Mating Flights
History
Mating Flights seem to derive from behavior found across many different species of non-sentient dragonkin, becoming a tradition in the sentient Dragons. It is unknown just how far back in their history the mating flight goes, and may have predated draconic society entirely, as even the oldest records and oral traditions with mated pairs within them will mention the flight, or pair having already "taken their eternal flight" together. The tradition is so old that it is found in nearly all flights' records as well, with some flights only appearing to have lost the practice in their recent history, such as the Kindal and Lightning flights, who largely stopped the practice during the War of Black Ash.
Execution
A mating flight is the ritual taken to solidify a pair of dragons as lifelong partners, and not taken lightly within their culture. Although often compared to a marriage ceremony by mortals, it is much more accurate to compare it to the idea of soulmates- A permanent mate, who is chosen through the mating flight, is expected to be so for the rest of the pair's lives, only severed when one of the two is permanently killed. Traditionally, dragons choose permanent mates from mates they've had multiple times after multiple seasons or even years of repeatedly pairing together, and the mating flight is a way to ritually seal that bond together, and that they will continue to repeatedly pair off. The practice does not make them exclusively seek one another out, however, as many permanently bonded pairs have also taken other mates and formed harems, and in many cases, also may form other permanent bonds with dragons outside of each other.
Many variations of the mating flight exist across the different cultural flights, but most that follow the tradition only vary in small ways. Typically, most dragons do not seem to purposefully initiate mating flights, and rather the process happens naturally over time when flying in tandem with one another. While playing or showing off for their partner while in flight, one dragon will often roll, tilt, blow smoke rings, or use magic in showy patterns, and the other will copy it in a form of 'call and response' type dance. Over a period of weeks and months, the specific pattern between the two dragons will become a habit when travelling together, and eventually, both become aware they have formed this pattern. The dance only becomes officially a mating flight when the two finish this pattern and conclude it with one of the pair flying inverted, usually the larger of the two, and grabbing the other's talons when they pass over them, and forcing them into a spin prior to letting go. If both are able to recover from the spin, which more reckless dragons often pair with a steep dive, the two are considered bonded.
Once bonded as mates, dragon pairs will often repeat the same pattern when they have been apart from some time and during mating seasons. Rather than participate in the ritualistic battles for territory or to test one another, most permanently bonded dragons will instead perform a mating flight. It may also be used as a way of announcing their bonding at large gatherings and events to their peers and other family as well.
Variations
The Lunar Flight in particular has a tradition that mating flights are always to be performed during the full or new moons, and typically over a large body of saltwater. Lunars also have a tradition in which other dragons, often the superiors or relatives of the pair, may try to intervene or make the pair mess up their flight through harmless illusions and distractions. While much of the Lightning Dragonflight do not participate in mating flights, the group do have a similar practice heavily focusing on their use of lightning magic in the form of a race during large storms, natural or artificially created. The Kindal flight do not appear to typically practice mating flights unless a member of their flight has become bonded with an outsider to the flight, to which they will often mimic the outsider's style and traditions. The Blood dragonflight is more similar to the Kindal flight in many ways, but mating flights are instead derived from a wide array of other flights, blending together many different traditions and variations together, often at the pair's choice. Likely this is due to the Bloods being a fairly new flight, and much of their culture being borrowed from other groups as they have not developed their own traditions for the practice yet. While now extinct, the Rivanu flight's traditions are still quite well known and well recorded by other groups. Most Rivanu dragons would seek out long rivers for their mating flights, and perform them along the river's length, having some of the longest mating flights ever seen. More thrillseeking among them would choose rivers that had waterfalls or rapids, and invert just above the surface of the water, making any mistakes or failures quite dangerous for the pair. Rivanus would also return to the river they performed their first mating flight with their partner to repeat it each year, unless driven out of the territory by rivals.Observance
Generally, a mating flight takes place after many repeated seasons of two dragons pairing off together, stemming from routines and habits formed from flying together. The habits over time become a form of call and response, oftentimes with the ideal being seen as the pair of dragons being able to sync themselves perfectly to predict what the other will do, and perform it themselves at the same time. In many flights, such as the Haliac, one partner is often observed doing the routine in reverse in tandem with the other.
It is an unspoken rule of the tradition that beginning a mating flight is to happen naturally, with it not spoken or requested by either in the couple, or else it is thought as being null and void, unless specifically being used to announce their bond to their peers.
Mating flights are most common in mid-adult dragons, generally between 200-800 years being the most common age dragons will begin to take their flights as they have had enough time to form long-lasting bonds.
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