrleader, "I can see that." Above, Thoth keens in frustration, but banks off, dropping and clrcling down to a lower altitude as he sees the prize lost. Treyllyn says "She's caught!" P'tran nods solemnly to the Lord Holder and looks up into the skies again. "Ah, I think Dyinath is caught ..." Daena looks up, barely interested in who caught her now that Vtanth is out. Eleos quickly looks up. Above, Tzornth pulls up at the last second, startled and exhausted, and flaps off exhaustedly. Tzornth backwings for a landing. Thoth backwings for a landing. Emne shakes her head slightly, sending water flying. P'tran peers and narrows his eyes. "Its hard to see from this distance. Its not a Benden dragon that won. Hmm." Rickon says "Will...will Vtanth be okay>" Above, Notreth descends, wearily and with a deep, low groan of dissapointment. Taylar moves out of the way of all the landing dragons. F'hlan walks here from the north. Eleos nods, "I was hoping you could tell me who won..." Above, Chiloth peels off in a loop, and spirals back down. Above, Valenth quickly makes his first tentative grasp firm on Dyinath. His bugle quickly softens into a passionate croon as he slowly twines first neck then tail with his mate. R'lain walks here from the north. R'lain shambles in, white as a sheet. F'laav walks here from the north. Sherard walks north. Rickon steps back and flattens himself against the rock, hair ruffled by the wind of landing dragons. P'tran squints for a moment and then blinks. "I think its Valenth." Treyllyn presses back against the wall of the bowl, staying clear of hte dragons Notreth backwings for a landing. Chiloth backwings for a landing. Rickon says "I'd better go make sure there's wine available for the losers, and anyone else who wants some." R'lain takes a step, two...looks around dazedly...and collapses, crumpling to the floor of the bowl. Eleos cannot help but chuckle, "J'cot? He certaily gets around..." Above, Rsonth banks away suddenly, a sad and tired warble escaping him. F'hlan stumbles into view after a time, frowning tightly to himself. Tzornth has landed off in the southeast corner of this part of the bowl, and after a moment, he creeps dejectedly into a distant weyr. Tzornth lumbers off in the direction of Tzornth's weyr. F'laav's icy gaze sweeps across the assembled throng as he walks past. Jaen walks here from the north. F'laav heads in the direction of the shimmering lake, leaving the South Bowl area of the Weyr. Rsonth backwings for a landing. D'ris walks here from the north. Taylar goes over to R'lain. "Can I help?" Above, Emmith flies out over Benden and disappears over the rim of the bowl. Rickon skirts around the bowl, heading towards the living cavern. Rickon walks north. Kassima steps back into the shadows, trying to be as unobtrusive as possible. Emne scrambles to her feet and rolls up her bit of hide F'hlan stumbles up to his waiting children, and his son Fahloran hugs him. Between him and the smaller girls, F'hlan lurches off after his dragon. P'tran watches the arriving riders and announces, "Lots of Benden Red awaits in the LC if you need it." Thoth's eyes whirl yellow, and he keens in alarm as R'lain falls. F'hlan heads up the steps into Tzornth's weyr. Above, Tidranth emits a disheartened bugle, and circles downward. D'ris stumbles from the north, eyes half-closed, and his body visibly shaking slightly. Chalese merely widens her eyes a bit, then takes in the sites. Above, Dyinath croons lovingly to Valenth, and with her neck and tail twined tightly, spreads her wings to help slow their fall towards the Weyr. Treyllyn quietly slips away, and returns home... Above, Tidranth flies downwards towards the waters of the lake. Keth backwings for a landing. Emne nods to P'tran and slips off Emne walks north. Jaen half stumbles, half walks to Notreth, who has landed in the center of the bowl. With a sound halfway between frustration and anger, she leans against the brown dragon's shoulder and slides down to a crouch. T'garrick walks here from the north. R'lain lies motionless, apart from convulsive shuddering. Kassima watches the incoming riders with concern. Taylar looks warily at the worried dragon. "I'll help him." Taylar puts his hand on the collapsed rider. "I think we need a healer here." T'garrick stumbles