p style="margin: 0in 0in 0.25in; text-indent: 0.5in; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;"strongLast awkwardly short and awkwardly written chapter. After this is all new stuff so it'll take a little bit of time, especially because I'm trying to get ready for college now. Thanks again for bearing through the less than good writing to get to here!/strong/p
p style="margin: 0in 0in 0.25in; text-indent: 0.5in; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;"Sometime later, Scorch opened his eyes to see a girl's face peering at him through bars. Scorch jumped up, and tried to back off, but he hit something. He whirled, whacking his tail in the process, to see more bars. Wait a minute, Scorch thought, bars? He checked around himself, and discovered that he was in a box of sorts, with bars. Scorch tried to fly, but his wings still seemed to be tied. He blew out what little fire he could muster, and tried to melt the bars, but his flame was too weak. Scorch felt panicked, and roared, and with that crashing roar echoing in his ears, he realized that this was like the dream he had dreamed so long ago. The girl jumped away from him nervously and Scorch heard the sound of metal scraping the ground. He looked closer, only to see that the girl was chained to the far off wall. She too was a prisoner. He blew out smoke from his nostrils and curled up, his stomach growling. The girl looked at him. "Are-are you hungry?" she asked softly. Scorch raised his head and looked at her. She made her way over to a large box and opened it up. The smell of raw meat hit his nose, and he flared his nostrils hungrily. She pulled out what was probably a large piece of meat, she could barely carry it, but was small compared to what Scorch wanted. He rose to his feet as she tossed it inside the cage, and hungrily ate it. Looking up, he saw the girl watching him. He tentatively offered her a piece, which she refused. Frowning, he lightly scorched it, than offered it again. This time the girl took it and ate it hungrily. Scorch watched, wondering when the last time she ate was. Once she had finished, she took a bucket and filled it with water, before pouring it into a bowl in the corner of Scorch's cage. He bent over and lapped up most of it. She refilled it, and then sat down again to watch him. He curled up in the far corner, still wary of humans. She watched him for a while, and then began to speak. /p
p style="margin: 0in 0in 0.25in; text-indent: 0.5in; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;""I don't know if you can understand me, but if you can, I'll try to explain what happened. At this place, they capture dragons and young people to use in the tournaments. Basically, the people have to ride the dragons and fight other dragons and riders. I-I am going to be your rider." She explained quietly. Scorch's ears perked up. This girl was going to ride him? And fight on him? He had heard that humans did odd things, but this was too far! He snorted and she gave him a sideways glance. "Hey, I can take care of myself. I'm more worried about you. Most of the times the people never get close enough to actually fight. It's the dragons that do the real stuff." She said quietly. "Besides, I have an advantage. I'm not human; they are. See?" she pushed her hair away from her ears, revealing elf ears. Scorch snorted in surprise; he didn't think elves actually existed. She smirked faintly, as if reading his thoughts. "Yup, we exist, though I'm only half elf." She smiled then. Scorch shook his head and she laughed. Then, the door slammed open, and light filled the dimly light room. /p
p style="margin: 0in 0in 0.25in; text-indent: 0.5in; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;""So, the noble dragon has woken up, has he?" A gruff, sneering voice asked. Scorch curled his lips at the sound of it./p
p style="margin: 0in 0in 0.25in; text-indent: 0.5in; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;""Yes sir. I-I fed him and watered him, just as you asked." The elf's voice trembled./p
p style="margin: 0in 0in 0.25in; text-indent: 0.5in; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;""At least you are good for something." The man spit on the ground in front of her. "Well, I have a lot of money riding on this beast, so you better do well, elf-scum." He told her. /p
p style="margin: 0in 0in 0.25in; text-indent: 0.5in; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;"She nodded. "I will, sir."/p
p style="margin: 0in 0in 0.25in; text-indent: 0.5in; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;""Good. Now," he began, selecting a key from his belt. "Go in and wash the dragon. It's filthy and is stinking up the whole building."/p
p style="margin: 0in 0in 0.25in; text-indent: 0.5in; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;""Y-yes sir." She replied and went for more water and a cloth. He grunted when she got back, and opened the door. She climbed in quickly and he shut the door, the chains pulling on her ankles and wrists. He grabbed an ankle and yanked it toward him, pulling her off her feet. He unlocked the chain on that ankle, and then grunted, wanting the other chains. She moved them within his reach and he unlocked her fully. /p
