Bittersweet romance

[Lyrikitty]

Sunrise trickled down on the Weyr, Llaina had been up for hours, though for once it was not with the typical causes. She was... Anticipating. Today Daisyth would rise, and if things went according to plan... Well, she was hoping that A'res and his Bone would come, and that they would be the one's to catch the Gold. She sat beside her dozing mount, absently stroking the eyeridges of her beloved. She'd sent a flit to New Cove early this morning, and could only hope that A'res got the message.

One faceted eyes slowly opened, and the Gold lifted her head slowly, tilting it upward and yawning wide. Good morning Mine.

"Good morning Daisyth, how are you love?"[/color] Llaina looked up at the Gold, and rose, to allow her to stretch. The Gold did so in a feline manner, groaning in pleasure. After she stretched, she blinked slowly, almost puzzled, as she thought about her current state. Her head turned to the feeding grounds, and she blinked once more as she was overcome wih a hunger, and the need to fly in that order. She did not answer, not with words at least, but with emotion and the general train of her thoughts. The Gold padded to her ledge and dropped off, her wings unfurling as she glided to the feeding grounds, landing atop a herdbeast and growling.

Daisyth, don't gorge. Blood your kill, my love. You may not clutch ever again, but you are not going to gorge yourself. The Gold spat a venemous hiss at her rider, who stood at the edge of their weyr, and obeyed, taking only one beast before she gave herself a shake, flinging out her wings and jumping into the air, rowing swiftly to carry herself aloft. Her jaws parted once she was above the weyrbowl, and from the base of her throat came a bugle as she announced her state to her...

No, not to her Weyr anymore, but to the Weyr. She was not the Senior Queen of this place any longer, she was just another dragon. She didn't mind this, not that much. It meant, well it meant that her beloved Bone could prove himself to her now, finally. She scanned the skies quickly for him, hoping to catch sight, before she bugled again, and turned on wingtip, watching Bronze and Topaz brutes rise after her.

[Desert]

The fire lizard Llaina sent arrived in New Cove right enough, but the little creature ended up going to several different bones, perching on their muzzles or eye ridges and peering curiously to try and match these foreign strangers to the one he was supposed to find. Eventually, he found Wygith, and gripped the big bone's headknob with a smug trill. Wygith tilted his head in a hopeless attempt to see the offender, and more time was lost in coaxing the excitable creature down so A'res could retrieve the missive. When he did, and read the simple message, suddenly the usually easygoing bonepair went from amused tolerance to urgency. It was happening!

Wygith surged to his feet, almost causing the messenger flit to tumble from his perch, and threw himself from his ledge. He fell on the hapless herbeasts in the feeding pens and caused the panicky beasts to stampede, though it ended only with a few of the smaller beasts being trampled by their herdmates in the confinement of the pen. Many dragons around the Bowl walls watched the bone in bemusement, a few making jeering catcalls, but Wygith was heedless of their scorn and confusion. He blooded quickly and was back up on his ledge, helping A'res onto his back with a flick of his head, ignoring fighting straps. There was no time, not if they were to get there in time. They only knew that Daisyth was due to Rise: not exactly when. Time was of the essence.

With only a curt We'll be back[/b][/color] to the watchdragon on the rim, Wygith and A'res rose into the airspace above the Weyr and blinked into between as soon as they had a safe amount of clearance: had they still been weyrlings, the Weyrlingmaster would have undoubtedly had more than a few sharp words to say to them about betweening so close to the ground.

They reappeared at a similar, nearly dangerously low altitude above Crystal Cavern and descended in a tight spiral until Wygith's paws touched the Bowl floor. A'res swung his leg around and slid off his dragon's shoulder, landing with a thump, and slapped Wygith's foreleg encouragingly. The big bone launched skyward again without further ado. They both ignored the perplexed, indignant, sometimes angry expressions given them by the natives of the Weyr: they both had eyes only for the goldpair. A'res trotted over to where Llaina and the few of her suitors had already begun to gather, worming around the slightly hostile kingriders until he reached Llaina's side. "We're here, like we promised," he said, smiling slightly at the goldrider.

