I woke up extremely early. The sky outside was still dark, although I knew if I went outside, there would be streaks of light on the horizon.

I looked down at the dragon egg, only to find there wasn't an egg there anymore. It'd been broken into pieces.

I started to panic and sat up. If the egg was broken, that meant my dragon had hatched and was running somewhere loose in the house.

There was a black lump on top of my feet. In the shadows from a torch in the hall, I couldn't see what it was. I shifted one of my feet, and it moved. Two eyes opened to stare at me. Deep blue, glowing eyes. I slowly took my feet out from under it, and held my hand towards it. The dragon sniffed my hand, and pressed a small nose to it. It rubbed its head against my hand a little bit.

The dragon pulled away and jumped to its feet, hopping off the bed and running around like mad. tried to catch it, but ended up chasing it downstairs and out into the cool morning. The wood of the porch was cold, and I paused, grabbing my boots and pulling them on. Then I went chasing after the dragon again.

I finally caught it on the porch of another house. I squirmed in my arms, but seemed alright with the fact that it'd been caught.

The door creaked, and my head snapped up, staring at the person in the opening.

Heath was there, grinning at me.

"Hey, Irikai."

"Hi, Heath."

"Seems your dragon was in that cave for a long time, huh? Hatched pretty quick."

"Yeah...so it'll probably grow really fast, too. How's your egg doing?"

"Not hatched," he laughed. "There's a crack near the top, though, so it should be soon. Forest's dragon doesn't seem to have done anything to its egg."

"Well, guess he'll be waiting a while then, huh?"

"Yeah. So, what are you two doing out so early?"

"Well, I woke up, and I kind of panicked because the egg was already hatched. Then, there it was, laying on my feet. It scampered out of the house and I had to chase it all the way to here. What are you doing up so early, anyways?"

"I heard a bunch of thumping on the porch. I was just laying there in bed, so I figured I'd come check it out. Didn't expect to find you."

I laughed. "No, I'm sure you didn't. I'll go ahead and leave, so that I stop bothering you and your family," I said, a blush rising in my cheeks with my embarrassment. I stepped back down the steps of the porch, the dragon still squirming playfully in my arms.

"Irikai?"

"Huh?"

"You're not like what the other kids say. Don't believe them, alright?"

I nodded.

"And Irikai? I'd like it if we could be friends."

I paused, and a grin spread over my face. "Sure. I'll see you later Heath."

He smiled back at me, and waved as I darted off, back towards home. I'd chased the dragon through half the village.

Back home, I went upstairs and shut the door to the bedroom, accidentally waking up Viera. I took my boots off and changed out of my pajamas before putting them back on. The dragon scurried around my feet, almost tripping me several times.

"The dragon hatched already?"

"Yup, and I had to chase it halfway across the village this morning."

The dragon's blue eyes glowed, looking up at me, then looking at my sister. It pounced on her bed, playfully pawing at her hand, before coming back to my feet and rubbing up against me.

"It likes you a lot."

"Thats a good thing. And it must have been in the Nests a long time to have already hatched. It'll grow big really fast."

"It might be hard to take care of," Viera said sadly.

"That's what the training arena is for. They'll help me take care of it."

"That's good. So is it a boy or girl?"

"That's a great question." I bent down and picked up the little creature. A quick investigation found it to be a girl. "It's a girl."

"Aw. What are you going to call her?"

I thought on her question a long time. "I think I'll call her Dawn."

Dawn's attention was drawn away from my sister at the sound of her new name. She stared deep into my eyes. She nudged me with her nose, and stuck her tongue out at me.

"I think she's hungry," I said, laughing.

"Let's give her the fish Dad saved for when she hatched. It's downstairs in the icebox."

Viera changed and came with me downstairs to get out the frozen fish.

"I'm not sure she'll like it like that. She's kind of small right now, so she can't have big bites, and I don't think she can breathe fire yet to warm it up."

"Let's go wake Mom up, then."