p style="margin: 0in 0in 0.25in; text-indent: 0.5in; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;""Go." He grunted, raising his hand as if to hit her. Scorch pinned back his ears in anger and snorted. She scrambled away from him, and went up to Scorch. He forced himself to relax. For now, she was an ally. They were in this together. She put the bucket down next to him and got the cloth wet. Then she carefully began to rub his shoulder with it, watching him for any signs of aggression. He blinked reassuringly at her and she allowed herself a small smile, pushing down more to really get the dirt off. She moved from his shoulder to his neck, and Scorch found himself leaning down to get her to rub harder. It felt really nice! She smiled again and rubbed harder. /p
p style="margin: 0in 0in 0.25in; text-indent: 0.5in; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;"After a while, she had finished. Scorch still felt dirty, but there was little that the elf could do with the limited resources. "Get back here." The man growled. /p
p style="margin: 0in 0in 0.25in; text-indent: 0.5in; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;"Nervous again, she grabbed the bucket and went back to him. He opened the cage door just a crack so he could put the chains back on. Once they were on, he opened the door so she could fit through and yanked the chains, pulling her to the ground. The bucket of dirty water splashed everywhere and she bit back a cry of pain. "You got me wet!" The man screamed at her and began to kick her. She curled up, desperate to protect herself. Scorch climbed to his feet, eyes blazing. The man didn't notice as Scorch went to the edge of his cage and blasted out his meager fire. To the human though, it was quite a lot. The man jumped back, and the elf whimpered. He glared at Scorch. "You will pay for this, dragon." He hissed. He turned on heel, and walked away, locking the door behind him. Scorch looked down at the elf and made a concerned almost whimper. She looked up at him, and slowly uncurled, wincing. "Thanks."/p
p style="margin: 0in 0in 0.25in; text-indent: 0.5in; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;"He pressed his nose up against the bars and she placed a gentle hand on it. "You are going to pay though." She murmured sadly. He snorted softly, trying to tell her that it would be all right. She looked up at him with big, hazel eyes. "Yes. You will be. You are strong. Tomorrow, I think, we start training." He looked at her a moment longer, then curled up next to her. She smiled, and adjusted so she would be more comfortable. "Good night." She said sleepily./p
p style="margin: 0in 0in 0.25in; text-indent: 0.5in; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;""Good night." He rumbled. He thumped his tail on the ground once, pleased, then closed his eyes and fell into a dreamless sleep./p
p style="margin: 0in 0in 0.25in; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;"-/p
p style="margin: 0in 0in 0.25in; text-indent: 0.5in; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;"The next morning, they were woken up by the man opening the door again. /p
p style="margin: 0in 0in 0.25in; text-indent: 0.5in; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;""Time to work." He stayed away from the two as the elf got to her feet, wincing at the pain in her abdomen. She went over to a dark corner and pulled out what looked like a saddle for a horse, except with long straps that connected to it. The man edged forward and opened the cage. The elf walked in and placed the saddle gently on his back. /p
p style="margin: 0in 0in 0.25in; text-indent: 0.5in; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;""It's ok." She placed a hand on his trembling shoulder as she moved in front of him and began to connect the straps. She asked for him to stand, which he did, and moved a strap underneath him right behind his forelegs. Scorch could feel himself tensing as the leather tightened against his body, constricting him in a new and unpleasant manner. She left the cage again, and came back with a rope with a large metal bit attached to it. /p
p style="margin: 0in 0in 0.25in; text-indent: 0.5in; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;""All right, this has to go in your mouth now." She explained calmly as she put it in front of his mouth. "You need to trust me. You are going to despise it, but I have to put it on." She continued to reassure him until he finally opened his mouth tentatively. She put the bit in his mouth and pushed it all the way back until it was up against his lips. "Ok, now follow me." She said, tugging gently on the reins. The man opened the cage door fully and Scorch followed her out. Once they were in the light, Scorch took the opportunity to look at his new found friend. She had slightly wavy brown hair that was matted with blood and dirt. Her hazel eyes were downcast, but when she looked up at him, he thought he saw a calm, collected look. It comforted him enough to realize that his muscles were tense as he subconsciously waited for a chance to fly away. /p
p style="margin: 0in 0in 0.25in; text-indent: 0.5in; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;"As if reading his thoughts again, she placed her other hand on his shoulder. "Don't try. Some of their best dragons are patrolling the area. Don't get yourself hurt. Just do what you have to, and we will get away eventually." Scorch sighed, and relaxed. He followed her docilely into a large sand rink. It had seven tall poles close together, a series of targets, and what looked like a very used cat scratching post. The man walked in behind them as Scorch surveyed the rink. He took the opportunity to look at the man, as well. Dark hair, nearly black, and a smattering of stubble across his face. He couldn't have been that old, judging by the few speckles of grey in his hair, although Scorch didn't have much experience with humans. He wore his dark brown clothing well. It was dirty, but clearly not in as poor shape as the elf's./p
