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Wings of Autumn; [Hadassah's Flight]
Topic Started: Dec 16 2010, 09:21 PM (465 Views)
Nherva
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Lurker Queen
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The familiar instinctual stirrings had been prodding at her for days. Hadassah tried to ignore them for as long as she could, but it proved futile to make that attempt forever. As much as she hated leaving Zahra’s side in general, let alone in the middle of a war, she rationalized that being away for a little while wouldn’t hurt anything. Zahra would understand. In fact it was the Forest’s rider that usually pushed her to ‘get out more’ anyway. The urge to mate was a perfect excuse to pretend to humor her bonded. This would only be Hadassah’s second time flying for the purpose of procreation. The first time hadn’t been anything spectacular in her eyes…of course the fact that the male that had caught her gave her duds hadn’t made her all too happy either. This time, though, she was far more hopeful…and more choosey. Using her knowledge of the males in the Academy that she recalled, she’d hopefully be able to choose from a good lot of healthy, virile males.

The autumn colored Forest tilted her wings and flew in a lazy circle. She’d spent most of this chilly winter morning preparing for her flight, making her presence known to any males that wished to test their speed, might, cunning, and grace. Now that it was early afternoon and conditions right in her opinion she called them. Hadassah’s high brassy voice carried across the skies over the plains and jungles of outer Lihn, summoning those who thought they could best her and give her the strongest hatchlings for the Academy. Because hers could only be the best. After all, they’d be hers.

Calling again, she attempted to rouse any that wished to answer. Her circle in which she flew was large and encompassed miles. Her smaller frame might not have been made for such stamina, but she’d eaten well earlier and had plenty of energy to burn. Not to mention with the day being clear there were decent thermals to bear her up in the sky, making gliding almost effortless.

Hadassah’s vast circle intersected with the Academy at a point and she roared again as she neared and when she passed, the clarion call of her draconic voice drifting down to reach the idle ears of her comrades. She wouldn’t be easy, certainly not. Just flying would have been too easy. Hadassah planned to use nearly every terrain available to her. She would test their speed on the ground and their grace in the air. How badly they wanted her would be proven by how long they managed to stay on her tail.

Another lust-laden call echoed over the Academy and she flew off, back toward the skies just outside of Lihn. Just because she was ready to mate didn’t mean she needed to have every soul in the world watching as she chose her consort. If they wanted her, they’d follow her to the ends of the earth, she knew at least that much from her previous flight. Only she hoped her lack of interest in most beings other than herself in her rider wouldn’t impede her ability to mate. Sure she wasn’t the most social of dragons, but there were bound to be males that didn’t care who she was, so long as they could satisfy their own desires. Perhaps one day she’d look for an actual mate so that she wouldn’t have to come out here and wave her tail around for all to see, but for now she’d bee deemed too harsh for the company of most other dragons so she had to make due.

Looking behind her, Hadassah’s violet eyes gleamed as she sought the forms of her suitors. Even if there was only one that answered her call, he’d be tested in the same degree as though there were many.


((Just a note for anyone that wants to enter to win: I like to do mating flights so that they don’t sit around forever waiting to be finished. I usually give them 3-4 days, meaning I have posted the start, then I wait for posters for about a day or two, then post the middle, wait for posts, then post the end. I might extend this one to four posts from me instead of three depending on the turnout, but I will not leave this open for more than a week if I can help it, that way others can get their females up :3 have fun!))
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Laughing Dove
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Clarion calls of lovely ladies were ringing out across the skies this winter. Excitement was bubbling through his glassy veins, delicate nostrils flared wide to suck in the air perfumed with the scents of the city below. Even at this time of morn, the curiousities of the city of Lihn still drew him in. Kubikiri cared little for distance, another dragon’s hour-long, flapping trek was mere fifteen minutes of sheer, exhilarating speed to him. And the hot buildings and walls cast such marvellous currents and shadows. Even though the fragile creature loathed strangers company, he was irascibly curious and drawn to Lihn like a drug. Like the raptors that soared in the sunlight of noon, the Air came seeking the thermals and curious currents associated with manmade structures, and every illicit excursion was richly rewarded. And now there was an additional incentive to make the rush to the city…

White belly reflecting the faint flickers of lonely lamplight below, Kubikiri swooped through an empty alley with all four wings held stiffly at 45 degree angles to his body, letting his narrow ribcage swoop inches above the cobblestones while his wingtips fluttered stoically almost 3 metres above. He pitched through the deep, sloping street like a ghost, his thin body lifting fractionally away from the downhill slope with every inch he sped over. Nearing the dead wall of the t-junction at the base of the hill, he began to adjust the wing angle, lifting himself away from the earth as his wings moved to jut straight from his sides. With split-seconds to spare he shot over the far roof and drove himself upward with a decisive flap, the speed of his wake dragging tiny stones from their settling and dropping them with quiet clatters. His narrow maw was open to suck in the air and the delicious richness of the odours past his tongue and through his lungs.