south, his body having little of the anger and frustration of the other riders, entirely posed in exhausted resignation. He immediately moves to his dragons side. D'ris wipes his face with a sleeve and slowly stumbles to his bronze sitting in the bowl. He plops to the ground by the bronze's foreleg and leans against it, his head dropped between his folded arms, hiding his face. Taylar pulls off his vest and wraps it around R'lain. "Damn! He's got a fever. Notreth snakes his head around his lifemate's form and lowers it to the ground with a *crash*. His eyes whirl a dull orange and he croons steadily in dissappointment. P'tran blows out his lips in a windy sigh. "Well, that was an intense flight," he murmurs to no one in particular Darakin pounds his fist on his leg looking at collapsed rider, "Shards! Dwane...." Growls... Daena looks over at P'tran. "Sir, I didn't mean to overstep my bounds...like I said, Vtanth is my friend." Taylar says "Heh! We need a healer here. Now!" Taylar does his best to warm the fallen rider. P'tran looks over to R'lain and furrows his brow. "Give him some air, don't crowd around him." Rsonth croons sadly to his lifemate, D'ris, who is leaning silently against his foreleg. He snakes his neck around and lays his head right next to the slumped over D'ris, violet eyes subsiding into a dark, near black, blue. Daena steps back from the fallen Rider. Taylar says "He's got a bad fever, sir." Chiloth also looks relatively peaceful, all things considered. His eyes fade to a dull yellow color. Kassima says timidly, "I think the Healers are tending the dragons, sir...." Darakin growls again looking at the rider, he mumbles, "Dwane...because of you I can't help that rider. Taylar says "Can we carry him to the infirmary?" P'tran raises an eyebrow. "A fever? I thought he was simply exhausted from the flight." Taylar says "He's burning up. And shivering badly." Eleos backs away from the weyrleader, not bothering him. He nods for Daena to follow him. Eleos disappears down the tunnel that leads out of the Benden Caldera. Taylar says "I can't carry him. I'm too small, but I can help carry him." Kassima looks concerned. "What could we do to help him, sir?" Daena disappears down the tunnel that leads out of the Benden Caldera. R'lain mumbles dazedly. "...b-be fine...jus'...need a fuh...few seconds..." Darakin says "I'll help" T'garrick turns. He rumbles, "I'll carry him." Kassima will help carry him, but she's not a Healer, so maybe she shouldn't.... Above, Tidranth rises up from the lake shore. Daelan offers his assistance carrying. P'tran runs a hand through his hair. "We get him to the healers is what we do ..." Above, Tidranth lands on Tidranth's ledge. T'garrick leaves Chiloth's side and walks up to R'lain Taylar says "Stupid to come out with a fever." Puts an arm under R'lain's." Vtanquin disappears down the tunnel that leads out of the Benden Caldera. Above, Valenth rumbles happily against his mate, slowly circling around the bowl as he slowly descends with his mate. D'ris still sits against Rsonth's foreleg, head lhanging foward and in his folded arms./ Chalese moves out of the way of the scurrying hordes of healers of al stripes, and their helpers. Kassima nods, and glances at the rider. "No, you won't--not until we get you to a Healer." She puts an arm under R'lain's, to help. Taylar says "Come on. Let's get to the infirmary." Taylar helps R'lain to his feet." R'lain chuckles hysterically as he's drawn up to something resembling a standing position. "Thoth...didn't give me much choice in the matter..." Taylar looks concernedly at the rider. "Stand up, let's go." Thoth croons anxiously, making as if to follow the small knot of humans. Kassima grins dryly. "As I understand it, dragons rarely do. Come on, to the infirmary with you!" T'garrick nods as the non-riders seem to manage. "Very well." He turns back to Chiloth. R'lain gets to his feet, with much help. Taylar helps R'lain to the infirmary. Kassima helps Taylar help R'lain to the infirmary. F'laav heads into the South Bowl area from the lake shore to the southwest. R'lain walks north. Taylar walks north. You walk north. North Bowl(#396RJ) The light spills over the over-arching mountains and into the bowl. It illuminates the patched ground, covered with