2001 Winter Gather Flurry Flight

Ryslen Weyr
Winter Gather Flurry Flight

Evening came upon Ryslen, but not many would know it, as a blizzard had set upon East Rock, filling every nook and cranny with white powder. While this severe of a storm was incredibly unusual for the geographic location of the Territory, it was to be endured, like every other change. Ryslen was filled too, with white and partially white dragons in preparation for the Flurry. Many of the Lights had reclaimed weyrs that were theirs during late weyrlinghood. Their riders - the ones that hadn't already gone to bed - lingered in the upper balcony of the dining hall, chatting and enjoying warm beverages. Some of them were a little strange - wings, bunny ears… but nobody seemed to care.

Sovreth looked out at the snow from the ledge of the weyr he shared with white Oroth. It's snowing very hard. I can't see the other side of the bowl…

Duh! You can't see more than a wing's length out there… Oroth snaps as a demonic grin spreads across her face. Kare's eyes go wide. She hastily takes a scrap of paper and writes on it. V'nor looks at her like she's gone crazy, yet the whiterider didn't react. She called over her bronze flit with a whistle, and attached the message to him. She sent Conrim off to Tiyanni.

"Kare…?"

"It's time, V'nor." She smirked.

Oroth snapped open her wings and launched off into the storm. The Flurry had begun.

"Was that a bugle?" Tiyanni queried, setting down her mug and straightening up in her seat. As if on cue, Conrim appeared out of between with a cheerful chirp. The Weyrwoman's eyes were a little wide with surprise as the bronze landed and offered his arm with the tube. Roars and more bugles filled the air as Tiyanni read the note, not that she wasn't fully aware of what was going on as it was.

"The Flurry has begun!" she announced, causing all voiced to still in the massive dining hall. It was then that all noticed the riders of the female dragons in the Flurry were gathered together, leering at all in the room.

Outside, the whites, partial whites, and a silver or two took to the air, not caring about the blizzard that raged around them. They shall not have my mate unless I deem them worthy! A voice struck all minds alike in rage.

You have no say there, Sovreth! another male roared. In the air, the females roared their taunts. All insults were lost upon the pursuers; there was no way to see their prizes, it was like an immense game of hide and seek.

Small groupings of males hovered together, their inner set of eyelids covering the facets against the treacherous snow. A flash of the green hide of Light Green Tesimith caught their attention - the chase was on.

In another part of the sky, three females flew unknowingly close to one another. Where are they? This is no fun if they don't chase me. Senorith growled.

Who cares if you have fun, this was my flight first! Oroth roared as she whipped her tail at the white gold.

Who cares what you both think, you're both just wannabe golds! Tabinath said stuffily.

Watch who you're calling a wannabe, greeny!

I never said I was gold! Oroth roared, and dove at the green-gold-white at the same time as Senorith, who'd had the same idea.

Two triumphant crows split the air and white and brown-white bodies were the last Senorith saw of where Oroth and Tabinath had been. Light Brown Khalbalahath wrapped himself around Oroth, and the shining Sithean white Scyth claimed Tabinath in the snowy brightness of the sky. Senorith powered her wings and escaped the pale dragon that almost captured her.

Opal white Truth soared, the sky her element, though her wings disturbed not the falling snow. Who should come upon the sight but the silvery Tuveth and white Veranth. Truth led them for a chase, breezing past another male before Veranth darted from below and Truth joined with him.

The snow was so thick it was hard, if not impossible, to see where the snow ended and the white dragons began. Legolanth's keen eyes spotted the fine red and green markings of an Istabithan female glowing like a homing beacon, and he swooped in, wrapping his pale self around the non-resisting Adjandekyth, taking her in a dizzying spiral. Back in the dining hall's balcony, riders were pairing off, and departing to weyrs and lounges in a hurry. Kare had not put in an appearance - she would have none other than V'nor. Seyahn seemed to hesitate, though she knew her beautiful dragoness had been caught. Rik'i, frail looking yet stronger than he seemed- sauntered over to her. "Come, love-bunny…" he said with a smirk.