A particular scent sent shivers down his spine and drove him higher into the sky above dawning Lihn. The molecules ignited something rapturously familiar in his brain. Vaguely, he noticed the stale slipstream of a dragoness vibrate over his body. Flaring his wings to catch the faint trail, Kubikiri curled up along it and stretched his long, graceful neck in the direction of the current before completing the loop with a distracted flourish of his wings. Upside down with his belly exposed, he had spied something wonderful. Orange and riotous colours, black horns, a scaled hide garnished by rays of flickering morning sunlight. She was beautiful, and his heart pumped fire through his veins as he realised that she was the source of the thick pheromone trail.

Previously, a violet rosemary had left such breadcrumbs, and the memory of the chase drove his wings into a furious beat after Hadassa. Not even shy Kubikiri could resist these clues, not with his blood still hot from his lonely games in the city airs. Thrill fluttered deliciously in his stomach as her clarion call rang through his nerves, spurring his wings into even greater fever as he darted through the chaotic currents in pursuit. She looked back, and his heart nearly stopped with terrified excitement as two pairs of violet eyes burned against each other for a fraction of a second. He was hooked, and so far, no other had risen to chase this beauty. Boldened by the solitude, Kubikiri let loose with an exquisite and longing twitter of sweet whispers, carried on the winds to the Autumn’s ear. With luck the wordless croons would entice her as much as she enticed him.
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Carni
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Salus had spread his wings wide, resting on a dark stone near the Academy and soaking up the feeble warmth a winter sun could give him, albeit looking more like a smothered fly when gazed upon from above. A bright, rainbow colored one, to be sure. He rose with a start, when he heard yet another call of a female, not long since he had heard Iridae's voice. But this call did not sound so much of duty. Nor did it sound as much of pain as of pleasure. It was softer. Warmer. Like the last breath of sunwarmed Autumn washing over him. Oh, how much he longed for the warmer days gone by. He despised winter. It was bleak and cold. And it was the time life turned quiet. The time when he'd loose the most of his charges to the cold, deadly touch of never ending darkness. But Autumn was gone and so was it's warmth and colors. And even tho Salus still loved his Iceprincess dearly, he could not escape the urge to sire more children. Only one more time..., he would tell himself, stretching his wings ready for takeoff. Just this one beauty... It was his curse, the victory of his genes and instincts over wit and trained mind.

Oh if there were not so many of them... and if one were not even more beautiful than the last... But they all were beautiful in their own right. And they all deserved attention. Lithia could have made him stay with one female and only one alone. She had done so over more than just a few years... but these times were gone and lost forever. The taint had stolen their future children and there was no cure Salus could be using on her. And so instincts had won. To the better, if you were looking at Ionos and her Offspring, to the worse if you imagined more Oziums crawling the space. Still, he had proven his fertility to more than one female, even though war had already taken too many of his young for his own taste. One... was too many. But his thoughts did not linger long on his past, nor on Lithia. This was an entirely different female. More befitting of his own size, smaller and as graceful. He rose swiftly into the air to meet her, to lay his silvery eyes on her beautiful form. He was not first to arrive, nor did he expect to be last, but when he saw whom else had showed up, he felt quite content. He did not fear loosing to the frail creature here, altough he would not mind either if he did. As weird as it might sound, he felt not threatened by Kubi but rather felt his heart warm with fatherly love. Had the times been different, had they met earlier in life... who knew, he might have tried to adopt the fragile Air, to foster him, to soothe his very soul until it was whole and well again.

But life was cruel and so they had to meet again as rivals, desiring the same female. Not for the first time, Salus remembered well. But he would go easy on the other male, he decided. There was hardly any other dragon being less a threat than Salus. Well, Ozium maybe, unless he wanted the clothes you wore. The Rosemary smiled and winked, turning to the female more sternly, his eyes flickering over her body, down her slender neck, over her lovely wings and back to the frills on her head. There probably had been a Water among her close ancestors, he mused. "Autum has passed by... Yet it occurs to me, all it's beauty has remained...", he said softly, not quite bothering to make certain she heard. She looked so much like some wonderful fallen leaf, it was stunning him. Red and Orange and Gold. Colors he yearned for during the dark, cold days. A hint of warmth amidst the wintertime.

Being colored like a Rainbow turned flesh, he somewhat enjoyed single colors. The color Rainbow always made him pause for a split second. Another Rainbow could only mean more of their exact kind and Salus somewhat doubted that would be for the better of the world. No, diversity was good. And she did not only prove to be different than even most of the forests he had met, she also was more beautiful. At least to him, at least as long as her warm scent filled his nostrils, her warm voice his ears. She truely was capable of chasing the coldness from his bones that had tried to settle there... Worth the chase, not just for duty...
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SemperMemor
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Harmon rested quietly on the outskirts of the capitol, surveying the city in the distance with a curious gaze. Every now and then a faint croon escaped his horns in anticipation. Alastair, or so he had been told by the man, was only going to be a while. His chosen mentioned something about calling upon a favor within the bars, to which the sapphire Sonic meekly whined at. The uncomfortable urges to find a mate that had begun to settle in his bulky form troubled him further whenever the big man was absent, though he would never tell him that directly even if his rider would be able to decipher that particular message. He doubted that he would, given the previous lack of feminine company. Still, the lack of company unnerved him. Harmon gave a snort, shuffling his wings at the thought of spending any more length of time alone.

