Gold Flitter Flight - Sulee - NPC

[Sher]

01.03.3189

Primbel was busily working on chiseling the rough edges from a doorway in the Weyrling barracks. The echoing emptiness of the place was eerie, and the middle-aged stonesmith was trying to ignore the tingles running down his spine. His gold firelizard, Sulee, flashed in from between, chittering angrily at him.

"I'm not done yet," Primbel told her indulgently. She was so lovely. His most prized possession, without a doubt, and the closest thing a guy like him would ever get to knowing what it was like to have a dragon. Not that he envied riders the necessity of oiling a hide that size!

Sulee hovered over his head, appearing to study the doorway. She sneezed, and chittered again, more conversationally. A quick backward loop, and the flit disappeared between again. The stonesmith just chuckled. She really thought she could talk sometimes. Well, she always came when he called, so he wasn't too concerned with her staying gone while he worked. It was normal, nothing out of the ordinary.

Except that the serpentine flitter's bright hide was beginning to take a tell-tale glow; one that Primbel hadn't noticed.

She was about to Rise.

The aging queen burst into the Living Caverns and shrilled piercingly, cutting through the din of quiet conversation of the evening. Where were her males? Who would answer the call and give chase?

Sulee didn't wait to find out. She flicked between again, to a position above the river, where she shot down like a shining golden arrow to pluck a fish from the water. The males would come, and she would be ready. Her pale cream wingsails seemed all but translucent as she mantled them around her prey, sating her appetite while a snarl frothed on her lips and crimson swirled through her eyes. Oh, yes. They would come.

----------------------------------------

((OOC: All right. Since this is a fully NPC event, you can play any male firelizard you want, be they wild or belonging to an NPC. There will be a clutch resulting from this flight. Participants will be given a number:

1 = NPC Bronze Pepper (Lioness)
2 = NPC Bronze Rok (Franny)
3 = NPC Brown Kal (Lioness)
4 = NPC Bronze Eryliq (Ambigious)
5 = NPC Color Name (Player)
6...
7...

The males may all post in the first (current; introductory) and second (next) round. The third round, one male firelizard will be eliminated from the running on this thread on GaiaOnline in a transparent and fair way. The fourth round, another will be eliminated. And so forth until only one remains, which will be the clutch-father.

[Lioness]

It was cold outside, very cold. With a huff and a sigh, the bronze flitter rearranged himself in his little den inside a tree-trunk, wishing for summer. He didn’t want to go out at all, for his body had warmed the cavity in the trunk somewhat and he knew that his discomfort would be worse if he left it, But then again, his muscles were growing cramped in this little space and he longed to stretch out his wings again. He raised his head and peered out to gaze at the snowy landscape before him. For a few moments he deliberated with himself, then finally he made his decision; he bunched his hind legs beneath him and pushed himself out, spreading his wings as he did so to catch the supportive air.

As he was neither hungry nor thirsty, he paid little attention to the air currents, and soon he found his nostrils full of the scent of man. The scent was sweetly familiar, putting the little bronze in mind of happier days. A series of memories flashed through his thoughts. The affectionate voice of his Bonded, who had fed him his first meal, the warmth of his Bonded’s hand as he rubbed oil into his skin, the softness of his cloth-filled nest at the end of his Bonded’s bed - all of it came flooding back. If only his Bonded had not perished; the bronze, Pepper, for he’d suddenly recalled his own name, could still remember the shock of the sudden absence in his mind as the mental bond was severed by death.

This thought dulled Pepper’s good mood, but then he felt something in the air that distracted him. No, it wasn’t in the air, it was an atmosphere, something he detected with his mind, not his nose, and this sensation too, was familiar; a queen was preparing to fly. Excited, he scanned the area, and finally saw a glint of shimmering gold near the river. Finally leaving the wind that carried him here, he flapped until he was hovering a short distance above the queen. As he had fed only the day before and was completely fresh, having had to expend next to no energy on his way there, he did not bother hunting. Instead he called out to the queen, a throaty bugle, announcing his presence and his readiness to prove himself a worthy mate.

[franny]

Rok was a wild male bronze, and the co-leader of his fair. He flew beside his gold, and he almost always caught her, but sometimes other bronzes would catch her, and he wouldn't be the leader anymore.

The last flight hadn't one how he planned, and a stupid bronze had caught his gold. He was so upset this time, that he had left his fair to find a more faithful gold, a gold who knew how to pick a bronze. The new gold's call had convinced him. With a flash he was between and following the challenge of the gold.

He was a smaller bronze, but he was smart, and he was fast. There was only one other contender so far, and Rok felt like he had the advantage. Of course he had the advantage, he was better than any other bronze, he was the best!

Rok rocketed through the cold air to come to the queen. Already he was showing off. Flipping between he came out ready to chase. He a wild bronze, and he was going to show this gold just what that meant.

[Sher]

Sulee hunkered over her fish as she noisily crunched the bones. Swirling red eyes gleamed as her head snapped up to leer at the first male to answer her challenge. He hovered, waiting with rare courtesy.

