Let's dance {Liliph's Flight}

[Lan]

The day was coming to a close and so came the time Fe'ra was planning to get ready for her night watch in Itnala. It had been a relatively boring day, as the Hatching and the Feast were long behind them and ordinary routine had set in. Of course, ordinary routine for Fe'ra and Liliph wasn't quite so ordinary. Liliph usually spent most of the day that she wasn't sleeping through off with other simourvs while Fe'ra explored on foot the canyon around. But today had been a bit different. Liliph hadn't wanted to socialize with any of her friends, and instead had been rather odd all day. She stayed mainly cooped up on her ledge, repeating old gossip to Fe'ra but otherwise not saying anything. She had been... quiet. The greenrider couldn't remember the simourv being that quiet pretty much ever.

'Do you think they'll find me beautiful?' Liliph asked Fe'ra as she was preparing herself for her assigned watch. It was an odd question. Usually Liliph was rather sure of her being a beautiful and social green. Her rider paused half-way putting her tunic on.

'What do you mean, Lil?'

There was no answer. Only hunger. Fe'ra pulled her tunic down hastily and clutched her hand to her stomach. Hungry? She had just ate. Her ability to digest food wasn't that fast. The greenrider ignored it, slamming her feet into her boots before walking out to check on her feathered friend. Liliph's feathers seemed to be standing on end and her sharp eyes were directed toward the feeding pens with a fierce gaze. Well, that was odd. A bit too odd for normalcy. Liliph wasn't usually fierce and even less frequently was she taciturn. Suddenly a wave of physical desire swelled over her, hitting her hard in her stomach like a brick wall. Shortly after the green simourv leapt from her ledge to scour the feeding pen to fill her ravenous hunger.

Oh... Liliph is flying. The thought came to Fe'ra without fear or annoyance, although some anxiety still lingered. How could it not? With all the desires of a fully adult simourv in heat channeling through her body, tensions amounted as if folding over itself again and again. Each wave hit her like a moody ocean as hunger and sensual desires filled her every muscle and pore. But, having gone through this before, she retained at least some part of herself. First things first... she needed to get off the ledge! Sluggish, but moving steadily, the blond drifted back toward her chamber and slowly kicked off her shoes. With where Liliph was taking them both, she wouldn't be needing them. Slowly her eyling would fill with riders as the sky was filled with Liliph's suitors. She sighed. Her last logical thought was that she hoped someone else could be found to cover her watch.

Liliph pounced upon the nearest sheep and quickly stripped it of its wool and flesh. Hot blood trickled down her throat as she made quick work to snapping into the creature's jugular. It was a warming, tickling sensation, but it did nothing to ease her painful desires. Quickly, she hopped to the next sheep, making the same work of it as she had the last. Only then was her hunger satisfied... but her drive was not. There was still that all-consuming fire that tore at her from her very core. Rearing up on her hind claws, she gave a shrill call that echoed sharply around the Eyrie. Males should come! Males should give chase! Liliph was flying and she would not be denied!

As soon as she was done issuing her challenge she shot off into the sky, green feathered wings beating with determination that accelerated her to great speed through the air over the canyon. Proudly, she did a roll and proceeded to show off with tricks and ostentatious bouts of her agility. With the way she was acting, it was bound to be a short flight... but that same pride gave her stamina and she would last long enough before any silly male could catch her! They would have to dance for her, and she would choose only her favoritist of them all!

[Kat]

Wegmeph circled the feeding pen lazily. He was being particularly difficult today, both because he seemed to be in a terrible mood, and because he was not performing well, as if his temperamental moodiness prevented his ability to be useful. Normally, Wegmeph felt the need to be very thorough, but over the past few days, the simourv had be a bit apathetic. Wegmeph dived from the air, falling onto a limping goat in the feeding pens. The goat was a decent size, certainly not the biggest, but Ros’n understood that its injured leg made it a prime target for slaughter. Once the goat laid limp in Wegmeph’s beak, after he crushed the body with the force of his jaw. The goat’s bones cracked, and the creature gave one small squealing sound before it stiffened and drooped, dead. Ros’n watched the carnage with interest, as she had seen the likes of the situation before, and as grim as it sounded, she enjoyed watching Wegmeph kill. He was a great killer, an accomplished killer, with the innate ability to destroy and take life with grace and speed.