"Dawn, stay here."

The dragon sat, sticking it's tongue out at me. Before Viera shut the door, I saw the she had purple scales.

"Mom, Mom, my dragon hatched!"

My mom stirred, and looked at me with one blue eye.

"It's hatched already?"

"Yes, and it's hungry, but the fish is frozen."

"I'll be down in a minute. What have you decided to call it?"

"Her name is Dawn."

"Wonderful. I imagine she'll grow quickly, considering how quickly she hatched."

"She was hatched before I woke up," I said."

"Right." My mother sighed. "Well, you'll need to talk to Beta today, won't you?"

"Yes. I'll let her know after Dawn gets some food."

"Go downstairs. I'll be down in a minute."

My sister and I darted back downstairs. Gorgon had woken up with all the commotion and was having a stare down with Dawn.

"What do you think?" I asked.

"She's a strange one, I'll give you that," Gorgon said.

"What's so strange?"

"She isn't scary like the other breeds. She's too...cute."

Dawn turned her gaze from me back to Gorgon and glared at him, her eyes narrowing to slits, steam coming out of her nostrils, and a low growl emanating from a sneer.

Gorgon backed up warily, giving me a glance.

"Nevermind. She is frightening."

Dawn's face relaxed into a calm expression. She tilted her head, her attention on me again. With light coming through the open door, you could see her better now. She had a long, lean frame. Her wings were long in comparison to her body. On her head, her ears were small and swiveled, and she had various protrusions from her face. Her tail flicked every few seconds, with a triangle fin on either side.

"Yum yums?" I asked her, smiling.

Dawn mimicked my expression, and I noticed she didn't have any teeth. This confused me until my mom came down and lifted the frozen fish. Teeth came out of Dawn's gums, and her grin was still bright.

"Yum yums. Right," my mom commented, casting a glance back at me. She tossed the fish on the grill and started up a fire, trying to thaw out the fish.

While Mom was busy with the fish, Viera got busy with breakfast. By the time the fish was done, there was also some fresh raisin bread.

Mom cut up the fish and dropped the pieces on a plate in the middle of the table. While we munched on the bread, we all tossed pieces of the fish to Dawn. She gobbled them all down, until the plate was empty. Still, she looked at me expectantly, like she was waiting for more.

"She knows who her rider is, alright," Gorgon commented.

"She should. She chose me."

"Going to tell Beta that she's hatched?"

"Pretty soon. Actually, right now, I guess. Dawn is still hungry, and Dad can't bring in all the fish for her along with food for the rest of us and fish to sell. The arena provides fish for the dragons, so I need to talk to Beta."

"What are you waiting for, then? Gosh, Irikai, get your butt moving." My brother made a shooing motion at me, and I grinned.

"Come on Dawn, let's go introduce you to Beta."

Dawn looked at the table before trotting out after me towards Beta's novice rider shop. After a few steps, she jumped and flapped her wings a couple times, landing on my shoulders. She perched there, laying across them. We stepped into Beta's shop, and she looked up, seeing me.

"Irikai, I'm afraid someone's dragon has hitched a ride on your shoulders," Beta commented when she looked up.

"Beta, I'd like you to meet Dawn, the dragon that hatched from my mystery egg."

"Oh! So this one is yours."

I nodded, lifting Dawn from my shoulders and setting her on the counter where Beta could see her better.

"Pretty little thing. Hatched quick. You'll grow big and strong in no time. I've heard rumors about a dragon that looks like you from up north. Some boy has a dragon like you. Calls it a Nightfury."

Dawn made a strange noise and rubbed her head against me again.

Beta laughed. "She's quite attached to you already. Must be something about you that she just really loves."

"How fast do you think she'll grow? She hatched at some time while I was asleep."

"Well, it depends on when exactly she hatched, but I would say that she should be big enough to ride in a couple of months. That's pretty rare. It normally takes a young dragon at least six months before they are big enough for a small person to ride. But you are small, and she hatched quickly. I wouldn't say anymore than three months before she's ready."