gravel and fine sand. Here and there, the odd piece of greenery struggles up from the ash-based soil. The first few spring flowers are blooming in pots, and what weeds there are have a renewed, clean color. The smell of spring comes in on the west wind. The northern half of the crater is smaller than the southern one, but still immense. To the west is an opening into the Living Cavern of the weyr. Other openings in the northern cavern lead into the weyrs of the junior queens, weyrleaders, and the massive Hatching Grounds. Storage bunkers of various sorts are stacked against the rough rock walls. The bowl is quiet in the depth of night. Several entrances lead to the junior queenriders' weyrs. Use '+view queenriders' to see them. A light, warm rain falls around you. Contents: Taylar R'lain G'rel Sherard Whorf Ysrith Obvious exits: Weyrleaders' Complex South Bowl Hatching Cavern Outer Infirmary Guest Weyr Living Cavern Records Room R'lain moves beneath the rocky overhang that protects the Infirmary entrance. You go beneath the rocky overhang that protects the Infirmary entrance. Outer Infirmary(#389RL) The large cavern appropriated for this room needed little embellishing. Large enough to house those few dragons who might be too injured to treat outside in the bustle of after-Fall or some other rare accident, it has two stone couches at one end, with permanent alcoves carved into the walls near them, ready to serve as beds for riders. No instrument tables or supplies are set near the couches, healers having learned the hard way how injured dragons sometimes thrash. One closed cabinet close-to and shielded by a screen holds the thin reeds for wing tears, and other surgery supplies. A row of cupboards and counters hold the other healing necessaries. A basin and a large fireplace lie in the room's center. Business goes on as calmly as it ever does in an infirmary. Drudges and weyrchildren with assigned chores move in and out through the passageways, keeping the fire stoked and warm, and attending to the cleanliness of the area. A carved outcropping curves out towards the bowl, while a similar doorway, shielded by thick tapestry, leads towards the inner infirmary. A long tunnel leads towards the inner cavern, thick enough to shield the noise. Contents: R'lain Comedian Vtanth R'val Renna T'quinn Jazmin Alyssa Chaeth Gertrude Obvious exits: Rafael's Quarters Inner Infirmary Inner Cavern Bowl Taylar moves into the Infirmary from the bowl. T'quinn seems to calm considerably, that is, until a healer comees up and tries to coax him away from Vtanth "I am not leaving my Dragon!! SHard-IT!" Taylar says "Got a sick rider here." You say "He has a fever--the flight intensified it." R'lain gets more-or-less dragged in and past the wounded dragons. Taylar helps R'lain toward a bed. Renna looks over to the healer and nods him away. "It'll be alright." R'val frowns over at the new arrivals, "What the...?" Alyssa calls to R'val, "The wound's long but not deep. A good cleaning and numbweed should take care of it." Renna asks T'quinn to step over to where she is. Kassima helps put R'lain in a bed. Taylar says "R'lain needs a bed. He's not light." R'val nods to Taylar, gesturing, "Put him in the cot."" Jerissa moves into the Infirmary from the bowl. R'lain pushes the tapestry aside and walks into the inner infirmary. Alyssa says politely but firmly, "Please...we have two upset dragons...if you're not a healer, please leave." Renna sighs and nods to R'val. She turns to Vtanth's wing. "Now that it is numb, T'quinn, I want you to be a part of this." Jerissa wanders in. "Amrieth said we were needed?" T'quinn eyes Renna, his eyes flaming, sighing he walks towards Renna, constantly glancing back at his Dragon. Taylar says "Ok." Taylar helps R'lain. Jazmin looks up, "Shards what is this, the living cavern!?" Taylar pushes the tapestry aside and walks into the inner infirmary. You push the tapestry aside and walk into the inner infirmary. Inner Infirmary This silent sanctum is where the long-term patients (those coming in with more than a stomach-ache from the wrong tunnelsnake) have their cots. The more picky of the weyr residents prefer to lie in here, even if it is not for more than a day, simply because it is so peaceful. The walls here are gently curved, and