Flight 12
(Narafth's Flight Story)
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It was still early morning when Narafth blooded her last kill and sprang into the sky. As the males went to follow, they hesitated. The air of the flight deck had filled with clouds of moving shadows. Aneracth rumbled deep in his throat, and all of the riders paused in their movements. "What's with the shadows? Some kind of dark spell?" Tobias asked, looking up at the dark clouds that shifted and rotated around the soaring queen, making glimpses of her hide occasionally visible. "Those aren't shadows..." Everol said, and almost on cue, the dark shapes began to whirl faster, revealing black wings and hundreds of glowing eyes. The shadow dragons parted for Narafth like oil on water, but he gave a concerned look to Aneracth, being certain their reaction to the chasing males wouldn't be as easy. (Especially since Aneracth had spent the last several weeks teasing Narafth that there was no point in holding the flight open. So much in fact, that he was sure on several occasion it took every bit of restraint for her not to rip his head off.) "Just whatever they do...don't attack the shadow dragons," he warned, clenching his fists and storming toward his lover as a sudden pang of aggression surged through him. Several of the dragons who had come for the flight backed off now, retreating to the flight deck's doors to watch from the sidelines. One of those dragons was the night-red Kibaroal, who stepped back and growled at his glaring brother. I knew you were yellow, Kihiniraak rumbled, and leapt into the air after the Chaos Queen. As the males launched after her, the shadow dragons parted, allowing the chasers to both see and follow the queen as she looked over her shoulder and veered, pulling the chase along the outer edges of the flight deck. Her suitors followed, and as they did so, the shadow dragons closed around them, turning an open flight path into a complicated labyrinth of wings and bodies. The pack of males had to turn sharply to avoid slamming into the walls. Several of the larger males, particularly Aneracth and Ninjouzata had to perform strenuous wheels, smacking other dragons with their wings and tails as they turned. Unfortunately for Utath, he was one of the males caught in their path. As he turned to follow, Ninjouzata's wing smacked hard into his, sending him falling to his side to avoid falling out of the air. The black-winged red flailed his wings against the tight packs of shadow dragons around him, and splayed out his claws, scratching against metal to avoid crashing face-first into the wall. Hissing irritably, he looked up at the wall of black bodies above him, and turned the only direction he could: down towards the flight decks. Above, a chasing mutt hissed angrily at the small black dragons as they crowded around him. Feeling the adrenaline and anger in him rise as they got closer and closer, he lunged forward and grabbed one of them by the neck, slamming it towards the ground with a sickening crack. No one's quite sure what happened from that point. The records say he was surrounded in a black cloud. Some say they heard screeching, others only silence. Either way, the mutt was never seen again, and nothing was ever found of him...except for three small drops of blood on the floor. But then, those could have belonged to anyone... Narafth hissed and veered as plates of red chitin could be seen coming closer and closer to her through the clouds of black bodies. Aneracth rushed quickly to the other side, seeking to force her into a choice. She looked from her previous mate and back to the xenoking as both closed in. It was a damned shame too...she'd liked that bronze. What a waste that she actually had to use him for the purpose he wanted and not hers... Themerith... She projected, and the shadow dragons parted for the bronze to rush forward and grab the xenoking by the back of his crown, pulling the furious dragon into a giant back-flip. He held firmly onto the ridges of the king's exoskeleon, holding onto his head and fouling his wings to force him down to the ground. The shadow dragons closed above the tumbling pair, some chasing them down towards the metal below. Meanwhile, Narafth shot into the space the massive xenomorph had occupied just a moment ago, narrowly avoiding the claws of her now-agitated mate. It had come down to just Kihiniraak and Aneracth. She looked over her shoulder as the two males maneuvered through the packs of shadow dragons, hissing and growling at one another as they fought for their place with her. The night-red Ryshathian snapped and snarled at the shadow dragons around him as they tangled his wings and fouled his flying path. Kibaraol... he hissed, and from below, the red-black dragon lifted his head. As Ninjouzata and Themerith finally crashed down onto the flight deck, heralded by the fall of several black, smoldering bodies, Kibaraol took the chance and launched upward, racing through the hole in the black dragons left by their battle. Racing to his brother's side he head-butted and snapped at the dragons around the night-red Ryhathian. One of them dove towards him, and he flew up to meet it, turning to snap the beasts wing and send it crashing to the ground below them, taking out other dragons below it. Both brothers looked up at the hole it had made in the flocks, leading up to the Chaos Queen. Fool... Kihiniraak hissed, watching as the shadow dragons glared and began to close around them. Go! he bugled, head-butting his brother, who launched off him like a spring-board and after the Chaos Queen. Kibaraol turned to look into the open jaws of a charging shadow dragon. He shrieked and lurched for the dragon's throat. But his teeth closed on open air, and he looked around to discover the that packs of shadow dragons had disappeared, like some sort of nightmare. Above, Kihiniraak was neck-and-neck with Aneracth, chasing after the glowing female. He bugled his encouragement and spiraled downwards, back to his place near the door. I told you that you shouldn't bother to throw the flight open. Aneracth projected with amusement as he flew to her side. And I told you that I would have none of your pride... She reminded, and veered suddenly to the left as he reached for her. Aneracth screeched with rage as Narafth entangled herself with the Ryshathian. Growling bitterly, he spiraled to the ground with those others who had met defeat.
Below, Everol had a moment of surprise as he realized that Aneracth was not the victor. But, as the handle rattled on the locked door, and Anquet reached for him, he smiled. There was no surprise there.
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