"Nightfury…" I muttered.

"That's right. Really fast and agile. Shoots bolts of lightning instead of fire."

"Sounds unreal."

"She's right in front of you."

I smiled, and Dawn smiled back at me. She looked at Beta with her smile too, and she laughed.

"Are you hungry? Huh, pretty girl?"

Dawn's teeth came out.

Beta laughed again. "I'll bet that's a yes. I'll be right back."

Beta returned with a chopped up cod.

"She's already eaten a whole chopped salmon this morning, but she was still hungry. So, I finished my breakfast and brought her to you."

While Dawn gobbled up more fish, Beta looked her over, checking her claws, her tail, her wings. When she pulled Dawn's wings away from her body, Dawn gave them a couple of jerky flaps, as if she expected to be flying already. Then again, she'd gotten some air as she'd flapped to my shoulders, so maybe she could fly already.

"She's in excellent condition. She's already able to fly on her own, although she can't carry anything right now."

"That's amazing."

"It really is."

Dawn finished most of the second fish. Then she curled up on the counter and went to sleep.

"I'll get some more for you to take home. If you meet me in the arena tomorrow, we can start training her early. I hear Heath's dragon is also trying to hatch quickly."

Beta went behind the curtain, and came back with a couple bags stuffed full of fish.

"That should keep her tummy full until tomorrow. Shall we meet around noon?"

"That'd be great. I'll see you then. Should I do anything with her until then?"

"Just take her outside. Play with her, show her around the village, introduce her to your classmates. Things like that. Things to bond you closer together, and get her comfortable with her new surroundings."

"Right. I think I'll formally introduce her to Heath first, since she had a bit of a run in with him earlier. I had to chase her down when she ran out of the house."

"Now that you've given her a name, you can try establishing a few simple commands. Come would be a good thing to try."

"Yeah. Anyways, I'll see you tomorrow. Dawn, let's go."

She perked up almost immediately, but didn't move.

"Come."

She got up and followed the motion of my fingers to my feet.

"Good girl. You're really smart, aren't you? Come on. Let's take the yum yums home."

Dawn jumped up to my shoulders again, and I carried her and the fish home. I left the fish in the icebox, and left again. This time I intentionally went up to Heath's house, and knocked on the door.

This time, Forest answered the door, and I became a stuttering mess.

"Oh, hi Forest. I, uh, was wondering if your brother was here. Um, this is, uh, Dawn. She hatched last night."

Dawn leapt from my shoulders to the porch, looking Forest over carefully. She snorted and looked back up at me, giving me an unimpressed expression.

"Already hatched, huh? What did Beta think of her?"

"She called her a Nightfury. Said she's in good condition. She can already fly, and Beta thinks she'll be able to carry me in a couple months."

"Wow. Impressive. My dragon hasn't hatched yet. Not even a crack in the shell. Heath is acting all big and tough because his dragon's shell already has two cracks in it. His eyes are being weird, too, changing colors and stuff. Beta says it's his body chemistry changing. Dragons go through it, and apparently humans do too."

"That's interesting. Anyways, is he here?"

"Yeah, sure. I'll go get him for you."

Forest shut the door. When it opened again, Heath was there, stepping out onto the porch with me.

"Hey, Irikai."

"Hi, Heath. Your brother said there was another crack in your dragon's shell."

"That's right."

"That's great. Heath, I'd like you to meet Dawn. We start training tomorrow."

Dawn looked up at Heath, and when she turned back to me, she had her toothless smile. She ran around Heath, and he stumbled towards me. He caught himself on the pole that held up the roof over the porch.

"Playful thing, isn't she? I assume you named her Dawn after your little early morning chase?"

I laughed. "Yeah. She's already eaten almost two whole fish today. Beta thinks she'll be ridable in a couple months."

"Wow. That's big."

"What about you? Any predictions of when that Timberjack will hatch?"

