"You will not.", she stated in a flat, deadly voice; it was a voice many knew well ... and it usually lead up to someone getting hurt. Badly.

The bronze female turned slightly, fanning her wings out in a threatening posture. (( I will. )), her blunted mindvoice flared, all full of stubborn fire. (( Try to stop me, if you can! ))

"I'll kill any male that dares enter my room!", Hador bellowed, her sword raised. The barbarian woman was more than capable of beheading any and all males that threatened her and was unafraid to slaughter them mercilessly. And if a shifter's dragon dared catch her precious Jirairtai ... well, now. There would be no mercy there, only cruelty incarnate. Neither rider nor dragon would be safe from her blade.

Jirairtai flared her bronzed wings again, but this time it was to launch herself into the perpetual blizzard that howled around the Aerd. (( We shall see. )), came her snide reply. Defiant as always, Jirairtai refused to be proven wrong ... and she knew that Hador would be unable to kill any man that came into her room; if only because the only men that would be there were the men she'd been fighting alongside for all these years. Jirairtai allowed herself a soft draconic chuckle in the midst of the swirling whiteness; she fancied she could hear Hador sputtering in mindless rage up there in her quarters. The idea elicited another round of rumble-laughter.

Food became her rather immediate priority ... or, rather, blood. She cast herself toward the ground, plunging elbow deep in snow. The herded animals were of tough skin and thick fur, but she found one that was suitable enough and rent its body to shreds to get at the blood that sprayed from its arteries. She wasn't aware of any other dragons, even while she gorged on her liquid diet; most of the dragons that dared descend were pallid beasts, nameless as far as she was concerned.

All were pale ... except one. Though his bondmate's second dragon didn't opt to attend, Shyam of the black hide and lightning streaks decided he wanted to give the old girl a bit of a run for her money. Clutchsiblings or not, he cared little. She took every opportunity to turn him down, to spite him ... and now, he was going to spite her in the worst possible way he could imagine.

Cercvor, his bond, was not pleased. He already knew what the black-lightning was pondering and had locked himself up in his quarters. There was nothing he distasted more than dealing with a raging barbarian-woman, and, truly, Hador was one such creature. The half-elf stroked one of his books and flipped it open; he started to read, and soon, even Shyam's desires seemed to vanish from his mind.

Jirairtai, pleased with the sheer amount of gore on the snow, decided it was time to really get things going. She hopped almost comically through the bloodied snow, then used one of the dragons as a launching pad to get herself skyborne. With no thermals, it was difficult for her to gain the altitude she needed and she found her wings were aching despite the fact that she'd gotten almost nowhere. Or, rather, seemed to go nowhere; moments later, she burst out of the clouds over the Aerd and marvelled at the sight of the dragon-home cloaked in clouds and twilights glimmering stars. The rush of wind over wings was enough to set her to bank sharply, one of the pale males missing her by a handspan. She sensed him cursing and she purred.

In the darkness, the white dragons were suddenly easy to see, even against the steely-gray of the clouds below. But one suitor escaped her gaze and she soon forgot all about Shyam as she plunged ever deeper into the night. None of them would catch her! She would be proven wrong, but another part of her mind didn't seem to care. She was better, stronger, fast-

A streak of lighting screamed past her, causing her to backstroke suddenly, her train of thought shattered. (( What the- ))

Once more it whipped down on her other side and as she spun in midair, she could feel it. The twining of tails, the clenching of talons into her hide. And the subtle mind-laughter of a triumphant Shyam.

(( You should have known better than to go where I could not be seen, Jirairtai. You should have stayed in the storm. ))

And though she struggled against Shyam's grip, there was nothing the bronze could do except finally acquiesce and give in. (( Fine. I'll heed that next time, you disgusting little freak. ))

(( Flattery will get you no where, my dearest Jir'. )), he replied, his mindvoice leaving a perverse oily afterthought. (( For now, relax and consider just how beautiful our children will be. ))

The idea set the bronze female to shuddering ... as she would always shudder at Shyam's mental -- and physical -- touch.

Hador, for her part, refused to talk to Jir' -or- Cercvor for the remainder of the time that she and her bond were at the Aerd. And after arriving at the Star City, she maintained her vow of silence, her jaw perpetually kept in a set position.

Jirairtai laid her eggs quickly and without much of a fuss; the lot of them were oddly coloured, with strange storm-like whorls and streaks. She houghed and pushed one egg over. (( Nine eggs. Did you hear me, Hador? Nine. ))

Her bond grunted and did not answer. Jir' houghed again, flaring her wings in frustration. (( Well?! Go tell that Archivist person or something! They need to know. ))

Hador turned slightly, then walked to the patiently waiting assistant. "I think she's got somethin' to say to you. Because I sure don't." And with a fierce glare, the barbarian woman walked out, refusing to stay in the hatching bay until the eggs had hatched.

... which left a very stunned Jirairtai to explain what was going on and to tend her eggs. Alone.

Riser	Chasers	Winner
Jirairtai Female Bronze Calyeni	Shyam Male Black-Lightning Calyeni	Shyam Male Black-Lightning Calyeni

Written by Drakiera