Kevin's Watch

The weyr slept, as the early morning late Spring breezes caressed the bodies sleeping in their separate quarters; some containing both dragon and rider, others containing dragons who have not made a connection to another. And the breezes caressed yet other races in carved out quarters on lower levels, who slept off their well earned weariness from the result of a day’s hard work completed.

A little later, Talayeh stirred on her stone couch, perfectly carved to fit her large golden body. Her head came up, eyes whirling with the red of base instinct, base need. Her thoughts were disorganized, chaotic. Was she hungry? No, that couldn’t be. She had just fed on the grazing flocks below the volcano that housed Zandarar last week.

Suddenly, across the crater from another sleeping quarter, she heard the bugle of Yarkona. Her thoughts became baser with instinctive need. “That wiley green won’t steal my males!” And she launched herself down to the Hunting Grounds, savagely killing her first buck. She needed strength for a long pursuit!

The buck fell easily, entrails spilling with a rake of her wingtip. As she bent to feed, she was stopped! Her rider caressed her mind and murmured, “drink the warmth of the blood, my sweet. Gain strength that way, without weighing your body down with the excess of flesh. You will be swifter and will prolong the flight that way.”

She wanted to defy that advice! But, as the connection between them increased so that they eventually became one in thought, the wisdom of her rider prevailed and she drank from the freshly killed carcasses of four beasts, as her hide began to glow with an inner radiance. Others around her obviously did not have such sage advice, as they gorged and grew heavy with flesh.

She launched! Not another female had finished feeding yet. She was the first up! And the only golden queen in this first group of females to rise this season. Let those males, most likely still asleep in their dens, try to catch her now!

As she flew away, not two seconds behind her, 30 males of various colors, including Raucous, launched them selves in pursuit. Behind, on ledges overhanging the rim of the volcano, over 400 other males watched the Hunting Grounds with gleaming eyes.

The season of mating flights has begun!!

Lord Adomorn wrote:Alright, at least now I know that there is no invasion. It would be good to kill two birds with one stone, and have the Undead army defeat this one on its way North. Argothoth? Can I ask this as a favor?

My vote is the death of the Hands and the Herald.

My brother, your request seems a little bit unequal to me.
I would like to engage the army that is moving against you, but you ask me the un-life of my precious followers... I don't think that i will agree to such request...

***************************************
Talayeh/Sio flew on.

Deep in the recesses of their minds, s/he knew the others had flown, and had already been caught. Silly greens! The weyr will profit from her own long flight, while their non-viable clutches will rot wherever they deposit them in the sands of the desert.

S/he was also keenly aware of the males still in pursuit of her. Of the thirty that initially took off after her, they had dwindled to five males. All five strong bronzes.

Four of them had flown before, and had clutches attributed to them in years past. Both the Queen and the Bronze make the clutch, and s/he had heard no complaints of the hatchlings that had emerged from those previous clutches. Any of them would do, but they must catch her first!

The fifth bronze s/he put out of her minds. This was the first mating season The Prophet has flown. And hence, this was his first mating flight. He was strong, yes, but young and inexperienced. Not only will her flying skills befuddle his attempts, but the other males will know of pursuit tricks he has never experienced before. Ah…let her flight be a lesson for him to learn and improve his skills upon.

****************************************
…Raucous…

”m’Lady! Not now! I’m…

I am very aware of what it happening at the moment, Raucous. Can you not feel my own heat rising in response to our Impression? Open your mind fully to me again, as those others with riders have done, and let us complete this flight together!

”Our Will be done…”

*****************************************
Back at the weyr, the talk for years afterwards would be of the sudden change in tactics Raucous’ pursuit took on mid-flight. But Talayeh/Sio was unaware. S/he was concentrating on avoiding four other bronzes, so when Raucous flew near s/he planned to easily avoid him. The standard avoidance maneuver: dive as he hovered above her, trying for any hold on her he could get…

What’s this? He rolled beneath her! On to his back with wings fully extended! Necks entwined!!

And as Talayeh and Raucous flew on, back at the weyr Sio became acquainted intimately with a connection to his Dragon’s Mistress…

Argothoth wrote:

Lord Adomorn wrote:Alright, at least now I know that there is no invasion. It would be good to kill two birds with one stone, and have the Undead army defeat this one on its way North. Argothoth? Can I ask this as a favor?

My vote is the death of the Hands and the Herald.

