(OLD/DISCONTINUED) The Dragonriders of Calem

The Wings of an Idea

The Daggerfangs began to fill the meadow, crushing the grass and flowers as they went with heavy feet. The tired dragons flopped on the ground, resting before they continued their journey to the Whispering Marshes, where they would lay their eggs.
       After a few minutes, the meadow was completely full, covered with a layer of brown dragons. They covered the entire field, tapering off at the river. The strongest rested in the mud, honorably allowed to sleep in the most comfortable area. In the center of the bank slept Gash. His amber scales glittered in the hot sun, making him stand out from the others. His claws dug into the cool mud in an attempt to escape the hot day.
None sat guard, as the dragons were huge and had the advantage of numbers. All of them were dozed off, tired from the summer heat.
Nira circled the pack on foot, admiring the muscular beasts. Some said that Daggerfangs were an untamable species, that they were just too tough. Thought came to thought, like chain links. Her mind eventually swirled around The Test, and the old shopkeeper's words. The Test has no minimum age, just minimum skill. He had said.
She wondered, could she enter The Test? She was a strong rider, and it wasn't vain to realize it. The shopkeeper obviously saw potential in her.
But nobody from Calem had entered The Test in a century. Was there a reason? It didn't look like it. Calem was just such a sleepy town. If I win, maybe I can leave this place and become a real Dragonrider! Her mind exclaimed. But what makes me think that I can win? A contradiction came from another part of her mind.
       She gritted her teeth, stroking Eclipse's horns.

"Skandar, I've made a decision." She said suddenly.

"And what is that?" He asked.

"I'm going to enter The Test."

He didn't contradict her with rude words telling her that she could never do it, like most people would. Many would just laugh, saying that a girl so young couldn't even try. But Skandar was different.

"It's going to take a lot of training." He responded.

Nira knew that, and she had come to terms with it. She had accepted that she'd need to train every day, and she'd need to train hard. Whenever she wasn't working at the shop, she'd be working with Eclipse.

"I know. Will you help me?" She asked hopefully.

"Heck, yeah!" He exclaimed.

Nira grinned. Plans were already flowing through her brain. Analyzing the event book would be the first thing that she'd need to do, so she could practice everything. She and Eclipse weren't necessarily interested in showing, but that was one of the events. Nira cleaned her reptilian counterpart a lot, but showing was different. That required lots of effort.
But that wasn't going to stop her. It wasn't a dream yet, but it sure as heck was a goal. She was set on entering, even though the idea of even trying had only popped into her head minutes ago.
Nira was that kind of girl. She would have sudden ideas, and then work towards them. It usually ended up with odd art projects that she had no use for, but this was different. This was real, and this would affect her fate forever.