Reverie.

Chapter 4

It was only a few hours later that we walked into the area again, but this time a large crowd greeted us. Chelsea nudged my side and gave a slight nod of her head in the direction of the disaster this morning. I glanced to the side and blanched. I regained my composure and kept walking, but my thoughts were swirling.

The mess had disappeared. Nothing remained of the ravaged carts or the marks.

I returned my attention to the crowds surrounding us. I faked smiles, but on the inside I was churning. It wasn't until Chelsea bumped shoulders with me and Meek-Shadow nudged my back with his muzzle that I finally was able to relax and enjoy the festivities.

Quest Instigations always had several activities. To start it off a performance was held, much like a circus back home on Earth. People performed many extraordinary stunts, leave the crowd gasping and cheering. It was an interesting way to sit such a crowd I must admit. Riders sat on their dragons, who in turn were seated in huge stands along the edges of one side of the arena. Smalls didn't have to worry about their seating because they weren't even there for they had a series of activities provided for them outside the arena.

The second activity was an obstacle course for the rider and dragon (in our case riders and dragons) to display their skills and teamwork. A short lunch break was scheduled so that the obstacles could be set up.

I ate a light lunch because I was set to go first. I took a deep breath as I scrambled onto Shad's back. We were below the stands waiting for the entrance door to open and would let us onto the course. Even smalls watched this event. I settled into the seat and attached a strap around my torso and another around my legs. The first strap would allow me the ability to detach from Shad and still be attached to the saddle, but the second would keep me firmly planted in it if needed.

The huge door creaked open and Shad shot out of it, straight into the air. The first obstacle seemed to come from nowhere but everywhere at the same time. Even as a Small watching the QI's (Quest Instigations) I never understood how they pulled off this obstacle but me and Shad were prepared for it. He tucked his wings in and dove straight down as darts rained around us. Pulling out of it, we did a series of rolls to the left, allowing the bolts to hit the ground.

We barely had to absorb the cheers before the next obstacle was upon us. Giant rings sprang from the ground and hovered in the air. We were to go through all of them, which didn't seem to difficult until you studied the angle at which they lay and the fact that the rider must also shoot an arrow into a target during those turns.

Meek-Shadow paused long enough to gather air under his wings before pushing the air back and shooting forward at a great pace. I felt my hair band fly free and my ponytail coming out, but it wasn't important to me much at the moment. The first four rings were fine, but the fifth was a ninety degree angle to the one before. In this turn lay my first target, hanging below both of the rings. I notched an arrow to my bow and as Shad made the steep turn, I twisted around in my saddle, leaned back and released. I righted myself in the saddle so I didn't see where my shot went, but by the roar of the crowd below me I could tell I had hit it, maybe not a bullseye, but close enough to count. The rest of the rings went as a blur, requiring just as much or more flexibility in my shots and I even had to release my leg straps, resulting in me flying from my saddle. But I made the shot, and I had to scramble up the rope back into my saddle.

The rest of the obstacle course passed quickly as well. Fire, Air Fencing with an opponent, Trust Falling, and Pillar Jumping. Finally I stood on the finishing platform, my hair whipping around my face. I stood in front of the roaring crowd with a crazy grin on my face.
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Suddenly I was siting on my bed. I looked around, confused, before I glanced at the alarm clock. 2:30 a.m!!!! And I still have tons of homework!! I scrambled frantically out of my bed and pawed open my backpack. I tiredly set to work.