Chapter 1
Two young women rode horseback through a forest. One had shoulder-length dark brown hair and was on the back of a large black stallion. The other had long, golden brown hair and was atop a dapple-gray draft. A white and brown dog and reddish brown wolf trailed behind the horses. The girls were Jaden and Enya of Furnost. They had grown up together and had been best friends since they were very young.
They hadn't been traveling long, only about three days. Even so, they were both sore and tired. By silent agreement, both girls decided to stop for a short break in a small clearing near a stream.
They dismounted and stretched. The dog and wolf were dismissed to hunt for themselves.
The light-haired girl sat down heavily on a fallen tree nearby. "All this riding is giving me blisters." She complained.
"Quit your whining, Enya." The darker girl pulled her to her feet. "We'll be back home before you know it." She glanced around the area and studied the faint stars beginning to appear above them. "We should be able to get in a few more hours riding before we have to stop for the night,." she said with a long look at the sky.
"But Jaden, I'm tired, the horses are tired, and even if you won't admit it, you must be too. Just look at Layne, the poor fellow. His shoulder must be hurting badly."
Jaden frowned. "I don't think we should." She glanced at her wolf. "Layne's a strong, wolf… He'll hold out for a while longer."
"I don't think we should push it." She insisted softly, then grinned slyly. "And anyway… I'm so tired I could fall asleep on Errol and tumble off."
Jaden frowned, although Enya was sure she saw the ghost of a smile tugging on the corners of her mouth. "You would, wouldn't you?"
Enya smiled victoriously. She began to unpack a large piece of canvas and wooden stakes to make their tent.
"We can spend the night here, but we have to leave very early in the morning. And you cook tonight," Jaden reminded her.
"All right," she said while digging through her pack. "Go catch us something. I'll get water." She motioned to a nearby stream.
Jaden nodded and grabbed her long bow and quiver. "Do you have any preferences?" she asked.
"Anything you can get. I'm making stew."
Without another word, Jaden started off into the woods.
Jaden came back with three plump rabbits. After she skinned and gutted them, Enya dropped them in the pot along with carrots, potatoes, and other odds and ends they had in their bag. Soon enough, they both had their bellies full. They stored the rest of the stew and settled into their tent.
Jaden, as usual, was the first to wake. She stowed her things back into her pack already and was tying the pots back onto Enya's saddle.
"It's about time you got up, sleepy head." she said nudging Enya with her foot. "Pack up your things; it is almost time to get going. Be sure to store the rest of the stew after you're done. I've eaten and packed most everything already except for the tent and food.."
Layne whimpered softly as he limped over to Jaden's side. "I'm sorry, boy." Jaden murmured in his ear. She stroked him behind the ears. "As soon as we get to the Varden they'll be able to heal you completely. Until then, we will have to make do with what little I know of the Ancient Language. Now, go make sure Finn doesn't get into Enya's stew." The wolf nuzzled her hand and padded away to find the dog.
Jaden looked up at the stars again, still barely visible in the dim morning light. "We're only halfway to the Boer Mountains." she said, discouraged. "Hurry and eat, we need to get on our way."
"Where's Finn and Layne?" she asked sleepily as she stood and brushed the twigs and such from her clothes.
"They're both out of the way. Layne is making sure Finn doesn't get into your food… again. And before you ask, yes, I did feed them."
Enya settled down on a tree stump with a bowl and began to eat. Jaden disassembled the tent and packed it away. After that, she settled into to roots of a large tree near the edge of the clearing. "Get me up when you're done," she told Enya.
~Change to Boys' P.O.V~
Murtagh motioned for Eragon to stop. He held his finger to his lips and pointed to a nearby clearing.
"Do you smell that?" he whispered.
Eragon nodded. "Smells pretty good. Should we check it out?" he asked quietly.
Murtagh hesitated, then nodded. He began to creep forward silently.
They realized that the aroma was wafting from a small clearing ahead. Low murmurs could be heard from the clearing. They split up and went in opposite directions. Eragon went left while Murtagh veered right towards the fire.
~Change to Girls' P.O.V~
Jaden suddenly sat halfway up. Her hand flew to her sword at her side. She cocked her head slightly and stared intently into the forest.
"Did you hear that?" Jaden asked with her head still sideways, listening with a frown on her face.
"I didn't hear anything." Enya replied nonchalantly. She continued to eat her stew.
"I thought I heard…hmmm…never mind," Jaden said still watching the trees.
~Change~
Eragon peered out from behind a fallen tree and observed the two girls. They looked about his age. Neither of them were older than sixteen, but they were at the least thirteen. One of them sat propped up on her elbows, one hand clenching a sword while the other continued to eat what he presumed was stew.
Murtagh was watching the camp from the opposite side behind a thick bush. He saw the girl with the sword and tightened his grip on his own. She didn't look like much of a threat, but he couldn't afford to take any chances. He turned his attention to the girl nearest to him. She was perched on a fallen tree trunk and seemed only slightly perturbed. They both seemed vaguely familiar, but he could not place them.
~Change~
"Calm down, Jaden." Enya said calmly. "The forest is full of rabbits, deer, and other animals. There's bound to be noises."
Jaden scowled at her. "I know what animals sound like, Enya." She continued to glance around, but upon hearing nothing more, hesitantly began to relax again.
~Change~
The boys both held still as the girl with the sword had one last look around before she settled into the groove of the roots again.
Eragon crouched down behind the tree and peered out towards the camp. He caught Murtagh's gaze. They both had the same thoughts: What were two teenage girls doing out here without protection? Were they dangerous? Were they in need of help? Should we reveal ourselves?
Murtagh's answer to the last question was no. They could not risk it. He motioned for Eragon to move on and proceeded to creep silently away.
Eragon was unsure of what to do. He didn't feel quite right leaving them without any apparent protection, but he followed Murtagh's lead and began to sneak away from the camp. The girl with the sword suddenly sat up and stared intently in Eragon's direction. In an instant, she was on her feet.