Watching Wegmeph, Ros’n felt a small swell of pride, even though she was finding the beast exacerbating recently. Wegmeph dropped the goat on the ground. It fell in a small, awkward pile of broken bones and limp skin. He ripped into the creature’s flesh, only able to make an incomplete gash in its flesh, so he lifted the carcass and shook his head, flaying the goat. A hunk of flesh tore from the goat’s body. The goat flew a few feet and landed in a gory pile of fur, flesh, and blood. Wegmeph, with that one hole in the animal, now slid his beak into the gash, and began to eat the goat from the inside, ripping off pieces of warm flesh. But then, Liliph swept down and began to feed, and Wegmeph’s attention was torn away from his meal. He watched the green simourv with bright, yellow eyes, and at first, Ros’n was confused. She could not understand why Wegmeph watched Liliph so intently, why he was so drawn to her. He had never been particularly found of Liliph, at least, not like this. The blue begrudgingly enjoyed the company of Liliph, who he thought talked too much and was too energetic. Ros’n liked Fe’ra, a lot, so Wegmeph tolerated Liliph, and any attachment he felt towards the other simourv was attachment grown because she was always around him. Now, though, he was so focused on Liliph that his eyes followed her every movement. Ros’n began to walk towards Fe’ra, so she could chat with the other woman and figure out what was happening, before the green lept into the air, and Ros’n was consumed with a desire which made her shake.

Once Ros’n suppressed the passion, the urge, which ate away at her stomach, she managed to place the pieces together, to figure out what was happening. Liliph was flying, and Wegmeph was about to give chase. Blinded by a longing desire, Ros’n followed Fe’ra, because she did not know what else to do, barely noticing where they traveled. Wegmeph shrieked, tilting his head back and calling into the air, bugling his want and his need and his passion into the wind, before he launched his body into the air after Liliph. Liliph was smaller and faster, but Wegmeph was strong. He was powerful, and his thick wings pounded the air to accelerate him towards his emerald goal. He was going to catch her. He wanted her. He wanted Liliph. He may have failed to catch Valenph last month, but Wegmeph had not wanted that green as much as he wanted this one. Perhaps the attraction Ros’n felt towards Fe’ra, which she did a great job of ignoring and preventing, for the most part, spurned Wegmeph’s desire, or maybe the blue liked the little green more than he would admit, but he wanted her now. He screamed again, a powerful, furious sound, as he darted behind Liliph. A thick streak of light blue feathers following the green blur.

[Fox]

They had gotten back from their rotation late, sighting Eyrie just as the sun began to dip beyond the horizon. Both rider and simourv were tired, and the silence that existed between them was a clear mark to that effect. Normally, silence was an alien thing between them; the two were in almost constant conversation, lively and sarcastic that conversation might be, unless they were talking to someone else. Even then, it wasn't completely unknown for the one to be aware, in a little corner of their mind, of the conversation of the other. But now, K'ean had to stifle a yawn as the pair alighted on the ledge of their eyling, and Seronaph mantled his wings, hissing tiredly. The red stalked into the shade and then lowered himself ponderously to the ground, barely stopping for his rider to slip off his back. "Sleep well, Seph." The young man said, running a hand lightly along his simourv's foreleg as he meandered into his adjoining chamber, unbuckling his riding harness and jacket along the way. Exhausted, K'ean still pushed himself to hang the jacket neatly, stow the harness and basically resist the impulse to leave everything in a crumpled pile. He was tired, to be sure, but that was no excuse for slacking.

With a soft huff of his own, Seronaph lay down facing the open ledge, curling his black-tipped tail around his body. Sleep weighted his eyelids, causing them to droop over the large, amber eyes. And yet, despite his urge to sleep after the long return flight from Itnala, something stopped the red. Uneasy, Seronaph shifted in his position and, almost unconsciously, his gaze drifted to the feeding pens. Why? He was not hungry. He had fed that morning before leaving for Itnala. Wegmeph was there, but he hardly had any interest in the blue. It was only after another moment; when small (in comparison to Seronaph himself) green Liliph streaked through the sky and barreled into one animal after another, that the niggling instinct was matched with fact. Liliph was rising. Immediately a hunger that was not anything to do with his stomach flared in the red, and with it came a burst of renewed energy. In the other room, caught in the act of collapsing into bed, K'ean stilled, his hands clenching at the wash of heady, dizzying lust that burned away his exhaustion and left him reeling from the sheer strength of it. Seph- What? He began, turning blindly in the direction of his bonded's chamber, but the answer came before the thought was even fully-formed. Oh. Liliph. And Seronaph intended to chase.

