The Rider

Seventeen

Rena had never herself seen a Sky Screamer up close, only knowing that their heads looked like a Nadder's, but with whisker-like spines on their cheeks. Apparently the Sky Screamer was a larger version of the dragons Rena was seeing. 

She found herself surrounded by these small dragons that had little frills on their cheeks that were folded back. Their eyes seemed extremely disproportionate, being huge and yellow, while their bodies were reminiscent of a Flightmare's. The wings ran down their entire bodies and were barely an inch long, and the dragons were shades of yellows, greens, and browns, with the exception of one orange and red one. They cooed in curiosity at the human, who stared in fascination at the mouse-sized reptiles. Oddly enough, they had no visible legs.

The small group of little dragons sat there, doing nothing. Rena frowned and looked closer. The tiny frills were quivering minutely,  making a very faint humming sound. At a hum from a green one, several cocked their heads. Rena slowly nodded in understanding.

"You guys can communicate using vibrations?" Rena asked, watching their heads snap up in unison to her face and mouth, watching the movements. Another dragon scooted towards her right hand and sniffed curiously. Its frills buzzed, and three others joined it. Rena remained still, only moving to check up on her dragons. 

Daystrike was laying down right behind her, one eye open to watch what was happening. Moonfrost had, at some point, left to go back to the Edge so Lucky could have some company. Bump and Bean were sitting together not far from Rena, were oddly silent, probably having never seen a dragon like these, let alone eleven of them. Two were cooing at them, blinking up at the larger Terrible Terrors and shaking their frills. Several came up to Daystrike and were chittering with her, and Daystrike was grumbling back. 

Rena felt a feather land on her hand and glanced down. A light brown one with a dark brown chin and belly rested on her hand, its minuscule weight no more than a crumpled piece of paper. Rena moved her pointer finger experimentally, and instead of backing away, it launched itself at her finger and bit down. Its teeth were tiny and felt like fine hairs, not puncturing her skin. Its small claws gripped the appendage as it fanned its wings out. The tiny wings didn't have a definite leading edge made from the bones, but instead looked like a leaf from above. 

"Woah," Rena breathed. "I don't remember seeing you in the Book of Dragons." The dragon that was biting her finger released its hold and jumped off, its wings moving like a centipede walked. The light filtered through the thin layer of flesh, revealing very small bones that were scattered throughout the wings, each moving up and down, one after the other like a caterpillar. Small veins extended from the bones, further disguising the dragon as a leaf from either an Aspen tree or a Grey Alder tree. 

Soon the whole pack was airborne, all of the small dragons moving as one following the very distinct fiery red dragon in the forefront. 

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Later that night, Rena took Lucky out when everyone else was asleep. Rena was using her crutches since Lucky was not as patient as Daystrike was, and since she was busily clambering over rocks, her green wings flapping out when she momentarily lost her balance. Rena smiled at Lucky, then turned her attention to the trees. Moonfrost was limping along with her, getting the feel of having to skip on her front when she walked. She glanced at the trees, knowing that they  were normally almost bare since it was fall. A few leaves still stubbornly held onto their branches, as though not wanting to go.

She continued on without a second thought, unaware that those little leaflike dragons were closer than she thought.

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The next morning, Rena left Dragon's Edge. She used a piece of mangled metal she found to stab a note to the Clubhouse wall, explaining that she was leaving to live with her relatives up north and not to follow her. She made sure of this by having Daystrike fire a black fireball at her hut once she had everything she needed, which burst into flames. Daystrike flew with Lucky safely in her grasp, Rena's Terrible Terrors took turns resting on her, and strangely enough, several of those leaf-shaped dragons followed as well. Rena was pretty sure that Triple Stryke was following, since she'd sworn she had seen it.

The first and second days went perfectly, with no delays except for a small run-in with a Changewing(thank Thor for Daystrike's speed!) which was awoken by Bean, who was running around with Bump. Each night, the group would rest on a sea stack or an island, making sure that they were hidden from any villages or passing ships.

At these rest stops Rena would work on her gear, adding off-white sheep wool she had gotten from her hut to her hood and upgrading her clothes, like her boots, which had seen better days. She fixed them with animal skin found on an island.

Rena knew that although she was still here, Daystrike was nearing her time. She turned to her loving dragon, her once pristine scales now showing their age. Nevertheless, she loved her, and it would be a tough farewell. She laid down against Lucky, who was already fast asleep. Turning towards the fire, she exhaled and closed her eyes. 

Sometime during the third night, Daystrike woke up. It was time. She glanced down at the pile that consisted of her beloved rider, her fellow dragons, and finally her riding gear. The leather and cloth gear sat in a neat stack, waiting to be used. But they never would. 

Ambling over to her rider, she breathed in her scent: grass, dragons, salt, and leather. The grass from the two islands and the one tall sea stack, dragons from her and her companions, salt from the ocean spray when the Terrible Terror trio flew into the water then back at Rena, and the leather from her working on her equipment. 

Now, a part of her said. It is time to go to Vanaheim. With a soft coo for a goodbye, Daystrike unfurled her wings and took off, leaving behind her human and her friends. An echoing snort came from the island, and Daystrike glanced back. The Triple Stryke was hovering over Rena's temporary encampment, watching her leave. 

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Lucky's nose was in Rena's face when she awoke. 

"Whaa-?" Rena asked tiredly. Lucky nudged Rena with her nose again, whining in distress. "What's wrong, Lucky?" 

Rena rubbed her eyes and sat up. Bump, Bean, and Moonfrost were sitting together. The leaf dragons(she couldn't come up with a good name for the species) were huddled in a Aspen tree. Lucky was next to her. Daystrike was-

"Strike? Did she go? To Vanaheim?" Rena asked, her morning voice growing sorrowful. Lucky lowered her eyes, her wings flopping to the ground. 

That morning, Rena's heart shattered. Her amazing, beautiful, wise dragon was gone, and she never felt so lost in her entire life.