Aemee was having another miserable day. For one thing, she actually was engaged in perusing through her Dragonhealing manual. Another thing, she was there when the present clutch hatched with several rares and the ever so important gold. There is nothing so expressive about queens other than the fact that they are the true egg-layers of Pern. Barneyth rumbled on the ledge where she awoke from a brief session of sunning.

Aemee stared over at her lifemate and smiled crookedly at the normal - well, one of the few normal hatchlings of the starry dragoness at the Cathair - looking green. "I suppose so..." She bent her head over the manual once more, muttering keenly to herself. "Ging smells bad... no wait... that's ginkgo. They're used for bedding, Ging that is... no, I mean ginkgo... Often associated with needlethorn is Ging - no ginkgo - ging. Augh!!" At another time, I would find this very amusing and up my level of comedy but not right now. Come, my rider. I rise now. With that, the basically laughing green sprang for the feeding grounds.

Aemee stared in disbelief as she hurried after her green. "But she's not even proddy yet!" she stated - quite amazed.

The robust form of the green dropped suddenly on a fat buck, severing its neck easily with a twisting of her jaws. Greedily her snout prodded into the midsection of the carcass as the welcomed aromas of a fresh kill were inhaled. Just about to clamp down and suck muscle, flesh, and blood, the instinct of the dragon was delayed by a simple order from the greenrider who arrived to the feeding grounds - a tad late, if you will. No, Barneyth... Take only blood. Blood only... Blood-blood-BLOOD!

The last part of Aemee's message was vocalized aloud and Barneyth replied with a stentorian bellow, the vice like jaws unhinged and agape. The malicious rows of teeth aligned at the tip of a maw that connected to a long sinuous neck. The docile and tender green was for once depicted as fearsome or something like it.

What Barneyth had noticed was the sudden arrival of five males that clattered to the feeding grounds. That's what Aemee had neglected to notice.

Barneyth thrust her muzzle into the buck's jugular region and the teeth latched on as the blood was slurped up - leaving muscles and live bone intact. The same routine took place with two other beasts and just for kicks, an additional wherry. Then Barneyth took to the air with the five others coming after. A brown, a black, and three blues. Interesting. No time was wasted on the green that expertly dodged and ducked around her suitors, set on discovering the most deserving of all five. All were fine examples of what a modern day dragon of Pern should be - now to divide them...

Tuzuth was the first of the blues to move forward, easily keeping time with the difficult green. Barneyth continued to fly amiably several wingspans ahead before suddenly dropping to a lower altitude until she was directly below the blue. Before the blue dove to catch her, the dragoness backwinged until Tuzuth had dropped and exploded forward, her outstretched claws cuffing the blue lightly but firmly on his back. It was a dismissal - one that the blue took graciously. He had to be given credit for that. Now four more to sort through...

Next was something that had happened so abruptly. Both blue Welleth and black Midnigth lunged at the same time, causing the surprised green to shoot forward away from the mayhem that issued after.

The green sidled up and away from the males, well aware of the fact that soon her borrowed strength would die out and leave her as pickings for the alley fighters to snipe off. Once she had reached several more fathoms skyward, it wasn't long until the others caught up - brown Lessarth having a bit of an easier glide than the others - his larger size an asset in climbing in comparison to the rare and the blues' rapid flaps of their wings.

Here would begin the final desperate leg of the flight - drawing close to its end. Whoever dropped out would stay out and if he couldn't keep up, it was his loss.

Off went the green, designating a path of disbelieving twists and dives - sudden jolts into the air and swoops around thick masses of clouds and the likes. Two dropped out - the black Midnigth and blue Welleth - the ones that had squabbled earlier.

Two more left and it would be the final test. Weariness was beginning to build up in the shoulders of the green that would soon become sore and eventually leave Aemee with another case of hysteria over the proper methods of dragonhealing.

Barneyth merely plunged toward Pern with the sheer knowledge that it was all over and left in the claws of the two males left. She on the other hand was tired - and wanted nothing more to do with it. Both males dove as well, claws of contrasting colors outstretched - so near was their prize and it will be ended soon... The chase did end with the brown catching the odd green.

See? Barneyth later remarked to her rider who was now panicking over the simple task of putting a poultice on the green's sore shoulders the morning after. Even after the flight, I'm still not proddy. Then the dragoness smirked with a draconic grin.

Aemee growled as she worked with the swathing cloths. "Aaah, to the bottom of hell you and your brown," she muttered.