Absolutely fan-bloody-tastic.

Rising fluidly to his feet, the energy that now filled the red's movements was a stark contrast to the languidness of moments earlier. Stalking to the ledge, a responding cry rang and echoed off the canyon walls, off the recesses of K'ean's mind. Seronaph would chase Liliph and he would be damned if anyone else was worthy! And with that, the red launched himself off the ledge, powerful wings clawing, pulling, battering at the air to go higher, faster, higher, to catch[/color]. The red was not a slim beast, and thus not particularly agile in the air, but what he lacked in maneuverability he made up for in power. With a single-minded passion, he strove to meet the green, ignoring the smear of blue that was his clutchbrother. Others didn't matter. There was only Liliph.

Left alone and yet not alone at all, K'ean had the presence of mind to pull on a shirt before his feet carried him out of the eyling. With an effort, he blinked away the vision of Liliph overlapping his sight and, forcefully, separated a part of himself from the mass of lust and challenge and pride that was Seronaph. It was easier this time; before, with Henoph, K'ean had almost drowned in the roiling emotions that rebounded along their shared connection. Now, at least, he would move and see and act on his own rather than being a blind, deaf servant to instinct. Almost unwillingly, he moved steadily in the direction of Fe'ra's eyling, a small, slightly inane part of his mind wondering who would now take her watch since he doubted she would be flying to Itnala any time soon. It didn't matter that usually Seronaph almost disliked Liliph and her chattery ways, or that Fe'ra was younger than K'ean's baby sister. They were riders, and this was almost in the job description. From afar, the young man watched his hand rise to knock on Fe'ra's door, before he was moving through it and past it to lean against the wall of the young woman's eyling. [/size]

[Aikaph]

Shadoph had known this day would be coming sooner or later. He always knew. But now, as he and his bonded touched down on the ledge of their eyling, he knew that the time was near. Xo’li was all too familiar with this endeavor; Liliph’s maiden Flight had ended in victory for the two. So when the great Simourv raked into the flesh of sheep, Shadoph was up and glaring at His. Unless you want to go for the ride, I suggest you take this gear off of me. NOW. he demanded, and Xo’li had no choice; with Flightlust coursing through him, Shadoph always spoke the truth, no sarcasm to be found.

With a great sigh that could actually be labeled as a huff, the Blue Rider quickly relieved the hulking beast of his gear, giving his quivering side a good feather-ruffling. Don’t forget, she may play favorites and choose you. But, that-doesn’t mean that you- he didn’t have time to finish his little pep talk before Shadoph interrupted him. Just go to her, and let me fly!

Then he was off, pumping his great wings after his emerald queen. He didn’t scream or caw or let her know he was there; she would know. Last time, he was juvenile, wasting his breath in song and losing stamina for it. He would be her silent shadow, and nobody will stop him. But there! A red and a blue chased his Liliph! How dare they! A scream echoed from his beak at the other suitors. One scream. Then he was silent to chase after his and only his Liliph. Nobody shall take her!

Xo’li didn’t waste any time either. Quickly removing the riding gear (what’s the point of wearing it during a Flight?), he kept a good majority of the Flightlust at bay. Last time was overwhelming, crushing his grasp of his conscious actions. He was quite proud of himself; Shadoph can be very impulsive when it comes down to things that he sincerely fights for. Such as now. With his vision fading between the door to Fe’ra’s room and Liliiph, he quickly opened the door and entered before succumbing to almost all of the lust that coursed through him.

[Lan]

Fe'ra caught glances of the riders that invaded her eyling, but for the most part she was long gone. Liliph was her whole now, and she melded gently into the green simourv without second thoughts or regret. Nothing was wrong with this. This was life. Liliph was her life. The feathered wings that kept them aloft beat in the simourv's body and her rider's. Her exhilaration was Fe'ra's exhilaration. They became one together as they shot across the twilight sky of the Eyrie.

