Thirak's Age: Five years old
Mark's Age: Fourteen years old
Let her go, Mark said callously, and I pushed all my doubt and guilt to the back of my mind and ignored it. I let go of the human, watching as they tumbled down, unconscious and unable to do something as they headed towards certain death.
I heard something coming toward us, and I rose in the air, searching for whoever – or whatever – was fast approaching. There was a blue blur as a dragon dived past, wings pulled to their side as they tried to go as fast as possible. They reached Sky and I turned away at Mark's words, landing on the ground just before the cliff.
A feral snarl echoed up through the canyon and I shifted my weight into my back paws, mentally prepping myself for a fight. The other dragon flew over the lip of the canyon, grass ruffling their paws even as it flattened beneath the gusts from their wings.
The blue dragon landed softly, hind legs touching down before they put down the person – Sky – on the ground in front of her. The dragon was smaller; younger too – probably by a couple of years. Their underside was a lighter blue than the rest of their scales. Their – her – violet eyes stood out against blue scales. She growled at me and snapped her teeth.
I knew this dragon, not by name or appearance but by rumours and reputation. She was meant to be riderless, nameless, and had apparently been a work dragon before the Headmaster had bought her and brought her to the Dragon Rider Academy in hope that she would bond with someone.
I huffed. This would be an easy fight, probably a massacre if the other decided to try fighting, especially with Sky down and the nameless dragon needing to protect the fragile human. Another charity case, I murmured quietly to Mark, sharing my knowledge.
Mark chuckled, the sound reverberating through our bond. A pair of them, Mark said sounding amused.
The dragon's tail was curled around Sky in a protective manner and the thought that there was more to these two briefly rose in my mind before I dismissed it. You dare hurt; dare touch my rider?! The other dragon roared, and I felt Mark's mind shudder as the other dragon – the enemy – assaulted my rider's mind. I instantly rose to the challenge, easing the pressure off of Mark's mind as I added my own shield around his mind.
Last time I checked, Sky has no dragon. She's not even meant to be a dragon rider, my rider said, voice cold and striking out to hurt. He dismounted, striding forward and drawing his sword. The silver blade gleamed in the light, appearing harsh. Even its golden hilt couldn't soften its appearance.
The other dragon snarled and her neck stretched out, jaws snapping shut just in front of Mark. She growled again and drew back, bright violet eyes watching my rider carefully. I eyed the other dragon mistrustfully and took two steps forward so I was at Mark's back.
I touched my snout to Mark's back while speaking. Do not get closer, I murmured to Mark. She is angry and there is danger to you if you try to get closer to Sky currently. Even your skin cannot help but give to the claws of a dragon, my rider. Let me take her on. If we pull this dragon away, then you can do whatever you wish. For now, though, wait.
Mark's anger rippled through the bond, icy in its nature but burning too. Mark slammed his sword into its sheath and turned around, getting onto my back where he was safe from this dragon.
I walked closer to the dragon. What are you doing here Nameless Dragon? I asked blandly, uncaring, emotionless. The blue dragon watched as I continued stepping closer, each step measured and planned. I was a fighter, and when a fighter was prepared to fight, everything was restrained and unrushed, each movement was filled with grace and strength.
Saving my rider, the other dragon said back, and why are you trying to kill my rider? I stopped, in a safe position for a fight, and watched as the other dragon trembled with rage.
I flicked my tail and blinked slowly. This all seemed rather boring if I was being honest. The other dragon wasn't even trying to fight. Now, now, I murmured calmly, no need to attack anyone here.
The other dragon snarled, yet did not try to fight me. They were challenging me however. I breathed in and rose onto my hind legs, wings stretching out. I roared loudly, issuing a warning and a challenge. I stayed on my hind legs for another few seconds, before closing my wings and landing on all four legs without a sound. Mark tapped my shoulder, "Flame," he ordered.
I hesitated before breathing in, trusting in Mark's calmness and his steadiness and pushing all questions to the back of my mind where they would stay until they disappeared, and felt my fire crackle along my bones, sparking around my neck and wings. I opened my mouth and shot out a fireball, the flames orange and bright, casting new and strange shadows.
The other dragon's eyes widened and used her to tail to quickly push Sky out of the way. The dragon then leapt into the air and avoided the slow fireball, which brushed past her paws before dropping into the canyon, the flames already fading out of existence.
You moron! Mark insulted. What was that?
I narrowed my eyes. She was quicker than expected, I said as an excuse. I will do better next time, I swear.
You better, my rider said angrily, as the other dragon took one stride to Sky, before nosing her and checking that she wasn't too badly injured.
The human stirred, blonde hair moving and green eyes appearing as she blinked. The other dragon turned to face us and a snarl fixed itself to her face before it dropped as the other dragon breathed, ignoring Mark and me for a brief minute.