"Beta says within the week. Oh, and apparently Flora's Changewing egg has a little fracture in it now."

"That's good. That means all of the new riders should be starting training soon, right?"

"Should be. You want to hang out for a while? I've got time. Nothing to do today."

"Sure. Why don't we take Dawn out into the meadow, let her play for a bit?"

""Lead the way."

I ran through the village, dodging through the crowds. Dawn's shadow passed over me, and I looked up ahead to see her circling my path, following along in the sky.

The tall grasses of the meadow smelled sweet, and I rolled into them, laughing. When Heath finally came along, I jumped out and scared him. He fell next to me in a fit of hysterics.

Dawn landed beside us. She looked at the grass curiously, pawing at some of it. She sniffed it, and her eyes bulged. She laid down and rolled in it.

"I think she likes the smell."

"Like dragon nip, isn't it?"

"Maybe we should call it that. We'd have to test it on other dragons. See if it's just Dawn that likes it or all dragons."

"My Timberjack is up for the challenge when it hatches."

"Alright. Until then, what should we do next?"

"We could go down to the shore, and look for shells."

"That's kind of boring. What if we took her to the arena, so she could see it?"

At the word arena, Dawn paused in her rolling around and looked at me.

"I think that's a yes."

"Well, come on. Let's go!"

At the word come, Dawn got to her feet and wiggled, her tail flicking, ready to take off. I got up and started running again, Dawn circling around me. The three of us ran past the Nests and the cliff, up a few sets of stairs, and into a crag in the rocks that surrounded the main part of the village. On the other side of the passage, we came to a big clearing in the woods, with rocks surrounding us where trees weren't. We followed along the main walkway, straight to the arena. Inside, the beginner's class of dragon riders were being put through some flight pattern exercises by Derbis, their instructor. Dawn watched the other dragons in the sky, and I noticed her following certain movements. She even started flying in the same patterns, adapting easily to the beginner's work.

"She's really smart. We're in a novice class, and she's able to follow along with a beginner's class."

"Something tells me she could take it further," I muttered.

"What?" Heath asked.

"Nothing. Let's take her over to the target range and see the competent class blast some fireballs"

We backtracked and took a turn off from the main walkway. The target range lit up with another round of fire blasts. A few dragons sat on the side, already having used their blasts for the day. It made me wonder how many blasts Dawn might have.

We watched the last couple of dragons of the competent class blast a few more rounds. This was not a skill Dawn could pick up from watching. She breathed out some smoke, but other than that, she didn't seem to know how to breathe a blast of fire.

"We're not there, yet. Wait until you've grown up a little. You're little to be trying to make fire."

Dawn gave me a plaintive look, but followed Heath and I when we wandered away. In the armory, the expert class vikings were sparring with their various chosen weapons. Their dragons wrestled with each other. There was one Thunderdrum that seemed to be stronger than all the others in the class.

The true riders, the ones that got to take quests and discover worlds and fight in battles, sometimes known as the master class, were just coming in from who knew where. Their dragons looked tired, but proud, the vikings, wary but alert. All of the true riders had that alert look to them, constantly searching their perimeters, always aware of their surroundings. I didn't want to end up paranoid like them.

Heath and I headed back into the main part of the village and went by Gertrude's shop. Gertrude was the armorsmith.

"Hello, Gertrude. I don't suppose my armor is finished yet?" Heath asked.

"Actually, I just finished the last piece last night. Why don't we fit them? Your friend can wait out here. I'm sure she'd like to see how it looks."

I gave Heath a questioning look, but he gave me an easy smile. His brother hadn't been lying when he said Heath's eyes were being strange. Right now, he had golden pupils instead of black, but the irises were now a forest green, like oak trees in summer. It was nice, actually.

Heath disappeared with Gertrude into a back room. When he came back, he had leather armor over his clothes, not unlike his brothers, although his arm guards allowed for easier movement of his hands, and overall he seemed to have more movement ability than his brother.