In the air again, Wygith flared his wings to their fullest extent, proudly displaying his superior size and strength to these Northern males. Unless an emerald were to take to the skies, he would easily be the biggest dragon in the air today, and he intended to use that to his advantage. In response to Daisyth's bugle Wygith gave voice to his own cry, but it was as much croon as roar, and it had none of the ferocity the other males' replies did. Dear gold, my Daisyth, I am here. As long as I have breath in my body and wind in my wings I shall follow wherever you lead. It matters not where we came from or what knots Ours wear -- the only thing that matters, dear Daisyth, is that I love you. And as long as you see fit to give this poor bone your regard, I will be here. Always. We have been lonely for too long. Ours have been brokenhearted for far too long. No one should have to endure life's tortures alone. For Mine and for Yours, for you and for myself, I will give everything I have and hope it will carry me through.[/b][/color]

A native bronze surged up behind Wygith with a resentful hiss at the foreigner and tried to ram the bigger dragon, only to find his flank punctured and torn by the razor-sharp spikes terminating Wygith's wingspars. It wasn't an intentional wound, but when one got too close to a flapping wing that was studded with sharp things, lacerations were to be expected. The bronze yelped and dropped back, still glaring daggers at the mere male, but apparently having learned his lesson. Wygith wasn't playing Mister Nice Bone anymore: while he wasn't going to outright attack anyone, he would defend his position in the pack with every trick in his arsenal.
[/size]

[Lyrikitty]

She was not disappointed. As kings filled the air to follow her, their brassy voices mingled with the rest, one creature stood out above them all. His hide unlike any other, and his cry...

In her eyes that was her King, and none other. She cared not if the sky was filled with thousands of hues of Bronze, Black, Topaz, Onyx, Amber, or any other color. Every male on Pern could rise to chase her today, and only one would matter, one Bone who had stolen her very heart and ruined her for any other male. Her heart fluttered in excitement, and she cast a soft look to her Bone, crooning to him alone, before she rolled to the left and into a thermal, sending her soaring higher, and letting her truly begin the Flight.

She knew who she would choose, even though she had only just begun, but she would make sure he proved himself. Not to her, no, for he had done so already, but to the Weyr. No one would be able t contest his winning when he did, for she would make it fair, she would make it worth the while and let him show the world that he was better by far than any king could hope to be.

She dropped out of the thermal early, pulling herself to the right and out into open skies, spreading her wings wide to carry her ahead of the pack and let the beasts see what they were after. So what if no clutch would come of it? She was still a lovely Gold, still worth the attention. Sunlight sparkled on her metallic hide, the small flower-like pattern on her flank glittering. She glanced back for but a moment, wondering if her sudden maneuver out of the thermal would catch any male off guard, hoping that the only one of importance was still behind her and in the lead.

Llaina ignored all the men who gathered, until she heard A'res. She turned quickly, a smile lighting her features, and she reached out to squeeze his hand lightly. "I knew you'd come." She didn't care that many of the native riders of the Weyr shot dirty looks at A'res, or that they muttered amongst themselves about him. She was happy the Bonerider was here, and that he'd made it in time.

[Desert]

One particular bronze hissed resentfully when Wygith appeared out of nowhere to take his place amongst the other challengers. Coppery wings pumping, Zhekalenearth, the bronze Hatched of Eden Weyr, narrowed his wheeling eyes irritably to glare at the intruder. Perhaps he wasn't entirely in a position to object, not being native to Crystal Cavern himself, but he was one of theirs now! His was a Wingleader! And Zhek wasn't about to let some oversized Southern male show him up.

So this Southerner thought he was good enough, did he? Just because he was bigger even than the queen they chased? It rubbed Zhek the wrong way that a foreign male -- not even a king! -- would show himself here. He knew that New Cove had had one of its own victimized just as Daisyth had, but that didn't give this bone any right to poach. Just because Daisyth was sterile now didn't make her any less of a queen, at least in his eyes.

