Neryth padded over to stand behind Kiran, her tail flicking back and forth slowly, gracefully. As she passed Zynar, she snorted a puff of smoke at him, intentionally making him cough a bit. He may have a rider of a higher rank, but he still needed to respect her, and she wanted him to know she was the one in charge. Padding to Kiran, she planted herself firmly behind him.

Arya looked up as she heard the Queen call for attention. Watching Neryth, she giggled slightly as the dragoness blew a puff of smoke at the younger dragon. She glanced up at Vervada, wondering about the dynamic her own dragon and Neryth might have.

Vervada, glanced over as the Elf Queen called everyone to attention, watching with narrowed eyes as newly bonded dragons and riders created a half circle around her, at a respectful distance of course. Instinctively she found herself wanting to draw closer to Arya as the other dragons moved past them, but she kept herself still until most were formed up. With a sigh she got to her feet, towering above the girl. "I suppose we should get a bit closer so you can hear" she said reluctantly, glancing back over at the Queen. Her eyes narrowed even more as she saw Neryth stalk past the newly bonded dragon, imperiously puffing smoke in the doomed dragon's face and causing him to cough slightly, then moving to take up an intimdating position behind her own rider. What a tyrant, she thought digustedly, lip curling slightly. And even worse she'd be seeming more of the head dragon now that she herself had a rider.

She quickly broke her angry gaze at Neryth as the elf general swept his eyes over the group, glancing down at her own rider. "All right, let's get closer then" she said firmly, turning and making her way to the small group. Her tail unconsciously curled behind Arya as they stepped into the circle as she confidently shoved a few other bonded pairs out of their way with her wings and shoulders, making a spot for them to sit right in the middle, close enough for Arya to be able to see and hear easily. Any dragon that protested was quickly silenced by her blazing purple gaze. During her 7 year relapse, she hadn't done anything to stop the rumors and tall tales from spreading, finding them actually quite handy at times.

Nyx | Dragon | Warrior | Female | Rider - Kaisen

M: Neryth, Kaisen (dir) Zynar (ind)

-

Nyx stalked forward, following after Kaisen as he took his place near the Elf Queen. Silently, she stepped behind him, her head raised as her silver head armor gleamed in the sunlight. Her ebony scales glinted as they caught the light, rippling like a shadow on water as she settled in her place.

She watched as the Head Dragon walked past the Queen's newly bonded dragon, puffing a bit of smoke at him as she passed. The young dragon was in a defense position by the Queen, eyeing the other dragons and riders with sharp, untrusting eyes. He may have been bonded to the Queen, but she could tell that Neryth wasn't going to be any easier on him.

Nyx had always had a great respect for the great dragon, and the power she held. Despite having a massive responsibility placed on her shoulders for so long, she was still the strongest dragon in the entire Flight. She stood a bit taller as the gray dragon passed, the crimson undersides of her wings glowing in the sunlight, making her seem like there was fire underneath her wings, but her eyes remained focused ahead, waiting for the Queen to speak.

Shard | Dragon | Hunter | Male | Rider - Raven

M: Avika (ind) Raven (dir) Zynar (ind)

As soon as he heard the voice of the Elf Queen, he snapped his gaze towards her, eyes narrowing unnoticeably. He saw the other newly bonded dragons and their riders begin to move into a semi-circle-looking thing, so he hurriedly followed them, curling his tail around Raven and scooping her up. He wasn't worried about being too rough, since his tail had no spikes or barbs, so he moved into position, squeezing in between two of the dragons, his large size making space for Raven as he placed her back on her feet.

Sending a quick apology through their shared headspace, he stared at the Queen, briefly meeting the eyes of the Queen's new dragon. He held the dragon's gaze until the Queen's voice rang across the clearing.

Avika waited for silence to fall, her green gaze sweeping the gathered crowd before her. She was pleased to note that the already established pairings had moved to their spots behind her, without any required coaxing. When quiet finally settled in the clearing, she smiled. "Welcome all to the 857th Bonding Ceremony. I am pleased to see that every dragon has found their match, and I congratulate both the new dragons and riders," she paused, clasping her hands before her at her waist. "As you all may know, this is a very special time. The first days of a bonding are the most crucial for your pairing. Misunderstandings are likely to happen, and I must ask that you not take things to heart just yet. You will come to know each other and understand each other in a deeply intimate way. The first couple days, emotions from each other will feel muddled, and things will be misinterpreted. I ask that you please, don't set each other on fire." Avika paused again, chuckling slightly. "In any case. It is time for the next stage of the Ceremony. Your first flight." She turned towards Kiran and Neryth. "Kiran, did you bring the saddles as I requested?" She asked, referring to the number of saddles that was always brought for the new pairings' first flight.

Arya winced as Vervada shoved a shorter elf. "Sorry," she mouthed to him, feeling bad for him. As she followed Vervada, Arya listened intently to the Queen's words. She shivered with a mixture of excitement and terror at the thought of their first flight together. She was both terrified of heights, but also fascinated by the idea of flying.

Kai stood close to his dragon, feeling safer in the larger dragon's presence. He always felt safer with the large creature close by, particularly when there were several mostly younger, unpredictable dragons nearby.