A Queen Rises

Ordinarily Truth was not a disdainful dragon.

Ordinarily, he was not a blooding bronze caught in the simmering anticipation of a rising queen.  He caught himself a third fat bull around the throat, drinking the creature dry like a vampire before tossing its carcass aside, dry pickings for the lesser dragons who were inclined to scavenge the mating kills.  Three should do it.  Three bulls should be enough fuel.  Truth leapt into the air, out of the pen of terrorized cattle and leisurely found a thermal that supported his weight.

The great gleaming bronze might have seemed vulture-like, circling, but it gave him a decent vantage point from which to observe Oroveth.  Would it prove to be a tactical advantage when the newly maturing queen finally launched herself into the air?  Well, this here was what you could call an experiment.  He'd never know if he never tried.

Sure, sure, it was more common to start on the ground with the rest of the bronzes, but Truth was more like his rider than anyone really gave him credit for.  He could be ruthless, opportunistic, and this here was war.  He was going to use every advantage, real or perceived, against his enemies until they were all eliminated.

Blame Aletha, blame the mating hormones, maybe both.

Truth was starting this mating chase from the sky.

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To be clear, he's not actually circling *over* Oroveth. He's over the bronzes. But he has a better view than they do from the sky. He also stands a chance of actually getting hit when the gents all launch.

Oroveth barred her teeth at her suitors, displaying a contempt that was utterly against her usual personality at their audacity to think they could catch her.


Blame the hormones.


She eyed up those who were there, including the one who thought himself so clever by hovering overhead, then abruptly leapt down into the pen. Herdbeasts scattered in a panic, but two were unlucky and died under her claws to be borne back aloft to her perch. Down came the angular golden head and she drained one, then the other. Down on the ground by the pen Anari gritted her teeth as she mentally worked to control Oroveth's urge to eat.


As she drank her fill, Oroveth kept her head bowed, wings partially folding around her as if to guard her kills from her suitors.

A feint! She suddenly threw her wings wide and launched herself into the air with a screech of challenge and a tight spiral, exulting in any she managed to startle and already pushing for height, soon becoming little more than a golden dot in the sky as she flared her wings.


Anari sighed; she'd done her part. Oroveth could handle the rest. Turning she headed inside with an inviting gesture to any riders who'd been nearby. She'd asked the kitchen workers to have some food ant drinks prepared for herself and guests. Just to give those waiting some refreshment and company if they wanted it.


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Ok, the Chase is on!


Now for this Chase I'm going to set a task for everyone each round. All you have to do is complete it. Remember, no powerplaying or godmoding please.


This round's objective: Let me see a Grand and interesting launch!

Any who want may RP with Anari in her Weyr; there's a table with food and drink laid out.

Truth was already in the sky when Oroveth launched herself in the air. What was needed from him right now was not a launch of his own -- he'd done that already -- but a spectacular dive.

The bronze angled his wings and raced toward the planet's surface at breakneck speed before pulling up, utilizing the added velocity to slingshot himself to a higher altitude, catching up closer to Oroveth in the process. Not quite close enough to catch yet, but catching her too soon would be no fun. He was a bronze. He had to show off a little. He even did a barrel roll in flight to catch her attention...all without crashing into Vorgath.

Agility was usually for the lower ranks of dragons, blues and greens in particular. For a gold to be pushing it like this was...a grand gesture. Also haughty and full of hubris, but she was rising and Truth was not in a place to judge her -- that was Aletha, from her perspective somewhere in the back of Truth's mind.

Truth, for his part, dived down and barrel-rolled between pillars, tucking his wings in around turns and flapping only when the canyon opened up again. And then, deciding that this was a losing maneuver, he shot back into the air for another spectacular dive, the sun glinting off of his bronze hide. This time he thought to accelerate ahead of Oroveth, except by coming in underneath her, pushing her to either fly faster or pull up hard.

Tactics. Bronze was using tactics. He maaaaaaay or may not have been listening to his rider's suggestions.

Oroveth stole a glance behind her, taking in the deeds of her suitors and duly pleased. Though her Chase was small she'd encouraged a trio of good ones, strong, clever, and quick in their own rights. She wasn't even insulted by there being a white among the mix; surely that spoke to his guts if nothing else, to challenge a bronze and a red for the right to be her mate.

She could only spare that quick glance as the columns were too sporadic to allow greater time. Therefore she heard more than saw one of her pursuers break free of the ravine and take once more to the air. Probably not the white – why would he give up the one moment when he actually held a bit of an advantage over the others? So therefore either the red or the bronze, and given the bronze had started the chase in the sky it seemed likely he was trying the same move again. Briefly the saw a shadow beneath gaining on her – yep, bronze – and prepared to break clear herself with a might beat of her wings. Her next section was going to be tricky on them, a geyser field if the IF hadn't interfered...

A new, loud roar interrupted her thoughts and a flash of heavily-scaled red flashed across the far end of the ravine. A fully Wild Red, just about a bit smaller than she was herself, fled from where he'd seemingly been sheltering and with nostrils flaring in the wind, picking up her mating-ready scent, launched himself towards her! Oroveth screamed in rage at the intrusion to her rising, how dare he! Though overall she wasn't being picky she did not want him!

And he completely didn't care.

Nor did he care about her state of health it seemed as even as Truth prepared for his dive and Oroveth fought against her own size to change direction from what was otherwise going to be a painful, and potentially costly, head-on collision with the Wild Red, the Wild Red drew in a breath to unleash his fire on her looking to burn her and force her to land where he could pounce! It would be all the gold could do to avoid either breath or claws; the other was likely to get her!

Back at the Weyr, Anari sensed what was happening and mid-conversation slammed a fist onto the table before her, but there was nothing she could do.

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Suitors! An intruder has crashed the flight and is threatening the Queen! You have time for ONE action – what is it?

This will be the final round; after this I will decide, likely by random number with variables depending on all actions performed in the Chase. Good Luck!