Normally Zhek wouldn't have had the presumption to join a queenFlight, but he felt obliged to participate this time. He saw that the turnout of other kings was quite lackluster compared to Daisyth's previous Flights and it rankled. All these stupid, conceited Northern kings thought that they were too good for a sterile gold...! He would show them. To him, she was still as worthy of respect as she was before, so Zhek had taken to the skies after her to show that.

The big Eastern-bred bronze pulled up behind Wygith, who had used his superior size and wingspan to work his way to the front of the pack, and nipped at the bone's tail. Wygith's tail lashed, but otherwise he ignored the smaller male. Wygith's eyes were for Daisyth and for her only -- he didn't care about any of the competition. He knew that they didn't stand a chance. They didn't know how amazing this golden beauty was -- they took her for granted, when all she deserved was to be loved and treasured by someone. She had given her all for Weyr and bonded, and how did they repay her?

No. They didn't deserve to have such a wonderful creature. She needed someone who could understand, and none of them could ever understand. It was a unique case that he and Daisyth shared, just as did Theirs. It was as if Fate herself had thrown them together. None of these Northern kings could see that, and it would be their downfall.

Wygith was caught off guard when Daisyth pulled out of the thermal, but not for long: he swiftly followed suit, ducking out of the column of rising air with an artful barrel roll. He knew, by the look she'd given his and her soft croon, that this Flight had been his as soon as he'd entered the sky. And he knew, also, that now was his time to prove to the Weyr and to Pern the measure of his love. He would make sure these Northerners saw that he belonged with Daisyth, and that she belonged with him. He would erase the doubt from their minds and then he could be with his beloved uncontested. That was why he was in the air, and he planned to rub it into their faces. He would show off at every turn and make sure that his victory was absolute.

Back on the ground, A'res grinned at Llaina. He was relieved that they'd managed to arrive in time, and he was buoyed by the surge of confidence and conviction from Wygith. He squeezed back, wishing he could take the goldrider into his arms, but knowing that he needed to save it until the moment was right. "We wouldn't miss it for the world," he murmured back sincerely.

[Lyrikitty]

More males rose to the sky it seemed, some unexpected, such as the imported Zhek, others males which had chased her countless times before. She ignored them, just as she ignored their dislike of the Bone who led the pack. Instead, she arched her back, curling to spin 'round and head now straight at her males.

Her path was so that she would skim just above them, and as she passed Wygith she stayed close to him, letting one paw caress his hide and stealing an affectionate lick of his shoulder, before she had to dodge left and right to evade outstretched necks and grasping talons. As she passed over one Bronze she used him to push off, her paws landing on his flank for but a moment as she shoved herself upward, her angle steep as she scrabbled for altitude.

She wasn't sure just how large a mess she'd left behind in the males with her daring trick, though she expected several to collide or at least faulter and drop out, realizing themselves unmatched for the Gold and her suitors.

And indeed, several kings grew tangled, a small Bronze and a pale Topaz fouled their wings, colliding with two others and causing more still to move swiftly for risk of being caught in the mess. Indignant bellows and agitated hisses could be heard as the beasts tried to free themselves, three of them gliding down to the Bowl, their pride hurt and their bodies raging.

Daisyth only knew what happened once she'd found her altitude and leveled off, giving the males a chance to catch up and sort themselves out while she surveyed the damage her stunt had caused. She had no worry that the Bone would be in the mess, for he'd been in the head of it, and able to see her before the others could, but she didn't want any injuries in her Flight, at least none caused by her. She tossed out a croon to them, encouraging them to continue on, urging them to try and catch her as she moved through the skies so effortlessly, as though she were born for it. And indeed she was, in a sense.

