"Time? Time for what?" Kylia slowly turned over in bed, one eye regarding the white dragon, Trymmeth, whose face was near hers.
Azareth rises.
Kylia bolted upright, banging her head against the low ceiling. "Ow! Oh, no, Trymmie! You can't be serious!" But both of them could hear the trumpeting of bronze, brown and a single gold dragon outside, along with impatient snorts from smaller ones--blues, probably.
Yes. It is time! Now! Trymmeth reared, flapping her wings, as Kylia shouted at her to knock it off, and charged out of the weyr. Kylia hopped out of bed, glad she hadn't got out of her clothes last night, and hurried after.
Trymmeth headed straight for the feeding grounds, the males scattering to give her way. She flew upwards and dived on a herdbeast. "Don't let her gorge!" someone shouted. "She can't fly if she's gorged!"
Trymmeth! Blood, do not eat. Blood the kill! Trymmeth screamed in defiance, trying to sink her jaws into the meat. But Kylia, through years of being with her, was the stronger, and at last the white dragon gave in, sucking blood from the throat.
She took two more herdbeasts, then seemed to glow, a faint, gold and pink color. Suddenly, she was aloft, flapping to get away from the male dragons who clumsily started after her. Kylia's heart leapt to her throat. This is what everyone had been talking about. This was a mating flight.
She saw the landscape through her dragon's eyes, saw the blues and brown behind her. Two quickly tired. Well, they were not worthy. That left the brown and... Jeremoth. Trymmeth slowed deliberatly, warbling to the dragons, taunting them. She whirled in a circle and flew on again.
Kylia felt her mind drawn back to her body... somewhat. She still held her dragon's glory in her mind, but she could hear the other people talking. She heard Jeremoth's rider. Shard. What was his real name? Aern or something of the sort... no one quite remembered anymore.
"She is beautiful..." he said, stuttering very slightly. Kylia said nothing. "Kylia, I know you're distressed about this flight..." he began.
She gasped slightly, as Trymmeth dove down, so caught in her dragon's emotions that she looked offended as one of the blues came back up. She shook her head, trying to get back into Her World long enough to hear what Shard was saying.
"I am sorry I didn't talk to you earlier." She heard. "This was all such a surprise to me as well. I hope you do not think me forward, but the heat of a dragon's flight above might distress you more than it ought to if you were older."
"I..." She shook her head again. "I am old enough. I can handle it." If Trymmeth had been here, she would have rolled her eyes...
"No." His voice was softer, gentle. "You are not in your own mind. And I would not--absolutely will not--intrude upon your heart if you would not have me there."
Silence. She knew not what to say. This was all too sudden... too many emotions in her head... she couldn't clear her mind long enough to think straight. So she waited, until Trymmeth's emotions died down slightly, and then turned to look up at him.
"I would."
