Niaomi: The Journey

2 | Wobbling

A/N: Click the link down below to go to Eragon Fanfics: Wattpad, the Facebook page dedicated to finding and promoting Inheritance Cycle fan fictions. If you like the page and send me a message with your Facebook name, you can earn the chance to choose from a list of prizes related to Destiny and Niaomi. Also, the twentieth voter of Niaomi will get the chance to choose a prize, as well as the six-hundredth voter for Destiny and one hundred and tenth fan.

Picture of Nathan (with shorter hair) up above,

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Two months later...

Niaomi crept through the forest, her soft leather brown boots silently padding across the bare ground, violet eyes narrowed as she examined the tracks. A few footsteps away sat a pile of fresh dung, and she knew her quarry was drawing closer. She kept moving forwards even as one fingerless-gloved hand reached back to draw an arrow from her quiver, nocking it on the longbow held in the other. With her green clothing and brown skin, Nia glided through the trees unseen, her pointed ears straining to hear any sound.

Finally, they caught the snap of branches breaking, and she increased her pace. The trees began to thin, forcing her to move more carefully to avoid being detected by the herd too early on. She reached the edge of a clearing, where the deer were grazing. Only one buck stood among them, his rack of antlers having long reached its optimum size as winter approached. Niaomi drew back the bowstring with her right hand, knowing she'd be able to bag a doe as well before the rest fled if she acted fast.

Just as she finished lining up her shot, a loud roar sounded from above. Cursing as the deer began scattering in terror, she released the tension in her bow and watched with a scowl as the beast swooped down and plucked up the buck she'd had her sights on, bone white talons gripping the animal until its struggling ceased. Angered, Nia marched into the clearing, waving her arrow wildly and yelling, "Why'd you have to go and do that?!"

The roughly triangular shaped head did not turn to face her, instead bending down to open up a maw filled with rows of jagged teeth and clamp it around the deer. She stomped around to face the creature, roughly slinging her bow around her shoulder and putting away the arrow that should have been embedded the buck's body. "Well? Are you going to answer me or not?" Niaomi only received a coughing growl in response. "What kind of Rider and dragon pair are we if we can't even hunt together properly?"

A dragon hunts alone, said a roughly beautiful voice inside her head, feminine and all too haughty.

She gritted her teeth as large slitted eyes twinkled down at her above the mouth that still clutched the dead prey. "You're going to get your scales all bloody if you don't hurry up and eat that stupid buck," was all she could think of to say in response. The coughing growl of the dragon's laughter came once more.

So that means I can eat the four-leg?

"Since when have you needed my permission, Luminous?" Nia sighed as she preceded to devour the deer, just a little irritated that her ire was already fading. Staring up at her beloved dragon, whose scales shone with the fire of a thousand opals in the fading light of the setting sun, she could not stop the well of love and affection that brimmed inside of her. And despite every hardship that had come from being a Dragon Rider, she would never wish Luminous away. "You are so frustrating sometimes."

And I love you as well, dear one.

Niaomi fiddled with the long silver skilna braugh chain that hung from her neck next to her choker, resisting the urge to pry it off so that she could stretch out her mind in search of more prey. Winter was coming, and their family dearly needed all the food they could get. In the weeks since they'd landed on Alagaësia, the group had migrated further inland, through forests whose trees didn't speak back and underneath a sky that was never as bright as Rosaminda's eyes. They'd finally come upon a small hollow tucked into hill, with a good vantage point for spotting approaching enemies yet not being spotted in return. There, they decided to remain until she received a vision that would lead them in the right direction.