Dragon Riders: Legacy(Book 2) Completed

Chapter 14:The Letter:Ermine:A week later

   Ermine was sitting on his bed petting Snowdrift.
   His parents and siblings were visiting his grandmother, he got to stay home because he told his parents that his side where Yutu kicked him still kind of hurt, which in truth it did still hurt, but not super bad, he just over exaggerated it a little bit.
   Then Snowdrift pricked up her ears, tilting them in the direction of his doorway.
   He immediately thought his parents and siblings were home, and he was about to put Snowdrift underneath his bed when he heard wing beats.
   He knew neither of his parents had a bird spirit animal; his father had a Arctic wolf and his mother a snow fox.
   Then a snowy owl flew into his room, and landed on his bed, not even afraid of Snowdrift, who could very well eat it.
   He noticed a small leather scroll case tied to the owl's leg.
   He made a move to untie the scroll case from the owl's leg, and the owl didn't move, so he picked at the ties holding the scroll case to the owl's leg. Once he had the leather case untied from the owl's leg, it took off in a hurry like it's nerve failed it and it was finally glad to get away from Snowdrift.
   He returned his attention back to the leather case in his hands.
   He slowly turned it, noticing a dragon head sigil engraved in the leather. He had never seen such a sign before.
   "Open it." Snowdrift said.
   He did as she said, and opened the leather scroll case, pulling a small scroll out.
   He broke the seal on the letter; the seal had the same sigh as the sigil. He unrolled the scroll, and saw many strange runes written on the scroll, and he remembered he never learned how to read, even though his father had been trying to teach him, so when he became chief he would be able to read messages meant for him instead of having to find someone to read them to him.
   He would have to find someone he could trust that could read, but he didn't know who.
   "Your grandmother." Snowdrift said, jumping into his mind.
  "Of course." He said, hitting his forehead with the palm of his hand.
   He could trust her. She knew things he didn't, and he could use her vast knowledge to help him and Snowdrift. But he couldn't go right now, since his parents and siblings were there. He would have to go later tonight when his family was asleep; hopefully his grandmother would still be awake.
   "You're taking me along." Snowdrift said, not giving him a say in the matter.
   "Ok." He said, thinking she deserved to hear what ever was written in the letter as well.
   Snowdrift nodded with approval, and laid back down in his lap, and he continued stroking.

   When his parents and siblings got back he spent the rest of the day having to play with Sokka and Korra.

   When everyone went to sleep, Ermine quietly got out of bed, careful not to wake up Sokka, he put his parka, boots, and gloves on, and Snowdrift climbed up under his parka. Wrapping her tail around his waist, and pressed her body against his back, using her sharp claws to hold on to shirt, so she wouldn't fall off while going to his grandmother's.
   He grabbed the leather scroll case with the letter in it, and exited the igloo, pulling up his hood once outside, and he began his long walk to his grandmother's.

