Fox-Kun: Welcome to Sqrl-chan's first attempt at fanfiction. This is a small glimpse at the inner workings of her strange, strange mind and what I have to put up with every da-
A/N: (bursts through door) Sorry I'm late! Those damned winged monkeys kept stealing my bag. So, have you already started?
Fox-Kun: ...
A/N: What? Oh don't tell me that water balloon they threw was filled with paint!
Fox-Kun: (sigh) no, it wasn't. I was giving them a brief warning before your onslaught of craziness.
A/N: Hey, you wouldn't let me go crazy with this story. What, with all the reading over my shoulder and grammar correcting.
Fox-Kun: which was very hard to do, considering that I'm a figment of your imagination.
A/N: True….Does this mean that I'm talking to myself right now.
Fox-Kun: Just another fact to add to the list.
A/N: What list?
Fox-Kun: the list that I'll give to the people who run the funny farm that I'm going to send you to one of these days.
A/N: Ooh, you're going to send me to learn how to be a clown!?
Fox-Kun: ... sure, you'll learn how to be a clown…in a nice padded room…
A/N: Yays! (glomps Foxy) Thankyouthankyouthankyou you are the BEST!
Fox-Kun: (attempts to free himself from Sqrl's death grip) Aren't you fprgetting something?
A/N: What?
Fox-Kun: (still struggling and turning slightly blue) The story, dammit, the story. I Need Air!
A/N: (Drops Foxy) Oh Yeah!: The world of Alageasia and all characters involved in the original series are © Christopher Paolini. Any and all other characters are mine. Bwahahaha. Enjoy
Cedric strode over the dunes, grumbling under his breath. "Why is it that whenever something menial needs doing, I'm always the one who is 'volunteered'?" He asked himself. His best friend, Darson, stumbled after him, unable to keep up with Cedric's long-legged stride. Cedric blushed and slowed his pace. After all, it had been nice of Darson to offer his help.
Darson caught up, groaning under the weight of the buckets on his back. "Why (pant) did I offer to come (pant) along with you (pant) again?" he complained good-naturedly. "It's beyond me," replied Cedric, "and if you're tired now, wait 'till these things have water in them." Darson groaned again and Cedric chuckled at his friend's plight. "This would be so much easier if we had horses." Darson said. "Oh come now, you know that no horse could survive a prolonged stay in the Hadarac. They'd die within a week!" said Cedric. "Well, what about a dragon?" said Darson.
Cedric halted in his tracks. He had only seen a dragon once in his life, which was still more than can be said for most. After the Second Battle of Doru Areaba and the defeat of Galbatorix the Tyrant twenty years ago, the dragons had started to make a comeback, though they still numbered far fewer than before the Fall. He couldn't believe Darson had just suggested using such an awesome beast as a pack animal.
Darson had obviously noticed the abrupt change of mood and said hurriedly, "Of course, I doubt such a noble beast would agree to help us." Cedric thought about it, and decided not to leave it at that. He didn't want to lose his only friend over a petty argument like that, especially when Darson had made an effort to reconcile. He resumed walking, until his boot connected with something large, hard and painful.
He gave a shout of surprise and tumbled headfirst down the dune. He struggled to get up, cursing and spitting sand, and then the thing that he had kicked rolled down the dune and came to a rest directly beside him. He stopped swearing and stayed frozen in a half-crouch, staring at the polished stone that was nestled in the sand not two feet away. He was shaken out of his reverie by Darson, who, having abandoned the buckets, was charging down the dune at full tilt, drawing his dirk out of his belt.
"Cedric! What's the matter!? What happened!? Are you all right!?" he cried, searching around for some wild animal or slave trader. "Fine. A bit sore is all," Cedric reassured him," just tripped over this." He gestured at the stone. "What is it," said Darson, sheathing his dirk and crouching as well to better examine the stone. "I don't know," said Cedric, who reached out to pick it up. "Don't," said Darson very suddenly. Cedric threw him a questioning look. "I've just got a funny feeling about that thing," Darson said, embarrassed. "It just doesn't feel…normal."
Cedric nodded. That out of place feeling is what had made him pause after his fall. His sense of curiosity was greater than his fear, however, and he still wanted to pick it up. Darson shrugged resignedly, and watched as his friend slowly drew the stone closer to him.
Cedric cradled the stone in the crook of his arm. He had never seen anything like it. It was oval and a little under a foot long. It was a golden color and blended almost perfectly with the sun drenched sand, which would explain why even his sharp eyes had missed it. Upon peering closer, he noticed that minute white veins spiderwebed across the surface. "This has got to be worth at least a few crowns," said Darson, who had crept closer for a better look as well. "Mm," grunted Cedric noncommittally, still gazing at the stone.
"You don't want to sell it, do you?" asked Darson. "No," sighed Cedric, running a hand over the smooth stone," there's just something…special about it. And besides, I already earn enough to support myself." "whatever," grunted Darson, standing up," but you're carrying it." He trotted back up the dune to retrieve the buckets, and they continued on their way.
Fox-Kun: My God, you actually managed to write without lapsing into crack!
A/N: I Know! Sometimes I surprise myself. Maybe It's the little talk show thing that we do. It helps work out a lot of the randomness.
Fox-Kun: So we're going to have to do this every chapter?
A/N: Yup !
Fox-Kun: Crap. Well, speaking of chapters, how often are you planning on updating?
A/N: I don't really know. I've got the first 6 chapters typed up, and I'm working on the 7th, so I'll probably update weekly for the next few weeks, but beyond that I really can't say.
Fox-Kun: So you're planning on being an ass.
A/N: Hey, I'll try to be as nice as possible. I want to keep my Readers happy. But yeah, pretty much expect the worst. But If I get lots of reviews, I get lots of incentive, and thus strive harder to churn out new chapters. Plus, the Readers will get special awards!
Fox-Kun: I'm sure people are just falling over themselves to review now that they might get a reward.
A/N: You really think so?
Fox-Kun: No. Not really. By the way, compared to our show, this chapter is kind of short.
A/N: I know, I know. In the future, our show will be shorter and I'm working on getting the chapters longer. It just takes some practice.
Fox-Kun: Well, that's all I got. You?
A/N: Yep, that's it for me too. To our honorable Reader: We hope to see you next chapter!
Fox-Kun: you're writing this from California, and I'm trapped inside of your damned comp. How exactly are we supposed to 'see them next chapter'?
A/N: Shut Up! I'm sure that they're smart enough to get that it's a figure of speech, unlike some computer-possessing fox demons that I know.
Fox-Kun: Whatever. Oh, and for those who don't know, a dirk is a blade that is too long to be considered a dagger, but is too short to be considered a sword. It is good for both throwing and close quarters fighting. That is all.