Feeding the Growing One ((HG/F'dan))

[Memorie]

I'm hungry, Amenth told her rider one morning. Tujal groaned.

"Can't you wait? It's got to be about...well, it's early."

Already the sun makes shadows on the lake. Get up. I've waited long enough. Amenth sounded angsty.

"Fine! Fine, I'm up." Tujal sat up and yawned. She could see the sun's ray creeping around the side of her south-facing weyr. "Let's go." She rose and threw on some pants under her long tunic. The tunic was one of many stolen from I'slen's weyr. The goldrider smiled just thinking about him. "Mmm."

Come ON! the gold said, eyes whirling. She must really be hungry. Tujal buckled her sandals and hurried out to her dragon's back. Amenth took off and took them between with hardly any air underneath her at all.

They popped over the feeding grounds. "That was a bit close, Amenth," Tujal said angrily. The gold dropped her rider just past the gates and proceeded to the grounds to eat. Amenth growled and took down her first kill with a voracity that was hardly becoming. Tujal wasn't worried, though. It wasn't time for a Mating Flight yet, just very close. "If this is what she'll be like as an adult, I wish she'd stay young," Tujal muttered, mostly to herself. "That's not at all lady-like, Amenth." The gold ignored her, intent upon hunting a buck.

[hrsegrl]

Roderith and F'dan had been out early getting a little training in before the sun got too hot. It was only after they began to head back to their weyr that the Bronze commented on being hungry. Are you sure you are that hungry? You weren't hungry when you woke up... F'dan really wanted a good bath right now not to go to the Feeding Grounds.

The Bronze turned himself toward the Feeding grounds. I'm very sure. Something red and juicy would be very very welcome... F'dan rolled his eyes. Just eat and spare me the details. The Bronze rumbled and dropped his rider off before F'dan recognized that he had been dropped next to another person. A person he should have noticed immediately upon disembarking. "My Lady Tujal, it is a pleasure to see you this morning. How do you fare?" He asked graciously.

Roderith meanwhile began eyeing possible food choices. Something plump would do just nicely. Not too tender, a nice beast in his/her prime would suit him. He began to chase down a good looking beast all the while ignoring his rider and his distaste for watching his dragon eat. Sissy.

[Memorie]

Tujal whirled to see F'dan there. Suddenly, she got a very...curious urge. She wanted to run to him, throw her arms around him, and engage in whatever passion ensued. She was sure the feelings showed on her face, as well, so she turned away quickly and got herself and her emotions back under control. "I fare well," she said, voice implying that the pun was intentional. She snickered. "Amenth would appear to be more than just a little hungry."

In all actuality, the gold's eyes were whirling a slow red and orange, and her hide was shinier than itad ever been. Tujal had a lot to be proud of, and she had noticed, of course. She was no dimglow when it came to her dragon's health. The young rider knew her dragon was inching closer and closer to flight. And she was not excited by the prospect. She fully expected I'slen and Weseaneth to win...but it was what occurred after they won that worried Tujal. She knew it would hurt. She also knew she had been warned many a-time. Even had the opportunity on many occasions. But she had never engaged in sexual activity.

"I'd say she's fairly close to mating, F'dan. What do you think?" Amenth took down her first buck with a voracity that surprised Tujal. "Very close, apparently." The weyrling gold ripped guts out and chewed them loudly.

[hrsegrl]

F'dan saw the way Tujal looked at him and grew slightly concerned. "I see." He replied. "She is not the only one who appears to be ravenous. I've never seen Roderith so set on eating." HE had not registered yet what that could mean. He listened to what Tujal was saying and gulped air. Oh no. This could be bad very very bad. "Are you sure she should be eating like that if she's so close... " He hesitated. "I mean she's acting rather... aggressive and....challenging..." F'dan had only participated in a few green flights, with the mother of his daughter and had no experience whatsoever when it came to Gold mating.

"I'd say if you think she's close thats good enough for me." He noted the reddish orange of her eyes and wondered, just how close? F'dan was glad that Roderith was no longer commenting on his food choices. He tore through his meat in a way that shocked F'dan. "Ravenous might have been an understatement." He looked down at his dragon's strange behavior. Oh Faranth, he didn't need this.

"Maybe you should contact Weyrwoman Lyrai?" He was in way over his head here. What was he supposed to do? His dragon would be blooding if Amenth were ready to mate but then why the strange appetite?

[Memorie]

"Oh, I doubt it," Tujal said. She had briefly considered the same thing, but had decided that Amenth wasn't close enough yet. Or was she hoping? Who knew.

There was a loud scream that emanated from the Weyr Bowl. "Ponaa!" a loud voice bellowed. More words followed, but Tujal paid no attention. All her focus was on Amenth.

The weyrling gold had looked up from the maimed buck the moment the oldest queen on Pern had popped overhead. Her eyes lost all vestige of slow orange whirling and turned completely red. The young queen roared as Tujal had never heard her do so before. Who is this? How dare she! Her absolute rage poured over into Tujal, who was hit simultaneously with her own gold's anger, the relative deep-seated confusion of the old queen in the sky, and the surprise of the two dragons standing guard over the weyr.

The young goldrider shook with all the conflicting emotions. Finally, one won out. Rage...anger...thoughts of complete annihilation filled both the weyrling gold and goldrider's minds. "She's trying to steal the bronzes! I'll kill her! I will kill her!" Tujal was no longer Tujal. Amenth had risen.

~~~

Later, it was figured that Amenth, who had been so very close to First Mating, had been "set off" by the older queen's sudden appearance and then her anger. Tujal's own emotions were also to blame; the young weyrling had been startled, and then angered, to see the Istan Weyrwoman pop in uninvited and unannounced, especially at such a critical time for Ponaa.

[Memorie]

((We're going to begin posting in the actual Flight Thread. Stay tuned!))