Rhenesath was at least polite enough to wait until after Kayeth's eggs had all cracked and new weyrlings were made before taking to the feeding pens. The Hatching feast brunch was rudely interrupted by a projected wave of lust, as bronze and brownriders followed Thys out for the inevitable event.

And up she went, followed by a field including bronzes such as Velokraeth, Marzoth, Leketh, and Xtzaltuth, alongside brown Rinxyth, Isyriath, and Akleteyth. As ever, her flight was short and sweet, without the acrobatics and antics demonstrated by some of Pern's other golds - and Rhenesath, against all odds and to the surprise of pretty much anyone who's ever seen him, ended up ensnared by Fort's own Akleteyth.

… there's a reason why Akleteyth is nicknamed Stumpy, though; he's hardly got the strength in his questionable wings to hold himself aloft for long, let alone to contribute to countering gravity in the mating descent with a gold dragon. Braced mostly by Rhenesath, the pair fell fast and hard, crash-landing in Fort's territory - thankfully not too far from the Weyr, as the resulting scrapes, muscle strains and bruises between them meant the pair had to walk back home.

Their injuries can't be too bad though, as there was no immediate rush from either Thys or A'ster to leave the ground weyrs and go to their lifemates. They did eventually, of course; both riders looking especially smug and unable to keep their hands off one another as they hailed a ride with the dragonhealers to check on their lifemates and join them for their long walk home.