As it should be.

The gold let him wait, relishing the fire of lust flowing alongside the ichor in her veins, looking up once more as the second fellow came from between. She sized them up with her inner lids half-shut. Two. There were two, and her patience was rapidly thinning. If there were others, they would simply have to catch up or join late!

She left the tail laying on the frigid ground and leaped into flight, a fierce noise somewhere between a whistle and a croon sounding from her throat as she shot under Pepper and made for the open sky in a rapid sprint. The chill air made ascent more difficult, but here she was in her element. Her flair for the dramatic surfaced and she flicked between, the movement purely taunting as she reappeared only a little above where she'd started from. Was it cheating? Probably, but Sulee didn't care one bit.

The urge to breed a strong clutch meant she would prolong this as much as possible, would permit only the most qualified male to Catch her. If one outwitted her, well, that would suit her just fine. Elsewise, it would be the one she fancied. The fastest, the most enduring, the most handsome? Time would tell.

Now she was high above the trees, striving almost straight upward where the air was even thinner, her shimmering body not yet betraying a single hint of the weariness soon to come. Sulee was getting on in Turns, just at the trailing edge of her prime, but she would not demand more from the males chasing her than she was willing to perform herself. She continued driving ever higher, permitting herself a look behind her to see how the two bronzes were keeping up...

((OOC: Unless any other challengers show up, the next round will pretty much decide the flight. If either of you want to toss in another male, feel free!))

[Lioness]

Pepper’s head snapped around as he felt another presence appear from Between, and he felt a spike of anger as he saw another male. No, this was his gold, his! He relaxed once he’d had a good look at his competitor; that other bronze was distinctly smaller than him. With a contemptuous croak he called out mockingly, but he paid for his arrogance because Pepper was so busy that he didn’t notice the queen suddenly take off and dart underneath him. He scrabbled at the air for a moment, then got his bearings and flapped mightily after her.

From then on, it became like any other flight Pepper had been in. It was all about the conserving ones energies until it was time to make your move, and so, unlike either his goal or his competitor, he didn’t bother with silly acrobatics. He was a bit perturbed when she suddenly disappeared Between, fearing for a moment that she’d gone for good, but no, there she was, close to where she’d started from. With a renewed surge Pepper flapped on hard, trying to keep close to her.

As the queen rose in a near-vertical climb, Pepper turned to upwards to follow her. Ideally he would get above her and then drop down to catch her when she didn’t expect it. It might be bad manners, but in a mating flight where only the best got to pass on his genes, it was worth it.

---

I’ll add another in for a bit of fun.

Pepper and Rok weren’t the only males to have heard Sulee’s call; there was a middle-sized brown, his hide a dark chocolaty colour, who was striving to join the chase, but things just seemed to be getting in the way. His Bonded was a young girl who loved nothing more than hugging her beloved Kal to her chest as she slept, and she had a tendency to roll over in the night ‘til she was practically on top of him. She had a strong grip and slept like the grave, and Kal had spent the last several minutes trying to fight his way out. The girl snorted occasionally, half-roused by her pet's antics, and would only cling tighter for comfort, frustrating the brown's efforts.

Finally he managed to tug his tail out from under her arm and was free, if a little worse for where. Without so much as looking at his Bonded, with whom he was usually very affectionate and would have abandoned for no other cause, he took off and flicked Between, Reappearing high above the river, from whence he’d heard the call. To his dismay, the flight was already underway, with two bronzes already chasing. Kal didn’t recognise either of the other males, which meant they weren’t from the Weyr. Sulee, of course, he’d seen around. In fact he’d chased her before, but had never caught her.

Ignoring the other males, Kal turned upwards after the queen, calling out his presence to her. He was a simple sort of flier; he kept up with the female for as long as he could, and if she came within reach of his claws, he would grab her. He hoped she would favour a male she was familiar with overrather than these two strangers, even if they were of a higher rank than him. Aware that bronzes sometimes picked on browns during gold flights, Kal kept his head down and didn't call a challenge to the other males. They could see him there, they could see what he was trying to do, and that was challenge enough

[ambigious]

[ooc: is it too late to join? if so, then I'll just edit my post ]

Rukbat's rays beat down on a bronze firelizard who lounged, at his ease, on a rock near the river. His large, thin pinions were extended on either side of him to soak up the rays, and a contented rumble vibrated through his broad chest. This was definitely a day of days. His most recent satisfaction came from a Queen that he had recently caught (and by recently he of course meant more than a fortnight ago, but his little firelizard brain couldn't grasp that) and a hardy meal that he'd caught earlier. Yes, it was definitely a good day.

The sun glinted off his ruddy bronze hide as he shifted, almost appearing copper in color, with a sigh. What else could make this day better?