p style="margin: 0in 0in 0.25in; text-indent: 0.5in; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;""Climb on. It's time to get down to work." He ordered quietly, uncoiling and recoiling a whip. Scorch bared his teeth at him in defiance, but the elf went to the area just behind his wing. /p
p style="margin: 0in 0in 0.25in; text-indent: 0.5in; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;""All right boy, this will be a bit weird. Bear with me here; it's my first time too." With that thought still ringing in his mind, the elf nimbly climbed up the side of the saddle and sat on top of it, ducking under his wings. Scorch reared at the feeling of weight on his back. The elf girl clung to the saddle as he reared again and pounded the ground. Eventually he calmed down, though he still pranced nervously. /p
p style="margin: 0in 0in 0.25in; text-indent: 0.5in; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;""Easy there. Once you are calm enough I can untie your wings. Settle down. Once I do that though, you have to listen to what I ask you to. Just stay still until I ask you to fly. I know you understand me. Settle down now." Scorch eventually relaxed more and soon stood quietly. The man tossed up the key to Scorch's wings, and she could feel him quivering with excitement. "Easy." She said one more time before sticking the key in and turning it. As soon as he felt the chains fall away, he took off with one big flap of his wings. The elf clung on tightly. However, the more he flew, the more she relaxed. Eventually she took hold of the reins and allowed herself a whoop of joy. Scorch roared his agreement and spiraled into the air. The elf laughed and Scorch rumbled happilu as well at the elf girl's simple joy of flying. Eventually though, he felt an odd tug at his mouth. He shook his head, trying to make it go away. The tug came back, accompanied with a now familiar voice. "Come on, we have to get back." She sounded sad. Scorch looked longingly out at the open sky, than focused on the tugging, trying to figure out what she wanted. He realized that he just had to let his head be moved. He was directed back towards the arena, and then the tug went down, along with a shifting of weight on his back. After hesitating a moment, he flew lower. /p
p style="margin: 0in 0in 0.25in; text-indent: 0.5in; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;""That's what I wanted!" The female elf praised. Scorch felt a glow of happiness as he flew down to the ground. He landed softly and tucked his wings to his side, ignoring the odd feeling of the saddle against his wings./p
p style="margin: 0in 0in 0.25in; text-indent: 0.5in; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;""It's about time you two got back." The man grumbled. Scorch felt the girl flinch and he bared his teeth. The man only chuckled and uncurled his whip. "I've already seen some of what you can do, dragon. Now I want you to do that course." He gestured with the butt of the whip towards the center of the arena where what looked like a huge obstacle course was set up. There were rings for him to fly through, poles to weave around, and targets at the end. These targets had scorch marks on them from previous dragons. "Go, as fast as you can." The man ordered, snapping the whip behind him. Scorch jumped into the air, more startled then willing, and shot forward, wanting only to avoid the whip. He felt his rider's hand holding him back, and he tilted his head slightly, wondering why. She continued to hold him in as he pulled his wings close to himself as he darted through the rings then began to weave between the poles. Scorch felt himself dreading the targets, knowing that his feeble fire wouldn't appease the man. Still though, he tried. He reached a point close enough before shooting out his small fire. The man's rough laugh resounded behind him, and he pinned his ears back./p
p style="margin: 0in 0in 0.25in; text-indent: 0.5in; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;""Is that all you got, my noble one?" The man mocked. "I've seen babies do better! Come on, give me a blast!"/p
p style="margin: 0in 0in 0.25in; text-indent: 0.5in; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;"Scorch tried again. His flame was larger, but not much./p
p style="margin: 0in 0in 0.25in; text-indent: 0.5in; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;"The man's irritation grew. "What was that?! Give me a blast!" He yelled, snapping the whip behind Scorch. He jumped and tried again. The man's eyes bulged. "What is wrong with you?! A dragon your size should be able to produce something much larger! Give me something that's not as pathetic as that!" He roared, bringing the whip down on Scorch's haunches. Scorch jumped away from the sting and shot another small stream of fire at the target. The man had no words, only able to bring down the whip. /p
p style="margin: 0in 0in 0.25in; text-indent: 0.5in; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;"Eventually, Scorch grew tired of it and exploded forward, racking his sharp claws across the face of the target in anger. His nails easily shred the wood, sending pieces flying./p