Even now the females were calling for suitors to rise. Harmon's short ears flicked up at the encroaching sounds. It felt as if she were mocking him with her restlessness. The Sonic's chest rumbled unhappily at the prospect of yet another edgy soul in the world. Maybe, again, he could help another female to cope in her misery. His wedge head upturned toward the sky as he waited for her to reveal herself. Silent, undetectable pulses issued from his wide chest to try to locate her and was almost at once rewarded for his efforts. The ping of his echolocation bounced back straight away, directly toward the west. With eagerness, the darkly hued dragon rose to his wide feet and extended his wings. He leapt forward from a standstill, gaining the momentum needed for flight. His heavy bulk causing small tremors beneath his hard bounds before Harmon gave a final, tremendous rush toward the cold, cloudless sky above. Speckled wings reached toward the heavens as if to lovingly cusp them, slamming down upon clearing the earth before more than a second of hanging in his mid-air bound.

A few more powerful downstrokes behind him and Harmon was quickly gaining altitude. His broad shadow spotted the falling lush canopy below like a blob of draconic paint spattered across a green canvas. The Sonic gave a pleased thrum deep within his massive chest as the pulses signaled that his approach was close. And there, in the distance not a moment after he purred, he spotted three forms gliding amongst the cool currents as if performing a complicated dance together. Well, what kind of dance was this if they had no music to set it to? Harmon, seeing them, trilled a merry brassy greeting to oblige their efforts. The sound shot forth like a cannonball, and probably was just as loud. Company of any kind always made him happy, even if this procession was in an entirely different context than a a friendly chat. The dragon whined a split second later. He hoped that he hadn't scared any of them.

Coming closer revealed the dragons and dragoness for who they were. That funny Air from Vajra's flight made him cock his head in amusement. Always so jittery, he was, but Harmon could never figure out exactly why when there was no need for him to be so. He smelled differently, too, although he wasn't quite sure if that was a bad thing. His musk was far different from the rainbow plumage that flew beside him. That one, at least, he knew well from his time within the Infirmary. Harmon crooned out to him as he came closer, a bit more gently from before. Salus always seemed to be in a pleasant mood! The idea of another happy soul made him wriggle beneath his scales. However, his thoughts were cut off by the flash of orange foliage that shot by him. A surprised shriek escaped the whistling spines upon his back. He hadn't realized he had gotten so close to the female's Flight so soon.

The vivid imprint of those brilliant colors upon his similarly colored irises, so much different from his blue and indigo hide, made him blink a few times in shock. Harmon stopped where he was, hovering like a butterfly, and simply stared at her. His soft orbs merely watched as her elegant form panned the air with grace. He smiled, his teeth glinting in unsurpassed joy. Oh, he had seen this particular female around. Although, regrettably, not too often. However, when she was visible in all her proud Forest glory, it was hard to miss the bright colors of the fall amidst a sea of limestone. Harmon crooned lowly, slowly dipping forward back into true flight after her like a train car behind its engine. She never seemed to be in a conversational mood whenever he passed her in the halls on the scant occasions that he had. With renewed vigor, he pumped his broad sails after the trailing wind of intoxicating pheromones in her wake. Maybe it was she who deserved his soothing song most of all.

Drawing in a breath while he closed the aerial gap between them, he prepared himself for what was to come. His spines whined shrilly as they, too, took in the whipping winds. Opening his mouth to commence his symphony, the crystal at the back on his tongue hummed in wait. A moment later, both from the alabaster horns and the wide maw, came forth the beginnings of his tranquil melody, his spines accentuating the key on the downbeat. He just hoped that Hadassah would be willing to answer it.
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Nherva
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Three suitors. Three answered her sweet feminine call. They would do. They all were of smaller breeds, swift of body and wing, but of mind? Well that would be left to be judged. Hadassah crooned to each of them, darting amongst them as they approached and made themselves known. The Air she regrettably did not recall in her knowledge of the Academy’s residents, but even though he smelled slightly different than the rest, she paid it little mind. He didn’t look like a Taint and he didn’t act like a Taint. He was far too skittish to be a Taint. Hadassah’s progeny would not carry the Taint in their blood, she’d decided that before her first flight.

Upon closer inspection of each male, Hadassah’s blood began to race in her veins. All of them were so oddly attractive to her now, though they’d probably have been more of a bother than anything else at any other time. The Air whose name she did not know was handsome as he was lithe, his colors and delicate features making him a key candidate to chase her through the sky. She gave him a soft croon of approval as she passed him, forgoing words as this wasn’t exactly a time for them. Words came before and after, words had never impressed Hadassah and they wouldn’t now. Only sheer physical prowess and mental aptitude would win her now.

Like night on his back giving way to glorious day on his belly, and his lithe and quick form at the ready to conquer whatever obstacles she could throw at him, the Air gained the Forest’s approval quickly. She moved on, teasing as she left him to inspect her second suitor. The Rainbow Salus. Now him she knew. If he wasn’t one of the most infamous Rosemary’s at the Academy’s infirmary he certainly was in her mind. Brilliantly colored in all the hues of a Rainbow, his radiance might have dazzled and annoyed her any other day. Today it made him a beacon for her desire. She knew of his fertility for he had offspring to show for it…so unlike her previous winner. Not quite as small as Salus, she did her best to fly a tight circle around him, displaying herself and her acceptance of his presence.

