I Am the Moon {Moth Runs! During Council Meeting}

[Seven]

I've been believing in something so distant
As if I was human
And I've been denying this feeling of hopelessness
In me, in me

The sun was going down now. The white was watching it quietly from the entrance to her den. She looked behind her to where Xaemia very carefully plucked at the strings of a lyre, humming softly. Moth was quiet. Much quieter than usual. She felt restless and she was eying the direction of the beast pens with angry hunger brewing.

Her rider stopped what she was doing. Moth...? Her mental voice was full of worry. She could feel what her dragon felt strongly and she swallowed. Oh Faranth. She had never thought she would go through this. Not ever. She hadn't though.... Moth would be interested much less feel this. She was a white. a flightless white at that. But without so much as a word, Moth stood and bolted towards the beast pens. Xaemia saw through her eyes and what she saw terrified her. Oh! If she was going to do this right! She couldn't let her gorge? right? or was that just queens! To hell with it! It didn't matter.

Moth dove into the first creature, not bothering to bite into it before snapping up a second, latching her teeth into it and beginning to shake it. BLOOD IT! The dragoness reared back with a hiss and roar of defiance, a fight ensuing that lasted much longer than most would ahve thought it should. Or could. Eventually, after a long several minutes, the White blooded the kill. But she wasn't finished yet. Another creature. Another unbearably long fight. Another blooding. Another kill... and she stopped. Still as stone, her eyes raising skyward as she screamed at the sun. She would run and defy it! They had taken flight from her! But they had not taken her strong legs - her ability to run. Come! Chase me! Chase the moon! she called to them. She was determined. She was ready. Who will run wit me? Who will be my prince? The little white spread her tattered wings and bolted towards the forest. Oh she would make it hard. They would have to run.

Xaemia gasped, feeling her dragon's lust take her, her mind melding with Moth's... and yet she could still hear them, feel them all. She snarled. Where are you? Are you afraid to run? her own lips formed the words as she and her dragon thought them as one to all of the males who would chase, their voices mingling as one.

I have nothing left
And all I feel is this cruel wanting

We've been falling for all this time
And now I'm lost in paradise

[Akira]

Virath yawned loudly as he slowly walked across the Weyrbowl towards the feeding pens, just as his rider was walking towards the kitchens. This would be their last meal of the day, and Virath was wondering if he would see anyone at the feeding pens. R’as rolled his eyes and sighed at the pictures that his dragon was sending him. It wasn’t always easy being bonded to the first ebony to hatch. But no matter how much Virath got on the young man’s nerves, he wouldn’t have his dragon any other way. A small smile appeared on the young man’s face at the picture of him and Virath that the ebony sent him. It really was amazing to R’as just how loving his dragon could be, no matter how often the young man found his dragon’s head had wandered away from whatever task he had set for him.

Virath stopped in his tracks when he heard a roar cut through the air, followed shortly after by a dragoness’ scream. Virath ran as quickly as he could the rest of the way to the feeding pens. He crooned, and quickly ran after Moth as he heard her words. I will run with you, I shall be your prince! The ebony male bugled as he spoke to Moth, and being the dreamer he is, he attempted to send her a picture of the two of them standing side-by-side as dragon after dragon bowed before them. Virath might have been rather lanky, but he was also smaller than most males within the Weyr, which made running through the trees a little easier for the black dragon. He kept his wings tightly tucked against his body as he ran, doing everything in his ebony power to prove to Moth that he would be the best choice for her prince.

R’as was almost knocked flat on the ground by the sudden rush of flightlust that hit him as his dragon started running after Moth. He gulped, and following his dragon’s lead, ran as quickly as he possibly could to where Xaemia’s weyr was. He could see the entrance to Xaemia’s room when he heard her and Moth’s voices. One he heard through his bond with his dragon, the other he heard because of his proximity to the young woman. He slid to a stop outside of her door, and carefully entered, he didn’t want to earn her anger as his mind started to finish melding with his dragons. We are here, we are not afraid. R’as’ voice wasn’t just his own anymore, but instead it had become mixed with Virath’s, just as Xaemia’s had mixed with Moth’s.

[taylor]

It was going to be another rough night if R'sren kept this up. Moryth had refused to light things on fire for his suddenly pyromaniac rider, and the ebonyrider seemed intent on doing it for himself. The man had procured some firestone and was now trying to figure out if it was lightable without his dragon's help.

Moryth was pleased that this attempt was so far failing, but wasn't sure if it would remain unsuccessful. When he heard the white's challenge, he perked up. Once again, a flight - or a run, in this case? - would hopefully be able to keep R'sren safe from himself.

