Oh Snap. *Altaph's Second Flight!*

[Aikaph]

Last time this had happened, Sa’nia was far from prepared. It had been a year since that had happened, and she recognized the snappish behavior quickly. This time, she would keep a firm grip on sanity for this round.

The morning was crisp and warm, starting to show signs of warmer days ahead. The skies were clear, and the sun was just above the horizon, bathing the world with light. The night watch would be returning soon, and the day watch just beginning to stir. Unfortunately, Sa’nia and Altaph had stayed up all night. Sa’nia’s reason? So that she would be ready if the tawny decided to Rise during the night. Altaph’s? Because she knew when she would Rise, and it was soon. VERY soon.

Sa’nia’s reason had therefore left her a less-than-approachable sight, both physically and socially. Her hair was messy from tossing and turning in bed, trying to keep awake, bags had formed under her eyes, and a suspicious trail of dried saliva streaked across her right cheek. The lack of sleep left her as snappish as her bonded, and as sarcastic as the most sarcastic Simourv around (also known as Shadoph). Altaph, however, looked like she had just awakened from a nice long nap. Her feathers were clean and in order; perfect for a Flight.

Good bye, Mine,

[/color] was the only warning the giant Smourv gave before vaulting off of her ledge and sending Sa’nia spiraling across the floor from the blast. Dazed, the girl scrambled to her feet to see Altaph take down a large bull in one fell swoop. Blood it, Altaph,[/b] her rider firmly demanded as the Tawny tried to rip into the meat. Enraged, she screamed in defiance and ripped a hunk of meat out. Sa’nia’s grip on Altaph’s lust-driven mind tightened, and with a scream of reluctance, tossed the flesh aside and drank the fallen creature dry. Feeling that her cries had been enough to bring her suitors like moths to light, she took to the skies.

Last time, the boys didn’t let her play her game. No, one of them thought that they could beat her, which they did. That won’t happen again. Her first destination? As far away from the Eyrie as possible. After that? Only the Emily knows.[/center]

[Kilnarak]

Teimoph landed heavily upon the Eyling that had been given to him and His N'raan. It had been some hours since they left their post in Itnala, the flight back to the Eyrie long and fairly boring like most of their days since joining the Watch over Itnala. Of course, not every day was boring - there were skirmishes occasionally, and Teimoph sported the scars and scrapes to prove it, and of course there was also the frequent... 'entertainment' that was hunting down His rider within the city itself. N'raan took to the day-to-day boredom of the watch with less grace than Teimoph, and would occasionally shirk his place at the guard-post in favor of wandering the streets and shores of Itnala.

Now they were home, at least for a few days - and perhaps Gaoph and his were just leaving, or perhaps they had already left. Teimoph didn't know, and at the moment he didn't particularly care. The massive red waited just long enough for His to slide down from his back before thumping down onto his side to rest - he didn't even wait long enough for his harness to be removed. A few days to relax and make certain that all within the Eyrie was in order, that Dionyph hadn't turned Laraph against him somehow in his absence. That could wait, for now, he only wanted to rest his tired wings a while.

N'raan was of a similar opinion, and near immediately after Teimoph sprawled down upon his ledge, the young red-rider padded to his own nest of pillows and blankets to sleep. It surprised him that he was glad to be back here - but Itnala bored him so, and there was less threat of attack here, it was safer and more comfortable. And besides, E'ry was here, as well as his handsome roommate, and Mo'na, and Am'ra and perhaps even K'huna or K'ii would be here as well. He wanted for the familiar faces and the game of flirtation - of course, he hadn't abandoned the latter in Itnala, but not many there were as pleasing to his eye. He was glad to be here, if not 'home', and he was glad to sleep in his own bed again.

The red-pair weren't allowed to rest for long, however. It seemed like only minutes since N'raan shut his eyes (although it must have been at least an hour or so) when a high pitched scream pierced the air and a wave of Teimoph's alertness crashed down on him, wrenching him out of the comfort of sleeping to nearly fully awake. The handful of koxi attacks they had seen since joining the Guardriders had provoked a similar sensation, the sudden rush of adrenaline that forced him into an alert state. And that scream! At first, N'raan thought that perhaps there had been an attack.

Teimoph sat, his ears pricked up and forward with attentiveness, watching the scene below. Wide amber eyes, their pupils narrowed nearly to slits in focus upon the tawny form below. Altaph had dropped down from her Eyling and fallen upon the feeding grounds. The hulking red shifted, his taloned limbs flexing against the ground as the muscles in his back and shoulders bunched, readying for flight. There was something about Altaph, something he had seen before, something that made her beautiful. Her feathers gleamed in the morning light, outlined in the gold of sunlight and painted vibrant crimson with blood - a gorgeous creature, and it surprised him a bit that he had never seen it in her before. Before Altaph had merely been another of his elders, a tawny who had tried to mother he and his siblings from time to time; before he hadn't thought of her at all, an unimportant entity in the grand scheme of things. But now, now he wanted her, he wanted to catch her as she flew, to feel her soft warmth against him, within his grasp, and her sharp beak and talons as well.

Teimoph didn't even look back at His as he leapt from his ledge, beating his wings against the crisp morning air and answering Altaph's call with a thunderous shriek of his own. And then there was only the surge of air beneath his wings, Altaph's form ahead of him and flying away fast, and the forms of her other suitors rising to give chase as well. He snarled and snapped at the nearest, then pumped his wings to gain ground on the retreating tawny. There was nothing to hold him back now - 'though perhaps a bit fatigued from the flight back to the Eyrie the night previous, his wings were strong and broad and they would surely carry him to victory.