Golds were bred to fly, and to do so better than any male which might chase them. It ensured survival of the species, and that only the best were able to mate. She was no dainty Green who was tired out after a few sly tricks and who could not have a say in who caught her, in the end. Only the larger Bronzes and her beloved Wygith stood a chance, and only to Wygith would she willingly concede. She swung lazily back and forth for a moment, zig-zagging through clouds and letting the cool moisture wash over her, pretending that she was the only one in the sky, and no pressure, no challenge, no race, were occurring. A nice thought, nice enough that she added Wygith to this little dream, the rest of the males vanishing entirely from her thoughts as she dove into a large cloud bank, silently daring her Bone to come find her, to come claim her, in a game of hide and seek.

[Desert]

As Daisyth passed overhead and skimmed her paw along his back, dipping her head to lick his shoulder playfully, Wygith arched his back into the caress and crooned. He tilted his head back and closed his teeth gently around her tail, letting it slide through his grasp teasingly. He could have reached up to grab her as she passed, but that would have been spoiling the game. Cutting it short was unfair to the lovely gold -- she needed her chance to shine. Wygith was confident, he would be patient. Let Daisyth have her moment and give him the chance to show this Weyr the sort of mate she deserved to have, then when Daisyth was good and ready, he could claim his prize.

As soon as Daisyth passed him and moved on to tease the other males, Wygith surged upward and pulled above the pack. He'd seen this trick pulled enough to know what would happen -- the tightly-packed males behind him would tangle up into a gridlock and several would probably emerge with minor injuries. It would weed out a number of the unworthy: the slower, weaker; the less determined. Wygith for one refused to be daunted by this tactic and rose above the ensuing confusion to follow the lovely gold up into a cloudbank.

Zhek followed close behind, using his greater size to stay at the front of the pack. He was second only to Wygith, and still indignant over this oversized Southerner's presumption. Also, he had to admit, it irked him that there was a larger male in the running. No emeralds had taken to the sky, so if not for Wygith, Zhek would have been the biggest male in the sky. He intended to give the foreigner a run for his marks, even if it appeared as though the bone's superior size would lend him enough of an advantage to win.

[Lyrikitty]

Wygith and Zhek were both still behind her, and she couldn't help but feel a surge of pride for her clever Bone. How grand it was, to find a creature such as he, so devoted, so determined, so magnificent. How could she have survived so long without him at her side, without him standing beside her, supporting her? How had Hers not sought out the rider of the Bone, drawn by the ties they shared, their similar stories? As rare it was to happen surely word had reached each of the other. But...

Even as that thought crossed her mind the Gold knew the answer. Llaina was a stubborn woman when it suited her, proud and strong, and to admit she might need another, to seek out affection, or greater still a thing which she had claimed for so long not to believe in, that didn't exist. Why? It didn't matter... Because one way or the other, if Llaina wanted to accept or ignore it, Llaina had found it.

The Gold smiled, backwinging to catch herself, and hovering for a moment, before parting her maw to becon the males to her, to call them close to end this glorious Flight as it was meant to be. She did not remain still though, no, instead she once more filled her wings with air and arrowed up at so steep an angel she seemed almost to fly straight up. It was not a maneuver which any dragon, save perhaps a Wildfire, could manage for long. It strained the muscles, wore at them, sapped energy and challenged all but the most fit, the best of the best. ~Whoever reached me first will have me, and my heart, for an eternity and beyond.~ Words spoken for all the males, followed by ones for Wygith alone. ~I have no doubt it will be you, my beloved Bone, and now you can prove to everyone that you are better than the rest of this Weyr. Then, Wygith... Then we can be together, unchallenged.~[/color]

Already she could feel the strain at the base of her wings, as she kept the steep ascent going, working to make sure she had speed and a long lead, before she started to slow, just the faintest bit.

[Desert]

Wygith plunged into the swirling fog of the clouds after Daisyth, only keeping treack of her through gaps in the mist through which he could see flashes of gold. Zhek stayed doggedly on his tail, though the big bronze was surprised by this Southerner's determination. Sure he was bigger than anyone else in the sky, but the way this male was flying, Zhek was almost surprised that he'd tolerated Zhek being so close. Truthfully, Wygith was ignoring Zhekalenearth and everyone else in the air behind him. They mattered not, for they were destined to lose this Flight. This was Daisyth's day and his: their day to find love and to prove it for the whole of Pern.

