Al buried under the thin blankets, savoring the few moments of sleep she had gotten that night. Rodith had kept her awake, as usual, to enjoy the first cool night air of the season. Rodith loved the wintry air, being an ice dragon that was a given, and it seemed to be a mutual feeling between the two.
Her name's not really Al. It's Alberta. Alberta McWort, the worst name on the whole entire planet, or even further, the universe. She resented her parents for that, and for the fact that they want to pawn her off to some stiff with lots of land. She caught a lot of crap with that name, before she got good enough to whoop their asses. They don't make fun of her anymore.
'They' pertained to the other kids at school. Dragon rider school, a place she and Rodith had come to call home, instead of that nasty little cottage in the middle of nowhere. It's tall towers and lush green fields were all that the pair had come to love, excluding fighting and flying, of course. Al and Ro had a little game that they liked to play, and it tended to double as a training exercise. Al would sit between the spikes on Ro's tail while the dragon climbed high into the air, sometimes even past the clouds. When Ro could fly no higher, Al would drop off, free falling towards the earth. Rodith would wait for however many seconds she deemed necessary and the dive after Al, hopefully catching her before she hit the ground. Ro never failed.
The tomboy blinked blearily, the sun burning in her eyes. The curtains on the window had mysteriously been pulled back, the window up and the pillow over her face had been flipped off her head, exposing her to the room. Which she could not see, for the giant blue snout in her way obscured it. It blew cold hard air into her face, the stench of it's breakfast lingering.
"Ro! Get. Off. Now." The ice dragon did a little chuckle, or what would have been one if dragons could laugh. It was more of a wheeze. Ro pulled away and Al could get her second good look at her new dorm room, one she moved in just the night before. Both of the school's colors, _ and _, shone between stripes on the walls, ugly and getting quite repetitive being the same in every room. Two twin beds were placed on either side of the room, both against their respective walls and canopied by net, to keep the summer bugs away. They would be taken down soon, unless they both decided to keep them, Al and her roommate. The sheets were white and the throw a vivid _.
Al rolled off the bed and patted Ro's snout, smiling. "You can't be too comfortable, sticking your neck in such a place as this."
"Heck no," Ro snorted. "Hurry up and get out here. I'm bored out of my mind." Al agreed and Ro's head disappeared from the window. She slid to the panes and watched Ro take of to their usual place next to the lake. Good. The sun was shining there. Maybe she could take a nap. With that in mind, Al shrugged on a baggy pair of breeches; tightening it with a leather belt she bought last time she was allowed at the market, and a fur-lined short coat with a simple tank underneath. She finished the outfit with a chunky pair of boots, black leather of the finest quality. She had saved up for quite some time, doing some menial tasks around some farm or another while she was suppose to be home during the summer break. She loved them almost as much as she loved her dragon.
Speaking of which. Al slipped quietly out and down the hall, even though not many people were in the dorm, she was so use to sneaking out at night that her instincts and habit just kicked in. She got out without disturbing much and headed to the lake, where she could vaguely see the outline of her giant friend lying in the lush grass.
As Al passed by a group of green freshman, a collective 'ooooh' erupted from the cluster, startling her. She glanced up and around, finally spotting the ultimate show off. Malachi Kane. He was a jerk, cool and cold hearted, while his dragon was just the same. Who cared if the black beast was the first in hundreds of years? It doesn't mean they're above everyone else. And speaking of Kane, where he was the other would be too. She thought of him and immediately felt a chill on the back of her neck. Al turned slowly, scanning the area. There. His eyes bore into hers for a second before he blushed and looked away. Morbius Thrack, the biggest lunkhead in the entire school, and dedicated follower of the Jerk. It was so obvious that he had a thing for her, she knew it, Kane knew it, and the entire damn school knew it. Al always wondered if he knew it. She never spoke two words to him, so she couldn't tell, and honestly didn't want to.
He was kinda creepy. Wouldn't you think so too if a big huge guy stared at you all day? Al moved on, quickening her pace to get away from the piercing dull eyes that were now staring at her again. She reached the lake and moved in front of Ro, who was basking in the cool shade of their tree, a large evergreen, the leaves just turning orange on the edges.
"Creeper staring at you again?" Ro snickered. Al glared. Ro was the main tormentor for Lunkhead's beast counterpart, Yochi. Sometimes Al had an inkling that Ro like Yochi, especially when she was extra nasty. But her vitriolic nature hardly phased the green beast, and it most likely made Ro like him more.
"Enough of that. Because of you, I haven't had any sleep."
"You were sleeping when I came in." Technicalities, technicalities. Al kicked Rodith's leg lightly.
"Whatever." She plopped on to the grass and leaned back unto the ice dragon's forearm, staring out across the lake. The wind was blowing softly; crafting light ripples on the water. It was peaceful, but Al knew that it would soon be shattered by the whoops, yells, and splashes of the new freshman when they learned they were allowed to swim in it. They would then have no silence until the water became too cool, and then frozen over, allowing ice-skaters.
Al heaved a great big sigh and sunk lower in the grass. Her eyes felt heavy, slipping down until they were closed, and her mind went elsewhere while her subconscious took over in the sleeping state. Oddly enough, she dreamed of a big, muscular man and his unidentifiable beast.
