Rider's Quest

Chapter 1

"Carmaderon Ferr, daughter of Gereni Ferr. You are now the age of twelve." the head rider announced, "Along with a few others you may pick your egg. Make sure this egg has a connection with both your heart and your mind, for you will be with the creature for the rest of your life. No need to make fun of other's dragons because usually they exceed yours and your dragon's abilities by far. Now, off to choose." The head rider made clear, then pointed towards the cave in the mountain. A dragon began to emerge from the cave after she laid her only egg among the other dragons' eggs. She was bright red with three pairs of dark gold eyes, an under bite jaw, long, curly horns and talons made of silver ivory, and a tail with eight rows of enormous spikes. The prettiest dragon I've seen this year.

"I want her egg." I said aloud as I ran to find the newly laid egg. Everyone was scrambling through the eggs to find the right one. Then I saw it, the 'One'. Helios ran in front of me to try to get a connection with my egg, nothing.

"Sorry Helios, maybe next year, this one is mine." I said, staring in awe at my soon-to-be partner's egg.

"Oh, yeah? What makes you think this egg has a connection with you? It could have one with me. A scrawny, pathetic loser like you doesn't deserve this egg." He kept rambling on as I watched the egg. It started to hatch, but Helios didn't realize it, being too busy bothering me. "Are you ignoring me, Carmaderon?" He asked me in a violent voice, shoving me to the ground. Right as he was about to punch me, a flash of white grabbed him and pulled him off of me. It's hissing and screaming attracted the head rider.

"What's going on here?" he asked me, as if he needed an immediate answer. I just pointed to Helios. He pulled Helios off of the ground to see a bloody red and white hatchling lying on the ground motionless. I carefully picked it up, careful of where my fingers ran as I slid my hands under its body.

"Get out and go home!" the head rider demanded, furious at what Helios had done to the poor hatchling. "Come on." he told me as we carefully shuffled between the children trying to find their dragons. "Hop up." he told me as I carefully jumped onto his dragon's back, firmly grasping the hatchling. "To the medic hut, HeatWing." He said to his black and red-orange dragon. "We need your help, Kedro!" yelled the head rider as he ran into the hut.

"What with?" Kedro asked as I walked into the hut with the hatchling in my arms. "What happened to it?" she asked, carefully taking the hatchling from my arms.

"They attacked Helios I assume." said the head rider.

"Actually, I think it was protecting me. They didn't attack him until he about punched me. I don't think he deserves a dragon after this." I said, biting my lip.

"I don't think so either. He shouldn't be treating our partners like that, and I think this one's your partner, and I think they like you because they hatched real early." I was relieved with his answer. "And you are one of the few who befriend a Chimaeran Dragon. They usually just run into the wild with all the other unpicked dragons. You are one lucky rider; some would kill to have your dragon." Kill? Oh well, he probably didn't mean it literally. "Any luck patching 'em up, Kedro?" he called into the deeper part of the hut where Kedro was, patching my lifetime partner.

"She'll need to rest a little while, but she'll be just fine. Oh dear, I just gave up the gender. Oh well." said Kedro with a big grin on her pale face. I took the tiny dragon out of her arms and walked home.

"What's your name?" I tried asking my partner, since how I've read that Chimaeran Dragons are one of few who can mind link with their rider right out of the egg. Kelendros. I heard a faint, pained whisper in my head. "That's a beautiful name, Kelendros." Thank... You. "Let's get some rest for the ceremony in two days, when all the eggs should be hatched."

“Good night, Kelendros." Goodnight, Carmaderon. I tucked her in a small, blanket nest I made for when I got a dragon of my own.

I know I've only seen the ceremony, never been in it. This is going to be so fun! I wonder when mom will get home from the fields. I thought to myself, while I waited on mom to come home.

It was about an hour later when mom came in through the entrance of the hut. "Hey Mom!" I yelled as I jumped on her.

"Hey, honey! Shouldn't you be up in the caves watching your dragon hatch?" she asked with curiosity why I was at home instead of in the caves. I grabbed her hand and dragged her to my corner of the hut. I gleefully pointed at the white and red hatchling on my bed.

"I knew you could do it! You got a Chimaeran Dragon, but what happened to her?" she asked me when a tear escaped her eye looking at the patched up body.

"Helios." I stated simply.