Well, going off some of the Earthdawn material, it is usually the female that picks a mate, and that the mating ritual can look like prolonged combat.
However, I don't think that is what we're seeing here. I also don't think this is going to end up in Hestaby and Lofwyr fighting to the finish like you saw with Nachtmeister. No, while they certainly have different points of view, I suspect that this could all tie in to Dunkelzhan's death.
Dunkelzhan sacrificed himself to power the Dragonheart and blast the bridge to smithereens. Forces within Aztechnology (Darke & co., also perhaps a Horror-touched dragon) have been working to build that bridge. It is possible that, amongst the bequests not publicly listed, he had certain messages sent to the other great dragons, either through spirits or memory crystals (I don't think he'd trust something truly sensitive to the Matrix, especially with how much time he spent on Shadowland), explaining why he killed himself. If that is true, then the dragons may be playing a long game, angling for a run on AZT. Sirrurg's actions, however, may have complicated or disrupted their plans, especially if Sirrurg got impatient with the 'long game' and desired retribution, now. What we are seeing may be damage control, trying to get their plans back on track.