He saw Daisyth pause and slowed as well, only to rumble a chuckle when, a come-hither cry on her lips, the gold suddenly swerved up and darted higher into the atmosphere. He deepened his wingstrokes and took off after her, squinting into the clouds until they broke out of them and into the open sky. Zhek flapped valiantly after them, but he was left behind by Wygith's bigger, more powerful wings, and dropped out panting for breath. Wygith kept his eyes on the golden beauty and opened his maw to release his own cry: a throaty sound halfway between a croon and a warble, full of all the tenderness and adoration he could possibly put into a mere vocalization.

Daisyth, my very dear, I'm coming. The others are well behind, it is only the two of us now. Lovely gold, how my heart thrills to see you in your element like this! Share this moment with me, dear Daisyth: let us be together, as we should. Let Ours come together as they so desperately need to. I love you, Daisyth. I will be here at your side for as long as the sun casts its glow upon our fair Pern: through Fall, fog and fire, I shall be true.[/b][/color] Powerful beats of his broad wings drew the big bone up close behind Daisyth, so that he could stretch out his neck to nibble at her tail-tip. Here I am, my love -- and here I will stay.[/b][/color]

The other males had been left far behind, most having been weeded out when Daisyth doubled back over her path and caused a pile-up in the pack. The last one to peel off had been Zhekalenearth, who hadn't even climbed out of the cloudbank. The two of them were high above, exposed to Rukbat's rays that warmed the otherwise chilly air at such an altitude. It was fitting that they were so isolated from the rest of the world: just the two of them, alone in body as they were in experience. No other dragon could know what they'd dealt with, and so it was as if they had been made for each other. Only they could understand the other's trials and tribulations. And it wasn't just for themselves that they could rejoice: it was for their riders, lonely for so long, now brought together with one of the few people on Pern who knew their pain. It was like pieces of the puzzle that had been so long astray were clicking into place.

Down on the ground, A'res sensed that the chase was done, and stepped up to Llaina to gather the goldrider into his arms. He pulled her first into a simple embrace -- a comforting, soothing embrace as if to shelter her from the world -- before pulling his head back enough to capture her lips with his.
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[Lyrikitty]

As the last contender fell away, leaving only her and Wygith to the sky, Daisyth crooned, the words the Bone so sweetly spoke snaking through her mind and caressing her heart tenderly. His soft nibbling of her tail sent a delicate shiver coursing her spine, as she slowed, her neck stretching to his as she closed the distance between them, her crimson eyes, stained with traces of brilliant blue in her contentment, wanting nothing more than to be with the Bone, forever and always.

There were no words for her to say to express this want, but she felt no need to voice it. It went unsaid, made true by this very moment. She was his now, and she would follow him to the ends of Pern and back again so long s he wanted her at his side.

She did not fold her wings, to begin the fall, but kept them splayed, filled with air to slow the descent, to stay in this moment for as long as possible.

As arms pulled her close, Llaina nuzzled into the chest of the man she cared so deeply for, smiling, filled with a joy she hadn't known in all her life. Never had she had such a moment of pure, untainted bliss. Every Flight had been dark for her, stained with the memories of her first, of her Magma, and how it had ended. She had never been so utterly lost to the moment as she was now, drowning in a passion which was not just the dragon's, but her own as well, bathed in the comfort of adoration and understanding.

As A'res' lips met hers she returned his kiss eagerly, her arms curling around him to hold him tightly, as though afraid it were naught but a dream, and he'd fade away, taking with him everything she had just come to know. She shook, a terror vaguely clouding her thoughts. What if she lost all of this? What... What if she came to love it all, get used to it all, only for it to be stolen away in the same way it seemed almost every happiness she'd had was?

