Survivors of the Wild - Larry Stylinson

Chapter 4

The flight to Occitens isn't long. He sees the mountains of the Spine long before they touch down, punching up into the sky in the distance. The academy is just inside the Spine, on the shores of Woodark Lake. There's a massive stone building that looks a little like a castle built just at the bottom of a mountain next to an even larger stone structure. There's a huge building on top of the mountain as well, and a few others scattered around.

Harry's heart pounds as they make their descent, and the sick feeling comes again, rising up in his gut. He has to close his eyes again, trying to keep his insides together. The landing is softer than he imagined, only a gentle thump indicating that they've hit the ground. His stomach is still turning over and over.

Laurel helps him unstrap his legs from the saddle and jumps down. After he hands her the opal egg, she holds an arm out while he climbs down, much less gracefully than her.

There's a good number of people about, lounging out by the lake in small groups or milling about. But the dragons capture Harry's attention more. They're mixed in with the humans, sometimes shielding their rider from the sun with their wing or letting them lean against them. They're all of various sizes, some of them as large as Karif and others smaller than Rakr, the smallest dragon in their group of four.

The people are watching them as they climb off the dragons, shooting them curious looks. Harry feels self-conscious under their gaze, holding the cloth-covered egg closer to his chest.

"Hello, Allanna. Laurel." There's an older, white-haired man standing serenely in front of them. Harry stares in awe at the dragon behind him. It's the biggest he's seen yet, with burnt golden scales and matching eyes that are fixed right on Harry.

Allanna and Laurel both shake his hand. "Hello, Irving," Allanna says.

"I'm sorry I don't recall your names," the man addresses Ed and Niall. The two hastily introduce themselves before he turns to Harry. "And you must be the new rider."

Harry gapes at him. There's no way he could have learned that so fast. Laurel chuckles and explains to him. "Older, experienced riders can communicate through their minds."

Harry's eyes only grow wider. Allanna just nods and says, "Yes, this is Harry Styles."

Irving extends a hand to him, and Harry shakes it carefully. "I'm excited to meet you, Harry," Irving says. "I'm Irving Azoff, Head Rider of Occitens Academy. We haven't had a new rider in quite a few cycles, and the way you've come across your dragon is a little unusual, to say the least."

"Yeah, I can't say I was expecting it," Harry says.

He nods. "Come inside, I can introduce you to the person that will be training you."

He leads the group towards the castle-type building. When they reach it, Irving makes a small motion and the massive, dragon-sized door opens. The hall inside is large enough for the dragons to come inside. Niall explains quietly, "We call this the castle, by the way. There's a lot of big rooms where they can accompany their riders to meetings and other important stuff. Upstairs, there's rooms for all the riders in training without dragons and classrooms."

"What was that other stone thing?"

"The lair." He quirks an eyebrow. "I mean, I call it the lair, at least."

"Dumbass," Rakr mutters under her breath beside them, still loud enough for Harry to hear.

"Anyways," Niall continues, shooting the dragon a look. "It's where all the dragons and their riders stay. It was supposed to be where just all the dragons sleep but all the riders always stayed with their dragons so now there's just a bunch of empty rooms upstairs here."