In the main hall, Gem sat with a somewhat vacant, yet pained expression on her face. Tiyanni walked across the hall, and when she saw Gem, the color drained from her face. Unexpected complication. Gem could hear all of the dragons. The Flurry must be horrible in her head - with so many dragons' raging emotions. "Get the fellis…" Tiyanni began.

"No." Gem murmured, and her fiancé Red, visiting from Vella Crean and trapped by the storm, explained. "It would be worse half-drugged. She couldn't even try to block them out then."

Tiyanni nodded. "Klah then." She said, and the young woman who'd been primed to run to get the fellis scampered off in another direction. Tiyanni sat across from the vacant eyed Gem. "How does it go?"

"Khal' got Oroth; Scyth, Tabinath; Veranth found Truth, and Legolanth homed in on Adjan'." Gem said, recapping.

Tiyanni smiled. "Oroth was first." Red smiled too, sweetening a cup of klah for Gem when the girl returned. "It is her flight; it's only fit."

In the sky, snow whisked across the silver hide of Dantinath as she flew away from her unseen chasers. A flash of red to one side distracted the silver beauty momentarily, and the red-and-blue marked Napzurath pounced on his chance, leaving the pair of strange riders to care for themselves.

The blinding snow made chasing difficult for some, especially Soneth, the most recently arrived male. As lost as he was, he found Light Gold Lieyanth, and they came together in the snow.

Two whites soon found themselves in a clear space. Quioath turned tail and bolted into the snow, leaving Surrith to chase after the rainbow-crested beauty - the seemingly only color in this all white airspace. Quioath led the small male for quite the chase before succumbing to his charms. It wouldn't be long before Frida followed suit with T'ran.

Three light greens passed within wing lengths of each other, not seeing the others, though they knew they were there soon enough not to collide. Desilianth peeled off, flying higher, and soon found herself twined with Konuruth. G'ryph sought out Reylena, and kissed her hand before carrying her off.

Keilebeth caught sight of a familiar brown-and-white shape, more coppery now after some time on Danach, and dove after it. In the dining hall, an unexpected laugh burst out while Gem gave a small gathering of interested non-participants a play-by-play. "Keilebeth just caught Webeith!"

The third light green, the infamous Tesimith, had also caught sight of a fine male, and buzzed past him and two others, leaving them to chase - which they did. Only one proved capable of catching up to her - only one worthy of flying her - the unmistakable Sampath. How the sunset bronze qualified as white, only he knew, but fly Tesimith he did!

Gertith was getting cranky, flying around in the whiteout conditions without anyone actively chasing her; and then she was not alone. Out of the blue came Nariveth, who gave chase like there was no other female in the sky. Harper M'dall smiled coyly at Xina, and led her away. No more worries.

Two red markings like glowing beacons flashed in the whiteness; black and violet streaked across the sky in response as Holarith and Deakoth met in the chill air.

No matter how high Senorith flew, someone chased her. No matter how far from Ryslen she was, he was there too. Screaming defiance into the snowy silence, she soared into the clouds where the yet-unfallen snow ice-glazed her wings. Even there, the large white dragon pursued. Both glistening with ice, Releith claimed the gold-white Senorith, high in the sky they soared. Happy-go-lucky L'ken's smile charmed Myia - and they vanished.

One white dragoness darted about the clouds and flakes like she owned the place - of course, Linith was more familiar with Ryslen and it's airspace than any of the other white females - she lived here. Her familiarity was her downfall. She spun on wingtip and collided with a strong male body. Rutanth had the presence of mind to grab on rather than wink out, and proceeded to make Linith very happy to have crashed into him. R'yon had been in the kitchen when the flight began, and was too caught up in the thrall too quickly to join the others in the wide upper balcony. His eyes suddenly focused and he peered up at the balcony. Who rode the one who'd caught his Linith? "It's Kythe." Gem said, her voice pitched to reach his ears. R'yon looked at the girl descending the stairs. How perfect was this?

After losing the first female, it took Tuveth a while to find another, and when he laid eyes on the daring white Alottyth through the snowflakes, he knew she had to be his - so dainty, so beautiful, so fast! Alottyth led Tuveth on a high-speed chase towards the clouds, and that's where he found her. Allota stepped towards the Danachian Kaladrin, but tripped and fell right into his arms.

