Summary: In which two dragons go out at night to fly without their Riders. Hints of ThornSaphira. :P

Midnight Meet

Feeling too cramped up between the triangular-gray-shelters for the two-leg-round-face-no-tail, Saphira decided to go for a midnight fly around the Jiet River. Her mind needed to relax, and it would not do that with Eragon gone to the mountain-taller-than-she-could-fly.

He had been gone for only three days to oversee the crowning of the new king for the short-two-leg. The absence of his mind intertwined with hers, their emotions no longer shared, was too much to bear. He would be gone for an indefinite amount of time, because the short-enough-to-crush-under-her-foot takes a long time to decide on who will rule.

Jumping into the air, Saphira unfurled her wings. With steady beats, she was soon high above the sleeping-two-legs and the pointy-ear-prying-into-business-elves. The Jiet River now behind her, she flew in the direction of big-lake-Tudosten.

She was able to fly higher without Eragon and his trouble-breathing-high-up. Though Saphira missed Eragon terribly, she was slightly happy that she could fly higher than she usually could have, if she were with Eragon.

As she passed high above Melian, which was a town in between the Jiet River and Lake Tudosten, she noticed something red and flying in the corner of her eye. Looking in that direction, left, she saw it was young-ignorant-hatching-belonging-to-brother-of-Eragon going in the opposite direction of she, appearing to have no company of his Rider.

Growling, she opened her mind slightly to him, Thorn was his name, and said "Hatchling, you would do well to leave me be for the night, lest I rip you to shreds."

She saw Thorn's head turn sharply in her direction; he stopped flapping his wings to propel himself forward. Instead he flapped his wings forward, his body upright so he was staying in the same place.

Doing as she did, he opened his mind slightly to her and she was overwhelmed with his emotions of confusion, anger, and sadness. He said to her, "I am not with my Rider, so I have no need to harm you like my master tends to order me to."

Pleased with his answer, Saphira hummed in satisfaction. "Then you shall leave me be now, and return to your master and Galbatorix."

Feeling him shudder at the name of the evil king, Saphira pitied him, for she too feared the king and his evil ways. "I do not have to return right at this moment, for I finished my mission." He said.

"What business do you have to tend to if you finished your mission? You have no need to be here, so leave."

Tired of having to fly in one place, she lowered herself slowly to the ground. To her dismay, he followed her lead and lowered too.

"I simply wish the company of one of my own."

Snorting blue flames she said, "What trickery is this? Do you plan to injure me while I am not with my master to heal me and bring me to your king?"

Growling he said, "No. I do not want to fight tonight. I am simply relaxing now that I am not with my master for the night."

Saphira huffed, not trusting Thorn and wishing he would leave so she could catch quick-nimble-food-with-horns. "I do not need company tonight, and I too wish to relax, but your presence bothers me."

They reached ground now, and Saphira turned to face Thorn, who was at least a league away.

"No."

She knew it was dangerous being alone with Thorn, though she was much older and experienced, Rider-of-Thorn-Murtagh might be hidden anywhere around here waiting to capture her. Sighing, she would allow him to talk to her, though she would be on guard.

"Fine. But do not come close to me or else I shall be forced to attack you."

Saphira felt his frustration and grinned to herself. The hatching-who-was-barely-bigger-than-her came closer. When he was only half a league away, she growled in warning. "No closer."

He stopped. Thorn's bright red scales shined in the starlight and moonlight, much like how she knew hers was shining. Lowering herself to the ground, Saphira rested her head on her front legs.

His frustration made the barriers to his mind waver, though Saphira also thought it might be because of his inexperience, and she was able to cover his mind with hers. This allowed her access to his mind while he could not access hers.

She felt his mind thrash at her, stabbing at her mind in attempt to get her to release his hold on her. Saphira did not waver in control over his mind, and she sifted through his mind for useful information.

There was not much she had to look through, for most of his mind was locked. But what she did find out, however, was another mission he was to do. A long term mission to be completed whenever and did not have a set deadline. This mission infuriated her, and he felt her fury.

"Galbatorix has sent you to impregnate me? For another egg for two-legs to squabble over? No. Leave now, Thorn, dragon-of-Murtagh."

"You do not understand! Galbatorix will punish me and my master if he finds out I have had the chance of meeting you without your Rider and I have not even attempted to..."

"You are a foolish little hatchling, barely out of your egg yet you have the body of a nearly matured dragon like myself. You do not have the experience with your body, for it grows faster than normal. You are not acquainted with it, and because of that reason, I shall always dominate you until you have learned more. With our Riders not here, you shall be the one mortally wounded if you get even 20 feet from me."

Thorn was low to the ground, front lower than back and tail swishing angrily from side to side like a furious cat. He closed his mind off from her, and she could no longer feel his emotions of anger and confusion for this encounter and others involving Murtagh and Galbatorix and his body maturing faster than normal.

"Fine, but mark my words, one day, I shall complete this mission Galbatorix has instilled upon me. I do not want our race to die out just as much as you do."

And with that, he flew off towards Uru'baen.

Saphira growled, she did not like her encounters with Thorn, for all except this one (which was only two before) ended up with them two fighting for their masters. This one was at least civil. And without their Riders, thank the gods. She did not feel like fighting and was glad they did not fight, for she just wanted to relax and get her mind off of Eragon.

Deciding it was futile to try and relax herself because Thorn may come back any minute, she flew back towards the camp to go back to sleep.

The last thoughts that went through her head before she fell asleep were, "If Galbatorix is finally dead and I get to know Thorn under better circumstances, I shall not entirely dislike mating with Thorn. I too do not want our race to become extinct."

A/N: Okay...I wanted to read Thorn/Saphira fics, but there were none. There isn't even a character category thing for him. Surely someone would put his name for suggestions for the character category thing? I noticed there also wasn't ones for Orrin, Shruikan, Carn, Blödhgarm, and other characters introduced in the third book, Brisingr. Oh wells, it will get suggested eventually. This is a Thorn/Saphira fic, though they don't do anything, it has just hints of them getting together in the future and whatnot. And damn it, I thought Brisingr was the last book. Now I have to wait another few years for the final book. Stupid Inheritence Cycle Trilogy thing and not having Brisingr end the series. Ugh. I hate waiting for books. Anyways, thank you for reading, review if you have the time and heart to. :)

Thank you anonymous reviewer Eryl who pointed out to me my slight lapse in the Point of View (POV) in one of the paragraphs. I corrected it and now it's good :)