N'raan had been in the process of getting to his feet, readying to climb up onto Teimoph's back and launch into combat when another wave of emotion crashed down upon him and stunned him - a heady intoxicating wave of lust and desire, and N'raan nearly fell back onto his bed when Teimoph suddenly leapt off and away. He remembered, vaguely, K'huna's lesson on Flights and the emotions engendered by them, but not well enough to truly focus on what, exactly, he was supposed to do about it - thoughts of the other red-rider, his former teacher, were distracting. He needed to find... K'huna? No. He needed to find someone, and at the moment he didn't particularly care who that someone was.

Somehow, N'raan managed to stagger out of his Eyling and off, down the hallways connecting to the other Eylings. He gazed wantonly at those he passed, hardly aware of anything beyond his search for the right one. Any would do, really, if he could not find the correct one - it wasn't so important, but still he wanted to find her. Her? Yes, most certainly a her...

[Kat]

Wegmeph heard Altaph before he felt her, but only by a minute. Ros’n felt both sensory experiences at the same time, a rush of blood and screaming and lust, which ripped through her body like a deadly and unfortunate sickness. The blue rider had just laid down to bed; she was always just falling asleep when Wegmeph flew, so she wore only a small slip, which barely covered her body. Before the lust really hit her, Ros’n managed to wrap herself in her white sheet, which was clean even though it turned a subtly gray tone with age. She tucked the sheet around her body, and she began to wander away from her own room, to find the rider of the flying creature. Why Wegmeph put Ros’n through this again, she did not know. It always went this way, and she never had any control. But by now, the process was familiar, a dull aching disappointment and a slow thrill, which felt tedious and mundane by now. Wegmeph flew often; he won sometimes, and Ros’n always ended the night sleeping with someone, even if it was a man and not the green rider in question, or a girl from the kitchens. Someone could always be found, especially for Ros’n, with her pretty and fit body and cheerful face and disposition providing her with a certain kind of allure which people tended to favor. Oh, well, and she was a temptress in her own way, a seductress, and she understood sex better than she understood just about anything, except perhaps Wegmeph’s mentality and the pattern of freckles on her own arm.

But no green flew tonight. When Ros’n realized that, she sighed, as she went to Sa’nia’s room, so unfortunately familiar. The tawny rider would not like to see Ros’n’s presence, not since the blue rider had been escorted out with a weapon at Altaph’s last flight. Ros’n did not want to do this again. She was still tired. Her sheet dragged on the ground behind her and picked up dust and dirt. Ros’n did not care. She did not care much for any of this. It was just part of her day, her routine, her life.

If Ros’n’s ambivalence for the flight carried over to Wegmeph, the blue did not express it. he leapt into the air, a bright blue streak against the naked, red dawn. His call was predatory, dominating, and impressive as he bellowed to the sky. He had taken Altaph last time. He had beaten out reds and stolen her against her will, and they had produced three eggs together, one of them with a tawny inside. Wegmeph was far more a male than most of the other simourvs in the Eyrie, he felt, as he was one of only two simourvs to be a father. Wegmeph had complete confidence in his ability to win Altaph again. Even if she did not want him, although they ended their affair on good terms, and Wegmeph had proven himself a grand father. There was no reason for Altaph to deny him a second chance, even amongst the reds around him. A red already flew after Wegmeph’s lady, and the blue simourv dashed to catch up with Teimoph. As soon as he neared, Wegmeph realized that the simourv was hardly one he recognized, one of the baby Alphas here to chase. Oh, how amusing, the red simourv thought, and Wegmeph shrieked towards Teimoph to show that he was ready to defend his title as Altaph’s mate, and that no hatchling would beat him. Wegmeph let the air around him propel him further; he tucked his wings to his side and streaked closer to his bronze goal.

Ros’n neared Sa’nia’s chamber with a sigh. The sigh expressed more than apathy, however; it shook with desire, fizzled with frustration and passion, as the blue rider quickly padded down the hallway. Her sheet trailed behind her, but it only created enough drag on the ground to make the blue rider move without her characteristic bouncy grace. Before she reached the tawny rider’s Eyling, though, Ros’n found herself staring at the back of a boy she knew only by sight. This man was the difficult red’s rider, now a sweep rider in Itnala. Ros’n only had to connect with Wegmeph for a second to know that the boy’s red flew. Wegmeph snarled Teimoph’s name into Ros’n’s mind, and it radiated there tight with fury. But Ros’n did not care about Wegmeph’s competitive and prideful rejection of the red. She understood that flights were terribly confusing and disorienting, and the part of her which was not deranged with desire felt like she should help N’raan. So Ros’n put her hand on his shoulder, and gestured towards Sa’nia’s room.
”It’s that one, there.”
She pointed with her head. Her voice croaked and halted as she spoke. It displayed the growing sense of unruliness her passion caused her. Ros’n’s fingers lingered for an inappropriate amount of time, a few seconds too long, on N’raan’s shoulder, as she continued to walk. She was in control, but not enough to satiate her growing obsession for sex.

---

Ri’ley awoke from his sleep with a start, his body jerking upwards and immediately, his brown eyes frantically searching for Dionyph’s body. The room around him still felt unfamiliar, which only added to his level of anxiety. The black rider was tired, but all the sudden, his body coursed with energy and emotion, a kind of anxiety that the black rider could not place. Dionyph felt wrong. The black simourv felt—on edge, and not in the way that he normally felt. Ri’ley’s mind tried to coax Dionyph’s emotions from the simourv, but the human could not understand what he received in return. It felt like—like hunger, but it was not hunger, because it was different. It only shared that terrible, aching quality of the black simourv’s unquenchable hunger as a hatchling. Ri’ley wanted to provide for Dionyph, to fill the need which grew in Dionyph’s body like an appendex to his avian soul. The black simourv’s appearance only increased Ri’ley’s own need to provide for his partner, as the black sat straight up, the feathers on his neck already raised, as if he poised ready to attack something in anger. Were koxi near? That was the only stimulus Ri’ley could imagine aggravating his partner so. In an instant, the black rider was out of bed, and he pressed his naked chest against Dionyph’s leg in a sign of support and comfort.
What’s wrong?
The black rider questioned, his voice sounding terrified and quivering in his partner’s mind. Dionyph’s emotion was so strong. It was simply over powering, but Ri’ley could not even understand it. He felt an emotion he could not place, and it was new and unusual and worrying.