Finally, the loud boom that echoed through the air around them heralded the entrance of the last. Hadassah knew Harmon for his peculiar disability even if she didn’t know him personally. He was fortunate to be born a Sonic lest he have no way to communicate at all. He was the only Sonic she knew to have that sort of feature. Regardless of his handicap, his body was solid and strong, the deep indigo and brilliant blues of his hide making him a gem in the sky. Red and orange scales stood on end, rattling against each other eagerly as the dragoness drew in the scents of each of her suitors. Spiraling upward so near to the Sonic that she might have made him falter if he hadn’t been paying attention, the Forest rose up high above them all. Hadassah crooned as she passed, the sound rising to a high clear-sounding keen of pure delight.

She looked down upon the three from her position in the sky and said the only words she cared to say at that very moment. “Catch me if you can,” she called, following her words with a low, lust-laden roar as she turned her body and folded her wings. The Forest sped off instantly into the distance, looking back only momentarily to see if anyone had changed their mind.

Low over the treetops she flew, snapping her powerful wings open moments before she’d have crashed into their lush canopies. Like a flame-tipped arrow she shot over the forested area below, weaving in and out of the irregular heights of the treetops. They’d have to be fast and agile in the air to follow her. A larger male might have just played it safe and glided just above the tallest trees, but that would have been a mark against him. Hadassah wanted to see them impress her, she wanted to see their strength and their agility. Then she would test their stamina, but only after they’d proven themselves.

True to her word, Hadassah used every terrain available. The trees began to thin out the farther she flew and became sparse enough to make a perfect obstacle course for her potential mates to navigate. She’d already run it earlier to make sure that she could run it without issue. Almost without warning, the Forest dragoness dropped, gracefully shifting from flight to run as she touched down on a long stretch of clear ground. Claws tearing through loam and leaf below, Hadassah sped over the ground nearly as fast as she could fly at a steady pace. Her feline-esque body was built for this…as well as the sudden turn she made to the right, avoiding the trunk of a large tree ahead. Leaning back to the left she corrected, leaping over a huge boulder jutting from the ground, using her wings to get her over it completely. If they could keep up, they’d do the same…if they didn’t realize what they were about to run into well…that would just be cause for her amusement.

Under a log fallen over a nearly dried up river bed, the autumn hued dragoness splashed through the chilly water that was left running through the channel. The mud that clung to her claws was no match for the tall brush-like grass she ran through next. She reveled in the feel of the thin tendrils buffing her scales as she passed. She knew her course, if they weren’t careful behind her they’d twist an ankle or worse in an unforeseen hole, but Hadassah knew her course. She wasn’t cruel by nature, but merely wished to make positively sure her competition was worthy of her body and the chance to call her offspring theirs as well.

Glancing back as she wove her way back into the more heavily forested areas, she sought to see if they were still behind her. She called again, her voice incentive for them, to tell them that she wanted them to try their hardest. Only a dragon would understand the message in her call…she’d make it well worth their time and effort.
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Laughing Dove
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Sauve and sultry, a familiar voice rang in his ears with a mixture of pleasure and disappointment. Salus! The stiff shafts that strutted his psychedelic plumes whittled the air into support, their structural vibrations just as familiar as his rich voice. With a somewhat strangled fizzle of air past his lips at having to tear his eyes from the impassioned female, Kubikiri swept up his own long, breakable wings and caught a breeze backwards to roll sinuously over towards the prismatic dragon. Observing him with great, shining eyes that glittered with affection, his gaze was unadulterated by the supposed intensity of the competition, something that seemed absolutely beyond him to recognise. Minds could only override instincts so far, however, and with a final zephyr of warm air the dragonfly broke away from the second of recognition and turned his belly back to the morning sunshine gleaming off Hadassah’s wings.

Imposed over the cool winter mist like the crackling epicentre of a flame, the Forest’s approach made every bone in his body ache with barely suppressed lust as the atmosphere sang over her hide of tangerine and lime. Like a starving man finally fed, his fine snout followed her crisp, leafy scent as she fluttered past him like the last leaf of autumn taunting the frost of winter to come. If she was Autumn, he was Winter’s kiss, cold at the breast with moonstone flesh and the pitch and indigo iridescence of an frigid night sky. Shivers of something so much better than cold crept along his skin and raised the subtle, miniscule navy plumes like tiny scales that shimmered across his back in a wave of subtle verdence, turquoise, wisteria and violet. Her wind caught his light body and tugged him behind her irresistible silhouette against the dawn. With an anxious sigh as she swirled so richly past the embodiment of Spring blossoms, Kubikiri lifted his gaze and his gauzy ears and finally caught sight of Summer.