The Light Gold Lieyanth, finished with Soneth, had ascended to the clouds. There, Webeith, who was also yet unsatisfied, surprised her. Their riders, however, had no intention of moving.

Sevith, a beautiful green-white born of Sapphire yet flew alone. Not one of the males had gotten close. Suddenly the clouds parted and there was Sekayth, who gave chase with a thrilling bugle. It wasn't long before Gem announced the occurrence of that dazzling pairing. Tilleniva looked at Keylyn, and Keylyn looked at Tilleniva. "Nuh-uh!" escaped both of their mouths at the same time, but neither objected to the handsome young man that led them away.

Get a load of those wings! Spaeth said as he chased closely behind Ilverinth. Beautiful wings make all the difference! D'ilan's eyes met Juniamaa's. "I think he's right." D'ilan purred. The elf blushed!

In the air space just outside Ryslen, Lanayth looked about as if she thought she could pick out the movement of the white male dragon with whom she continued to play the old game of Marco Polo, even though the cherry red markings on her wings should have given her away by now. Safe, she thought with a sigh.

You'll be safer with me! a voice seemed to smile down at her just before white Juhuaytonth caused them both to vanish into the blizzard.

"Smooth words," Gem chuckled as she announced the catch on the ground - not that the disappearance of the appropriate duo of riders didn't suffice. And then she laughed again, the spirit of the Flurry infused with her. "Jaluth just had a run in with Heuth, literally." The female blue's rider replied. There were pockets of chuckles that joined her voice as they realized what she meant. After the light green and the white-white-bronze squabbled for a few seconds, they glided through the sky gracefully.

Maiseth found herself directly over the wherry pen, tiring while she worked against the strong wings, which whipped the snow about. She was startled as the light blue Udeventh swooped by her, missing his catch. The white had other plans, and grabbed on to him, and the pair was flung into the sky by a strong updraft for a successful flight.

On the ground somewhere outside the Weyr, Khalbalahath nuzzled Oroth lovingly before going aloft again. The little white was not offended, and soon took to the sky again herself, to go where, not even Gem knew. If Kare knew, she was too busy to comprehend it.

Quioath was once again in the air, not satisfied with just Surrith. She barely dodged out of the way as light green Verrath swooped by held in the air by the strong wings of the riderless Khalbalahath. As the two lights flew by, Quioath bristled. The next moment, two white females screamed as they nearly ran into each other.

Quioath's vision soon filled with that of another vision of white; yet this time he had a black diamond shape on his forehead. No need to yell, my dear. It's only me. Deakoth said.

Seryth was still seething with anger at finally seeing one of the other females caught again, when she'd not been found at all. If someone had been able to see her through the storm, they would have only seen her angry red eyes - until she rose through the storm on wings of cream and brown - Kukorikath's.

Gem relayed this all, and Tiyanni gave a sigh of relief. No injuries, despite the conditions. "Oroth still flies." Gem said. All went silent..

Up above Ryslen, Oroth growled against the blizzard. Slowly she climbed higher. She was determined to fly higher than the clouds this night. My flight she hissed to herself. With a crow of defiance, the white dragon broke away from the clouds, ice crystals trailing on her wings. The female white blinked as she looked about.

"She's above the clouds…" Gem said

Oroth looked up at the sky that she knew would not be the safest to fly in. The twin moons of Pern shown down upon her.

"Full moons tonight." Gem said with a smile.

This was my flight first! Not theirs! the white growled at the familiar full moons that brought back memories of the first time…

It started as yours and shall end that way, as it should have been from the beginning, my love. Two draconic voices crowed their renewed love once again as they fell back through the clouds to join again.

"Sovreth!" Gem announced to the surprise of those still gathered around. A ball of laughter was on the wind as Tiyanni shook with silent laughter, while others shook with rage. She had told Kare that Sovreth wasn't allowed to fly…

Once more the bronze firelizard appeared before the silvering Weyrwoman of Ryslen. After delivering his message, Conrim once again vanished.

"You knew as much about this as we did." Tiyanni read aloud. Tiyanni laughed. "Sure, Kare… Sure."

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