arin's beginning

Chapter 4 - A dragon rider

It was a long three days, and Brann was in worse shape than we thought. Noxia was not shy about reminding us of how slow our pace was. Each time she would mention it, Brann's head would droop. After the 4th time, Leandros actually told her to knock it off. Her leg fortunately is healing nice and quickly and there is no sign of infection.

We wake up before dawn on the 4th day and set out up the hill. Brann is struggling, but she hasn't said anything about it. I can see it in the way she has been slower in raising her head each time I look at her, I see it in the way her claws barely leave the ground with each step. I jog a couple of steps ahead to Leandros, "How much farther is it Leandros? I don't know how much farther Brann can go,"

Leandros doesn't say anything, he only points ahead to the crest of the hill we are on. "Go take a look. You tell me where we are." He hands me the map I've been learning to read these past days. I walk up to the top of the hill, the trees falling away. The hill ends in a sharp cliffside, leading into a valley below.

In the heart of the valley, I see what can only be described as a fortress. Its walls are several meters tall, and a massive gate faces us. The stone is scorched in several places, and the grass surrounding the area has even more scorch marks and furrows. The center of the building is an open courtyard, and inside I can see several draconids. I can't make out any real details except for some colors, a white Dragon, a pale blue wyvern, and a green dragon.

"Brann! Come here! We've made it!" I turn back and beckon for Brann. Her steps are slow and her claws drag in the dirt as she approaches me. "Brann, are you sure you're ok?" I feel my forehead crease as my brows come together.

I will be fine, Arin. This journey was harder than any of us imagined it would be for me. I look forward to resting safely. Brann sits at the cliffside with me and together we look out over the valley. Our new home.

"Are you ready for our lives to change, Brann?" I rub my hand along the side of her neck, careful not to press too hard on her. She replies only by nudging my shoulder with her snout.

"Come on you two, we're gonna be late for breakfast!" Leandros calls from the tree line. He points at a trail I didn't notice before and starts down the path. It's a very narrow trail, and I keep looking back to make sure that Brann hasn't fallen off the edge. About halfway down the trail Noxia suddenly flies down past us, the wind from her flight blowing several stones off the path. Her wings flare out and she glides down to the field outside the gate.

It takes us another hour and a half to reach the bottom of the mountain, and Brann's wings drag on the ground. As we are walking up to the gate, the green dragon I saw before walks out.

Hello Leandros. I take it all went well in seeking out our new rider.

"Hey Axlan, there weren't any issues. This time." Leandros shifts his pack to a more comfortable position. I look sideways at Leandro's when he says sideways. "Axlan, this is Brann. Can you get her settled while I take Arin to meet the rest of the council, she isn't well. She's been running from poachers for more than a year." Axlan growls and his claws flex on the ground.

Of course. Come, little one. You are safe here. There is food and plenty of rest to be had. Axlan walks off to the western edge of the fortress guiding Brann around the corner.

"Come on kid. There's some stuff we gotta take care of. But first, your room." Leandros walks through the gate and turns to a stairway in the corner. I follow him up and then down the hallway. He stops before the third door and gestures for me to enter.

The room is sparsely furnished, not much different than the room Master Randerock had for me. There is a bed against the far wall, a dresser, and pegs fastened to the wall next to the desk. "What are those for?" I ask pointing to the pegs.