covered in tapestries of muted colors. Storage lies in the far Corner. The ever present counter with accompanying herbal cabinets follows the line of the room halfway-round the circle. Cots are stacked by the wall, with only a few out at one time, it not being Fall. Three of those out are shielded by light fabric in Benden colors. A carved entrance, shielded by a think tapestry, closes off this section of the infirmary from the outer, noisier parts of the weyr. Contents: Taylar R'lain Obvious exits: Outer Infirmary Taylar looks to R'lain. "Get in bed." R'lain drops into a cot which was evidently previously occupied...the furs are all in disarray, as if whoever it was had dragged himself out of bed. Kassima helps R'lain and Taylar. She looks worried. Taylar says "Your clothes are wet. You need to get out of them." Kassima raises an eyebrow and looks around for a spare set of clothing in the room. Kassima finds a light tunic and linen pants, and hands them to Taylar. R'lain doesn't react for several seconds, as if he hadn't heard. Nerveless, trembling fingers fumble ineffectually with his tunic, eventually managing to get it off. Taylar helps R'lain out of his wet things. "Ok. Let's put these on." Taylar glances at Kassima. "Thanks." Taylar finds R'lain harder to dress than to undress. Kassima nods. "More than welcome. Now, if you'll pardon," she smiles dryly, "I'm no Healer, so I probably should leave you in peace." R'lain tugs on the tunic and pants. He doubles over in the middle with a racking cough which shakes his whole body and doesn't sound good at all. Kassima helps support R'lain during his fit. Taylar looks worried. "Ah.......I need to get you in bed and find a healer. Taylar says "Kassima, could you find a healer, please?" Kassima nods and goes to the Outer Infirmary. You push the tapestry aside and enter the outer infirmary. Jerissa nods. "Good. Now lets have a lookie at this wing eh?" She motions to a table. "Help me drag this closer mmm?' She looks over in concern to Alyssa. "Clean it up then. Washed your hands?" Kassima says timidly, "Pardon, but we need a Healer for R'lain... can anyone help him?" Alyssa looks mournfully and apologetically at Jazmin, then nods with relief at being given permission. To Jerissa she calls, "Yes, ma'am, just before you arrived." Jazmin starts to pace and stops herself, moving over to Chaeth and Alyssa. R'val glances over at Kassima, then bites his lip as he turns towards Jerissa, "Can you and Renna handle this? I'm a certified healer, not a dragonhealer just yet." Jerissa nods. "Good stuff. Clean him up and get some numbweed on the poor thing." Renna moves the cloth and reeds into Jerissa's reach on the table. Kassima looks anxious as she watches the bustle of activity. Jerissa looks to R'val. "You handle the riders for me?Please?" she adds R'val nods to Jerissa, 'It's what I know best." Alyssa looks carefully at the wound. "This won't hurt much longer, I promise..." she whispers to Chaeth, and with great care and gentleness she begins washing out the wound on his nose with redwort. R'val moves towards Kassima and R'lain and grabs a satchel, "Allright, tell me what's wrong." He glances from R'lain to Kassima. Kassima looks relieved, and pulls open the tapestry. "He's in the Inner Infirmary, sir." T'quinn looks almost helplessly up at the Dragonhealers bustling about. "Is he going to be OK?" Renna moves closer into Vtanth and Jerissa. Chaeth warbles pitifully, being a wuss. Jerissa smiles a little as things seem to get sorted out. "Now. That table" she says dragging it over with a fellow healer. She motions to Renna as she hops on. "Come on up and have a look." Renna smiles and turns to T'quinn. "He'll be fine, Quinn. Don't worry." You say "He has a fever--he had one before the flight, and when his dragon rose, he went out in the rain, and... well. His fever is worse now, needless to say." Renna hops up and continues. "Try to keep yourself calm, Quinn. It will help Vtanth." R'val curses softly under his breath Vtanth cranes his head around to watch the healers with a hint of a curious air, occasionally wuffling sadly, as slight twinges of pain fall across him. Jerissa smiles down from the table top. "Quinn, he'll be fine. You've Igen's senior working on him, OK?" Kassima ducks into