Here is the next Chapter...Enjoy
Draken looked at his white Dragon, the proud beast was now nearly as tall as him. It did not seem to be affected by the severe cold and moved about with limitless energy. Draken realized how intelligent his dragon was as it relayed its thoughts and opinions about things he had told it. He realized that whatever ever Talbier his dragon told him it was with deep thought and profound wisdom.
Talbier bit at the leather bags again, it was hungry. The Dragon was barely three weeks old but ate enough to feed at least five people. Draken shrugged. His supplies were running low and Talbier's appetite was not helping at all. He knew he had to replenish his stock or else face starvation for the rest of winter but Draken was unsure whether he would find any game in such cold weather, skilled hunter he may be it was still highly unlikely he would catch anything save frostbite and a cold.
He looked outside to find it snowing heavily. Great! Draken thought, now he was stuck in the cave till the blizzards abated.
Sighing he lay his aching body near his bedroll beside the sleeping Talbier who had finished his dinner which consisted of a few bites of meat. He closed his eyes and lay underneath the velvet wings of Talbier and drifted off to a cold and uneasy slumber.
Draken had barely been asleep for an hour before his eyes snapped open. He could hear the sound of leather boots crunching on the fresh snow. He could see a man warming himself beside a fire. The stranger was dressed in battered and travel worn clothes which were wet from the snow. The stranger exuded an assured air, his brown hair covering part of his face matching with his burning eyes and handsomely carved features to give a fierce but controlled appearance.
The stranger who was humming a small tune did not notice Draken until he came up to him.
"Ah... Up and about eh Dragon rider?" asked the man with a smile.
"Who are you?" Draken growled his hands raised for any sort of attack "How did you find this cave?"
"My, my, the Dragon rider is ready to fight. I knew Dragons were territorially aggressive but I never knew the riders were the alike" the man laughed. It was such a carefree laugh and was tempered with his handsome features. "You can hear the sound of the breathing of your Dragon from a mile away"
"Who are you?" asked Draken his body still taut with fear.
"Come warm yourself Dragon rider, it is very cold"
Draken sat opposite to the man warming his hands ready for any sort of attack. The man smiled at his posture but said nothing.
"You did not answer my question, stranger"
"Well I give you permission to call me stranger till you have learned better manners" but on a grimmer note he continued, "I was attacked by bandits a day ago, my entire caravan ….all my goods were destroyed. It is indeed luck on my part to meet a rider in such troublesome circumstances.
Talbier, who had woken up walked out clumsily. He was still drowsy but tensed suddenly when he saw the stranger.
The stranger finishing his story stared fixedly at the Dragon in the eyes. He got up and slowly moved towards the Dragon. He stopped a few feet from his Dragon and raised his hand, who eyed it warily. The man spoke a few swift words in a singsong tune. They were in an alien tongue but Talbier however moved towards the stranger and allowed him to touch him.
"I think your Dragon trusts me more than you my young rider"
"What did you tell him" asked Draken who also asked Talbier the same thing but he received the no reply from Talbier who walked in the snow outside leaving both the men alone. "It was not human language was it?"
"No, it was not. But it is the proper way to greet a Dragon. The man switched his gaze at the rider"
Draken found it hard to look at the burning eyes, bent down and focused on the flickering fire. "You have met a Dragon before?"
"Yes" the stranger nodded.
"When and who?" Draken asked eagerly.
"Then I take it you will not mind if I stay with you till the storm abates" the man asked.
Draken paused. Talbier sent reassuring signals through their mental link and Draken reluctantly agreed. Talbier could chase the stranger if he proved troublesome.
"You have any food?" the man asked "I am starving"
Draken nodded and went to prepare a meager meal for both of them. The man looked at Talbier who was bouncing about in the cave creating quite a ruckus.
Draken wordlessly handed the man a bowl of food to the stranger who said "Your Dragon is very beautiful indeed. What is his name?"
Draken smiled "Yes he indeed is. His name is Talbier. We have not been properly introduced, I am Draken….a Dragon rider from a mining village also called as Talbier"
"And I am Galbraith, a trader for lack of a better job"
"Then, how Galbraith did you meet a Dragon before Talbier. Are there other Dragon riders?"
"Yes, there are other dragons" the man said surprised "but only two of them other than yours, Saphira brightscales, the dragon of rider Eragon shadeslayer and Eridor quickclaw of rider Arya"
"I thought Galbatorix was the only surviving rider" Draken started surprised "Who are Eragon shadeslayer and Arya?"
"You don't know" asked the man flabbergasted and when Draken nodded he wearily began "Galbatorix was indeed the last surviving rider but Saphira hatched for Eragon and he killed Galbatorix ending his tyranny. How come you know nothing of this?"
"Well news hardly comes to our village, we are a secluded lot" said Draken who was eager to learn more "So there are other Dragon eggs like Talbier?"
"No, Saphira and Eridor were supposed to be the last of the dragons but I do not know where Talbier came from," said Galbraith answering the question that was on the tip Of Draken's mouth.
"When did Galbatorix die?" asked Draken disappointed
"About a month ago…….Draken you seem to be full of questions, can I ask you something? Where did you find Talbier's egg?" asked Galbraith.
"I don't know how it happened. Please don't ask me how it happened, it's too painful" said Draken closing his eyes as though remembering some nightmare.
"I know" said Galbraith gently "But you must understand that there might be some hope to revive the Dragon race". Galbraith raised his gloved hands and waited patiently for the answer.
Draken looked surprised "You mean that Dragons are verge on extinction, but how? Galbatorix could not have destroyed all the eggs could he have?"
"Yes, he apparently did destroy all the eggs and that is the most tragic plight of the Dragons"
Draken swallowed "It seem to be very long story, make yourself comfortable"
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