Disclaimer: I don't own Eragon and the world of Alagaesia which belong to the wonderful Christopher Paolini. I do own Eve, Storm, Ethan, Arget, Briam, and any other characters you don't recognise.
Chapter 1
"Come back here you wench!" An irritated male's voice rang out.
The girl that was dashing along the twisted streets of the small town Hedarth didn't slow or look back. If anything, she hunched over and sped up.
The girl was small and wiry, her brown hair whipping along behing her in a rapidly loosening braid.
'I've done it this time,' Eve thought tiredly. She looked down at the kitten she held to her meager chest. 'Gone and got myself seen, the others are gonna have a good laugh if they hear about this.'
"Stop!" The man yelled again, but none of the few pedestrians in the street reached to stop Eve or move out of the butcher's way.
Eve felt of a thrill of delight, knowing that she had the peoples support. Everyone in Hedarth knew that Benjie was cruel and a few knew about the ingredients to his ground 'beef.' The kitten mewed and struggled weakly in her arms.
"Hold still, I'm trying to help you," said Eve, exasperated, but the little critter didn't understand and continued to struggle. She'd saved the kitten from be added to Benjie's meat just ten minutes prior and so far the creature had scratched her, bit her, and protested the whole way. It was clearly from one of the street cat's many litters, and no one would miss the kitten if it were added to the meat.
Eve turned a corner into a thin alley way that ended in a dead end. She hurried to the end of the alley where two barrels of trash sat and slipped nimbly behind one. Behind the barrel was a drain, with barely any room to maneuver. Eve lifted the grate covering it. The kitten sunk its tiny teeth into her thumb and she winced, but let the critter keep its hold, hoping that it would keep it quiet. Slipping down into the drain, she crouched in the small tunnel and slid the grate as quietly as she could back into place. Sighing, she started off down the tunnel to the North where it would soon empty into the Edda River.
Prying at the persistent kittens mouth, she got her thumb back finally and glared a the feral cat.
"You better be thank'n me puss, I saved ya from a pretty nasty way to go," she glared but the kitten hissed and took a swipe at her? nose, "Gee that's gratitude for ya."
Opening a rough cotton bag that blended with her just as battered shirt (and), she slipped the kitten inside delicately, despite the rough treatment she was enduring.
"That's why I like birds better," Eve huffed as she headed off down the tunnel at a crouch-walk, ignoring the stagnant water she walked in. "Dog's drool and smell bad, and cats are vicious and prissy like."
Light at the end of the tunnel goaded the girl into speeding up. Reaching the end, she pocked her head out and peered around carefully. If she had been planning to get into trouble, she would have brought her pocket mirror to check if the cost was clear. Sighing at the stupidity of it all, she dropped the three feet from the tunnel to the ground and took off along the Edda River's bank heading west.
She'd gone along the river at an easy trot for a good ten minutes when she came upon one of the only bridges across the river and slipped under it. Under the bridge in the rock support wall was a wooden door facing the drought-shrunken river. The cavern on the other side of the door was rather large, probably used by smugglers at one point, but now it was home to the small group of abandoned children. On the far wall directly across from the door was a pit containing a small fire only big enough to cast light into the cavern.
Eve trotted over to the fire where four other kids sat. Most looked to be thirteen to fifteen, Eve was fifteen or sixteen or so they had agreed, as no one knew her actual age. Whenever they were looking to pick someone young to do something, she was fifteen and whenever they needed somebody older she was sixteen. Eve plopped next to a heavy set boy with grimy blonde hair and sighed.
"Well, did you do it?" Asked a thin red haired girl with lots of freckles and big brown eyes sunken from years of hardship.
Eve huffed and removed the kitten from her bag. It hissed and swiped her across the back of her hand.
A boy with thick wild brown hair clapped sarcastically.
"Shove it Dex," Eve snapped and held the kitten so that Fox, the girl with the red hair, could take it.
Fox held the kitten, her eyes full of adoration, then proceeded to cuddle the little kitten. The kitten was so shocked that for a moment it held still for her, but then did it's its very best to try and escape.
"He's so cute, Eve!" Fox exclaimed and petted the kitten on the head, completely ignoring that it was trying to escape.
"He's a feisty one. Weren't there others?" the grimy blonde next to Eve asked
Eve shrugged. "They were all feral, but this one was the only unremarkable one in the lot. Most were orange tabbies, calicos, and black and whites."
"Gray tabby is the best choice, but that ones damn mean?" The blonde named Hector asked, looking doubtfully at the kitten who was now trying to chew Fox's fingers.
Their last cat had been a dark gray cat with large green eye called Milo. One of the kids from in town had recognized him as theirs though and killed him.
"He's perfect Hector," Fox coed at the kitten. "I'll call him Weed."
"Fits," Dex scoffed.
The blond boy on the other side of the fire snorted. "Quit being so snappish. She did it, give her the trinket."
Eve grinned at Dex and held out her hands eyes imploring. After all she had done the dare and wanted her reward.
Dex rolled his eyes and tossed a tiny bronze figurine to Eve, who caught it deftly and fingered the tiny replica of a dragon, its wings flared, feet firmly planted and jaws open, showing tiny fangs.
"Not worth anything anyways," Dex shrugged.
"Yeah, then why'd ya snatch it?" the blonde boy named Vern asked, blue eyes dancing with amusement.
"Knew Eve fancies dragons," Hector hissed at Vern who nodded sagely.
"Oh shut up," Dex glared, but his ears reddened.
Eve rolled her eyes and leaned over to peck Dex on the cheek, making his ears burn a darker shade of red, "Thanks Dex."
The boy nodded and Eve bounded up and scurried to the farthest corner of the room where Fox, Alisha, and she slept. In the rock wall was a series of wooden shelves on which were arrange a various items. Most notable were two books on the highest shelf, two rocks that when cracked open displayed pretty crystals on the inside, two daggers, a three tin cups, a cracked vase, and four dragon figurines. They, as well as the one she was adding to her collection, were all clearly made by the same artist. They had to have been made a hundred years ago, before the King, so she treasured them, knowing that they were hated by the ruler and had been order melted down when he came into to rule, no doubt.
"You're obsessed with the creatures, Eve," Hector sighed, "It's not good for ya."
"Yeah, so why do you? tell everything you hear about dragons, then?" Vern asked, smirking.
Hector rolled his eyes. "Why do we bring small pets back for Fox? Why do we give you any books we find, why do you help me fish in a river that clearly has no fish, and why do we give into Dex's dares?"
Vern shrugged. "Makes us family, I guess."
Dex scoffed. "Enough mushy crap, when's Alisha and Kirra due back?"
Vern shrugged. "They took what money we've lifted in the past four days and went to get some leathers."
Eve sighed. She hated it when the two older girls, one nineteen and the other seventeen, went to get them things they couldn't steal. Sure, it was something that had to be done, but it made her uneasy. Especially since in the last three months they'd already lost five of their little family. When they asked around for their friends, people in town didn't seem to even remember they ever existed, but then again no one really cared what happened to beggar children.
"I think I'm going to turn in," Eve announced feeling depressed with the reminder that slowly they were being picked off by some unseen enemy.
AN: This is my first Eragon fan fiction ever. Now I started writing this a week before Eldest came out and so somethings aren't in acordance with the book, but it is a continuation to Eldest. Now please review cause I'm and insecure new Eragon author.
I promise the fic gets better if you just keep reading!