CBOX

S'erin and Blizzard Shiveth
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Dual Gold/Sunstone

Unlike many of the other riders, S'erin had not been on the hatching sands when the call had gone out, instead sitting on the ledge, one foot hanging over it as he sat besides his Blizzard, the dragoness' smooth, pale hide seeming to glow in the moon's light. Both his slaves, Bellamie and Sinaarik, were asleep in the weyr behind him, both having refused to go to the clutch, and S'erin had not forced them to leave. Sinaarik, he knew, had been sick from something or the other, and Bellamie was still frightened over the change in his life that had come so recently. Considering that there were so few eggs and so many candidates, as well as the fact that they would both have time in their futures to Stand, S'erin had not allowed any of the candidate drivers to enter his weyr to grab his slaves.

So when Shiveth had suddenly snarled and snapped to stand up, S'erin had been quite shocked, though the emotions and thoughts suddenly streaming from the dragoness had him seeing red... Whers, Hold whers, on their territory! Since the Blizzard's angry cry had been enough to wake both his slaves, the former bloodcrafter had no need for silence as he ran back into his rooms, bellowing for both teens to grab his weapons and fighting straps, the older of the two helping him strap the blizzard in before S'erin turned and threw on a top, quickly making sure that it would stay in place before knotting his hair behind his head and thrusting his short sword into its sheath. "Follow when you can!" He snapped at Sinaarik, eying Bellamie, but didn't have any further time for thought or action before he was throwing himself onto Shiveth's back, the dragoness taking several strides to the ledge before flinging herself off with a bellow meant to rouse any dragons that could possibly still be sleeping.

They quickly winged their way northwards, towards where Shiveth had said the whers were, or where she felt they were at least... A rather strong presence, which intrigued her rider on the short ride over. Several other dragons were following them but, spotting sudden movement below her, Shiveth dived suddenly, screaming downwards to rake her claws just over the head of a wher that had barely ducked out of the way in time. She felt something just under her paws, and quickly circled to see not one, as she had thought, but two whers facing her... A sunstone... and a gold... Instantly S'erin tensed, knowing that even as a wher, this female was a Queen and could be fairly nasty, especially considering there were two of them. Shiveth landed quickly and snarled again, eyes fixed on the two whers, even as her rider drew his sword, brandishing it. There would be others around, he knew, especially around a Queen and it would be best if they could take this pair out quickly. "You dare much, Queenhandler!" he called aloud to the rider he could vaguely see on the queen's back, even as Shiveth added her own voice. But I shall see to it you never dare again!

Serdek, Serdesk, and Sersk
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Double-bonded bronzes

There were no thoughts going through Serdek’s mind as she and Sersk raced toward a confrontation. There was nothing but cold anger, a rage that boiled until she couldn’t feel her body and poured into Sersk, who dug his talons into the ground with every heavy step. What was this, some Hold ambush? Some disgusting trickery from the filth that lived apart from the Weyr? She seethed, hissing her breath out between her teeth and wishing she had been given the time to grab more than her guard-duty equipment. She was well-armed, yes, but a heavy sword and two belt knives would do nothing against whers, particularly the sort she was feeling as she and her mount moved into the mountains. Sersk was feeling males, large ones.

Bronze, two, sharemind.

The words insinuated their way into Serdek’s mind even as the Ghost wher herself insinuated her way into step behind her mistress and her mistress’s other wher. Serdesk had made good time from the Hatching Sands to the mountain path, but Serdek was no longer surprised by any of the Ghost’s feats. It was just what Serdesk did. Go on ahead, she snapped, gesturing to the path. Get the advantage, hide from them. Take them by surprise. Sersk and I will engage.

Rip, tear, kill, crunch bronze bones! Sersk snarled in her mind, and at any other moment Serdek would have been impressed by the length of that sentence. But for now, there were other things that weighed more heavily on her mind. Pairbonded bronzes, for instance. And her own rage that Holders would dare try to encroach on her again. She would kill them, every last handler. Scalp and skin them and sew the skins into a wall hanging, so nobody else would dare attempt to touch her ever again. And she plunged into the mountains with this in her mind, pulling Sersk up with a mental yank just as the scent of wher filled her—or Sersk’s, or Serdesk’s, she didn’t know anymore—nose. Bronzes.