"I like it. Seems like it will be good for riding, too."

"It just needs a couple small adjustments. You should be able to take it home tomorrow," Gertrude said.

"That's great. I'll come by for it around eleven thirty."

"That's just fine. It'll be done then. By the way, what's your name, dear? I don't think I've seen you in my shop before."

"Oh, I'm Irikai Finlock. This is Dawn," I said, as Dawn hopped up onto the counter, eyeing Gertrude.

"Nice to meet you dear. I have work to do now, so why don't the three of you run along and play?"

We grinned. "Yes ma'am." We dashed back out of the shop, into the woods. Near the mouth of a creek, there were rocks and logs to play on. Heath, Dawn and I splashed and played until it started getting cold as the sun fell behind the trees. It was time to head home.

"Are you going to have armor made?" Heath asked as we walked back. Dawn hitched a ride on my shoulders again.

"No. Why should I? I'm going to be growing for a few years yet, and my family can't pay for new armor every year. I'll just wait until we're an expert class. That's when armor will become important."

"I guess I can understand that. What if I had armor made for you?"

"Don't do that. I don't need armor for anything."

"You might need it sooner than you think. You're quick, a fast learner, stronger everyday. With that Nightfury, you're going to be whizzing through lessons and surpassing all of us, including my brother. You're going to be out in the real world faster than the rest of us."

"That Timberjack of yours is no common breed. That was the only one I saw while I was in the Nests. You'll be right there next to me."

"I'd be happy to do that. But I want you to be safe out there. I don't know. Something just tells me you're going to need it."

"Ask your parents if it's okay, first. If they say yes, then, I don't know. Maybe. Armor tends to restrict movement. It's heavy and gets in the way. I don't want that."

"Well, we'll talk to Gertrude about it when the time comes, but lets get to that point first."

"Alright."

We arrived at Heath's house, and he waved from his porch as I took off sprinting for home, Dawn flying overhead.

Dinner was almost ready, so I hurriedly washed up, and joined my brother, sister, and mother at the table. My father wouldn't be home until after twilight, trying to catch at least one more fish.

Dinner was quick. Dawn ate two more fish. We all went to bed. I couldn't stop dreaming of what training might be like tomorrow.

I woke up early again, and was met in the kitchen by my cooking mother. A plate of fish and a plate for me was already steaming on the table.

"Eat up. It's a big day. You have training in a few hours."

I heard Dawn come tramping downstairs, and then there she was. Was it just me, or did she already look bigger than yesterday?

She ate two more fish, and when I was finished with my breakfast, she hopped around, excited.

"Hey, now! We still have a few hours. Why don't we go stop by everywhere and see how everyones' eggs are doing?"

She made a noise in the back of her throat that sounded vaguely like a 'yeah.' I hurried upstairs and changed into regular clothes. Dark brown, sturdy pants, another black shirt with a hood, my black boots, and a pair of goggles on my head. My hair was braided back out of my face again, the tail end reaching my left elbow. It was annoying to braid it that way each day, but I did it. My bangs hung in my eyes, but I didn't mind that. I could still see just fine.

Half an hour after changing, my hair was out of the way. Dawn was bouncing around the room impatiently. I followed her downstairs, and I led the way to Gam's house. Gam was an early riser, and I knew she'd be awake.

"Oh, hello, Irikai," Gam answered the door, surprised to see me.

"Hi, Gam. I was wondering how your dragon egg was coming along. This is Dawn. We start training today, and we were just wondering if anyone else would be there."

Gam got a disappointed frown. "No, my egg hasn't even gotten a crack in it yet. What kind of dragon is Dawn?" she asked, bending down and focusing her attention on her. Dawn rolled playfully on the porch, rolling into my leg. Gam laughed.

"Beta called her a Nightfury. Apparently she's only heard of one other case of one, somewhere up north."

"Wow. She's rare then. A gem mixed in with all the rocks."

"I hadn't thought of it that way. I'm just glad that she likes me. I honestly was scared that I wouldn't get picked."