The black simourv kept his eyes fixed at the mouth to their cave, absolutely aware of the goings on outside. Dionyph kept tabs on Altaph’s flight, because a part of him itched to join it, to launch himself in the air and dominate the other males around him. That little blue had no chance of winning Altaph again, or he would not if Dionyph flew, and Teimoph was only a distraction. But another part of Dionyph refused to fly, not yet, not for a tawny. His first flight would be a gray, be it his Laraph or Eceph herself. The black had long ago decided that, or perhaps, the cosmos which formed his nature and temperament decided that for him. Dionyph was yet too proud to sully his virgin flight on a tawny. He would wait for a gray, and Altaph would fly again. Dionyph would have as many chances as he wanted to fly the tawny lady. He just had to wait until the time was right to prove his dominance to the Eyrie. So Dioyph moodily weaved his head under one of his wings and pushed his weight against Ri’ley, for comfort, but also because the black rider’s own self control provided Dionyph with restraint. A knight needed to be in full control of his passions, of his desires. Dionyph was in control.

The black could not respond to his rider at first, but after a few seconds of reminding himself that staying put proved his worth, his power, especially in comparison to the weak Teimoph, Dionyph lifted his wing enough to reveal one large, white eye to his rider.
Tawny Altaph flies, mine, but I will not chase. You should go back to bed, or you will not be fit for our duties in the morning. There is no reason that you should not sleep soundly through this event.
Dionyph replied, and a part of him revealed in the thought that while Teimoph’s would be tired, his would be rested after the flight. Ri’ley stared into Dionyph’s eye for a second, bewilderment creeping across his face. Ri’ley was beginning to piece together the emotion, to trace it, to connect the emptiness which gnawed at him as sexual desire and not hunger, but the more Ri’ley understood about his emotional state, the less he understood about Dionyph’s words.
But you want to fly, Dionyph, and you can do so.
Ri’ley would not be happy with the event, of course, he would feel like it was a betrayal of kinds, but he had already accepted that it was his duty to act properly as a rider of the Eyrie. Dionyph shook his head, and then he tucked his eye back under his wing.
You misunderstand me, mine. Why would I level myself with weak Teimoph? I have too much restraint for that. You should go back to sleep.
Dionyph announced, before he turned his body away from his rider to show that the conversation was over. Ri’ley knew that as long as the flight went on, he would be unable to sleep, so instead he got up and began to dress himself in the encroaching light of the morning. He would at least do something productive since he was awake. The rider thought of practicing fighting, which decided his actions. He started to prepare for sparring. But perhaps, the black rider thought, he could go find someone to pass the time with. He wondered, without thinking about the implications of his thoughts, what L’nan was doing. Surely, Eoreph would not be affected by the flight. Maybe Dionyph’s tawny sister could distract the black from the other rising lady. It was an awfully lovely thought.

[Fox]

K'yan was a notoriously light sleeper. The merest touch or softest call would tug him out of sleep and into a state of alertness; a basic requirement when one shared quarters with a simourv such as Zioph. The morning of Altaph's flight, the black was up before his rider as usual, his boundless energy needing very little sleep to sustain. Crooning absently (and quietly) to himself, he had been picking systematically through his bone collection, arranging each different bone and rearranging them however he fancied. However, the much hoarded collection was quickly forgotten at the first screech from the tawny rising into the sky. Zioph's white-speckled ears perked as he lifted his head to follow the progress of beautiful, lovely Altaph, trailing suitors in her wake. With much kerfluffling of wings and feathers, Zioph scrambled up with a jubilant, wordless crow, launching himself off the ledge with barely a thought for his rider.

Altaph, queen of my skies![/i] He cried, voice rising in an exalting trill. Magnificent lady, lead me and I will follow you! A low croon rumbled in his throat as Zioph executed an exuberant loop-de-loop around Teimoph's broader form, graceful and elegant in the air as he was nowhere else. He would impress Altaph with his feats, and she would choose him! Zioph! Not solid, stick-in-the-mud Wegmeph, who would really stand no chance now that Zioph had taken to the Chase. And certainly not this arrogant young red, come to steal the lady's attention away from Zioph! He would show them all that he was a black and he was the best.

K'yan, meanwhile, had a face on that was black as Zioph's wing feathers and thunderous to boot, as he tugged a shirt roughly over his head. He didn't like Flights, he didn't like losing control, and he didn't like being influenced by his simourv. Yet, it was happening and would continue to happen so long as Zioph continued to Chase the females who flew, and no one really knew at what age the simourvs stopped chasing or rising. In contrast to the simmering pot of sensation and blind passion that Zioph was spilling over into K'yan, the blackrider's scowl was fearsome as he stalked out of his eyling purposefully. Little thought was given to where he was going as he focused hard on throttling the backlash as hard as he could. Not much thought was needed anyway. Altaph meant Sa'nia, and K'yan's sudden desire for her was expected. It did not mean he was happy about it, no, but at least Sa'nia was female. That was the only upside to this whole situation, really.