Summer was rich blue with strips of white sunlight across his flanks, protrusions of alabaster and limestone rich and creamy in the sparse warmth of a morning sun’s caress. Sapphire saturation was blindingly beautiful in the golden graduations of dawn, blue and yellow mingling over Harmon’s scales as the lemony copper ripple of sunshine off the sea. Arching his prodigiously long broadside over Hadassah and Salus, long enough to swoop in a near circle around them, Kubikiri shuddered against the otherwise empty, lonely sky and touched the Sonic with a poor imitation of his own power. Wafting against his whistles like the shy breath of a woman, the Air managed a rough mimic of Harmon’s cheerful greeting by playing upon the other male’s pipes. Slithering through the sky with a ripple of his long wings and adding a bare, raspy whisper to his salute, Winter flicked his periwinkle flank away with a snap while Autumn cemented her seduction of Summer.

In the air, the unending skies, Kubikiri danced alongside the seasons and easily forgot the avatars of sunshine in favour of the spiralling Flight of the fairer sex. Sweeping his wings back the Air began to make the most of his element, swooping into her slipstream without a blink and blitzing past Harmon and Salus in a violent corkscrew in Hadassah’s wake. Heart hammering like the fragile beat of a mouse, Kubikiri propelled his wings into an insectile blur, unconsciously stiffening his body until he bowed and flexed less like a ribbon than a stalk of bamboo in the wind. The humming of his wings took him skywards high above and far faster than the others could ever hope to manage, intruders to the skies that they were. The heat from his whirring muscles would have warmed the air fractionally as the heated wind washed over the forest as he passed almost 5 metres from her, buzzing upwards and swaying around her in a complex darting choreography punctuated by the rhythm of her wingbeats. Bright eyes always upon her, the well-rested Kubikri zipped past with occasional caresses of sky against the topaz scales of Hadassah’s sides, boldened by the clarity and the space that simply heaped odds utterly against his competition’s favour. Blinded by exhilaration and lust, the usually shrinking creature swirled carelessly about them all in what might have been a mockery if not for the pure, innocent joy of his raspy, twittering laughter.

With a desperately enraptured hush of wind, the Air folded his burning hot wings into sudden stillness and snapped them tight to his sides. Slithering through the skies and the slipstreams of the dropping dragons Kubikiri fell obliviously towards his bane. Overlong wings half-opened as he plunged after them into the canopy, swirling past the protruding foliage with liquid grace. No, these were nothing to him. Nary a fleck of bark besmirched his flickering feathertips as he sped through the forest humidity with eyes intent on the rustling hide and brilliant orange of his quarry. A flash of inspiration hit him as he blasted past a tree in fragile bloom. Nectar so sweet and fragrant he could almost taste it on his skin, cupped in the irresistible fragility and beauty of a floral trumpet…In the naïve imagination every male must entertain, these seemed a good plan. It didn’t occur to him that Hadassah might not appreciate his destroying of her realm, but he slowed to a trickle through the greenery with ears always cocked for the telltale sounds of the other’s heaving breaths and flapping wings.

Winding through the forest like a ghost, Kubikiri paused at every bloom and sampled it from every sense he had. Silky orchids with delicate petals that glittered like jewels assailed him from sight and smell and their exquisite succulent touch, spotted with burgundy and green or gleaming white edged with the most delicate of pinks. These he paused at, relatively tiny, fragile fingers almost as translucent as the petals themselves, the unusual claws perfectly suited for the task he had in mind. Like an oriental ikebana artist, Kubikiri coiled the glassy claws and cut through the leaking green stems. He had always wondered at the shape of his claws, blunt at the tip but so razor sharp on the inside curve. The handmaidens who had designed his saddle had gasped at them, showing him their own blades, so similar, designed for the careful trimming of bonsai. They had asked him if that was where he got his name, and though he hadn’t been able to answer, their mistress had been happy to show him how to use them to their greatest effect.

Shaking his head with a bouncy bob of his larklike crest, Kubikiri tried to quiet his frantically hammering heart as he so carefully gathered a tropical bouquet. His delicate hands grew gummy and red with irritation from the unfamiliar clinging texture of sap, but finally he had a dragon-sized bouquet to hopefully charm the stunning Autumn. Something was wrong, though. Their wings weren’t flapping…

Horror narrowed Kubikiri’s pupils to pinpricks. They were running! Not flying, running! Sick to his stomach with anxiety, the Air tucked his bunch of sweet blooms in his soft mouth and darted effortlessly after them, bursting from the tree cover into the sunstruck clearing to hover in their shade as he watched Harmon, Hadassah and Salus gallop expertly over the earth. Lifting his paws, smelling of growing things and still uncomfortable from the stiffness of hardening sap, the air dragon stared uncertainly at the thin, soft pawpads. He couldn’t hover in pursuit, that would be awfully unfair. But her scent was still so heady in his brain, and oh how he wanted her. He had to try. Esoriel would be proud if he tried.