the inner infirmary, motioning for R'val to please follow. You push the tapestry aside and walk into the inner infirmary. You say "R'val is coming." Taylar says "Thanks. He's getting worse." Kassima looks concerned. "I hope he'll be all right. That rain couldn't have helped matters...." Taylar finds a scrap of cloth and wets it. He uses it to bathe R'lain's forehead. Kassima glances to the door anxiously, waiting for the Healer. Taylar says "And he's an Ista rider as well. Hope he'll be alright." Taylar says "Wish they weren't so busy with the flight injuries." Taylar rewets the cloth and reapplies it to the rider's face. Kassima winces. "He's not used to cold, then. I hope so, too... this flight had many injuries." R'lain drops into a light, uneasy doze. Taylar says "He's sleeping, but I don't know if that's good or not." Kassima furrows her brow, wondering where the Healer got to... she told him that R'lain was in the inner infirmary.... R'val emerges from behind the tapestry leading to the outer infirmary. Taylar says "Maybe a couple more furs will help burn off the fever. See what you can find, ok?" Taylar says "Thank the egg, R'val." Kassima says softly, "We should probably get him food and water. My foster mother always said those were good for a fever." Kassima nods and roots around in the room. Taylar says "R'lain's fever is worse." R'val moves into the room quickly, "Allright, get him warmed up." He says, quickly, "We need willow ." Kassima finds two fur blankets on an upper niche, and tosses them to Taylar. Taylar drapes the extra furs about R'lain. Taylar says "I've been bathing his face with cool water. Should I continue?" Kassima hmmms and looks for willow. "What does this willow look like?" R'val snaps, "Someone! Boil me a pot of water! And get me blankets, we have to keep him warm." He gestures to the cupboard, "Kassima, you said? Over in the cupboard, it's labelled." R'lain thrashes, trying to kick off the covers feverishly. Taylar all but sits on R'lain to keep the blankets on him. Kassima nods, opens the cupboard, hunts in it for a moment, then finds the willow and hands it to R'val. Taylar says "I think I got my hands full." R'val frowns, "He won't need sedation, so..no catnip. But we need borage as well. Get me some of that from the same cupboard. Put him in this bed." Kassima finds the borage and hands it to R'val, then starts hunting for some water and a kettle. Taylar says "He's in the cot he was in before the flight. We've put extra furs on him as well." Taylar tucks the furs more tightly around R'lain trying to confine his thrashing limbs safely. R'val grunts, "I'm going to have to make a decoction out of this borage, and give it to him." Kassima manages to find a suitable pot and some fresh water, from a pail in the corner. She pours that into the pot and heats it over the tiny stove in the corner. When it comes to a boil, she grabs a cloth, wraps that around the handles of the pot, and hands the water to R'val. Kassima says, "I hope that will do. Is there anything else you need?" R'val takes the pot with a warm smile to Kassima, "Thank you Kassima. Yes, please. Find me some blankets, as many as you can. He needs to be kept very warm." He begins to ready the tea. R'lain doesn't struggle hard or for very long. He seems to have next to no energy. Taylar says "I've got him wrapped up. What else can I do, R'val?" R'val smiles kindly at Taylar, "Stand back, that's about all you can do. Thank you for your help." Taylar gets up to find additional blankets and furs. Kassima smiles back tentatively, and goes to the niche where she found the two fur blankets before. On the niche next to it, she locates two more, but that's all. She hands those to R'val. R'val takes the blankets in one hand, and holds them out, "Taylar, put these on him! You can do that much while I make the decoction." Taylar helps Kassima with the blankets and then steps back out the the way. Kassima moves aside to give the Healer room. Taylar piles the furs on R'lain. He continues to stand nearby in case R'lain knocks them off again. [Editor's Note: At this point, R'lain had to discon.] Kassima notices that R'lain is unconcious. "At least now he won't be able to fight the blankets, but it might be harder to get him to drink the tea." R'val