Moryth reached over to his rider, lightly catching the back of his shirt in his teeth, pulling R'sren quickly towards him (ignoring his startled swearing) and then releasing him. Before R'sren could move away, though, he grabbed him again, this time catching his shirt in his talons. Throwing himself out of his weyr, he quickly flew to Xaemia's weyr, dropping his rider off on her ledge before turning away towards the feeding pens. He blooded a single herdbeast and then ran off towards the forest, following in the path of the white and ebony. Once he was close enough that she might hear, he crooned sweetly to the white. I run. If the white knew Moryth, she would know how unusual it was for him to speak. This was an unusual "flight", however. It warranted a bit of verbal acknowledgement.

R'sren, meanwhile, was somewhat less vocal. He was still trying to process the fact that he wasn't in his weyr anymore. A small lump of firestone was still clutched in his hand, forgotten in the face of so much lust. He snorted at R'as' words, finding some of his own. "'course we're not afraid. What's scary about a beautiful woman asking us to mate with her?" He didn't sound disdainful, though. His voice was husky with want, and there was a degree of feral possessiveness there as well.

[Kitsuneko]

(NPC pair: T'lo and Blue Kieranth)

On a particularly low dragon's ledge at sunset, blue Kieranth was stretching his limbs and yawning. The older dragon looked out at the Weyr, shifting uncomfortably on his ledge. His wing-joints often made him ache these days, since that disastrous day of Threadfall. The scars from Threadscore had long-since healed, but the delicate membranes were far too tattered to support him in the air now, though the rest of his limbs were still strong. He hadn't flown for three turns now; he and T'lo had been forcibly retired from the wings.

Out of the darkness, the passionate scream of a proddy female drew his ears. Despite knowing full well that his chances of participating were zero, Kieranth turned his gaze towards the dragoness anyway. Well, what was this? A white female, rising? That was certainly interesting. His interest in this particular event only grew when he realized she would not be flying any more than he would. The little white seemed determined to make her maiden flight into a run. Kieranth's eyes gleamed.

T'lo, get ready. I'm chasing her. That was all the warning his rider got--the blue jumped from his low-level weyr to the ground and took off running, crooning a throaty welcome to Moth. I will be happy to run with you, little white.

"Woah, wait, what?" Back in his weyr, T'lo blinked in astonishment. It wasn't that he wasn't happy for the blue, finally having a chance at a mate of his own again, but it was all pretty sudden. And anyway, he didn't venture out from his weyr much at all these days, and he wasn't looking forward to it now. "Are you sure I can't just lock myself in my weyr?" T'lo sighed. Kieranth was fully involved in the chase now, and didn't bother to answer.

T'lo brushed a hand through his hair, letting it fall forward over his face to hopefully hide the large threadscore across his left side, and limped out to find the rider of the "lucky" female. Hopefully he wouldn't run into too many people and disturb them with his appearance before then.

[taylor]

When Plaeth had been younger, and she'd seen a green rise in flight, she'd wanted to chase. It looked like such a fun game, and she didn't understand why she couldn't play! Her rider had forbid it, however, saying it wasn't a game. She'd understand later what it was he'd said. When she'd risen, she'd understood what compelled females to rise, and knew that that part wasn't a game but...the males? The males were all still trying to win, and winning meant games, and she didn't understand why she couldn't do that. Rules were rules, though, and so she obeyed her rider.

This, though...? She was laying on her ledge, tail flicking idly. She was bored. And then, lo and behold, a little white shape started running around. First to the feeding pens, and Plaeth knew what was coming next. She would fly up, others would chase her, and Plaeth wouldn't be allowed to join in the fun. Boring. But...but wait. She couldn't fly, could she?

Plaeth got to her feet, intrigued. The white turned and sprinted towards the forest, screaming a challenge Plaeth recognized. This was a flight but...but not. She wasn't flying. This wasn't a flight. Plaeth wasn't allowed to take part in flights that weren't her own but this wasn't a flight. Before her rider could catch her thoughts and forbid her from joining the game, Plaeth was launching herself from the ledge, towards the speedy dragon disappearing into the trees.

At the forest's edge, she tucked her wings and dropped swiftly into the trees, bugling a greeting. I run with you, Moth. I cannot be your prince, but I am faster than all of those boys put together![/b] Possibly not true, but there was no hiding the glee in her voice at the thought of trying to prove her words.

It was at those words that L'gree realized something was wrong. With no lust whatsoever coming from his dragon, he'd not known she was participating in this flight. Her words, though, were in his mind as well as hers, and he growled low in his throat before he could stop himself. "Plaeth..." He frowned, not sure what to do about this.

[Mystery]

Interesting...

[/i]

No.

White Moth. She runs.[/i]

Did you not jsut hear what I said you great lumbering beast? I said no.

I will run with her[/i].

I SAID NO.