&

Elsewhere in Eyrie, a frustrated, tired K'ean comforted his angry, sulking simourv as Seronaph pumped his wings futilely. The wound he had sustained from Liliph's flight had not yet healed enough to risk the strenuous exertion involved in a Chase, and any overly-taxing activities might reopen it again. The red was left to screech his fury at the morning sky and score long gouges in the stone of his ledge as K'ean sighed and looked on.

&

Eoreph also watched the flight, having been jolted into awareness by Altaph's challenge. It was a rather puzzled tawny that watched Altaph attract a following, though no lust accompanied the image. Eoreph was female, and therefore would not chase, but watching the older simourv take to the skies evoked a peculiar feeling that she could not quite explain, though she knew it was one of anticipation. Eventually, the tawny taking to the skies would be Eoreph. Eventually, but not now. Thus it was a rather pensive simourv that hushed her rider that morning, as L'nan cracked open a bleary brown eye at the sudden activity so early in the morning. A glance at the sunlight beginning to turn the sky pink, without noticing the Flight, informed the young woman that she need not be up for at least another few minutes. Later, when she would find out about Altaph's flight, no doubt Lea would be antsy and unsettled, considering how easily it could be her in Sa'nia's place not far in the future. But for now, responding to Eoreph's low, comforting croon, L'nan tugged her blanket over her head and went back to sleep.[/size]

[Lan]

E'an was asleep in bed, nestled inside her still relatively new eyling that she shared with Kaslimeph. It was nice, having her own space. No rules other the laws that governed any man, and only sweep duties to worry about. No "don't drink this" or "don't have sex with that". She was a free person. And so she had rested easy that night. The morning light of cool daybreak loomed through the open archway that separated her space from the now rather hulking Kaslimeph's. Already awake far before his rider, Kaslimeph peered out into the dawn with a cool expression, not agitated or irritated. The blue simply was. These times, in the hours before E'an would be fully awake, he spent to himself in silence and mellow relaxation. It helped him start his day, which was important for he was now a Lieutenant. He and E'an were in control of other riders now, and he felt he should be an example to others.

This morning, alas, would not go according to his great plans. There was a scent in the air and a stirring in the wind. A cry pierced the morn. Kaslimeph listened. Altaph, an older tawny not from his class, was rising. She was older than him, sister to his mother, but suddenly that didn't matter. Her cries were beautiful. Her attack on the cattle was appropriately deadly. His muscles tightened and his heart beat faster as he watched her with hawk-like anticipation. Anticipation for what, he could know... not until like a dark amber emblem in the sky she rose on strong and elegant wings. Before he even registered what was happening, he followed, vaulting himself off the ledge with his own fierce cry as he traveled after her.

E'an awoke with a sudden jolt. Kas? Her mind searched out for the familiar presence but found only this insatiable, inhuman desire seeping across the mental connection they shared. It was like a punch in the stomach, making her sick and burn and yet feel so alive. Like a bar brawl mixed with something else... something far more potent and sensual. It was something E'an was somewhat of an expert at identifying. As her vision began to merge with the blue's, she knew... a female was rising and he was flying.

A somewhat manic laugh warbled up in her throat, just as Kaslimeph called again his announcement of his joining the flight. Silly blue... she told him, hadn't she? She told him he'd fly. Hell, he'd probably fly far more than any of his other brethren. In her loose tank and her knee-length sleeping shorts, she stumbled out of bed and made her way into the hallways that connected the eylings to one another. If any of the Alphas had been prepared for flightlust, it was E'an. Yet, even as she managed to maintain some grip on her sanity, the waves of lust washed over her like waves of fire. She ached for human contact. She longed to experience some form of the joy her simourv was fighting hard to achieve.

Kaslimeph flew strongly and valiantly, in his bold and brash way using as much of his strength as possible with no thoughts to conserving it for a long flight. If he had his way, it wouldn't be a long flight. He'd snatch Altaph right out of the sky. He eyes his competition with a warning shriek. Teimoph, a red from the same clutch. This brother of his would chase after what he rightly deserved! The idea of it! He snapped his beak in the direction of the red, threatening violence. There was another blue, too... but this blue was not as large as he was! He payed no attention to the older, brighter blue, instead focusing his gaze on the black that had joined the fray shortly before him. Much larger than he was, and certainly holding more mass, Kaslimeph still worried not a second. The black was larger and slower... he should not keep up in this flight. His main competition was the red. His brother. So he glared him down as he fought to keep up with the other males chasing.

E'an, meanwhile, was also attempting to, with less and less sanity, find Sa'nia's room. It seemed as if she was finally there when, right after turning a corner, she ran smack into another woman, and from a flash of Kaslimeph's vision she recognized her as the rider of the rival blue. She swirled and twisted around to avoid Ros'n, but ended up smack with her back against the wall. She was so close to the tawnyrider's room, she could feel it inside of her like the fiery twinge of radiation and flame. And yet, for a moment, she was stunned. Her eyes met Ros'n's with a sultry gaze, a smirk playing across her lips as she fumbled with her hands to get a solid grip on the wall. Finally, she attempted to push herself off of it, but only misjudged her own strength and sent herself stumbling into the other bluerider again. This time, though, instead of swerving she clung to the girl's shoulders with a tight and merciless grip, as if trying not only to keep herself in a standing position but also to keep herself firmly attached to this other female.

"Sorry;" she barked, although she made no attempts to move. She knew the woman tied to Kaslimeph's prize lay just a handful of feet from where she was standing, but for some reason for the moment she felt perfectly comfortable right here.