She broke away, looking into A'res' eyes, almost pleadingly, and whispered, "I don't want to lose you..."

One who had not known the loss these two riders would never understand such a fear, such a worry. It would seem silly, useless, but those who had suffered so knew all too well that when things were good, when everything was perfect, it could leave you. It could break you, destroy you, and leave you with absolutely nothing. Oh how she craved what was dangling before her, a life with A'res... The two of them, leaving the places which brought them pain for somewhere new, making a new home with their dragons, all of them happy, loved and loving. She wanted that more than anything, but she knew all too well that if it disappeared, if it was stolen... It would likely kill her.

It was an irrational fear to those who did not know, but an all too real one for her.

She had opened herself to him, in so many ways, and showed him the side of her she kept locked away from the rest of the world. He knew she ached, he knew she was just as vulnerable as he was, it was why she had stopped to tell him that she didn't want to lose him. She wanted to keep him for an eternity, just as Daisyth wanted to be with her beloved Wygith for so long as she drew breath into her lungs.

[Desert]

Another stroke of Wygith's bone-tipped wings just as Daisyth slowed brought him up even with the golden beauty. He meshed his paws with hers tenderly, both of his wings cupping around her to draw Daisyth close as his tail snaked around to twist with hers. Wygith nuzzled the gold's jaw tenderly before curling his neck around hers. His wings then flared out to their maximum just as their leftover momentum petered out and brought them to the zenith of their climb. Frost formed on Wygith's spikes and the rim of his wingsails, crusting on his backridges in spidery patterns. They hung suspended for a moment, both with wings outstretched, before gravity took over. Their trajectory leveled out, but thanks to having four sets of wings spread to check their progress, they instead went into a glide. The ground was far, far below, giving them all the time in the world for their intimacy.

Back on the ground, someone had had the presence of mind to shepard all the fliers' riders into the Lower Caverns and an empty room made just for Flights. The bondeds of the losers had already filtered out of the room, leaving A'res and Llaina alone just as their dragons had the wide blue sky all to themselves. A'res, still with Llaina in his arms, backed up a few steps until he encountered the bed, then sat on the edge. Sensing the goldrider's trepidation and seeing the plaintive gleam in her eyes, A'res soothingly stroked his hands over her face. "Llaina, dearest, I'm not going anywhere," he said firmly. "Not now. I'm right here, and I always will be. As long as there's life in me I'll stay right here by your side. I love you -- nothing is about to change that."

He understood her concern, oh yes. He understood it acutely. Even after everything that had happened since Lenarth's death, even though he may have seemed more stable and composed, the wound was still there. He still felt the compulsion to cling to everything he held dear for fear of losing it like he did his beloved green. Llaina mightn't have seen it yet, but he felt exactly the same. he only choked back the fear for her sake -- he knew he had to be strong. Someone had to be the rock of sanity for her, like Wygith had been for him.

A'res pulled Llaina close to him again, pressing his lips tenderly to hers. This was no rush of dragon-frenzy. No, he was going to take his time and be as gentle as she deserved. He knew that, as loud as most queenFlights got, often enough the riders were engulfed in their beasts' minds, and bruises sometimes resulted. He didn't want that -- he wanted this to be memorable for both of them. The first Flight that Daisyth flew with only herself and Hers in mind; the first one that wasn't tinged with anxiety or pain for Llaina. The first one that he and Wygith flew for more than just sexual release. Pulling back just enough to free his lips, A'res murmured, "I love you." Three simple words, but he said them with as much sincerity as he could muster. All A'res wanted to do was to just forget the world -- forget all his troubles, and make all of hers go away as well, so that they could be together in peace. Didn't everyone deserve a measure of happiness that way?