Gingerly, eyes flicking madly between the growing distance of the running dragons now splashing through the water and the hard, leaf-litter encrusted earth, Kubikiri let the wind out from under him with most agonising slowness. Decay slushed between his glassy toes and stuck out against the milky limbs, his overlong body looped awkwardly in a loose arch between his legs, a sight outdone in ridiculousness only by the stiff, twitchy tail that coiled around him like a conjoined flock of frightened birds. As the weight shifted to one side as he folded his left wings, he overbalanced and stumbled, overcompensating sideways until he smacked his belly against the enormous, solid trunk of a tree. Hissing with pain he recoiled and snapped his other wings up against his body, wobbling with uncertainty, embarrassment and pain as the impact began to collect into the large, tender imprint of an oncoming bruise where he had banged the trunk. A silver tongue flicked out hopelessly past the mass of stems in his maw, the incredible scent obscured by the heady, distracting, overwhelming perfume of his blooms. But he could still hear then, further and further away with every heartbeat. Filled with shame, air Kubikiri took a faltering step forward, winced as a pebble lodged against his bony digits and swung another foot forward.
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Carni
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Salus whirled and spun whilst Hadassah circled around him, always keeping an eye on her slender form. He admired the play of warm colors, the reds and oranges and hints of yellow melting into one another. It made him feel warm and save, somehow. As if the cold bite of the icy wind did not touch him anymore as long as she stayed close enough. It was no wonder that he felt a tinge of regret when she turned her eyes away from him and to Harmon. Watching him and then Kubi, he smiled warmly, feeling oddly fond of both of them. We'r all equals here..., he thought, watching out for Tainteds but feeling more than just a little relieved when none showed up. Rivalry would be a friendly one today. They did not have to squabble and fight amongst one another, they could use all their strength to show Hadassah what they were made of. Salus flexed his muscles and stretched his wings as he hovered closeby, testing the air whilst he waited for their glorious princess to finish her inspections. He had half a dozen pretty words and sayings floating through his mind, but only smiled and watched silently. Now was not the time for compliments. It was time to let their bodies and actions speak. Look, I am strong, healthy and of clear mind. I can give you clever and strong children., they all three had to try and tell her without words. Before the humans had somehow managed to seer that part off, they also had have to prove they were capable of defending their young and strong enough to rise them into adulthood aswell. Part of him still wanted to scream Look! Look at me, I'm a good father besides!. But he never did. Not with the Tainteds at their borders. Not after he had lost so many of his children as the years passed by.

Still... he had not given up. Some... some would survive. Some would grow strong and outlive even their parents. Especially if they were to have a mother such as Hadassah, fine and beautiful. He would not disappoint her. He would do his best. And he did not have to wait long for a chance to prove himself. He was almost as swiftly on her heels as Kubi, his small but able wings beating swiftly, as they made their way to the forest. She looks even more like Autumn come to live with the dark background of the trees..., he thought and almost missed the first taller tree jutting up from between its brothers. He flung himself around, zipping between two treetops and regaining his control quickly enough to avoid to smack himself into the next best green giant. He couldn't fully avoid hitting his tail on one of the branches. Serves you right, idiot. Pain will remind you to stay focused!, he cursed himself silently and pumped his wings harder to regain the ground he had lost while zipping around the tall tree. The other taller trees did not catch him off guard and he made it quite quickly through the changing heights without crashing into any other branches. For once, his smaller size was a clear advantage. Narrow passages where even the other slim dragons might have troubles were like huge openings for him.

He dropped right after Hadassah into the thinning forest, weaving his way through the branches. Sometimes he used his legs to push himself off, to change direction faster than even his wings would allow, leaving bright, beige scars in the bark where his claws dug deep enough. Especially the trunk of a large tree got it's share of Salus grip as he swung around, darting after the flash of color far ahead that was their price. He too saw the large boulder jutting from the ground and her red tail vanishing overhead. He turned, pushed up and made contact with the Rock, using both wings and hindlegs to push himself up and up and up over the top, wings spread wide to gain a split second of hovering weightlessly in the air. There! He caught sight of her running through an almost dried off riverbed and plunged after her into the cool water. It felt soothing on his skin, not biting cold, just cool. Maybe it was because he had been racing after her at such a rapid speed, his breath already going heavier, his heart hammering in his chest like a bird trying to escape its cage. It felt as if it would leap from his tongue soon if he kept going at this pace...

But they were not done yet. Not yet. Salus felt the soft ground beneath his paws and saw Hadassah run ahead of him. He couldn't help himself and laughed joyfully. Oh how long had it been since he ran, just ran until his lungs felt like bursting? No matter how this day ended... Hadassah surely had just found a friend in him. He begun with a swift trot, but after only a few steps, he lowered his head, his bright crest suddenly falling flat against the back of his head, his entire shape streamlining, his wings tucked so tightly against his sides they seemed almost sunken into his flesh. Every long stride seemed to grow longer, his trot transforming into a gallop, his legs stretching, stretching, pushing him faster and faster. But something was wrong. Something was amiss. And Salus slowed down, paused to look back over his shoulder, knowing that he might loose Hadassah to this. But there had always been this sort of kindness within himself. And as much as he longed to run side by side with the Autumn through tall Grass until his chest wanted to explode... he could not leave Kubi behind like this. "Take your head down, son. And stretch. Stretch every joint you have. Do not walk or trot, run. It is easier than either of the rest. Use your tail to steer and run. RUN!", he bellowed, pacing up and down a little, wings twitching impatiently. He wanted to run, to race after Hadassah, match her speed with hers... but Kubi would be left behind. Gritting his teeth, Salus stopped pacing and instead fell back into galloping, without trotting in between, rushing back to where Kubi was stumbling along, circling him, using only the fan at the end of his tail to steer. "It's not that hard, come, come, if you'r fit for flying, you'r fit for running! The air pressing against you is the same!" and with that, he was off, chasing after Hadassah again, hoping that it was enough to show Kubi how and let him figure out the rest. Already he had wasted too much time and most likely already turned it to an easy victory for Harmon, but he cared little. Kubi was important too. And Salus would not forget his friends. Could not. Ever.
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A bright dart of molten gold and orange, followed by the whipping wind of the air that it brought in its sweetly tantalizing wake of pheromones, shot in front of the bulky Sonic teasingly. He shrieked in surprise at the suddenness of her approached, lurching away from her with frantic back-winging. His spines wailed in the exchange of currents like miserable clarions, his ears twitching uncomfortably with the unpleasant sound. Before he could try to righten himself properly, the Forest flung herself away with more grace than her harbored within his own body. Harmon cooed after her like a crying dove, confused as to why she did that to him. It worked nonetheless. So it was attentiveness and intelligence she wanted? He could do that, couldn't he? His fleeting attention raced back to the task at hand just as his body turned toward the wide expanse of greenery below.