My brother, your request seems a little bit unequal to me.
I would like to engage the army that is moving against you, but you ask me the un-life of my precious followers... I don't think that i will agree to such request...

Dissagreement to which request? The Army plauging my lands, or the death of the Hands and the Herald?

I want to bargain the "life" of my followers (Veria, Veria's hands and herald) for my help fighting the army.

Choose freely, my brother

It would not be right. These are two seperate issue. the Hands and the Herald did not cause strife and pain to only my followers. Norn, among others, have suffered equally if not greater.

I asked for your aide as a favor, to be returned at a later date. It is not right for me to barigain away my fellow siblings feelings in this matter for something so selfish.

I hope that you can see the wisdom in this, and not close your ears to our siblings feelings in the matter of the Hands and the Herald.

I see the wisdom in your words, my brother, but i don't ask that you "save" my followers, i ask you a favor.
Do not vote for the destruction of the hands of Veria and the herald.

Then I will help you against the enemy army.

I want also ask to Hedra Iren to remember us something that is already happened similar to the situation of my undead followers. She knows to who I refer.

Hedra Iren

Lord Adomorn, I sent you a messenger regarding this situation. Please consider my words when deciding how to answer our Brother.

Argothoth, Hedra Iren makes a pressing point, I forgave Grathgor despite the bloodshed he caused against Maeror, and Maeror was kind enough not to demand returibution.

I cannot ask any less. I will change my vote, and instead move that Argothoth retains controll of his followers, however, I would ask as just a personal favor to keep a keen eye on them, as I did on Grathgor, to make sure that no such death arises again.

I leave giving me aide up to you Brother. I will not bargain in this matter, for the death or live of your followers. Again, they are seperate issues.

Hail bretheren. I agree with Adomorn, and I too vote that he be allowed to preserve the lives of the Herald and Hands of Veria, in return for his aid against the false army of Maeror.

*bows*

Sisters and Brothers of the Pantheon!

Please do not hesitate to ask my blessing on any important journeys that you are undertaking on Eiran's oceans - it is much easier to keep a ship safe from harm than to search the depths for lost treasures!

Undine

Riiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiight.

Lord Adomorn wrote:Argothoth, Hedra Iren makes a pressing point, I forgave Grathgor despite the bloodshed he caused against Maeror, and Maeror was kind enough not to demand returibution.

I cannot ask any less. I will change my vote, and instead move that Argothoth retains controll of his followers, however, I would ask as just a personal favor to keep a keen eye on them, as I did on Grathgor, to make sure that no such death arises again.

I leave giving me aide up to you Brother. I will not bargain in this matter, for the death or live of your followers. Again, they are seperate issues.

I see my Brother.
I'm glad to help you against the attacking army. I understand your reasons and i understand that my help and the vote for the un-life of my followers are separated.

Thank you for your wise choice.

Norn, my dear sister, it seems that you are the last one that want the dead of my followers.

Is it still your will?

Argothoth wrote:

Lord Adomorn wrote:Argothoth, Hedra Iren makes a pressing point, I forgave Grathgor despite the bloodshed he caused against Maeror, and Maeror was kind enough not to demand returibution.

I cannot ask any less. I will change my vote, and instead move that Argothoth retains controll of his followers, however, I would ask as just a personal favor to keep a keen eye on them, as I did on Grathgor, to make sure that no such death arises again.

I leave giving me aide up to you Brother. I will not bargain in this matter, for the death or live of your followers. Again, they are seperate issues.

I see my Brother.
I'm glad to help you against the attacking army. I understand your reasons and i understand that my help and the vote for the un-life of my followers are separated.

Thank you for your wise choice.

I am glad we see eye to eye, Brother and I welcome your aide with open arms. It is greatky appreciated and needed.

It is still my desire, however in such a case as this it is the will of the many that will surely prevail.

Not that anyone asked, but it is still my desire as well. As I said earlier, though, I will not press the issue. Should Veria or her minions ever choose to enter Magoddar again, however...

So, i summarize:
Simjen, Norn vote for the execution
Vadhaka, Adomorn vote not for the execution

what about the other gods?

Argothoth wrote:So, i summarize:
Simjen, Norn vote for the execution
Vadhaka, Adomorn vote not for the execution

what about the other gods?

Brother Argothoth...

I am too young to Eiran to have been affected by Veria, The Hand, and The Herald. But I have kept appraised of the trouble they have caused.

If you are certain they will be loyal followers of yours, and you will be able to keep a tight controlling hand on them, I vote to allow you to do with them as you will.