[Quill]

It was both an ordinary day and a different day. Sal'a wanted to join the rest of the sweepriders on their daily flight, but Sydnyph saw it another way. He felt good in the wilderness, in the darkness before the dawn. Somewhere there was someone who needed to be found. Sal'a believed her simourv though they had not much success in the searching. Flying above some sparse wood, the simourv dived, hovering over trees. Then his head jerked toward the sky. He stayed fix for many moments before he took a wary glance at Sal'a. The simourv landed, and Sal'a felt his sides. They were quivering. "What's wrong, Syd? Koxi?" the rider said though she doubted it was true. They had faced a few stragglers on patrol and instinct must have kicked in because Sydnyph had no peace with them. Instead, he wanted a piece of them. There was actual fear in this and then she knew. Slipping down, she patted the simourv's neck, assuming he was fighting the urge building inside him.

"Altaph, she rises and beckons," Sydnyph explained before crushing the ground as he entered the skies. They were miles away from the Eyrie, but after a few seconds, the simourv's superb eyesight located the tawny. He quivered with excitement as he tried to close the distance. Already he could see his brothers and kin racing after her, but no, they would yield to him.

He was not the biggest--bigger than Wegmeph, but that was all. Of course, size did not register in his mind. All there was Altaph. The way her tail trailed behind her. Each talon attached to her claws. It was all extravagant, especially her silhouette when she bathed in the right amount of sunlight. Oh, the thought of her caused him to lift high and then corkscrew toward Wegmeph. Sydnyph caught himself before colliding and claws lashing toward his fellow blue, he balanced himself and pursued with renewed excitement.


It hurt. For Sal'a, it really hurt. She hadn't felt like this ever. Her body ached with desire, for some human touch, but stuck in the wilderness, she had nothing. Curses, she thought for being away from the Eyrie. Some instinct instilled by Sydnyph guided her feet toward the safe haven, full of all of her patrol mates and other Alphas and...
Oh, the few miles would be horrendous.

[Aikaph]

Altaph paid no heed to the forming flock of suitors that trailed behind her. She paid no heed to the ground. She shunned gravity, pumping her wings, speeding ever faster, individual trees blurring together into a green mass below her. It wasn’t often she was able to feel this free, this unrestrained, this passionate. The sun warmed her feathers, the air wasn’t too cold or too warm, and it was her special day. All the males wanted her, not anybody else! She performed a little corkscrew to prove how happy she was. Soon, she was spiraling up, up, up into the clouds to observe her suitors from afar. She knew each and every one of them; heck, she had tried to mother each and every one of them at least once.

First was Teimoph, the rebellious red from the Alphas. He had been the first to arrive, and that deserved some merit. A warbling trill went out to him. Then she turned to the second to chase. Wegmeph. He had snatched her from the sky her maiden Flight. He was ever the gentleman the next morning, and the fact that he had outsmarted her that day left her irritated and respectful at the same time. A croon was given to her first winner. Third to get some of her attentions was rather loud and obnoxious, in her opinion. She didn’t want flowery poetry from an arrogant black! Zioph could very well get torn from the skies, for all she cared! A hiss emitted from her throat as the large male expended energy trying to impress her, rather than trying to win her. Pathetic.

Kaslimeph was next. He had screamed at his clutchsiblings and uncles, and gaining on her fast. He was going to drop out soon if he was going to put all of his energy in those first moments. Her Flight was going to be long. She left him with nothing but a snort. Finally, the tawny peered at Sydnyph. The blue had corkscrewed at Wegmeph, but caught himself before collision. She trilled to the blue before zipping away again. Three blues, a red, and a black. No wilds. All bonded. She knew each and every one, and she would only choose the one that could predict her every move. Last flight, she was ignorant. This time, she would put each and every one of her suitors into impossible situations.

She flew higher and higher into the skies, seeing who could take on such high altitudes. Already the air was getting thinner, and when it finally became nearly too thin to breathe, Altaph spun around and dove through their ranks. She spun and twirled in her descent before flaring her wings open, catching herself, and speeding away to the shores of spiderland.

Back home, Sa’nia watched as each of the suitors for her trickled in. She watched as Ros’n led N’raan into the room. She didn’t know the Alpha graduate, but she did know Ros’n very well. She had taught her how naïve the Lieutenant was, and she was grateful for that. As more of the suitors milled in, the tawnyrider grew more and more antsy, shifting from foot to foot and even bouncing a little. It took a moment for her to realize that there was one absent. K’yan of Zioph, Ros’n of Wegmeph, the Alpha of Teimoph, and another Alpha, of Kaslimeph. But where was the fifth? It didn’t occur to Sa’nia that Sal’a was stranded in the wilderness, where she could easily be eaten by a koxi, and frankly, she didn’t care.

Becoming more her tawny, she danced and flitted about the room. She spared nothing more than little finger-brushings and fleeting air kisses. That is, until she got to Ros’n. She had helped her, and now held no ill feelings towards the fellow woman. So, in a bout of confidence, she smiled and kissed the bluerider on the cheek, and before the other woman could react, was already gone, dancing through the other suitors and finally ending her dance on her ledge, arms spread wide. If she tipped forward, somebody would have to save her. If she tipped back, she would have already chosen and be in that person’s arms. But for now, she was with her Simourv, up in the skies.

[Kilnarak]

Teimoph knew that others had joined the chase, he heard their cries for Altaph and their wings beating the air as they strove toward her. He paid them no mind, at first - they were far enough behind him and Altaph was the only one in the air worthy of any of his attention, anyway. But he could not ignore them forever, and as Wegmeph drew up near to him, screeching threats, Teimoph clacked his beak angrily at his elder and returned the blue's threats with his own: a booming roar of a noise, expelled from his thick barrel-chest as if he meant to break the skies wide open.