[Lyrikitty]

Their tangled fall was blissful heaven, a sweet and pure thing hich was untainted by the drive for power and position, for rank and for honor. The Bone had not come all this way for a Queen Flight, he had come for her, and that alone made him all she could ever want. He cared not for the color of her hide but instead for the color of her heart, and with his warm body pressed against her's, the Gold could feel perfection.. She had flown as high as she could, had pushed even her own body to new limits, to attain this prize, this moment. Time to be entwined with Wygyth for as long as possible. It was almost a shame though, that she was now sterile, for such a Flight would have indeen produced a fine clutch, one worthy of a color far greater than she. It didn't matter though, for she had given up her abilities as a Gold, had them stolen from her, but in return a gift far greater was given. Happiness and love had taken the place of all else, and for the first time in her existance she felt not the stained emotions, held back, of the rider who had lost another, she felt not the blind lust of a foolish king who wanted only to mate and reign. No, she felt a sweeter thing which she cherished.

Th Gold's eyes closed, savoring every second of their fall, long as it was, and found herself wondering if this was what it was like for the rest of Pern's females, the ones not bred for Queen-rank but for firestone instead. Did the Ruby find such pleasure when males fawned over her, did she take as much joy when she was caught finally? What of the Green, or the Silver? Her heart raced as wind caressed her body, as they met with the coulds and the cold chill of the formations dampened her glistening hide with dropletts of moisture.

Never did she even think to pull her wings even an inch closer to her body, not wanting to lose even a second of this moment. It was as if only they existed, and below all of Pern spread out for them, a glorious display of pure, untainted beauty. She imagined that from this height, and this perspective, even Black Sands Weyr would be a beautiful thing to look at.

Then again that dark Weyr was a beautiful place, in appearance.

A'res' reassurances were taken gratefully, his embrace returned as she clung to him, his lips, as they met her's, tenderly taken by her own in sweet kiss. More than the reassurance he gave, more even than the feelings he invoked i her, feelings which she had up to this point refused to believe even existed, the three simple words he murmured as he pulled away from her just a fraction caused her to melt. The woman, known for her proud and regal bearing, for her strength and leadership abilities, for having no confusion in matters with the silly thing called love to blame, felt herself falling madly.

Before it had been attraction, a deep one yes but still nothing more. She liked him. He was handsome, they shared many things in their lives, and more importantly he had seen her at her weakest. He'd seen her on the sandy Southern beach weeping, and he'd not laughed, he'd not scoffed or mocked her, or even rejected her. He had helped her. She trembled in his arms, before she dipped her head, her lips pressed against his neck as she whispered words she'd never thought she'd say to anyone but Daisyth. "I am your's." With that, she kissed his neck softly, trailing lighter kisses up and along his jaw line, finally reaching his lips again to offer a passionate kiss, not one fueled by dragonlust but one of her own passion for the man, her own heart-felt desires and emotion, and the steadily growing devotion to him which would bind her to his side for so long as he would have her.

[Desert]

A'res' heart gave a lurch and a squeeze as Llaina's soft lips trailed up the side of his throat before pressing against his. His body burned and his mind was still meshed with his dragon's as the bone glided, still entwined with Daisyth, through the sky above. Still he controlled the lust singing through his veins, for the last thing he wanted was to be too rough or hurried. This was too precious a moment to let hormones get the better of them. So it was slowly and gently that A'res deepened the kiss, pulling the goldrider closer to him and encircling her with his arms. "I love you," he purred again. There was nothing else that needed to be said, for those three simple words said everything.

Wind sang briskly through Wygith's outstretched wings. Not once had their span retracted any closer to his body. No, the bone-tipped expanse of filmy membrane remained spread to their fullest extend. They overlapped Daisyth's golden wings and made them vaguely resemble an old Terran biplane. Both sets of wings held them up and kept their glide in check; neither of them wanted this surreal moment to end quickly.

Eyes half-lidded from bliss - that he felt himself and the echoes from his rider's mind as well - Wygith clutched Daisyth even closer to his body and released a soft croon. The ground was approaching, no matter how much he wished they could hang suspended forever, two odd-colored clouds floating through the upper atmosphere. As the ground drew close, Wygith reluctantly uncoiled himself from around Daisyth and cupped his wings, filling them with air which he then threw down toward the ground, checking his descent. He still stayed close to Daisyth as the gold got her wings under her, and they flapped together back to the Weyr. He landed on the weyr ledge next to her and promptly curled his tail around her haunches, draping a wing over her shoulders.