Quite oblivious to his riders temper - and predicament considering he was far from his own weyr where he could lock himself away and had no way of instantly being back there with no chance of running into someone - Serlanth launched himself off from the weyrledge after the beautiful little white. A part of him should have realised that he was going to lose the minute he entered this. Every other dragon was small and lithe in comparison to himself. There was a blue and an ebony and another blue and... was that a female? How interesting... But he? Oh he was no little thing.

I will chase you, sweet one. As far as I may.[/i][/b] He crooned softly, touching down on the ground before promptly looking at his feet. Hm. Well this could be interesting. Now how did one go at a speed like this? Serlanth had never been a particularly fast mover, and that was only intesified by his broad bulk on the ground. Suffice to say it was no graceful lunge that he made after her, and would have put many in mind of a bear if they had known what it was. It was a slow, ungraceful lope, and C'lior could practically hear his dragon trying to work out how little Moth did it with such speed so that she didn't trip over herself. He was determined however, determined to win the sweet lady.

C'lior, stumbling his way along the weyr halls as his vision merged with his dragons and snapped back again, could have killed him.[/blockquote][/blockquote]

[Elessar]

He was a bronze, but he was fast. He was a bronze, but he was smaller than average, roughly the size of a brown. He was a bronze, and had no right chasing a flightless white dragon. He was a bronze, but the moonlight called to him as it so obviously called to Moth.

Sorvestrymath watched the little white from the darkness, his swirling eyes glinting. He had been lazing in the Weyr Bowl, simply enjoying the cool night under a full moon, when he saw Moth appear to blood her kills. The dragoness' shriek to the night was more than enough to tell him what was happening.

The bronze was lithe and slender, and so when Moth took off into the darkness, running for all she was worth, Sorvestrymath shot off after her like a bullet from a gun. He was fast, and he was strong.

When the lust hit N'tal, he wasn't sure what was going on. He was in a meeting, shard it all! Looking out a window, he scanned the skies, but saw nothing but stars and the moon, hanging low in the sky. Sorvestrymath…? He asked, reaching for his dragon.

His vision, however, was already melding with the bronze's, and he could see the whole scene playing out. A run, not a flight! Moth was running, her body twisting through the trees of the forest, Sorvestrymath running after her, his own lithe body winding in and out of the trees.

I will chase the moon.

[/color]

And so it was that N'tal found himself stumbling out of the council meeting, headed to Xaemia's rooms. His vision was only half his, so it took him a bit to find his way, but when he did, he found his bronze was not the only suitor in the strange but exciting flight/run.[/blockquote][/blockquote]

[Seven]

I’ve been walking this road of desire,
I’ve been begging for blood on the wall.
I don’t care if I’m playing with fire,
I’m aware that I’m frozen inside.
I have known all along.

She looked back behind her. They chased. None of them flew. That was good. But so many were awkward and funny on the ground. There was the blue. He knew how to run. But he didn't have any choice. They all had to learn. She was certain of it. She pushed herself faster.

Come then, into the dark shadows, my fearless ones! Come and chase the moon to its setting! Ebony, Blue, Brown, and Bronze, can you run and bound? It is not like walking is it? It is something different - something harder. It takes much work. Much concentration. Does it not Serlanth? She picked him because she could see it - the difficulty he was having. She pushed herself more quickly, further and faster through the forest, dodging around trees, jumping over fallen trees and rocks that lay in the road. She was fast. It was almost like a rabbits run. Relying on those long back legs to propel her forward with greater speed.

Her eyes whirled with purple and red and she pushed onward, only glancing back. Tell me, my handsome knights, why should I chose you? Why? Tell me! The little white demanded of them all. Let them try to convince her with their words and their actions.

Xaemia took them all in, her eyes whirling with her dragons. "Tell me what is great about you? Why should we chose you?" she asked of them, her voice a slight song. "And sing. Sing with me!" She demanded it as her voice started to rise and fall. Moth's own voice crooned out in a wordless song as she ran.

-----------

A stumbling brown rider was what she saw next when she looked up from her path from the infirmary back to her Weyr. She blinked. She knew that look that was on his face. She had best get him out of the halls... Oh Faranth... The green rider reached out and grabbed a hold of C'lior, knowing full well what is flightlust would likely do to her. But, well, she didn't honestly much care. Sh gently pulled at him, pulling him back towards her own weyr.

It has been a long time... Are you sure you want this? Push him away now if you do not. The greens words were passive as she spoke, but if there was one thing in the world that Gorganoth cared about more than herself, that was her rider. Gorganoth herself was perfect, so why would her rider be anything less?

((Amaeli will be joining the fray for N'tal after Moth chooses her winner.))