"You shouldn't take what the others say to heart. They are all immature fools, unaware of the roll of all things. I can see that you have a big part to play. You will travel much farther than any of us. Perhaps there will be someone to accompany you, but I do not know if that one will be someone you know right now. If it is, it probably won't be someone you expect."

"I don't really mind. I've kind of learned to just ignore them. Anyways, I was just checking around and seeing how everyone else is coming along. I'd rather not be too lonely or too far ahead of everyone else in training."

"Cool. Well, I see you later, then. I still need to eat breakfast, and I have some studying to do."

Gam went back inside, and I made my next stop at Pinweedle's house.

"What do you want, freak?"

"Nice to see you too, Pinweedle. I was wondering how your dragon was coming along."

"It's none of your business!"

"I'm only asking because my dragon is hatched. I was wondering how far ahead in training I would get before your Deadly Nadder hatched. My Nightfury is really smart. She'll advance quickly."

"That doesn't mean her stupid rider will."

"If I were stupid, I wouldn't have been picked to take on the challenge of training a dragon. I'm top of the class, fair and square."

"Whatever. But since you asked, my Nadder doesn't have a crack in the shell yet. I bet it will tomorrow. You won't get too far ahead. Don't worry about that."

"I was just wondering, so I'd be able to predict how much faster I'd become a true rider than you."

"Whatever. Get out of here, freak. I don't want to be spotted talking to you, and I don't want you hanging around."

"Fine. I wouldn't want to hang around here anyways."

As I left, I looked back once over my shoulder. Pinweedle was staring at Dawn. He seemed surprised by just how different she was from the common breeds.

My next stop was with the triplets.

"Hello."

I couldn't tell which of the girls had answered the door. They were impossible for anyone to tell apart.

"I was wondering how your eggs were doing?"

"Flora's has a little fracture in it. Sora's has a big crack down the side. Mine hasn't done anything yet."

"Think any of them will hatch soon?"

"Who knows?"

"I guess I see your point. That's all I was wondering. I'm asking all of the trainees. I have one more stop, so I'll be going now."

"Yeah, whatever. Just do yourself a favor. If you see Forest, don't be a stuttering idiot, and don't be rude. He hates being wrong. He hates being shown up even more."

"I don't see how that matters. I can't help it if he doesn't want to put forth the effort. I do. I'm where I'm at now for a reason."

"Whatever. Do whatever you want then. Get out of here."

"Thanks for the advice, Flora. I'm sorry it wasn't helpful to me."

She rolled her eyes as I left. Dawn and I jogged up to the house of the Warfs. When I knocked, I was met by Dorvak, the chief of the tribe.

"Good morning, sir!"

"Morning. What is a fine young lady like you doing out this early?"

"I was wondering if I could speak to Forest or Heath?"

"I don't know. Let me go check."

The larger man turned around, looking down. He stepped aside and there was Heath. His eyes were like yesterday looking at me, green with golden pupils. I couldn't help wondering if his eyes would always be like that instead.

"Good morning, Irikai. Did you come to ask if I would go to training with you?"

"Um, no. I was actually just wondering how you and your brother's eggs were coming along."

"My egg has a few more cracks in it. I think it will hatch tomorrow or the day after. Forest's still hasn't gotten a crack."

"That's great! Um…"

I glanced up and to the side, and the Chief was still standing there.

"Dad!" Heath complained. "You're making her uncomfortable. Can you leave us alone, please?"

"I'm not doing anything," he said, a smile growing beneath the moustache and beard.

"Dad!"

"Alright, alright. Just go with her already. You already said you wanted to go watch at breakfast."

Heath's dad shoved him out the door, closing it behind him. Heath caught himself, smiling shyly at me and straightening himself out.

"Sorry about him. He doesn't really understand why people find him intimidating. He's a friendly guy. So, was there anything else you wanted to talk about?"

"You really want to come watch my training?"