Ever vain, Liliph glanced behind her after one of her stunts to do a headcount of those who had come. There was... a red and two blues. Seronaph! And Wegmeph! And... Shadoph! She cooed and crowed at them, her eye catching each one as she raced along away from them. Weren't they just so cute! With their feathers ruffling and their wings synchronizing in their attempts to win her affections! The green was much flattered by their presence. She flicked her tail about behind her, tempting them to come ever closer. Then, when they were quite close enough, she took off again, spiraling up higher into the clouds and the great blue beyond. Now was her chance to make them work for her.

Much like her favorite gray sister, she then turned her spiral downward into a headlong dive toward the Pohonian soil. Faster, faster... the wind ruffled through her Kelly green feathers as she seemed to be spiraling out of control. Then, at the last minute, she pulled out of her dive, heading for a narrow pass in-between two cliffs. She could make it, if she turned sideways at the precise time, but she didn't know if the others could. Warbling, almost like laughter, she flew faster toward the precipice, turned her world out of sorts, and then barely skimmed her way out of the obstacle. A couple of feathers were left drifting from their places they had stuck on the rock and Liliph could feel where she had been scraped by her antics. But she didn't care.

Her games couldn't last much longer, though they were fun while they did, and she could feel her muscles tiring. They were far from the Eyrie now, their short chase being a fast-paced one that carried them farther than a normal flight in less amount of time. Liliph gained altitude again, as instinct told her she ought, and braced herself to meet up with her blue and red suitors. She called to them again, her voice fainter than before, and almost dared one of them to grab her from her place in the sky. While she at times liked to choose, Liliph also liked to be won. If a male had the audacity to try to catch her, it was a fair mark on his record.

Fe'ra felt Liliph's tiredness in her own body now as her choice and her flight were so close to being over. Her eyes managed to open a crack as she saw the two men and one woman standing around her. She knew who they were from the names Liliph had given her. Shadoph meant Xo'li, which wasn't a huge surprise. Seronaph meant K'ean. And Wegmeph meant... Ros'n. Ros'n was here! So close and yet so far away... Fleeting attractions suddenly held more merit now that her friend was here in this moment. Still, she had never thought about Ros'n in this way before. But that didn't mean her simourv would win. Liliph invaded her mind again and she could see clearly into the green's perspective. They were all equally lovely. But only one could be for her. Who would it be? She'd have to wait and see.

[Kat]

Ros’n did not even notice when the other people entered the Eyling, because she was so absorbed in Wegmeph’s pursuit. He was both completely controlled by his desire for Liliph, the dancing green who pranced through the sky, which was hot, powerful, and staggering and by heightened reactions to the environment around him. The air lifted him higher, and rushed past him harder, his feathers danced more lividly in the wind. His nose smelled all the scents more strongly, and his ears heard the sounds around him and pounded around him in soft buffets. Even without the passion that raged through his body, Wegmeph would have found the feelings exhilarating. They were so intense; they were so powerful and magnificent. And the passion, the passion intensified them, and wrapped Wegmeph in a fiery rampage of desire and lust. Ros’n was completely engulfed by Wegmeph’s lust. It wrapped the woman in a tight garment of need and want. She reached out her hand to brace herself against the wall. Because she was so involved with Wegmeph’s pursuit, Ros’n scrunched her eyes closed. It was too disconcerting to be involved in her own vision while being attached to Wegmeph’s flight. Her heart pounded against her chest, and she could feel it, hear it, thrashing in her ribcage.

There were other people in the room, Ros’n knew, besides her and Fe’ra, but Ros’n did not know who they were. Wegmeph could see the other simourvs pursuing Liliph, trying to challenge Wegmeph’s ability to win the emerald prize, another blue, Shadoph, who had one before, and a red. Wegmeph did not care who the red was. He was just there, a fetter to Wegmeph’s ultimate goal. And then, Liliph began her descent, began to throw herself to the ground, and while Wegmeph moved to follow, he decided that instead he would attempt to catch her later, because if he dove towards the ground, he would be trapped by the steep rocky ledges, as he could see no way for him to get out of the ravine. Wegmeph watched Liliph fall, and he watched her rush towards the gap between the rocky ledges. He had been right; there was no way he could have fit his 51 feet of bulk through that space. His muscular wings thrashed against the air, propelling him towards the cliff which housed the space that Liliph had slipped through. He pulled himself upwards through the air, one pump, two, then three, before he was high enough in the air to clear the cliff face. He flew over it, flying as fast as he could, over the rock. And then, he saw Liliph under him, a green blur far underneath his own form.