With a crooning melodious bellow, Harmon's wings pulled tightly against his sapphire sides and dove straight downward toward the uneven terrain of lush canopy that the autumn mistress took to with fervent speed. The Sonic angled his hefty form with the momentum of his body once hanging above the chlorophyll rich life. His broad wings caught the wind before he crashed into the tree tops, opening with a loud, leathery snap. Needles of the dark pines tickled the sensitive membranes, ushering a faint, whimsical snort from his wide muzzle in amusement. He wasn't fast by any means in the long run, but he was built to last. Built to maneuver in tight spaces. The wide breadth of his wingspan paid evidence to that. With more surface area to manipulate the unforgiving currents to his desire, although no where near in comparison to that of a talented Air in its god-given element, he was hardly the worst at turning when he needed to in limited time and space. Eyes locked on that speeding red-golden female, his nostrils filled with the comforting scent of odorous leaves and that of her intoxicating pheromones, the big Sonic wove easily between the rising tree tops with precise lunges of his weight and strong wing flaps. A quick glance toward Kubikiri and Salus assured them of their similar passage, too.

However, he wasn't expecting the Forest female to shoot into the depths of her element. Harmon's body arched quickly to rise, his wings slamming down to try to gain altitude, before he dove in after her. His song rose deep within his dense chest again. However, within the darker depths of the sun-blotted evergreens, his eyesight became much more limited than what it had been in the bright glow of the solar rays. Not that he minded it much, but his eyesight wasn't the best to begin with. Harmon had something else, though. He gave a tentative, sub-sonic rumble when the right pause in his melody came. A myriad of echoes bounced back not more than a moment later. His ears picked up the nearest as his body unconsciously reached to the influx of echolocation. Although he couldn't see very well, he could get along just fine.

The unique sound patterns of each of the other participants in the Flight; Kubi, his strange combination of twitching and flowing movements was the closest, followed by Salus' minute fluttering a bit more distance. More or less straight in front, a little off toward the left and descending quickly, flew the Forest. Harmon, upon hearing her signature, blocked out the other males and shot after her like an arrow. He nearly rammed into Kubi's swift form, coming close enough to hear his rapid heartbeat pulsing within his narrow chest. The Sonic gave an apologetic keen for his troubles and barreled quickly to his left, out of the way. At the lower altitude, the trucks were more numerous and thickly settled. His wings tucked, snapped open, listed, and scooped the air in succession when the echoes dictated that he moved now, lest he wish to crash to a dead stop and possibly break a wing.

The trees suddenly disappeared without warning as the light from above burst back into existence in a wide field. Harmon's bulk glided toward the earth with haste. Why was she doing this? Surely this wasn't normal? He hadn't been in a great many Flights to say whether or not something was normal. An obstacle course? Although, he admitted with a pleasant snort as his talons skimmed the soft ground, it was interesting. His wings folded neatly once his heavy form landed with a thud against the ground. Harmon hummed eagerly after the Forest when properly landed. His short legs were not what could be considered optimal for running, certainly not in comparison to that of Salus' lengthy stride, but he did what he could. The stout Sonic bounded after her like a fully loaded tank stuffed with marshmallows, his foot beats palpable through the surrounding area immediately around him.

Harmon used his wings to turn sharply after the quick paces of the autumn female. He gave a deep boom once faced with the massive boulder, the suddenness of it surprising him. Trying not to break stride, his wings, held high, slammed downward as he leapt to clear it. The tree branches raked the thick membrane, earning a soft shrill from his hollow spines from pain. But before he could wallow around in self pity, the rock beneath his feet gave out and he splashed into the frigid water within the dry riverbed. The sudden change in temperature made his scales stand on end and his amber eyes widen in shock. Harmon's head whipped around a moment later in confusion. Hadassah's call rang out again, her song issuing forth a soft keen once more from his horns. He dashed off after her illusive form, trying, and somewhat failing, at keeping his wide feet from touching the edges of the holes within the cold, muddy riverbed.
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Throughout the run through the forest, Hadassah kept close attention to her chasers. The Air had disappeared into the trees before she’d touched down so she wasn’t exactly sure where he’d gone off to and assumed at first that he’d already given up. Salus seemed most on his toes, quickly dropping to the ground to follow, his small body weaving in and out of the trees with skill that surprised the Forest female. Though Harmon was the last to react and larger than the other two, she could hear the sounds of his efforts, especially when he started using some form of echo location she couldn’t understand being the breed she was. Whatever worked, so long as they all stayed on her.