[Akira]

Virath roared his acceptance of her challenge and bounded as quickly as he could after Moth. He was small, only twenty-three feet and seven inches from the tip of his nose to the tip of his tail, which seemed to be smaller than every single male dragon chasing the white female that night. He might have been smaller, but that didn’t make this any easier for the ebony dragon. I know words mean little compared to actions my white Queen, but I believe you should choose me my white Queen, for I will show you things that the others have never dreamed of. I will take you to places you have never been. His voice held a hint of the picture that was being held within the dreamer’s mind. He knew that words didn’t mean much, for they were just words. It was actions that would give him the best chance at winning this run.

R’as was now more Virath than himself, only catching the rare glimpses of the world through his own eyes. We might not be much, and we might not have much either. But we can show you things that others can’t. He had never imagined that he would ever be singing, let alone singing a mostly wordless song in time with his dragon. It was proving to be a very interesting night, not only was his dragon chasing a white female through the forest, but the two of them were singing together in an attempt to win the hearts of Xaemia and her white female Moth. Nothing mattered anymore though, not at that moment anyways. For R’as was now truly part of his dragon, no longer did he feel limited by his two legged human body, no longer did he feel the warmth of the Weyr. Instead he could feel the air rushing against Virath’s black hide, and see the moon shining against Moth’s white hide.

[Kitsuneko]

This white had a way with words that Kieranth thoroughly approved of. Perhaps, if he managed to actually win, he'd compose a poem for her later. It had been a long time since he had participated in a mating flight; even then, the blue had never really had the advantage over the other chasers. Now, however, he was obviously more experienced at moving on the ground than anyone except perhaps Moth. It was a strange sensation, to think that he was actually the best at something now, even if it wasn't flying.

Kieranth was mostly focused on keeping the white shape in his sight and trying to avoid any obstacles or pitfalls in the road (it was harder than it might have seemed; there were a lot of logs and rocks in the way). When he had a moment to spare, though, he started to think about how to reply to the female's challenge. You and I, luminous Moth, we both know what it is like to have the skies taken from us, Kieranth said. None of these others can understand how we feel. He gave a croon.

Meanwhile, T'lo had stumbled into the weyr where the other riders were gathered. Not that it was difficult to find--the participants of an active flight were rarely difficult to track down once the flight (or run) was started. He arrived just in time to hear Xaemia demand to know why she should choose them. He cursed underneath his breath, trying to keep his mind on the here and now and not with Kieranth, at least for a little longer. It was getting difficult, though. Kieranth didn't worry about how others saw him. Borrowing the dragon's confidence was very tempting right now. "I don't know," he muttered. "I didn't even want to be here..." He stood against the wall, habitually turning his Threadscored side toward the stone.

[taylor]

Mine. Mine you need to go to her weyr or I'll never win.[/color] L'gree was tempted to tell his amethyst that she wouldn't win either way, but instead he just sighed. Biting back a curse, he left what he was doing and headed for Xaemia's weyr. As he was heading there, Plaeth returned her focus to the run. Not a moment too soon, either, as she found herself about to run headlong into a tree. She let out a little squeak of surprise and pivoted quickly. She caught her wing on the tree, however, and let out a little keen at the sharp pain. Broken? Maybe. Something was certainly unhappy in her wing. Pulling it tighter against her to reduce the chance of it getting bumped again, she pressed onwards. Not like she needed it right now, anyway.

This time, L'gree didn't hold in his swearing. "Sharding shells!" He winced. It was a strange sensation, feeling pain in a limb he didn't even have. Plaeth stop. You broke something. Stop. His words had a tight, pained quality, as if he'd spoken aloud with his currently clenched jaw, rather than simply mentally.

Noooo, Mine! We can win![/color] She gave him a mental shove, urging him to continue to the weyr, then quickly dodged another tree, jumping carefully over a log as it came into her path. The jump jarred her wing and she whimpered softly.

L'gree figured it was better not to distract her any more, lest she snap her neck this time. It was all he could do to keep himself from stomping the rest of the way, arriving just in time to hear Xaemia's question. "Well we're breaking our sharding limbs for you. If that's not worth a victory..." He was scowling, as was typical for him. Since glaring at Xaemia seemed pointless, he instead glared at everyone else, giving them each a few moments of his ire before crossing his arms and frowning silently at the whiterider.

You and I are alike, Moth. We are swift and small and can make babies. Sort of.[/color] Her single egg had been a dud, and there was no knowing if the white would produce a child with more success, but the potential was there, at least. It was hard to think of why she should win, though. She was used to being pursued, not pursuing. We could run away together and start a weyr of our own, just us and our children! That wasn't something any of the males could say. At least...not in the same sense. She won now, right?

[Lark]

Seven will make a full post when she can, but she has asked that I announce the winner now since she doesn't know when she can get on a computer.

The winner is....BLUE KIERANTH

Moth will clutch one smaller egg that will be edited into the touching and have its own clutching post when Seven can give me information/get online.[/center]