But then Wegmeph had passed him, using the brief pause Teimoph had taken to gather his response to dart ahead. And suddenly the others were far too close as well, their blue and black feathered bodies filling the skies to either side of him, screaming their own challenges. Kaslimeph, his brother, was particularly vehement - and the young red's claws flexed with the challenge. He wanted to see blood spilled, to rain down upon the greenery below. None of them were worthy of winning - not the foolish little blues, and certainly not that pompous black.

Teimoph veered in his flight, not toward Altaph but instead toward Kaslimeph, his claws extended and bloodlust burning in his golden eyes. He lashed out at the blue - his claws fell short of his brother, however, a feint to see if he flinched. He was gathering himself for a real strike when the black came into his field of vision, taunting him and flying broad circles around him. For a moment, he thought it was Dionyph, that arrogant fool come to steal what was rightfully his. Teimoph would not have it. The red snapped his beak and launched himself at Zioph, his wicked talons slashing toward those broad black wings, wanting nothing more than to grasp and tear at the elder simourv's flesh, to feel his bones break beneath his beak.

Whether or not he caught the black, however, whether or not his claws found flesh, Teimoph soon realized that he had fallen to the tail of the chase - now that there were fewer feathered bodies to cloud his vision. Pumping his broad red and black wings, he drove himself forward and closer to the beautiful tawny.

Below, N'raan had paused at Ros'n's touch to his shoulder - here was a woman, and he sought a woman didn't he? She wasn't quite right, but he wasn't entirely sure he cared. He half turned toward the blue rider, meaning to reach for her - but then E'an was in the way, shoving him out of the way as she tumbled into Ros'n herself. Teimoph's fury smoldered at the back of his mind, and the sight of Kaslimeph's left him reeling with the surge of hate Teimoph broadcast. The blonde youth staggered away from the women, stumbling the rest of the way into Sa'nia's room.

He stopped dead in his tracks as he saw her, utterly oblivious to the other human bodies milling around him. There was only Sa'nia and she was the one he had come here seeking. She was so... so... Well. Perhaps not to N'raan's normal tastes, but that hardly mattered at the moment. She was the right one and she was here, and that was all that really mattered. He hardly noticed as he began to stalk a slow circle about her shifting, dancing form - watching her as a predator watched its prey, hungry and looking for an opportunity to pounce.

[Quill]

When Sydnyph received that trill of acknowledgement, the simourv could hardly handle his excitement, so he took a dramatic loop. The blue was sure he was late; that he had flown too far and arrived too late, but no, he was in and he would not back down. There was some fear tucked deep in his mind, but instincts would not allow such things to arise.

Coming from the loop, Sydnyph chased after Altaph, beating his wings as hard as he could. He imagined that the wind would knock any simourv off their track though that was hardly the case. With so much ground to cover, the simourv did not have time to battle with the rest. Neither did he have the desire. Instead, he closed the terrible distance and followed her into the sky. Sydnyph took the challenge and although he could not rise to her heights, he fell, spinning a few times before straightening his flight path. Below, he noticed Teimoph fighting with two others. Slowing down for a few seconds, he flew around them. For Altaph, Syd would fight, but only if he had to. Darting past the bout, he beat his wings harder, ignoring the pain that had developed. He and Sal'a had flown fast and far, but Sydnyph never beat his wings with such passion.

Meanwhile, Sal'a had caught sight of the Eyrie. Thankfully, Sydnyph didn't set her as far away as she thought. Though the threat of koxi boomed in her mind, it did not arrive at the front. She wanted to sprint, to close the distance and arrive at the Eyrie, but her body wanted no such thing. Hormones were slowing her down. Every once in a while, she had stop to hide in some bushes. There she rose into the sky along Sydnyph.

[Kat]

A part of Ros’n longed only for Sa’nia, but the rest of Ros’n ached for anyone at all. When E’an fell into Ros’n, the senior blue rider reacted by opening herself to E’an and assaulting the other woman with a rather ferocious barrage of kisses, on E’an’s neck, then lips. Ros’n clung to the other woman, but also kept moving, so that she pulled E’an towards Sa’nia’s room, which was her ultimate goal even still. E’an was a welcome distraction, but Ros’n had been in enough flights—more than enough, to know that she needed to enter Sa’nia’s Eyling, whether she ended up with the tawny rider or not. Ros’n did not want to be with Sa’nia, maybe not even if Wegmeph caught Altaph again. The tawny rider reacted so vilely to Ros’n before, and the blue rider feared harming Sa’nia’s naivtivity again. This young blue rider was beautiful and willing, and at that moment, E’an felt like the perfect sexual partner. Why Ros’n never engaged in relationships with other female blueriders now felt like a pressing and stupid question. The fact that Mi’red was Ros’n’s only option until recently seemed like stupid logic. Ros’n just wanted. She hungered. Ros’n released E’an for a second, and when Ros’n did so, she realized that E’an had spoken. It was too late to respond, so instead of saying anything verbally, Ros’n dropped the sheet that covered her body. She now stood halfway in the hallway, halfway in Sa’nia’s room wearing only her underwear and breast binding.

Two blues joined the chase, but Wegmeph disregarded them. He did not care about any of these blues, or the red, or the black. He was focused on only Altaph, who shone line a golden flash of wondrous light in front of him. Altaph was beautiful always. She was the mother of his clutch, after all, and Wegmeph found her constantly fetching, but now she was irresistible, striking, and perfect. Wegmeph wanted her more than he wanted anything. He wanted to have Altaph again, and for some reason, this time, Wegemph wanted to have Altaph on her terms. Mostly, this desire was selfish, as Wegmeph wanted Altaph to acknowledge he was a good father, a good partner, but another part of him did feel kind of bad for taking her the last time. That part of him, though, was buried underneath the huge amount of pride he felt for catching the tawny on her first flight. When Altaph crooned at him, Wegmeph shouted back, a bright, happy bugle which expressed both his determination as well as his joy. No matter the outcome, Wegmeph loved flights, the whole process of them, and his joy and pride harmonized in his call.