“Engage, filth!” she snapped, drawing her sword from her scabbard and sliding down from Sersk’s back, though she kept a hand on the Sunstone’s harness. This is combat, Sersk, she said quietly, instructing her young charge and forcing combat strategies into his head as the pair moved forward. There was not a great deal of open space here, and Sersk’s formidable strength would prove useful, as would Serdesk’s vantage point from the rocks above. They will hurt me if you don’t hurt them. We will kill them. Sersk, Serdesk, and Sersk’s kill bronze whers and rip their flesh, spill their ichor.

Kill.

Kill. And Sersk lowered his head, preparing to charge.

She could hear others, other Lyris fighters, and one of the words sent chills down her spine. Queenhandler.

Serdesk, Sersk, stay quiet. Do not draw the queen's attention...

She was frightened, now. But for the moment, anger was still winning out.

Guy and Guysk VS Double Bonded Bronzes

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The alarm had been raised, rousing the Wherhandler and his Bronze from an engrossing game of...staring at each other. Guy never had much to do around the Weyr, unless he felt particularly adventurous that day. There was no reason to venture out of his quarters for the most part. Sometimes Guysk felt cooped up and needed to stretch his legs, but that was often in the dead of night with nothing of interest going on and no people to watch. Sometimes being a Wherhandler could be downright boring! At least, until an attack is staged during a Hatching. One at night, one the two could join in and help with. Guy felt one side of his mouth curl up in a satifised smile. Perhaps he would have something to do after all.

Guysk grumbled and moaned the whole time Guy was forcing him into his armor. Much of it was simple leather, meant to ward off minor injuries. The only metal Guy had on him was a helmet fitted to his lumpy skull and secured him light mail that covered his throat. "Wouldn't want a slashed jugular, now would we, little wher?" Guy asked his Bronze in a singsong voice, serving only to irritate Guysk further. He was struggling against the hands that secured padding to his body, but his handler's fingers were too quick. Finally, he graced Guy with the petulant sound of his voice. Get hurt. Get dirty. Guy laughed, the sound very loud in the darkened, quiet room. "Silly wher, you won't get hurt. You'll be the one hurting them." This was obviously meant to comfort, but Guysk only continued to sulk. Though he did allow the rest of his armor to be attached without squirming.

"There now. All prettied up and ready for the party." Guysk glared at him. Guy commenced putting on his own armor. His was all leather. The mail always felt heavy and thick; it weighed him down. He didn't need it. Guysk took notice of his Bonded's exposed throat and sent him a image of it cut open by wher-claw and oozing blood accompanied by a mocking questioning feeling. Guy suppressed a shudder at the blood. Not real, not real, not Guy's blood. He composed himself and grabbed his long-bladed knife from his table, adding it to his shortsword. "Oh, silly wher, I'm invincible," he answered, beaming. "Come now, time to dance!"

His wher sensed an attack at the mountains and it was to there they went. The mountains have never intimidated Guy; when you lived your whole life around dragons, you tend to get used to large things. His blade was in his hand, his wher at his side. Nothing could defeat them. He still wore his smile, even though Guysk was being surly. "Oh, please, do grow up. You've been in battles before. You have the scars to prove it." A flash of insecurity from the Bronze and Guy sighed. "They certainly do not make you ugly." Just his luck, he was given the only giant Bronze who didn't like a good fight every now and again. But he'd take down a thousand dragons if it meant defending their home front, so here they were. He only hoped they wouldn't be the only ones up her. There were supposed to be many, many whers. Guysk was big, but he wasn't magic. Allies would be needed, posthaste and on the double.

Bronzes come, Guysk alerted. And then: Other whers. Friends. Oh goodie, ask and you shall receive. He spotted a female wherhandler he thought he recognized. No name came to mind, but if Guysk knew them then so did he. He jogged behind her, the adrenaline finally working it’s way into his system, making him ready and excited. There was a bulky Sunstone by her side and he suddenly realized it was the Wherlingmaster. Ah, he did indeed know her! How very exciting!

“Shall we take them together?” He asked, refraining from getting to close for fear she would slice him in half. She was tense and angry, smelled like fear and raw energy. Those Bronzes blood would be the ones on the ground, not his own.