Inside the weyr, their riders had also reached the peak of bliss and ridden out the ensuing wave of contentment. A'res remained curled against Llaina as he basked in the afterglow, his face pressed into her hair. A small smile remained playing about his lips; he lightly pressed a kiss onto the hinge of her jaw and sighed happily. If there was anything that could ruin this moment, he wished it away and trusted his bonded to rebuff any outside influence that could burst this bubble of euphoria that had them in its embrace.

ooc; wow that was kinda crap... gurgh. sorry.

[Lyrikitty]

Daisyth returned to the Weyr with her mate, with admitted reluctance. She orely wished she could find a way to suspend herself and Wygith for an eternity together. But even as she settled to the ledge and the Bone curled his tail around her, his wing draping over her in a blanket of warmth, a new idea was growing in her mind which swiftly erased her sorrow at returning to the ground. This could, and hopefully would, happen again. The next tmie she Rose, and the time after that as well... She wasfree now, truly. There was no turning back for the Gold now that she'd tasted what life without burden was. She nuzzled the big Bone's neck, a vibration of bliss rippling in her throat.

Not only did she have freedom, but she had something infinitly more valuable. She had Wygith.

Llaina too felt something similar as she lay in the Weyr, snuggled against a man who loved her, and who -much as she faultered to even think the word- she realized she loved in return. Unlike the Gold though, Llaina was in a half-awake state, a pleasent place where she was neither here nor there, and the only thing that mattered was this very moment of pure, untainted perfection. Her mind briefly reached out to touch Daisyth's, happy to find the Gold thinking on all the wonderful opportunities that awaited them.

The woman considered trying to rouse herself enough to move, but found the best she could manage was a soft, contented sigh and a turn of the head to look at A'res. How did he come into her life so swiftly, and change it all? What were the odds of having fled her own home to a Southern beach, and stumbling across a man who had suffered a life similar to her own, a man who could first help her crawl over the mountains of pain and then open her eyes to something she had long ago decided didn't exist?

She had once told him, her eyes wet with tears, that she wanted to see the world as it was again. She had said she wanted to be happy, she wanted to see color, and... Most importantly she wanted to look at Daisyth without seeing the ghost of a Magma looking over the Gold's shoulder as if to warn her, to remind her. Her dreamy, contented state slipped away from a moment, her eyes flickering in the direction of the dragons. Not once today had she feared for Daisyth's life. Not once had she silently prayed for no ill to come. She didn't feel sick, or terrified. She felt guilty, and her eyes darkened momentarily.

It didn't last, for almost instantly, she could hear what the sweet Magma would have to say about her feelings of guilt, and Llaina closed her eyes as the voice whispered silently to her, the concoction of her mind mimicking the sound of the Magma's own chords. You haven't forgotten me, I know it. You've grown, you've moved on like I always wanted you to. No tears for me, for I was not meant to be. Rejoice, and live. Think of me only fondly, and do not worry of what's to come or what has past. Today is a gift. A smile slowly crept onto her lips, and her lips moved to form two words with no sound to carry them. Thank you. Who exactly she thanked, she was unsure, but she rolled to face A'res and lifted a hand to stroked the fingers lightly across his cheek, eyes betraying her silent adoration of him. That phantom voice was right.

Through the Flight and all that happened there were three words she had wanted to say, but which she'd been afraid to. She'd told him she was his. She'd said many things which could be taken as another way of saying what she wanted to, but she'd held back. She often lost those she loved, and to admit that she cared so deeply for him meant it was possible he'd leave. Suddenly though, with thoughts of how her dear MAgma would have advised her, and with thoughts of what Daisyth felt this very moment, llaina was willing to go out on that limb for him. For all of them. 'A'res..." She pausd, her voice just a whisper. "I love you."