The younger simourvs were saucy, and so Wegmeph ignored them. They were both too aggressive in the current attempts. The newly arrived blue spiraled towards Wegmeph, but Sydnyph broke his flight away, and Wegmeph did not even flinch. He continued to barrel towards his ultimate goal, his shining beauty. If the young one hit him, Wegmeph would deal with the collision then. Right now, Wegmeph did not wish to be distracted. Just as the smallest pursuing blue ignored Sydnyph’s corkscrew, Wegmeph ignored Kaslimeph’s fast overtaking. Had Wegmeph been watching, he would have thought Kaslimeph was going to fast to sustain his pace, but as it was, Wegmeph only knew that he could not move that quickly and expect to make it through the rest of the flight. Wegmeph would have to find a way to overtake Kaslimeph through conduct, not speed. That was how Wegmeph won Altaph the first time, anyway. Wegmeph continued in his own path, his own pursuit, and he did not care about the other suitors. The blue did not even notice that Teimoph assaulted Zioph, as Wegmeph would have found that behavior less than ideal had he paid attention. Wegmeph did not like fighting like that, let alone with a simourv of a superior rank. He believed in the best simourv winning on merit alone, whether that be intelligence, speed, or strength.

Sa’nia kissed Ros’n’s cheek when the blue rider released E’an, and in that second, Ros’n’s attention focused directly on Sa’nia. The blue rider watched the redhead dance around the room, Ros’n’s green eyes following Sa’nia’s every movement. The blue rider, though, held her ground, her mind remembering, even in this state, the tawnyrider’s rejection from the previous year.

[Quill]

He rubbed his forehead. Another morning. Z'ryd expected Rinph to be near, but the hulkering beast was not to be found. With his neon feathers sprinkled on his body, it was something not to be missed. After a few minutes of preparing for the day, the large black creature soared in. He said nothing to Rinph as the simourv settled down, but he knew what was on his mind.
For days now, Rinph insisted on taking a sort of field trip. At first, Z'ryd thought it was crazy. They had duties to perform. He was the newest Junior Commander and he was not about to put that position in danger. Rinph did not feel too strongly about the position, but Z'ryd loved it. He could make some changes... eventually.
A week ago, to silence and satisfy the simourv, Z'ryd agreed, but now he was regretting the situation.
Slowly, Rinph lowered his head and Z'ryd closed his eyes and patted the black's head. "Please, Mine. If you do not go, I will leave you and what will you do then?" Z'ryd's eyes sprang open. Rinph would never leave his side for more than an hour. The black had expressed this years ago.
"Give me a minute, my friend. I will pack my things for a week and we will be off." Rinph's head jerked and he made a crow of delight. Then he turned around, almost slamming his large tail into his rider, and sat at the entrance, looking at the horizon with extreme focus.
Z'ryd chuckled at the simourv as he packed some clothes and food. Nothing special. He wondered how far they would go. Only Rinph might know, and he doubted very much that the black did. As soon as Z'ryd settled on the black's back, Rinph wanted to soar away and it took much coaxing to convince him to travel just a few Eylings away to a nearby friend. Someone had to know of his departure because questions could easily arise.

Rinph traveled at top speed, which was pretty fast for a Southern Black. The simourv had not thought to stop anywhere on the continent until they reached the sea. Z'ryd was quite confused as they landed on the edge. Rinph looked down at the water and flew. For the first time in a long time, Z'ryd felt absolute panic. He shivered and then pulled at Rinph's back feathers, begging him to stop. The simourv obeyed reluntanly.
"Stop this, Rinph. This is insane, going to the Northern Continent. It's absolutely infested with koxi. You can't stay in the air forever. You'll have to land and that's when we'll be killed."
Rinph was quiet for many moments before he turned his head, staring with intense blue eyes. "Mine, I don't care about koxi. I can outfly a dozen koxi. Can you feel it, Mine. There's something out there and it is calling to me. It must be calling to you too. Trust me."
Closing his eyes, Z'ryd nodded. Slowly, Rinph flew, expecting another harsh tug, but instead, Z'ryd was calm. The black knew he was focusing and that caused a small grin. Trust was something they had and today it would guide them.

The oceans were still. He liked it and wanted to enjoy the stillness of it, but that was impossible. Z'ryd's eyes were pealed ahead. Already his eyes were peeled on the faint shore. Koxi had to be swarming, but then he felt s nudge in his mind. Rinph of course, encouraging a little faith from his rider.
"I trust you, Rinph, but that doesn't mean I can be cautious."
"Just checking."

The next fifteen hours were full of silence. Then they soared across the ground onto the Northern Continent. Z'ryd's eyes were pinned to ground, too distracted by the prospect of the rumored thousands of koxi. He saw them all right, but they were huddled in small groups and seperated. They flew onward. Z'ryd had lost track of time. It was a difficult thing to handle since he was one to keep time. He did notice that Rinph was flying in a straight line and refusing to keep in contact.
Suddenly, it was obvious to the two of them why they were traveling in such a straight line and why Z'ryd mind was fuzzy. A flight. Simourvs. Z'ryd could hardly belive the sight he saw. There must have been at least five in the sky. Rinph's body trembled, but the simourv could not leave His lying around, but the skies were no place for His. He flew closer until he saw a structure quite different from anything he had ever seen. Z'ryd had an haze over his eyes, but he recognized the structure. An Eyrie. There's people here. Simourv and people.
The two did not have time to marvel in the revalation. It was an Eyrie and it was safe. Hovering close to an Eyling, Z'ryd left off and watched as his black friend darted away. He felt so many around and there was nothing else Z'ryd could do but to follow. It was so unfamiliar, but the rider pressed on. Then there was soft voices. He had to follow.