Abruptly a sharp trill caught his attention, and an instant reaction occurred in the bronze. A thrill of anticipation ran through his system, causing his hear to race and his whirling eyes to flash open. That was the call of a Queen! The bronze, Eryliq, he was called, lifted his wedge shaped head just in time to spot the Queen dive upon a fish. Eryliq immediately roused himself into a sitting position, his eyes beginning to whirl lustily as he flared his wings. He had had time to relax and eat, so he would surely chase! With another cry the Queen took to the air, and abruptly three other bronze firelizards appeared in the air to chase her.

A posessive hiss exploded in the air as Eryliq reared up on his hind legs, beating at the air with his wings in a show of dominance. How dare they chase after his Queen! A moment later Sulee discarded her fish, and as she did Eryliq finally revealed himself, giving a swift downward thrust of his wings to propel himself into the air. He opened his maw to release a bugle as he gazed at Sulee, the beauty, the prize, the magnificent.

When she shot past the other bronze Eryliq chortled, and immediately dove after her. He crooned to her to alert her to his presence, and to let her know that he would not waver in his dedication. His wings beat swiftly through the air as they soared higher and higher, and in an effort to catch her attention he did a barrel roll so that he was spiraling through the air after her. Yet once he leveled out and glanced over at Sulee, he noticed the way that Rukbat caught her scales and caused them to glow, and for a second he was awed. He croond his admiration to her, now following her in rapture. Such speed! Such beauty! He continued to soar towards her, attempting with each mighty stroke of his wings to put himself above his competition. Eryliq didn't even bother looking behind him to see how the others were doing. He only looked foward, and had eyes only for Sulee.

[ooc: I am a cheeseball haha X3]

[Sher]

First elimination (starting round three):

1 = NPC Bronze Pepper (Lioness)
= NPC Bronze Rok (Franny)
2 = NPC Brown Kal (Lioness)
3 = NPC Bronze Eryliq (Ambigious)

Players of these males are encouraged to post what happened to them ICly, but it isn't required. ^_~ Should we make the next round a double elimination?

---

Sulee was feeling a lot better now that she had seen there were four males chasing her. That was more like it! And so what if one was a brown- his audacity in joining the chase was something the gold appreciated. All four of the males had called out to her, their wanting echoing her own, each with their own magnetism. Eryliq's barrel roll pleased her, but so did Pepper's quick recovery from her little trick. And Rok -

Where was Rok?

For a moment Sulee felt disappointment that the wild bronze was nowhere to be seen, but her spirit soon picked up again as she felt the first twinges of weariness in her complaining wing-shoulders. So her flight leveled out into a glide, as she rested for a few hard-won moments. She glanced back, full of confidence- and saw to her dismay that they were too close. They'd forced her hand! She dipped her wing down abruptly, turning in a tight maneuver and stooping down in a dive so intense she had to shut her inner eyelids.

She was headed down right into the forest, where tangles of branches and limbs would add an exciting element of danger to the chase. A thrill of mingled daring and lust swelled in her, so sweetly she shrieked out for the sheer joy of it all.

Sulee's wings stretched out again, and she skimmed over one tree top just to angle herself down and swoop into another one. Would they follow? Would they dare? She fiercely hoped so, as she wove over, then under, then between the limbs, ignoring the reminders of her advancing age as her wing-shoulders began to ache again.

[Sher]

Second elimination (starting round four):

NPC Bronze Pepper (Lioness)
1 = NPC Brown Kal (Lioness)
2 = NPC Bronze Eryliq (Ambigious)

Players are encouraged to post what happened to the males ICly, but it isn't required. ^_~ Next round is the last.

---

Sulee's brazenness was paying off; there had been four chasers, but now there were only two. Of course there was a price to pay. Holding her wings open like this, angling herself to fit into the narrow spaces in the trees, keeping the sharpest of focus by sheer force of primal will- it could not last.

The aging gold shrieked in pain as she misjudged the distance between two branches and gouged her left wingsail, nearest to her body, on a roughly broken stub from last winter's storms. The shriek became a keen as ichor spilled from the wound, and she dropped even closer to the ground, where the only obstacles were the trunks of the trees. It was harder to fly now than before, because the urge to spin around and end it, to choose a suitor, was almost as strong as the pain. The gold's wingbeats were weaker and fewer, unwillingly giving the males remaining a chance to gain on her.

It was clear she couldn't last much longer. Ignoring the aches of an old joint was much different than trying to put aside the clamor of agony. She would choose. But which...?

Would it be dark Kal, the persistent brown... or the openly-admiring bronze Eryliq...?

[Sher]

1 = NPC Brown Kal (Lioness)
2 = NPC Bronze Eryliq (Ambigious)

Winner: Bronze Eryliq!

I'm going to skip on the sordid details. Egg rolls have already been made (lol) though I sort of ended up deleting a crap ton of them; I'm not as satisfied with the random number system on Gaia as what I hoped to be. So I think when it comes to the contents of eggs, I'll just do it the old fashioned way and straight up pick what I want to see come out of them. The only eggs that will be rolled for, content-wise, will be the Completely Randomized variety.