Rider's Quest

Chapter 2

"Helios? What'd this hatchling do to deserve this?" My mom asked me, "I'm going to go talk to his mother." she said, storming out of the hut. I stayed behind to stay with Kelendros.

Why aren't you going with her? Kelendros asked me, still with a slight squeak of pain, even in her thoughts I could feel her pain all over my body.

"No need and I wanted to stay back and watch you." I replied, looking into her six Garnet colored eyes with sheer hatred of what Helios had done to her.

I know you feel my pain, but try not to show it. You look like you're sick if you show it. She rubbed my cheek with her muzzle. I care about you, that's why I picked you over anyone else. With those words she fell asleep. I went to bed right beside her, thinking of that sentence, and fell into a deep sleep.

***

"Carmad? Come on honey, wake up, it's almost time for the ceremony." my mom calls me Carmad for short, especially when she is trying to wake me up. I shot out of bed to see Kelendros wasn't in my corner of the hut with me.

"Mom?! Where's Kelendros?" I yelled, frantic of where my partner had gone.

"If you mean your hatchling, she's in here." my mom said back, she was in her corner getting dressed, she had put on a self-sewn light blue long dress with green rims. I walked into her corner that had blankets covering the view of her room. Kelendros was busy staring at the beautiful dress my mom had put on. I went back to my corner and put on a shirt made of wolf skin with light leather armor on it, and pants made of matching leather, it was what the girls wore to the ceremony. The males wore deer skin shirts with leather and pants made of matching leather.

"Let's go mom, come on!" I ran to her corner, quickly picked up Kelendros, and ran out of the hut to where the ceremony was set up. There were three big boulders, the head rider and his dragon on the top, the two village elders and there dragons sat on the other two boulders. There were three new female riders this year, Temporal, Aidan Drago, and I.

"First up, Temporal!" the head rider called. Everyone applauded for her. "Temporal, what is your dragon's name?" the head rider asked. Temporal is thirteen and has flowing brown hair with violet eyes, and her dragon is purple with long black claws and horns, has violet or green eyes, and has a flame burning at the tip of her tail. Last year she couldn't find the right partner. I guess she found the right one this year.

"Ghislaine." she said, holding her hatchling for everyone to see.

"A strong looking dragon. Temporal, I grant you the name Rider trainee." said the head rider. Temporal sat back down beside her father. "Carmaderon Ferr." the head rider bellowed. I stepped up, holding Kelendros in my arms. "Carmaderon, what is your dragon's name?"

"Kelendros." I said holding her up for all to see. She sat up in my hands with pride, now I see all her details. Kelendros was snow white with six garnet eyes, her chest looked to be made of actual garnet, the part not facing the sun faded to a dark black, her horns looked to be made of the same material, fading to black without sunlight. She had three sets of spikes on her tail, and her wings were a dark red that stood out from the bright white and her jaw was an under bite style with some bright red teeth sticking out of it.

"A Chimaeran Dragon, rarest of all dragons for a rider. Carmaderon, I grant you the name Rider trainee." Everyone cheered as I went to sit by my mother who kissed me on the cheek when I sat down. "Finally for the female riders, Aidan Drago." Aidan has mid-length black hair and blue eyes. "Aidan, what is your dragon's name?" fourteen year old Aidan's dragon in the daylight, looks like a normal Dragon with his dark blue eyes and light blue scales, but at night all of his scales turn into a beautiful show of stars and galaxies like space itself.

“O'rian." she simply stated, holding her hatchling up high. "You have a dragon that is quite rare as well; they use perfect camouflage at night. Aidan, I grant you the name Rider trainee." The village erupted in applause for the three of us that made it to become a rider trainee. The three of us walked off with our hatchlings because there were fifteen boys and we didn't want to listen to them gloat over their big strong hatchlings. Boys. I thought to myself. I went to the fields to practice with Kelendros.

Is this truly necessary? Questioned Kelendros.

"Yes!" I said excitedly. "I want to become a true Rider soon. But in order to get to that goal, we'll need to practice hard every day."

Every day? But I'm not big enough yet. She wined, trying to get me to give in.

"You will be soon, young Chimaeran." an old man interrupted her complaint, "It's best to start early than late." It was Loru, one of the two elder riders.

"Why aren't you at the Ceremony, Elder Loru?" I asked, wondering why he left the ceremony.

"To help you, young rider." he whistled for his dragon, Neyin. Neyin was a forest dragon, dark green leaf-like feathers covering its body, his horns looked like large, curly branches, and his eyes were like looking into a clear stream, they're that light, translucent blue you would see in a healthy stream. But unlike most of the village dragons, Neyin had no wings, he lost them in a fierce battle twenty years ago, they say he was fighting a huge Chimaeran dragon and they ripped his wings straight out of his back, he almost died of blood loss.

"Let's start with magic first!" I suggested, hoping he wouldn't notice I don't get magic til I was a true Rider.

"You know the rules. Let's start with... hmm." he stood and thought for a second, til Neyin spoke.

How about on ground fighting skills? He suggested.

“How about on ground fighting skills?" Loru repeated. Wow, it must suck being old. I thought to myself.

Sure. Answered Kelendros for the both of us. Loru beamed with joy, and then walked over to grab a couple of long, steel rods.