Hadassah’s swift, cheetah-like body wove in and out of trees, over giant boulders jutting up from the ground and beneath fallen logs with ease, but with all her antics she began to tire quickly. Her blood sang in her ears as her muscles started to burn. The feeling was glorious. How long it had been since she’d just come out to run. She loved to fly and to do so with her rider on their missions, but it had been ages since she’d run full out and carelessly as she had as a fledgling wyrm. The chilly air stung in her nostrils and after a few more obstacles, she decided it was time to end things if she wished to mate well this time around.

She might have just chosen her suitor based on what she knew about him if it hadn’t been for the last time she’d tried to mate. Last time she had not been nearly as picky or nearly as testy. This time she would have a strong, healthy hatchling, maybe two if she was lucky. This time she would not deal with the shame and sadness of bringing something empty into the world. With a high-pitched keen, Hadassah leapt over one last obstacle—a pile of fallen logs resting just at the edge of the trees—and bolted onto clear ground. The area wasn’t quite a meadow but it wasn’t dense forest either. She’d seen it countless times as she scouted this area. Thanks to her Zahra, she knew how to remember landmarks and read areas with particular skill, which was why she’d been able to run her males through the forest and not break a leg in the process. This place was one of the most beautiful during this season and this was where she would choose her mate.

The red-orange hued Forest slowed her pace, trotting to keep her blood flowing as she waited for her males to appear from the denser part of the forest. Not seeing any of the three right off the bat, she parted her jaws to sing to her suitors, urging them to come and claim her. The dragoness half-spread her wings, letting the bright membranes catch the sunlight in such a way that made her practically glow with the warmth of her coloring. Finally she saw them. Each of them had remained regardless of her strange test. The first thing she noticed was the small, colorful bouquet of flowers in the Air dragon’s mouth. So delicately they’d been held that they were hardly damaged, and Hadassah was sure they were meant for her. A beautiful gift from a gorgeous male.

Salus, despite his competition, had tried to help the Air when she’d hit the ground running. It was an attractive trait no doubt, but something in the Forest dragoness said he didn’t want her badly enough to ignore the rest and follow her only. Harmon had been surprised at the very beginning as she’d inspected all three. It was a little awkward but she could understand his confusion, most females probably wouldn’t get so close before their flight began. He’d followed her on the ground as well as the others, if not with even more determination because of his bulk. And oh how he could sing to her. So he had no true voice, he spoke with every pitch and tone Hadassah could think of. His words were more beautiful to her than regular spoken words.

Not being a romantic sort of dragon, Hadassah was surprised at her own thoughts. That she found Kubikiri’s bouquet, Harmon’s song, and Salus’s chivalry attractive was strange and new. She and Zahra both had considered her too much of a disdainful creature to care for such things, but this time was different. Perhaps this was what she’d lacked the first time she’d taken to mating. She hadn’t noticed the details or the determination in her suitors and had just picked the one that appeared right on the outside.

Still trotting around the open area, Hadassah finally spoke, though low and limited her words were, “Nicely done, all of you,” she said, truly shocked that none of them had broken anything. Sadistic as she could be, she was glad none of them had injured themselves on her account. “But there can only be one,” she added, her voice trailing off as her violet eyes inspected each of them once more. She knew of Salus’s fertility certainly, and he had run well for her, but she couldn’t discount the others and she could have sworn that the rainbow hued Rosemary had a mate that might be hurt by his participation in other female’s flights. The Air was a beautiful specimen of a creature, but he looked so fragile. Even the lithe little Forest feared she might break him should he be who she chose. Even if she did not, would her children be so fragile? Then there was Harmon. Though smaller in comparison to many other breeds, he was a beast compared to Salus and Kubikiri. He’d run just as well if not harder given his size. His bulk wasn’t made to turn on a dime, yet he seemed to manage as though it was. Strong and determined he was. As far as his strange disability went, Hadassah almost didn’t care, he communicated just fine being a Sonic.

Trotting a circle around the three as though still taking her time to choose, the autumn dragoness made her choice and hoped for the best. Coming around in front of them, she sauntered up to the black and brilliant blue Sonic. “Harmon dear, would you do the honor of fathering my children?” she asked, her voice a sultry purr as she brushed past him, one of her wings brushing his and her tail gliding against his forearm. She glanced over his back at the other two. “Better luck next time boys, I commend your valiant efforts,” she said sincerely before hopping away and vaulting into the air, calling for her chosen mate to follow.

((OoC: Thank you to all of you who participated! It was such a tough decision to choose my winner that I was forced to randomize or I might have never finished it ._. Grats to Harmon and thanks again all ^_^))
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