"Well, yeah. I mean, we're friends, right? So I thought I could come along and support you, so you're not alone."

"Thanks. Really, thank you. None of the other kids have ever been so nice."

"That's their loss, because you really are an amazing person."

"Whatever. Let's just go wander for a bit since we have time to kill, huh?"

"I have a specific stop in mind, first. Come on."

When he took me back around to Gertrude's shop, I started trying to back away.

"I'm going to get you arm guards. Your hands won't grow too much, so they should fit you and serve you well for a long time."

I sighed, but let him take me inside.

"Gertrude, do you have the beginnings of the guards I asked for?"

"I do. I need the measurements, though."

"Take her measurements."

Gertrude didn't question it. She pulled me behind the counter and measured several aspects of my hands and wrists. When she was done, she sent us off again. Heath led me to another shop. Rigby's weaponry.

"What is this for?"

"Every viking needs a weapon. There might come a time when Dawn can't help you, and you have to defend yourself. Besides, at some point you'll have to fight another viking."

"I don't even know what I'd use. I've never fought anybody."

"That's why you'll pick out the one that feels right in your hands, and then we'll have a special one made just for you, with the right balance."

I looked at the racks and walls, trying to figure out what weapon might possibly be right to me. My attention was drawn away from the big, viking-like weapons to one wall with several smaller, seemingly harmless objects.

I picked up a long, pole-like object, finding a button close to the center. The stick was rather heavy, for being more staff like than anything. I tapped the button.

Two curved, wickedly sharp blades shot out from either side of the staff. They were thin, and made of a shimmering black material. They were on the small side, and didn't seem like they'd be very effective, but I suspected they were more than they seemed.

I hit the button again, my hands falling to either side on the grips. The button was set into the leather, so it couldn't be pressed accidentally. The blades slid back into the staff, and I swung it around me a little bit, testing the fit and the balance. It was alright, but it was too long. I set it back in its place and picked up a shorter one.

This one had the same balance, the same kind of blades, and the grips held the same way, with the button set in the center. But it moved easier with my body, bending and moving with a simple flick of my wrists, a twitch of my arm.

"This. This will work."

"It's called a razor edge," Heath told me.

"That particular weapon is a legend," Rigby, the shopkeeper, spoke up.

"What do you mean?"

"It's called Q'atar. I once thought it was a myth, until an old viking lady brought it in the late of night, left it on the counter, and walked back out. It has unique abilities, and can only be used by certain types of people. I've never seen anyone else in here pick it up and use it with any particular effectivity. In your hands, it seems to belong, like it has finally found its next true owner."

I turned the razor edge in my hands, hitting the button again. That was when I noticed the deep purple runes engraved in the black material that formed the blades. And in the worn leather grip, the name of the weapon had been carved.

"How much?" Heath asked.

Rigby considered me, then waved a hand dismissively. "Just take it. I haven't seen anyone else in here who can use it properly. You're doing me a favor, getting it out of here."

Heath tossed one coin in the air, and Rigby caught it, shaking his head but accepting the money. Heath guided me out of the shop, the razor edge held in a firm grip in my right hand. His arm was settled over me, guiding me on to another shop. There were several trinkets hanging outside.

"What is this place? And what are we doing here?"

"Edna's odds, bobs, and ends. I come here a lot out of pure curiosity, but today, there's something I want to get. I won't be long. You can wait here on the bench if you want."

Heath came back out looking no different than when he had went in.

"Did you get it?"

"Yeah. It's just small. It's in my pocket."

I nodded. "Anywhere else we need to go?"

"Nah. So, unless you want to go somewhere, we should probably start meandering our way towards the training arena."

"Sure." Heath and I talked as we detoured and dilly-dallied through the village. We even ended up stopping to play a couple rounds of hide and seek with some school kids. When that was done, Heath and I raced each other to the crag in the rocks. Through it, I took a deep breath as Dawn laid across my shoulders. I moved on and met Beta just a bit early for my first day of training.