So Wegmeph dove. He flattened his wings against his body, tightening them as close as he could to his bulk, so that he would fall faster, faster towards his goal. The simourv was not worried about the plummet towards the ground and Liliph skimming the ground. Any sense of danger was gone from Wegmeph, who enjoyed the frantic drop in which he now engaged. The wind was cool and fresh. The noise wild and reckless as the wind slammed against his blue feathers. He was getting closer to Liliph, so close now that he could almost touch her. He extended his talons, stretched out his claws, not to harm her, but to see if he could touch her, as he reached out, closer to her. Now that he was so close, Wegmeph realized how exhausted he was, but it did not matter. He would fly to the end of the night, until he was so tired that he dropped from the sky. Ros’n felt Wegmeph’s fatigue, too, as she felt every emotion, every feeling which flickered across his head. The fast pace of the flight was exhausting, and Ros’n felt it, perhaps more than her partner, who was so absorbed with his pursuit. She reached her arms out, her eyes still closed, as she fished around in the air in front of her, searching for the wall. She found the wall, and she leaned her body against it, leaning her head against her arm which rested against the wall. Her eyes slit open as she searched for Fe’ra, the only other woman in the room. Once Ros’n’s gaze settled on her friend, they widened, admiring the beauty of a woman she had never realized could make her feel as she currently did. Of course, flightlust was powerful, a terrifyingly potent lust, which Ros’n allowed to consume her. Why not enjoy the thrill of the flight?

[Fox]

The scene in front of K'ean's eyes was a muddle, a mixture, an overlay of green simourv and evening sky over the stone walls of Fe'ra's eyling. He saw what Seronaph saw, felt what the red felt, and hungered as he had only hungered once before when Henoph had flown. There was almost no distinction between them any longer; their connection exacerbated by the powerful feelings and instincts that arose as a result of the flight. It was only a small part, a tiny shred of K'ean's consciousness that anchored itself away from the roaring tide of flightlust, watching, waiting, ready to arrest his bonded mid-wingbeat if he was about to do something stupid. Any other would have thought that in such a state, no simourv would hear the voices of their riders; so absorbed were they in the chase. But Seronaph would hear. Whether he would listen was another matter; but there was no doubt in the young man's mind that he would hear his rider. K'ean was sure of it. This state of mind wasn't too different from battlelust, after all. Still outwardly calm and collected, he shut his eyes against the disorientation, giving himself fully over to Seronaph's vision and leaned his head back against the cool stone wall. His hands, hidden though they were by his arms' position crossed over his chest, curled into tight, painful fists. Against the wall, his body stood tense and coiled, even as his awareness rushed along, borne further and further away with every beat of Seronaph's red wings.

With the landscape rushing by beneath him, Seronaph had fallen into silence after that first challenging screech, his fierce amber eyes fixed unerringly on the slim form of Liliph ahead and slightly below him. The red was not fool enough to fly directly behind the green; it was an almost instinctive response as Seronaph continued to strive for height even after Liliph had leveled out. Also beneath him were the two other simourv; the blues who had risen to chase as well. Wegmeph and Shadoph. They were nothing; Seronaph would show them maybe just how little they meant to him. Because nothing else was important but the green simourv who, warbling, flicked her tail, daring them to catch her. Sure enough, the Red responded, his wings dragging at the air to inch closer, closer, and then she was gone, speeding towards the ground in a dive. The red almost followed, but the sight of cliffs rising just at the edge of his vision reminded him that such an act would be folly, loosing his altitude would be the end of this flight for him. Although the red was a fiery creature, he had enough control to know that throwing oneself straight into a koxi's mouth was certain suicide, and this was much the same. Still, the sight of Liliph streaking further away from him made a frustrated snarl rip from the red's mouth. He fought instead for more height; more than enough to clear the cliff top with metres to spare. Sure enough, Liliph shot through a pass in the cliff, tight even for her slender body and absolutely out of the question for the much larger red.

