Dragon Riders: School & Hatchery

Prologue

Centuries ago dragons and humans lived apart yet were not enemies. The human population hadn't been so big as to threaten the dragons or even get near them.

The dragons carved out caves for themselves along the red stony cliffs on the side of a mountain. There were horizontal layers of caves all along the side of the mountain.

The bigger dragons lived in the very top row, and their caves were the largest. According to size and rank also is where they lived. The youngest lived on the bottom where they can easily come and go until they learn to fly.

This is about how the humans and dragons meet for the first time, and become Dragon riders. Then how they form the school for dragon riders together. It is also about there lives as Dragon riders

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Today is a special day for the dragons, one of the females has laid a clutch of beautiful eggs. She is very hungry and can't hunt for her self right now.
So a party of the younger dragons that are good hunters, are sent out to hunt for her food. They ended up going out farther than they normally go hunting.

Zerith is a male dragon that has mostly blue on his body with purple on his wings, horns feet, and tail, blue on his wings legs and tail also. He has mixed blue and purple on his chest and the back of his neck. His neck spines are dark blue and dark purple mixed. On the top of his head, the color of his spines turns into a lighter purple and a light blue at the base of his head, and the spine on the side of his face is light blue too. The color of his jaw is a mix of purple and blue.

Zerith is the leader of the hunting party to find food for the brooding female.

His companions are Radon a male dragon with gold scales on most of his body with red around his eyes, horns, outside his tail spikes, and wings.

Kadel is a young female dragon with a beautifully scaled purple body,, with large dark purple wings. She has dark purple fringe on her head, neck, back, and tail, on the tip of her tail is a lighter purple fringe.

Zerith smells a strange smell on the wind, as well as hearing a strange sound. He didn't feel that it was dangerous, so he turns his wings to head in that direction. His companions follow him, and they hear and smell the same things the closer they get.
"Moo Moo" and then the whole herd starts to moo and stampede in the pasture when they smell predators. Zerith guided them to land and hunt for the strange beasts. Before they had time to take a step, a group of 5 men on horseback with swords yelling at the dragons got their attention.

Zerith tried to talk to them using his mind, but none of them could understand that he needed the meat for the brooding female dragon. Radon looked over at the end of the road where the men came from, and a 6th man was galloping his horse to join the others.

"Zerith looks down the road at what is coming," said Radon.
When he slowed down to a walk then stopped in front of them, he looked up at Zerith while trying to control his horse.
Zerith could tell that he was a youngling. He also had a different sent to him, no fear. It was more like awe towards the dragons. Zerith tried talking to the youngling using his mind,

"Youngling we need your help talking with the adults, that is if you understand me. If you do just think about what you want to say back to me."

"Get away from our cattle Dragons!" Seth said as he holds up his sword towards them as his horse rears up!

"My name isn't youngling it is Seth, what are you here for?"

"Nice to meet you, Seth, I am Zerith. We will not hurt any of you we promise. Can you let them know we need meat for our brooding female? She just laid a clutch of eggs today and can't hunt for herself. We hunted closer to the caves for food, but have not found any. We haven't ever had to come this far before."

"Ok I will tell them, but I am not so sure what they will say."
Seth relayed the message to the other men. They huddled together and talked for a bit before giving a reply. They tell Seth what they will agree to.

"They will give you one female from the herd, their choice of the one. I think they will give you the one who keeps having miscarriages or stillborn. She is useless to them as a breeder. They probably would have sold her to the slaughterhouse." ( I am sorry, that is life on a farm)

Zerith replies "Thank you, Seth, for telling them that. When I shed any scales I will bring them to your farm to pay for the beast."
Seth relayed the message to men, and they were very happy to hear about getting recompensated for the cow. Two of the men left to go get the female cow they had agreed on. She wasn't sick she just didn't breed well anymore.

"Seth, there is something else I would like your help with. You and these men are the first beings we have seen as you. You are the only one so far who we can talk to. Would you mind coming back with us and being a go-between the dragons and your beings, for us? Also, I think it might be good to see if one of the hatchlings likes you when the eggs hatch of course. If so you would bond with it, since you can already speak to dragons. What do you think about that?"

"Zerith, that sounds wonderful to me! Oh, by the way, we are humans, the beast is called a cow, and I am a 17-year-old male. This is my Fathers cattle farm. We have horses too, mostly for working and riding. The big burly guy with a bald head is my father. The other next to him with a belly on him is my uncle. The tall tan buff guy that is my brother Sam. The guys who went to get the cow, are the farmhands. Or they can also be called cowboys because they wrangle cows. So I guess I better talk to my father about leaving."

Seth excitedly explained everything to his Father that Zerith had told him. As Seth's Father was thinking things over, his men brought the cow over to Seth. They were not going to get close to the dragons! Seth took the cow's halter and led her, and said: "thank you". He looked over to his Father in hopes if an answer. His father put his arm around his youngest son and directed him over to the wooden fence that he leaned on heavily, and sighed. "Son, I wish your mother was still with us, she was much better at these kinds of talks than I am. I understand that these dragons need your help talking with you to talk to other humans. It will not be easy for me. You are my youngest son, I thought I would have you around a bit longer. I will allow you to go as long as you come home to visit at least twice a year, More if you can please."

"Father, don't worry, I will get Zerith to bring me back, to visit. Let me go pack some things if you can please hold the cow's lead until I get back."

Seth's Father took the lead while Seth got on his horse, and galloped all the way back to the farmhouse. It didn't take Seth long to fill his saddle bags full of all of the things he couldn't live without. Clothes, photos of his family, his knife and sheath his brother had given him. Some of his favorite books, shoes, boots. Extra pair of horseshoes, and nails. His sword and sheath. Might come in handy if he helps hunt. His bow and arrows, and bedroll. He went to the kitchen and got some food for the trip. Before he left he put his sheathed sword on his horse's saddle, and his sheathed knife on the outside of his right boot. (He packed more than that but I am not going to name it all) Seth left his house and didn't look back, he was going towards his future. He galloped at a slower pace back towards his Father. Seth smiled at his Father and brother. He tied up his horse on the fence as he said his goodbyes to his family. A few silent tears were shed behind hidden hands. Manly men aren't supposed to cry, but they do and they should. Before Seth got too emotional and changed his mind, he untied the reins and picked up the cow's lead then he mounted his horse. He tied the lead to the saddle horn.

"Zerith, are you all ready to go? I know I will be slower but if you can be patient we can get there. Maybe the others can go ahead and let them know that we are on our way."
"That is a good idea, Seth, I will send Radon, and Kadel back to tell the rest that food for the female is coming, but on land. (Zerith relayed the message to the other dragons and left.) Let us be off ourselves."
Seth waved to his Father and brother as he rode away towards a new beginning. He was sad to be leaving his family but excited to be on a new adventure with these really awesome dragons.

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