nods, "He can't drink it now. He'll have to be left to rest. Hopefully his temperature'll go down." he frowns, "All we can do is wait." Taylar nods. "If you don't need me here further, I'll go see what I can do to help elsewhere. Kassima nods, concerned. "Is there anything we can do to help him? Cool cloths over his brow, maybe? It's not much, I know, but...." She shrugs. You say "Same here. Please, tell us how he fares!" R'val shakes his head, "The healers here will handle it. I suggest we all leave now." R'val pushes the tapestry aside and enters the outer infirmary. Kassima nods. Taylar pushes the tapestry aside and enters the outer infirmary. You push the tapestry aside and enter the outer infirmary. Taylar hmmmms Renna re-prepares her hands, waiting for Jerissa's instructions. R'val walks in, wiping sweat from his brow as he approaches Jerissa, "I'm through with R'lain, do you need my assistance?" Taylar says "Can I be of any assistance?" Kassima wipes her brow and looks around at the dragons. "Is there anything I can do? I should tell you, I'm not a Healer, but if there's any service I might render...." Jerissa sees the brown has been cared for and smiles over to Alyssa. "Well done. Stick around and come watch if you like." R'val glances at Jerissa, 'Do you need me?" He asks, standing at her side. Alyssa smiles thankfully at Jerissa and nods, moving over to Vtanth's side to study the wound. Taylar winces at the wounds on the dragons. Vtanth slowly closes his many lids, wuffling softly as his pain is sated. Jerissa motions R'val up onto the table. "Now, Renna, R'val. How would you treat this injury.? Its a little ragged and deep." Renna regards the tear. R'val cocks his head at the injury, regarding it, "It needs sewing. A cloth, to attach the skin flaps to the bone perhaps." Kassima looks pale and drawn, having not seen half as much injury and illness in the past two Turns as she has in the past two hours. R'val adds, "And he'll need grounding." Jerissa nods. "Renna?" Jazmin leans on Chaeth as he curls up a bit, looking sleepy. Renna nods to R'val. "Stitching, cloth, and grounding." R'val smiles at Renna, 'You've done your homework." He says, lightly. Taylar realizes he is way out of his league in here. Renna smiles at Taylar. Alyssa comments, "This reminds me of the injury that Laerth had...will we need reeds as well?" Kassima feels the same, and steps into the shadows, trying to remain unobtrusive. Renna smiles at R'val. "I try." T'quinn looks at the others as they discuss the wound, his face paling. Jerissa nods. "Ok. I'd agree with the stitching. I don't agree with the cloth. Not serious enough. ANyone like to take a guess on how long I'll ground him for?" R'val ventures, "Two sevendays?" Renna smiles. "Three sevendays?" Alyssa says promptly, "Three." Jerissa mms. "I think about a sevenday to two appropriate and then a restriction on strenous activities." She nods, "OK. Wound needs stitching. Alyssa, like to prepare some needles for me, please?" T'quinn says "Two sevendays??? Whatt about my sweeps?" Alyssa nods to Jerissa and, after quickly washing her hands again, moves to the needles, making sure they are sterile before threading them. R'val smiles at T'quinn, "Someone else'll be doing them, friend. You're on vacation.' He winks. Kassima half-smiles at that. Jazmin comes over and places a hand on T'quinn's shoulder, "You hardly notice a couple of sevendays.. try being grounded for months buddy." T'quinn looks up to Jazmin blankly for a moment before smiling. Jerissa smiles a little as her attention is distracted by the rider banter. She nods her thanks to Alyssa and takes one of the needles from her. R'val turns to Jerissa, watching the work on Vtanth intently. Jerissa motions with her head to Renna. "You clean the wound up for me? Its a little difficult working through all that numbweed. R'val? Can you stand by with the numbweed for when we're finished and keep an eye on Quinn for me?" Renna nods and goes about cleaning the wound again. T'quinn looks about nervously, especially when the needles come out. Taylar decides now is a good time to leave. Kassima nods in agreement. You walk out into the bowl. Taylar emerges from the infirmary. T'lean waves Taylar looks up at Thoth and thinks of R'lain. Kassima waves