Author's Note

I do not own the Dragonriders of Pern series.

Chapter Warning: This chapter contains a firelizard mating flight, though there is no explicit content.

Dancer had been badly scored in the Fall. Kuyaran had been slathering her raw back and wings with numbweed every few hours for the last two days.

She was pretty sure it was that that had delayed her rising, since she had known for a sevenday or so that she was due. She should have been due the day of the Fall, but obviously there had been more pressing matters.

Normally she would shut herself in her room by herself – or, more lately, with T'ren, a newly graduated Weyrling who impressed a few years ago and who had a bronze firelizard.

Unfortunately, T'ren had been one of those who died in the Fall.

For the first time since she was about fifteen, Kuyaran shut herself in her chambers to see out the flight. In her mind's eye she could already see Dancer blooding her prey, an unfortunate Wherry, and screeching out a challenge to the bronze – and occasional brown - lizards gathering. Yornam had bronzes, Kuyaran supposed, and so did a few of the older riders.

There was a knock at her door.

"Not now!"

"Is it your Queen that's rising?" came Dorasa's voice. Kuyaran blushed scarlet.

"Yeah."

Dancer screeched out another challenge and took to the skies. There was still pain in her wings and back, but Kuyaran could feel the need, stronger than normal this time because so many were gone and dead, they needed new young. Her golden figure shot through the air, proud and strong. The bronzes bugled their own cries and followed in pursuit. Only the best would be allowed to catch her. Her young would be fit and strong. There were two that were always closest, big, strong bronzes, nearly as big as her. She screeched her challenge again and dove down towards the water, ignoring the pain in her wings.

"Mine are chasing."

Kuyaran recalled vaguely Dorasa had bronzes, of course. Dancer dipped her scored wings in the water, dancing in the glittering reflections from the sea.

It was a long flight for a firelizard, but at last one of the bronzes wrapped their neck around hers and they were together. The door clicked open and closed.

Kuyaran woke later on, sprawled out naked in her blankets. Dorasa was already awake and also naked, though she was pulling her undergarments on. Kuyaran stretched out and propped herself up. "Was that one of yours that won?"

"Yeah."

"Huh."

She didn't look unhappy, at any rate, so that had to be a good sign.

"Are you happy?" Kuyaran asked warily.

"Of course I'm happy! Why? You're not disappointed are you?"

"What? No, of course not! Exactly the opposite!"

Nothing about her could be disappointing. She looked even better with her clothes off, though Kuyaran had to admit she hadn't expected the thick scars. Dorasa grinned. "Oh good. I'd have hated to disappoint."

Kuyaran laughed and laid back. "I was just a bit… surprised."

"Me too. I was worried you might not swing that way."

"So was I."

They stared at each other for a moment before Dorasa spoke again. "I thought Weyrfolk didn't care about that kind of thing."

There was an uneasy wariness in her voice.

"We don't, normally. I was just… kinda worried about how you'd take it. Holdbred attitudes and all. There was a girl a turn back with a green who got all uppity and flustered when another girl's brown flew her."

Dorasa shrugged. "Doesn't bother me."

Thank Faranth for that.

"What do you normally do when she rises? I mean, this can't be the first time."

"There was a Weyrling my age with a bronze… He went between."

"Oh. Sorry."

Kuyaran shook her head. "We weren't close or anything. It was just… convenient."

Dorasa raised her eyebrows. "Was I convenient?"

"No. Well, yes, but- Not like that, I mean-"

Gah, why was this happening to her?

Dorasa laughed again. "It's alright. I know what you mean."

Kuyaran blushed. "It was a long flight. Should be a decent clutch."

"Mm. What do you do with the eggs here?"

"It's custom to offer the Senior Riders first pick, and ask if they want any for friends and family. After that, I normally let about half go wild and offer the other half to friends or family and the lower caverns."

"Huh."

"Before your brother and Yornam arrived, Dancer was the second firelizard Queen in the Weyr; the Weyrleader's got one too. What do you normally do when Yariel's rises?"

Dorasa shrugged. "It's only happened twice. We lock ourselves in different rooms; first time Ric flew her, the second time a wild bronze caught her."

Kuyaran grimaced. "That's one way of doing it. What did you do with the eggs?"

Dorasa lounged back in the bunk as though she was quite at home. "One clutch we sold, the other went wild."

The three firelizards flitted into the room. Dancer fluttered down to land on Kuyaran's chest, radiating smug satisfaction and creeling at the pain burning fresh again in her wings. Kuyaran groaned and pushed herself up, swinging her legs from the bed and reaching for the numbweed pot.

"Threadscore?" asked Dorasa.

"Yeah. She was too busy trying to protect us."

"Ric was scored too. Not as bad as that though."

Gently, Kuyaran began to spread the numbweed over Dancer's injured back and wings. She hummed happily and preened smugly. One of Dorasa's bronzes landed neatly on her shoulder, fluttering his wings proudly. The other landed on the end of the bed, swishing his tail. Dancer hopped onto the nightstand to continue preening and looking smug.

"Show off," muttered Kuyaran, reaching for her own undergarments. Dorasa pulled her shirt over her head.

"You want to do this again the next time?"

"Are you offering?"

The successful bronze trilled happily and hopped on over to nuzzle Dancer's neck. She nuzzled him back.

"Wouldn't have said it if I wasn't."

"I might take you up on that offer."

Better than being on her own, or with a total stranger. Far better. If she'd known Dorasa was going to be so chill about it all she'd have tried getting close – and pointing out Dancer's closeness to rising - to her ages ago!