Not checking to see if there were koxi lying about, he flew in pursuit. The simourv was sure enough his rider could handle himself. There was more pressing matters to concern himself with. A simourv in flight. Zipping into the sky, he did not note that these simourv were bigger than he. That the two blacks were different from him. All that mattered was he would catch her. Rinph's streamlined body closed the distance between him and that simourv. Looking closer, it was a tawny. Speeding, he darted between a blue and red. There was so much variety and they were going to watch as he won. Croning to the tawny, he made his appearance known. After that, he darted above the tawny and twirled around.

[zeis]

K'huna and Canph were caught in liminality that was both a blessing and a curse. The Alpha's had safely graduated, and the red-pair were currently between classes. It was a welcome break, but both Wingletmasters were beginning to feel the itch of boredom. In the quiet solitude of his eyling, K'huna flipped through his tattered notebook, busily scribbling a new curriculum for his next class. It was a hopeful and tentative business teaching Winglets what he and the other original riders had learned on the run, but through collaboration with the other Wingletmasters they were going to hone it down to an art.

The red-rider leaned back in his chair, and lifted his arms above his head to stretch. If he couldn't teach, he could at least get ready for teaching. He looked over his shoulder with honey colored eyes toward Canph's sleeping chamber, and sent familiar touch of thought to his bonded's mind. Canph responded automatically, used to the subtle contact and not really giving it much thought. The flamboyant red was down at the feeding pens, and had carried two cattle a territorial distance away from the main feeding ground to feast some time ago. He had since finished over-indulging and was cleaning and preening his feathers and talons with meticulous vanity. The simourv felt incredibly full, and comfortably drowsy in the morning air. Between searches, his days since graduation had been easy, with not much excitement. The last thing he expected was for Altaph to land like a wrathful comet in the distance, and start violently bloodletting a cow.

But, lo and behold. There she was. He froze where he reclined on the dusty earth, his ears and eyes attuned on her bloody feast. Her reluctant and frustrated scream caused his flaring ears to stand alert, and he cocked his head high like a cat who has spotted distant prey. The red very slowly shifted and got to his feet at first, then scrambled to stand as the beautiful and bloodstained tawny took to the air. Once on his feet, he beat and flapped his wings, intending to follow her into the air. Then his greed caught up with him.

Weighed down and sluggish due to his full belly, it took considerably longer than the red would have liked to get in the air. He squawked and growled in frustration as he fought his way into the air, and struggled to level out his flight and gain altitude. There were already other males chasing her! And they were getting away! He wouldn't let this happen. He wouldn't be beaten by any of them, let alone his stomach! The red had lost lovely graceful Altaph before, and it would not happen again.

While his simourv finally managed to begin chase, K'huna had very quickly and with much resignation put the pieces together. It struck him first as a sudden sense of significance, then as an intense almost painful need that materialized in his mind. He stared suddenly without much interest at the notes in his book, and abruptly rose to a stand, knocking over the chair. The red-rider bolted from his room, Canph's own sense of urgency and frustration working the Wingletmaster into confused and angry panic. He ran stumbling and reeling down the halls, knowing his destination without knowing it at all. He had to find someone, and there wasn't much time left.

Canph was far behind. His wings were lagging, and his potential for speed severely handicapped by his recent meal. He was being foiled by the same problem Sa'nia had ordered her Altaph to avoid. The red screamed at his distant brothers, multicolored shadows against the morning sky, struggling and working himself in a frenzy in a futile effort to catch up. It was unlikely, and even in flight-lust the red seemed to realize it, but refused to accept it. He flew on doggedly after a wish that wasn't coming true at all.

[Aikaph]

As the wind changed with no known course, so did Altaph’s mood towards her suitors. One minute, they were all doggedly following her and not paying attention to one another, the next, they were battling in her skies! Hers! How dare they. With a scream, the now-enraged Tawny backwinged, her narrowed pupils trained on Teimoph and Zioph. They would not shed blood on each other. Besides, that was her honor! Her first victim was the smaller red, receiving a harsh rake at his side and face. Zioph was next, her talons clawing at his legs. No suitor of mine will attack another! she hissed at all of the males. If you think bloodshed will woo me, you’re horribly mistaken.

[/color] She made sure to smack the offending Simourvs in the face with her tail before taking off again.

It didn’t register in her mind that a new suitor had entered the chase until a croon graced her ears. It startled her, of course; it was foreign, unreal. In fear of the new arrival, the great Simourv spiraled around in the sky before attempting to lose Rinph through altitude. It was then that she got to see the newcomer, and his appearance chilled her to the bone. He was a Black, with the main dark feathers giving it away. However, neon blues and yellows adorned his feathers like some mutant beast. Had a wild grey mated with a koxi to create this abomination? He was smaller, too; this had given him an advantage over the others. Unfortunately, her wings were tiring, and her talons weren’t enough to keep the creature away from her. As valiantly as she fought, talons linked, tails twined, and with a final screech, the great Altaph was taken unwillingly from the skies again.

Back on land, Sa’nia faced the same fate. The new man that suddenly startled her from her perch by said black sent her skittering across the room. ”No, stay away!" she screeched at him, throwing other suitors in his path. Her attempts to stay away from the man were in vain, for she was soon backed into a corner like some hunted animal with Z’ryd towering above her. When Altaph was snatched from her Flight, so was Sa’nia snatched from the corner. She kicked, she bit, she clawed at his back, but nothing could keep him from dragging her to the furs.

On the upside, at least it was a man.[/center]