Dual Gold/Sunstone
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Blizzard Shiveth/S'erin

The queenhandler, a handsome man only slightly older than S'erin, smiled almost cheerfully, with squinted eyes, at the man on the back of the dragon. "Here now, Rider... Don't be so crass to visitors on your land!" He called aloud, still grinning as he laced his hands behind his red-haired head. Deep brown eyes, without a hint of the laughter on his face, stared up to keep S'erin in sight at all times. Winged-fool think Kisask run... Kisask not run, ever. The gold muttered aloud, claws scraping the ground as she tossed her head. The smaller Sunstone beside her bobbed his own head in agreement, though he was having a harder time holding himself back. Bright gold and red, he lit up the night around him like a flame, and was making occasional little dashes forward, obviously intent on getting the fight started already.

It was the Sunstone that Shiveth had nearly caught in her swoop, a planned attack that had Kisask nearly biting into her paws, but the dragoness had moved at just the right time to make the gold miss in her leap, something she obviously wasn't happy about. "And of course I dare much. I have little to lose." Kisa shrugged his shoulders, thinking what a pity it was that this man would be opposite him in this fight even as he drew twin scimitar like weapons from his back, clenching his knees around Kisask's waist. "But it is you who was foolish to dare come out and face me... Attack!" The gold and sunstone both leapt forward at the same time, jaws slavering as they moved on opposite sides of the Blizzard, intent on attacking from each side to further distract the larger dragoness, and eventually drag her rider from her back.

Double Bonded Bronzes
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Serdek/Sersk/Serdesk, Guy/Guysk

Sekisesk. Others near. One of the paired bronzes turned his head to look at the rider on his brother's back, the slightly darker of the two snapping his jaws shut and automatically lowering his head in a defense posture, glaring around at himself. The rider, a young woman barely out of weyrlinghood, groaned aloud and slapped a hand to her face. "Aww maaan... I was hoping we wouldn't actually get stuck with any of the sharding fighting... There aren't any Queen's around, are there?" None Sekisk senses... Low female-male, human... Human female-smell. "So... two low ranked whers and their handler... Not horrible, I suppose..."

Sekisa, still newer to her bond than many, was having a slightly harder time focusing on her whers than most others would, but she had the advantage of years of training in amongst the guards, and both her bronzes, twin brothers and oddly connected in and of themselves, were on the larger end of their rank's size scale, and they would all prove worthy. So, when a young Sunstone and his handler showed up, none of the three were really all that worried over the situation. The arrival of the bronze, an incredibly ugly creature even by wher's standards, threw a wrench into all of their thoughts, but soon enough they began to blend back together as the former Guard came up with a battle strategy.

Sekisesk leapt in front of his handler and twin, snarling at the Sunstone he could see, and then growing even louder when Guysk stepped into view, miniature wings flapping powerfully on his back. Turn back, 'Stone. Sekisesk not want kill, but will by orders! The lighter colored of the twin whers snapped in order at the Sunstone, while his handler leaned against her own wher, holding her sword in front of her as if admiring the tip. "Come on... Can't we just end this peacefully? I mean, seriously... Five on three? Just so not fair!" Sekisa pouted, almost playfully, but there was a ready stance about her that spoke of long years of training, and it would come as a surprise to any when she suddenly lunged forward, the tip of the sword coming dangerously close to impaling Sersk's eye if he did not move. Sekisesk and Sekisk both moved as well, leaping to each side to engage Guysk and Serdek in the same moment, both intending on battering their opponents by literally running into them.

Guy and Guysk VS Double Bonded Bronzes

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Neither of the pair had to think as one of the opposing Bronzes charged at Guysk. The big, ugly wher gnashed his teeth and returned the gesture, ramming into his opponent and attempting to keep him in place. Due to the awkward position he found himself grappling in Guysk couldn't make to grab at the other wher's neck. Instead, he pushed harder in the hopes of overpowering him with pure muscle, though they were both well-matched in size.

Guy stood away from the fighting, behind his wher struggling with the other Bronze. No one had attacked him. Perhaps they deemed him no threat. True, he wasn't a particularly accomplished swordsman, but any fool could stab something, considering it wasn't moving about too much. With Guysk having a shoving match with one of the attacking brutes, hopefully they would stay in place long enough for Guy to aid his Bronze.

Unsheathing his sword, Guy skirted the edge of the fighting, trying to come around beside his wher and his opponent. If he could find an opening on the other Bronze wher he might be able to injure it or, if luck decided to favor him, kill it. "What a lovely dance," Guy remarked airly, observing the give and take. "I really think Guysk should be leading though, little wher." The handler lunged forward, aiming to plunge his blade into the creature's side.