   Once he got to his grandmother's, he entered the igloo, and found the fire lit, and his grandmother sitting in her chair by the fire, clearly waiting for him.
   He never knew how she always found out when he ever needed help. It actually unnerved him that she almost always knew when he needed help.
   He walked over to he chair, and said, "Grandmother? I—." He was interrupted by his grandmother.
   His grandmother didn't turn around to look at him, but just said, "I know what you seek, child."
   He didn't know how she knew what he needed help with when he didn't say anything about help yet.
   "She is old and wise and knows many things." Snowdrift said, confusing him.
   He already knew she was old and wise and knew many things.
   "The question is what she doesn't already know." Snowdrift said, finishing what he was going to say to himself; it actually amazed him how she knew what he was thinking.
He was about to ask her what she was referring to, but then his grandmother held out a wrinkled hand, and said, "Let me see the letter the Old Ones sent you."
"Old Ones?" He asked Snowdrift, confused why everyone talking cryptically tonight.
"Just give her the scroll."
"Ok," he said, and placed the scroll case in his grandmother's hand, but she suddenly grabbed his right hand, and turned it over, and pulled off his glove, and looked at the silver spiral mark Snowdrift had given him the night he bonded with her.
"What an interesting scar. Where did you get it from?" His grandmother said, looking at the silver spiral mark on his right palm.
"Uh, I don't know really. I guess I've always had it. My parents won't tell me where I got it from." He lied, feeling bad that he was lying to his grandmother, someone who could help him. But if he told her the truth she might tell his parents, and his father might not let him go to the Rider base like his cousins because his father wasn't one for letting go, especially his heir.
"Hmm," his grandmother said, letting go of his hand, and taking the scroll case from the other.
He rubbed the spot where his grandmother had gripped him with her icy cold hand, then he pulled his glove back on, and turned his attention back to his grandmother.
His grandmother had looked at the sigil on the leather case, and opened the case and was looking at the writing on the scroll.
"Do you know what it says?" He asked, hoping to Suka that she could read what ever was on the scroll.
"Yes. Would you like me to read it to?"
He nodded.
She cleared her throat, and then started speaking in her storytelling voice.
"Dear Ermine, we have been informed that you have indeed bonded with a dragon, and we would like you to attend Sanctuary, the Dragon Rider base, in two years. We will send you another letter two weeks from the time you are to come to Sanctuary with more information on how you will be getting to Sanctuary.
"As for now we wish you the best of luck till you can begin your training. Sincerely the Erdas Dragon Riders." His grandmother finished, looking at him with her icy blue eyes, her face impossible to read, as if she hadn't just read a letter claiming he was a Rider and that the Riders were still around.
Then his grandmother broke the silence between them.
"So my suspicions were correct."
"What do you mean?" He asked, getting more confused than answers tonight. Was it confuse Ermine night?
"When I saw the mark, more specifically the mark of the Riders, on your palm, and the sigil on the case and the scroll, I knew that this had something to do with the Riders after your cousins bonded with dragons. Who would have guessed that three kids from the same family bonded with dragons. But that can be expected from descendants of a Rider." His grandmother said, her words shocking him to the core.
He was a descendant of a Rider. More specifically his whole family was descended from a Rider.
"So you mean everyone in our family is descended from a Rider?" He asked, wanting to be sure he heard her right and wasn't imagining things.
"Yes, but not just any Rider. You are descended Atiqalaaq. Well more like he is your great uncle." His grandmother confessed, shocking him even more that it felt like his head was going to explode with all these secrets being revealed. Maybe it was family secret reveal night.
But he couldn't believe that he was descended from Atiqalaaq. The same person who killed two hundred Conquers with his dragon, IceStorm. They were legends around Arctica and some northern parts of Eura.
But then there was the other part about Atiqalaaq being his great uncle, that meant...
He looked at his grandmother with revelation in his eyes.
"You're Atiqalaaq's sister?!" He exclaimed.
He had heard that Atiqalaaq had a younger sister, but his sister being his grandmother was almost impossible. For one, Atiqalaaq had been born over a century ago, so there was no way his grandmother was over a hundred years old when she looked about in eighties or nineties. For another, Atiqalaaq disappeared ninety-one years ago, and his sister would definitely be dead by now.
"It is true Ermine. I am Atiqalaaq's sister, and that makes you, your siblings, and your cousins Atiqalaaq's great nieces and nephews, and I know he would have loved to meet all of you." His grandmother said, her voice cracking at the end. "I know it's a lot to take in, but every word I said was true."
He looked at the ground, still taking in all that his grandmother, apparently the sister of Atiqalaaq, had said.
"Believe her, she is telling the truth. I'm shocked too, but I can tell that she is telling the truth." Snowdrift said, trying to convince him to believe his grandmother.
Finally accepting the truth, he took a deep breath, and said, "If you're Atiqalaaq's sister then how are you still alive? Atiqalaaq was born over a century ago. So that would...make you over a hundred years old. But how?" He looked his grandmother in the eyes, utterly amazed by how she was over a hundred years old and yet she was still breathing, and he though only Riders could live over a hundred years.
"You are clever like Kya, both of you are clever and smart like Atiqalaaq, while Korren I have to say has more of his skill with a sword and strength. But yes, I am over a hundred years old, but I cannot tell you how till you learn more about magic at Sanctuary or else you'll not even understand a word I am saying."
"Ok. But can you tell me what happened to Atiqalaaq and IceStorm?"
As soon as he said that he saw his grandmother's face fall.
"I'm sorry." He apologized, feeling bad that he had to make his grandmother relive what ever she was going through.
"That is a story for another time." His grandmother said, handing him the scroll case back.
"You better get back home before your father wakes ups and finds you missing ." His grandmother said.
He nodded, and thanked her for her help, and left his grandmother's igloo, and walked back home, discussing all what had occurred with Snowdrift.
When they got back home, Ermine went into his room, and let Snowdrift climb out from underneath his parka and onto the bed.
He took off his boots, gloves, and parka, and then he climbed into bed, and Snowdrift curled up by his side, her body cold, but he didn't mind it, it comforted him knowing that she was by his side.
He soon fell asleep listening to the soft breathing of Sokka and Snowdrift.

P.S. There will be more shocking twists in Ermine, Korren and Kya's family history, but that will be revealed in later books.
   Hope you're all enjoying the story so far.