/N: After a long wait...here's the next chapter. Enjoy! Oh, and prepare for the Ancient Language to be butchered...
Reno was trapped in a nightmare. The village had been attacked by Urgals, and the smell of burning flesh and wood was everywhere. Blaine was speared against a wall, the Urgals skinning him alive. He bolted upright, searching desperately for Blaine, who wasn't next to him. Reno started panicking.
"Blaine? Blaine! Where are you!" He searched his room desperately, only for Blaine to crawl out from under his bed, and look at him curiously. Reno picked Blaine up in his arms.
"Don't scare me like that again..." He said. Blaine started rubbing his snout against Reno's shoulder. Reno laid back down, holding Blaine close to him, and together, they slept uniterrupted for the rest of the night.
When she awoke the next morning, Lirena's eyes were puffy and red, and her pillow was wet. Apparently, she had been crying in her sleep.
Why was I crying? She thought to herself, but then grunted. Duh...its because I wasn't chosen last night...again. I could have sworn that I felt something from that egg. She shook her head furiously.
"I don't need to be thinking about this now." She got up, did her morning ritual of cleaning herself and making herself a breakfast of ham and eggs. After she was done eating, she left the village, alone, and wandered the bluffs about half a mile the the northwest of her village. As she walked along them, she kept wondering to herself why the village elders kept rushing them so quickly.
"It would explain why hardly anyone gets chosen..." She said aloud. She was startled when she actually received a reply.
"Talking to yourself? You know, that's a sign of bad mental health." She turned and looked to see who had spoken, and saw a young man, who couldn't have been more than twenty years old. He had been sitting on the bluffs. Lirena wondered how she had missed him while walking. The man smiled.
"Hi. My name's Rindar. What's your's?" He asked, proffering a hand. Lirena took it and shook it lightly.
"Lirena Da'ark...are you a traveler?" The man chuckled.
"You COULD say that...I'm an elven Rider." Lirena snarled. "What, you have something against the Riders?"
She shook her head.
"No...not really. If you're a Rider, then where's your dragon?" The man smiled, and pointed over the bluffs to the ocean, where Lirena spotted a black dot rapidly growing bigger.
"He was out exploring the waters around here. See, we come from a small city DEEP in the center of the continent, where most people have only HEARD of the ocean. He wanted to see it for his own eyes." His eyes met Lirena's, and she was shocked at how bright and green they were. Like freshly cut grass, they were. Her heart fluttered.
"W-What's his name?" The man's smile grew bigger.
"Well, why don't you let him tell you?" Just then a massive force pressed itself upon Lirena's mind, and a voice echoed in her head.
"My name is Shadowheart, little one. Pleased to meet you." Shadowheart came up, and landed roughly. He was an enormous black dragon, at least the size of three houses length.
All of a sudden, screams and cries of terror were heard from behind Lirena. She darted around, and saw the sky in the direction of her village lit up in flames.
"NO!" She screamed.
"Go! GO! I'll meet you there!" He shouted to Lirena, who took off running.
Dammit, who would have thought they would have made it this far? He growled to himself. Rindar quickly jumped up on top of Shadowheart and urged him faster with his mind. GO, SHADOWHEART! FLY FASTER THAN YOU EVER HAVE BEFORE! Shadowheart easily crossed the distance and stopped at the entrance to the village. Rindar hopped off, and drew a jet black sword from the saddlebags. He ran into the village, and saw Lirena there, her eyes shining with tears, as she held the corpse of one of the Elders. He laid a gentle hand on her shoulder.
"Lirena...its not safe here...go back and wait with Shadowheart, he'll keep you safe." Her head darted up, anger shining in her eyes.
"We have to protect the eggs!" She shouted. The eggs, having only been tested yesterday, wouldn't have been moved yet. Rindar, his eyes shining with anger, ran towards the traditional site where Riders were chosen, marked by large stone structures. On the way, he saw a young boy draped over the corpse of a dragon.
Must be one of the Riders that was chosen last night. There's no helping him now... Rindar ran with all his elven might and saw the Urgals about to make off with the eggs. He lifted Sundava Reona, and let loose a war cry that cracked the stone he was standing on. An Urgal nearby raised a hammer and swung the spiked head at him, but he ducked under it, taking the Urgal's legs off with a single strike. Another Urgal drew a bow, and let loose an arrow. He dodged to the side, and with a single bound, crossed the distance between him and the Urgal, who's head he took off. An Urgal beside him managed to get in a lucky blow with a double headed spiked mace. Rindar grunted in pain, and retaliated, running the Urgal through, his blood running down the solid black blade, and dripping down the sides. Another Urgal approached him from behind, so he spun around with Sundava Reona in his hand, cutting through the Urgal behind him. He sliced through the rest of the Urgals with little to no trouble, without even breaking a sweat. When it was all over, the ground was covered in blood and gore, and Rindar walked slowly over to the eggs to inspect them for damage.
Thank god they're alright. He thought. Then he heard Lirena scream from behind him. He rushed back towards the village, and saw her weeping over the body of the young Rider. Rindar grimaced, and sheathed Sundava Reona.
"...I can't build a grave for everyone, but I can build a memorial, if you wish..." Lirena nodded, her tears dropping down onto Reno's face.
"Deloi Moi..." muttered Rindar, and the earth rippled, and a giant stone monument exploded from the ground in the center of the village. Using magic, Rindar carved words into its base.
Here is what remains of the village of Lunadesca. A small, and quiet village, it did not deserve its fate, brought on by war, nor did its inhabitants, peaceful in every way, deserve to be mercilessly slaughtered.
Rindar bowed his head in silent respect for the dead., then turned to Lirena.
"...Would you come with me for a moment?" She looked up, surprised, then nodded slowly. Rindar took her hand, and led her back to the place where the dragon eggs were stored.
"Touch them." He said. Lirena, still crying, walked forward, careful to step over the dismember limbs and the corpses of the Urgals. She touched each egg in turn, and when she came to the white egg, she felt that presence touch her mind again. This time, she maintained the contact, and the egg cracked open with a loud sound. Rindar came over, and inspected the dragon.
"...Its a girl. What are you going to name her?"
Lirena only had to think for a short second.
"...Her name is Luna." Rindar nodded his head.
"May her light shine bright to eradicate the darkness." He said.
A/N: o.O Holy cow that was a pain to write. I despise fight scenes, really. I always feel as if...I didn't do them right. You know the drill, guys and girls. Comment telling me what I could've done better, if you would kindly! Thanks for reading!