An Eye for an Eye
-Haar and Rynkar
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Ice Kestrel: Okay, so this is a collection of one-shot-ish stories, from the POV of the wyverns. Some of the wyverns were never named, so I had to name them. Flame me if you truly feel the names are terrible. I don't care. At least I addressed them with names, not as possessive nouns.
Any points I make that sound similar to the Inheritance trilogy by Christopher Paolini, I apologize. No, I did not copy his stuff. I just happen to believe the same things as him. And personally, I kind of like his works. I just hate the kid named Eragon (no offense or anything…)
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Lazy. Carefree. Laid-back. Cloud-watcher.
You. Haar. My ryder. My comrade-in-arms. My friend.
It is true, how the ryder is bestowed an empathy link to his mount on the day. The day in which he is presented with his partner for life. How one must connect, bond with his partner, despite differences. For they are not two, but one.
And you were assigned to me.
How I loathed you in the beginning. Our personalities could not be more different if we tried. Had it not been for me, you would have failed the academy in your first year. Had it not been for you, we would have been at the top of the class.
It was our indifference that entrapped us in that predicament. You wandered away from the platoon in search for a good place to nap. I insisted on following the Commander. And as wyvern fought against ryder, our guard was lowered, our positions unveiled to the enemy. The racket caught the attention of the enemy patrol, and steel clashed against steel.
You loathed violence. And you still do.
Why you ever joined the army, I could not fathom.
Commander Shiharam ordered us into formation. You readied your axe, tense. Your emotions swirled with such intensity, it was blinding; such readiness to prove yourself- to Shiharam, who was more of a father than your own.
The way you looked up to the Commander has he gave his orders puzzled me. I had not ever thought of you to have such feelings.
And yet, it was Shiharam who made you feel important. His ideals, his cause, influencing you, making you open your eyes to the bigger truth in life. To fight, not for yourself, but for your friends, your people. Your country. Your admiration of the Commander, your sudden determination to not slack off your days, but to be the soldier he saw in you.
You never saw a reason to fight. You preferred to nap your days away, peaceful like an old cow. But as all were readying for battle, I felt something. The loneliness within you, a deep gouging hole in your person, knowing that without your rank in the army, you are nothing. You have no place in the world.
Something that made no sense to me. Despite our empathy link, we could not dive into each others' pasts; we were to share, should we feel the need. And you were most stubborn to keep your memories to yourself.
The battle raged, and you fought, not for yourself, but for your country. And I saw you, fighting alongside Shiharam, and I knew. Deep down inside, you are not the person I thought you were. There was something I had never paid attention to before. A kid, in need of guidance. A person, alone. Longing. For a friend. And from that moment on, I was determined to be… your friend.
That spear nearly stole your life, had it not been at that moment I threw you off, into the air, away from its point. As it embedded itself into my flank, I felt no pain. Only the fierce determination to keep you safe from harm, to land safely back onto my back your place, as a ryder.
And you sat dazed. Unbelieving. That thought.
I thought you hated me.
I did hate you, I admitted. But for an ignorant kid, you're not too bad.
And for an old grouch like you, you shot back, you're not too shabby either.
That grin only lasted for a mere second before it was replaced with a worried frown. As I turned, an arrow sailed across the open sky. Shiharam's shout rang across loud and clear. But too late. The arrow that was shot from a ballistae, aimed directly at my heart. You yelped in surprise, and leapt in front of me.
The impact echoed on and on, time slowed down, as you fell into my forearms, this time not dazed, but in pure agony.
The arrow. The arrow that had been meant for me. You took that hit for me.
And it cost you your eye.
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The medics would not allow it, but were reluctant to deal with an ill-tempered wyvern, so they left me there beside you.
The others were convinced you would never become a full-fledged soldier due to a loss of half you vision.
Shiharam silenced them with a glare, as he glanced worriedly in your direction.
As for you, the moment you regained consciousness, your first thought was, Are you hurt?
Of course I was not hurt. You took that hit for me. And it cost you dearly. A price I could never pay back, not in a hundred lifetimes.
Rynkar…
I blinked in surprise. This is the first time you have ever addressed me by name…
You saved my life, and I saved yours. That's what friends are for…
I nodded. Yes, Haar. That's what friends are for.
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You overgrown lizard.
You half-blind fool.
And we both grin like mad.
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Ice Kestrel: I have always liked these wyvernriders and their mounts. Of the many fanfics I have read, not many have addressed the wyverns as separate beings, just more like horses- there, but not there. I don't think so. I think these wyverns have their share of stories to tell. Review or flame. Give me reasons as to why. I hope you enjoyed it.