back, tired, but still a bit cheerful. Taylar says "Heh, Kassima." Kassima bows to the dragons. Kassima smiles wanly. "Well, there's nothing not to be cheerful about. R'lain is resting with Healers just a room away, and the dragons are being tended to--everything will be fine. I hope." Taylar says "My name's Taylar. Nice to meet you. Wish the circumstances were different." You say "My name is Kassima. It's good to meet you, too." Taylar says "I don't think I've seen you before. But then again, I've just returned from Bayhead Hold. I was visiting family." Kassima smiles. "Well, I've not been out and about much before this." T'lean walks beneath the lintel and disappears into the living cavern. Taylar says "Where are you from?" Kassima says, with a smile, "Well, my mother was from Keroon, so I suppose that's where I'm from as well." Taylar says "I'm from Bayhead. My mother and stepfather have a tavern there." You say "Bayhead? I'm afraid I've never heard of it." Taylar says "Bayhead is south of here. Near Lemos." You say "Oh, near those marvelous forests!" Taylar nods. "I haven't seen much of the forests though. Bayhead is just south of Benden Hold. You say "Well, I suppose there'll be rejoicing in the Weyr these evening; despite the injuries, it was a good long flight." Kassima grins. "I don't doubt you've seen more of the forests than I have. Keroon is all grassland." Taylar says "Yeah. I got back just in time for the catch. And to help R'lain." He sighs and glances at Thoth again. "Hope he'll be ok."" Kassima nods solemnly. "I hope so, too. I don't have much experience as a Healer--well, none at all, to be perfectly truthful--so I have no way of knowing how bad his condition is...." Taylar says "Looks like he was stupid enough to go between with a cold." F'laav walks here from the south. Taylar waves at the rider. Kassima bows to the dragonrider. F'laav strides northward, face stony and dispassionate. Above, Duzorth leaps from Duzorth's Ledge and flies into the air. Above, Duzorth flies up and out of the bowl. Kassima watches the dragon, a smile tugging at her face. "No matter how many times I see dragons, it's still so... amazing...." Above, Duzorth disappears into Between. Taylar looks at Kassima and then at F'laav and shrugs. F'laav's eyes flick from dragon to dragon, noting who might be visiting. His gaze slides over Amrieth, before he disappears into the living cavern. F'laav walks beneath the lintel and disappears into the living cavern. Kassima shrugs back. Taylar says "Guess he didn't win the flight." Kassima shakes her head. "No, Valenth won the queen." Yazric heads here from the south. Taylar says "Heh, Yaz. How's it going?" Kassima got to stand in the bowl, near both the Weyrleader and the Lord of Ruatha--something she never imagined she'd do, being just common folk. Yazric is crying, "Chae said his nose was hurted.." Taylar kneels down next to Yazric. "It's ok. Alyssa took care of him, I'm sure." Kassima nods. "The dragonhealers are attending to him and to the others injured; you needn't fret." She smiles reassuringly. Yazric sniffles and nods, "Lyssa?" Taylar nods. "Uh huh. She's busy with some of the other dragons right now though. Kassima nods in agreement. "Yes, there was a bronze--Vlanth?--with a torn wing, I believe it was." Yazric blinkblinks, eyes wide. "Torn wing!!?" he sniffles again. Kassima cringes. "It must've been painful to run into that mountain...." You say "Yes--wasn't that it, Taylar? His wingsail was torn?" Taylar pats Yazric on the back reassuringly. "They'll be ok." He glances up at Kassima, not in front of the four year old. "The healer's are good at what they do. You know that." You say "Of course they are. The best! He'll be fine." Yazric starts crying again and runs into the infirmary. Yazric moves beneath the rocky overhang that protects the Infirmary entrance. Kassima groans. "What have I done now?" Taylar stands and winces. "Great. He'll go bug Alyssa now for sure. Don't worry, he's only four and easily upset. Taylar moves beneath the rocky overhang that protects the Infirmary entrance. Kassima berates herself sternly, then sighs. [Editor's Note: At this point, I think I had to go, so the pain ends. Yeesh. To anyone I RPed with that day, if you're reading this, you have my sincerest apologies!]