Wegmeph had stayed too, though he was a little bit ahead and lower. It was alright for now; he would not retain his position ahead if Seronaph had anything to say about it which he did. He could not even see Shadoph, and would not bother even to turn his head to look for the other blue. Striving, striving, his flight muscles were beginning to burn, but it was only a mild irritation. In the eyling, K'ean felt an almost phantom pain, as muscles that did not exist in his human body ached along with Seronaph's. Eyes tracking the movement of the green, Seronaph reacted not at all when Wegmeph turned his flight into a steep dive, plainly flying to catch up with the green. What his blue brothers did was none of his concern. Seronaph would play this game, and well, but on his terms. Liliph would climb again; it was uncertain whether the thought was his own or born of the vague, wordless suggestions that were filtering in from K'ean, his invisible passenger, and Seronaph would be there to catch her when she did. Instead of free-falling straight towards the green, skimming across the groun, Seronaph angled himself into a more shallow dive, aiming not for where the green was, but for where she would be, and there was a fleeting feeling of triumph when amber eyes watched Liliph begin to ascend again. With luck, he would catch up to her mid-ascent. Fierce passion lending his tired wings an extra burst of strength, Seronaph strove towards his intended point, a few feet above the rising Liliph. Closer, closer, closer...

K'ean's breath caught as his simourv's excitement and passion flooded through him, not enough to overwhelm but certainly enough to stun. He hadn't noticed the arrival of others at the eyling; his attention completely taken up by Seronaph. Now, though, his eyelids pried themselves open and, through his overlapping vision, his blue eyes landed on Fe'ra. She was a pretty girl ordinarily, but now K'ean thought her beautiful, fair glowing as she was with the emotion that was certainly rebounding on her from Liliph. It wouldn't be long now; things would come to a head soon, and until then K'ean relented and lost himself in the dizzyingly wondrous wave of feeling that rolled over him.

[Aikaph]

The roar of the wind through Shadoph’s feathers and talons, the heat of competition increasing as the Flight dragged on; all of it boosted the slim blue’s adrenaline and upped his feeling of invincibility. He hung back behind the others, saving his strength for when he would really need it. That’s all he needed in the end. As long as he had leftover stamina, he’d be able to win. For now, he followed her every move at the tail of the pack. It didn’t matter if the others were bigger or stronger; all that was needed was that extra burst of speed to win.

As Xo’li’s vision wavered between the grey walls of the eyling and the many shades of the chase, he tried to think. Should he say anything? What if he loses? Would he turn to another suitor’s rider? Why was he thinking so much? It was a Flight! Instead of feeding more questions into the ensuing headache, the Rider finally let his grip on reality slip to near-nothingness to be in the ride of his life.

The emerald queen that was Liliph had a hitchhiker. Whenever she rose up, Shadoph rose. When she made a dive for the ground, he left all abandon behind and dove after her. He saw the small crevice she was aiming for, and worked his mind frantically for the smoothest transition through. She slipped between the great rocks with only a few feathers lost. The blue tried to remember something, anything, that would help. Of course, nothing surfaced. So, with one final thrust of his wings, she shot through the small hole…

But stopped halfway through. Oh, GREAT. His haunches were lodged in the rocky gap, and to the average passer-by, was quite the comical sight. On one side, Shadoph’s hind legs scrabbled at the rocky face and tail lashed angrily to and fro. On the other, he propped himself up with his talons, head dipped low and glaring ahead. But he mustn’t let himself lose now! With a determined growl, the blue began to claw at the rocks around his rump and trying to wriggle his way out forwards.

After many long and tedious minutes (or was it hours? It was hard to tell), he managed to break enough rock to allow his lower half to slide through. With a triumphant caw, a memory flashed through his mind: that of Aburoqaph scaling a cliff face. He quickly swiveled around and climbed the cliff face and rest when he had a strong hold on the rocks. He spared a glance upward to see how the competition was faring. It was horrendous; both of the suitors were aiming to catch his Emerald Queen! Another scream ripped out of his gaping beak as he launched himself from his perch to intercept the imposters. He had gained a small break while he was trapped, and that allotted him just a few more precious moments in flight before he strained himself too hard. With a final thrust with his wings, he charged at his queen with talons outstretched, hoping to catch her again.

He would not fail.

[Lan]

Liliph was growing bored now. Her games were coming to a close. But perhaps she'd have one more hoorah? Warbling flirtatiously, the green knew her suitors were coming. All three had talons aimed for her and all three held a collision course with the ground. Wegmeph was far beyond the others, having overcome the obstacle she threw at them with greater speed than all the others. Would he be the one to catch her? Then there was Seronaph, the large and very strong red who had paid heed to her call. He too was on path to intercept her, just behind the first blue. He would carry her far if he caught her. Last, there was Shadoph, somewhere from the cliff he screamed his disapproval and he too took action to catch her, although he was far behind the others. He had been slow. He had been too late.