This is the second attempt today to take my rider's life, and it might be a good idea not to make it a third time, the other dragon said, baring her teeth. I circled the other dragon, noting their weak muscles and lack of a fighting stance.
You are a nameless dragon, I reminded them. I see no fight here at all, I said bluntly, honestly, as I stopped in front of her.
The blue dragon glared at me and rose up onto her hind legs, roaring loudly before slamming her legs down onto the dirt. She, too, issued a warning and a challenge. Her wings were flared, making her appear larger, but I had fought others older and bigger and stronger. She was still nothing.
Now look what you've done, Mark berated me, and I flinched at his fury beneath his words. At that moment, the other dragon charged at me, ramming into me and pushing me backwards as I hadn't gotten any time to dig my claws into the ground so I could standstill.
Leave now, the other dragon snarled. I am in no mood to have mercy and I think you might not want to fight me as others are fast approaching.
I had already detected the scents of the others and I growled. Now know this, Nameless Dragon, you have issued a challenge, and a fight will ensue and next time I will attack and try to kill. This I swear on my name, Thirak the Fighter.
Then know this, Thirak the Fighter, the other responded, I am no longer the unknown Nameless Dragon. I have a name and so you must remember it. If you fight me, expect no easy fight. This I swear on my name, Seeryath the Nameless Dragon.
I roared and leapt into the sky, wind buffeting the ground causing the grass to flatten. I took to the sky, circled once, before heading towards the Academy, knowing that the news of Seeryath and Sky would spread swiftly. Things would change soon, I guessed. There was something about Sky and Seeryath. I had always known there was special about Sky – as there had to have been a reason for Mark to target her. Seeryath held the same aura. A whispered promise of power and something to come. It was nerve-racking because there was nothing that told me the pair would be strong, yet something within me told me to be wary, to be ready.
I landed lightly in front of the Academy, and Mark dismounted. I nudged him as he paused. Go, I told him, I'm going to go flying.
Mark nodded and turned around on his heel, walking towards the Academy. As he got closer to the main entrance, others flocked to him. I watched before taking to the air alone. I gained height quickly, taking myself as high as I dared, where the air was ice-cold and sharp when I breathed, where I had to be careful because ice could form on wings, where no one else dared to fly.
I smiled to myself and sped up, enjoying the fresh air and the wind streaming past my face. I wasn't near the Academy anymore and there were almost no dragons nearby. I grinned and dived down, collapsing my wings to my side and becoming more streamlined. My speed increased even more, and the wind felt more like a whip as it split in front of my snout, rushing past my body.
I opened my wings at the last possible moment, shooting forward just above the ground, and enjoying the way the world around me looked at peace and untouched. I angled my wings and gained altitude again, spiralling upwards before barrel rolling and flying upside down, then looping around.
I twisted and turned, enjoying every second of my flight. I tested my flexibility and the range of my wing movements, tested my speed and with every breath, I lived. The world around me appeared in a new light, everything was worthy of its name and own mention; everything was special.
I was panting when I lighted down on a grassy slope, the sky turning to night as I watched it. I shifted forms, losing my dragon features and taking on human ones, and then collapsing backwards so I could look at the stars. I traced constellations and named stars, and made my own constellations and the stories that went along with them. I thought about a million different locations I could go down, but always my mind returned to the most important one, the best one. Home with my rider.
There was a snort from nearby, and I sat upright, searching for what caused the sound. A horse, a completely normal one, looked at me with dark brown eyes. The brown-black animal pawed the ground before stepping up to stand beside me. The horse lowered their head, and I gently stroked the soft fur on its face. The horse snorted, nickered, before rearing and galloping down the hill. There was a sound of thundering hooves, and I watched as horses of all different colours galloped around me, following the leading brown-black one.
I watched as the herd faded into the distance, shapes merging with the environment as the night sky slowly moved overhead. I laughed to myself. I sometimes forgot how wonderful and beautiful prey animals were, and how fast. Nothing compared to a dragon in the air, but they had their speed on the ground, and their strides seemed to eat the ground that laid before them.
I switched back to my dragon form and turned towards home. There was a bed and a rider waiting for me. I shouldn't keep him waiting.
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And so, A Dragon's View reappears. The story is told slightly differently as it's from Thirak's view, and he's quite different from Rya.
We now have the plot in the dream sequence - Thirak's story throughout the entirety of A Dragon's View. We also have the main plot in A Dragon's Redemption - the escape Arc.
Anyway, I asked someone to do the next book's cover, and I think they decided to do so!
I have 8,000 words to write, as it turns out I had 2,000 words more written than I had thought. Also the word count for this book is officially past the 50,000 word mark!
SilentSilverSlip/Gabby is out to write the next chapter! See ya folks.
Edited: 1/02/2021