What took place in nanoseconds seemed to take place in hours. Liliph had made her decision, that was certain. No longer playing, but eager to get on with it, she seemed to turn on a diask in the air and double back on her pursuers. Each wingbeat was a struggle and seemed to take ages. Her heart beat in her ears, almost matching in rhythm with every downbeat of her wings. Thump-thump. Thump-thump. It was Wegmeph she came upon first. He was a blue, and the lifemate of her bonded's best friend. But that hardly mattered. With great agile and swiftness befitting her size she dodged past him, making her way just beyond his grasp. He was not worthy. No, he would not have her this day. As she made her way past, her amber eyes met Seronaph's just beyond.

Thump-thump.... thump... She beat her wings twice more before the red was upon her, after which she submitted to him in an embrace that strained tight against the fatigue in her aching muscles. She was done. No more games. No more stories. He was the strongest and the fittest of them all. He was a red, while the others were blue. He had outdone the weaker Shadoph and was more clever than the under-zealous Wegmeph. As their claws intertwined and red and green feathers ruffled as one entity, she proclaimed her choice.

'Seronaph.'

It was done. Back in her eyling Fe'ra had known of the green's choice before she had even spoken. Muscles ached sympathetically for her simourv as she stretched out in the dusk-lit room toward the rider of her simourv's choice. K'ean. He was her Lieutenant and a male, but it hardly mattered. This was Liliph's choice. Ignoring all others she fell into the red rider's stronger form and clung to him in a desperate embrace, wholly at the mercy of the hormones and emotions wrought by the mating simourv. All others in the room were ignored and forgotten. This was just him and her. Liliph and Seronaph. A sensual dance of lust, where affection and amiability had no say.

[/blockquote]

[Fox]

The powerful flight muscles in Seronaph's chest were burning from the strain of reaching, reaching, reaching for Liliph's slender form. He was a red streak arrowing through the air for her, and nothing would stand in his way. Wegmeph? Shadoph? Brothers they were, but Liliph was his, and if they got in his way then he would show no mercy. The red was single-minded in his pursuit and, with a thrill of anticipation, his amber eyes watched as the beautiful green turned on a pin, agile, graceful, quick as a flash. Then she was streaking towards them, Wegmeph was slightly ahead of Seronaph and with a flash of horror for a moment he thought she would choose the blue. Sheer fury at the thought ripped a scream from the red's throat, but no. Liliph did not choose Wegmeph. An almost physical shock raced through Seronaph as amber met amber and then Liliph was there, their claws locked, and even before her voice rang in his head, he knew that he had won.

'Seronaph.'

Seronaph's triumphant screech rang through the skies above the Eyrie and in the head of his hapless rider. More than ever before, his mind turned to the Emerald Beauty before him, and K'ean found himself moving. He stepped closer to Fe'ra- lovely, lovely Fe'ra- and when she reached for him desperately, fair face and blonde hair overlaid by green feathers and amber eyes, K'ean was there to meet her halfway. No one else mattered. Besides Fe'ra, there was Seronaph, triumphant and passionate in the back of K'ean's mind, but the redrider no longer noticed the other riders who had gathered. Ros'n, Xo'li. Their simourvs had lost the flight this time, and were of no concern of Seronaph's because he had Liliph. Therefore, they were of no concern to K'ean.

He held her as fiercely as she clung to him, matching her embrace. It was different; it was always different with each simourv that Seronaph chose to chase. It didn't matter a jot to the pair in the skies that K'ean was Fe'ra's lieutenant, that the pair were not-quite friends. They were lost in the sea of heady, sensual flightlust overflowing from their respective partners, and the only thing they could do was to hold on to each other and ride it out. Strong arms sought her, as he kissed her blindly, fiercely, albeit with a clumsiness that no amount of flightlust could erase. He was not used to this, and likely would never get used to this. Friendship had no place in a Flight; they were simply two people brought together fleetingly, by the feelings of their simourvs. Come the morning, things would be as close to normal as they could ever be ever again.

But tomorrow was tomorrow. And with Fe'ra in K'ean's arms and Seronaph's and Liliph's claws entangled, neither red nor redrider had any thought for the morrow. There was only the now.