p style="margin: 0in 0in 0.25in; text-indent: 0.5in; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;"The man stopped the whip. "At least you can do something." He grumbled, though he was secretly amazed at the display. "Girl! Take the dragon, clean him up, feed him, and clean out his cage." He turned and walked away, leaving the two to themselves. The elf sighed and jumped off his back. She took the reins and led him back to their damp, dark room where she took a cool, wet cloth to his aching wounds and muscles and soothingly began to clean them, humming softly. Once she finished, she tossed him some meat which he wolfed down as she replaced the thin layer of straw in his cage. Scorch watched her lazily, too tired to do much thinking. She smiled when she saw him and coaxed him to his feet before leading him into the cage and closed the door which locked automatically. Scorch watched with half-closed eyes as she curled up near him and fell asleep before he joined her in a heavy, dreamless sleep./p
p style="margin: 0in 0in 0.25in; text-indent: 0.5in; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;"Sometime later, Scorch opened his eyes to see a girl's face peering at him through bars. Scorch jumped up, and tried to back off, but he hit something. He whirled, whacking his tail in the process, to see more bars. Wait a minute, Scorch thought, bars? He checked around himself, and discovered that he was in a box of sorts, with bars. Scorch tried to fly, but his wings still seemed to be tied. He blew out what little fire he could muster, and tried to melt the bars, but his flame was too weak. Scorch felt panicked, and roared, and with that crashing roar echoing in his ears, he realized that this was like the dream he had dreamed so long ago. The girl jumped away from him nervously and Scorch heard the sound of metal scraping the ground. He looked closer, only to see that the girl was chained to the far off wall. She too was a prisoner. He blew out smoke from his nostrils and curled up, his stomach growling. The girl looked at him. "Are-are you hungry?" she asked softly. Scorch raised his head and looked at her. She made her way over to a large box and opened it up. The smell of raw meat hit his nose, and he flared his nostrils hungrily. She pulled out what was probably a large piece of meat, she could barely carry it, but was small compared to what Scorch wanted. He rose to his feet as she tossed it inside the cage, and hungrily ate it. Looking up, he saw the girl watching him. He tentatively offered her a piece, which she refused. Frowning, he lightly scorched it, than offered it again. This time the girl took it and ate it hungrily. Scorch watched, wondering when the last time she ate was. Once she had finished, she took a bucket and filled it with water, before pouring it into a bowl in the corner of Scorch's cage. He bent over and lapped up most of it. She refilled it, and then sat down again to watch him. He curled up in the far corner, still wary of humans. She watched him for a while, and then began to speak. /p
p style="margin: 0in 0in 0.25in; text-indent: 0.5in; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;""I don't know if you can understand me, but if you can, I'll try to explain what happened. At this place, they capture dragons and young people to use in the tournaments. Basically, the people have to ride the dragons and fight other dragons and riders. I-I am going to be your rider." She explained quietly. Scorch's ears perked up. This girl was going to ride him? And fight on him? He had heard that humans did odd things, but this was too far! He snorted and she gave him a sideways glance. "Hey, I can take care of myself. I'm more worried about you. Most of the times the people never get close enough to actually fight. It's the dragons that do the real stuff." She said quietly. "Besides, I have an advantage. I'm not human; they are. See?" she pushed her hair away from her ears, revealing elf ears. Scorch snorted in surprise; he didn't think elves actually existed. She smirked faintly, as if reading his thoughts. "Yup, we exist, though I'm only half elf." She smiled then. Scorch shook his head and she laughed. Then, the door slammed open, and light filled the dimly light room. /p
p style="margin: 0in 0in 0.25in; text-indent: 0.5in; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;""So, the noble dragon has woken up, has he?" A gruff, sneering voice asked. Scorch curled his lips at the sound of it./p
p style="margin: 0in 0in 0.25in; text-indent: 0.5in; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;""Yes sir. I-I fed him and watered him, just as you asked." The elf's voice trembled./p
p style="margin: 0in 0in 0.25in; text-indent: 0.5in; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;""At least you are good for something." The man spit on the ground in front of her. "Well, I have a lot of money riding on this beast, so you better do well, elf-scum." He told her. /p
p style="margin: 0in 0in 0.25in; text-indent: 0.5in; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;"She nodded. "I will, sir."/p
p style="margin: 0in 0in 0.25in; text-indent: 0.5in; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;""Good. Now," he began, selecting a key from his belt. "Go in and wash the dragon. It's filthy and is stinking up the whole building."/p
p style="margin: 0in 0in 0.25in; text-indent: 0.5in; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;""Y-yes sir." She replied and went for more water and a cloth. He grunted when she got back, and opened the door. She climbed in quickly and he shut the door, the chains pulling on her ankles and wrists. He grabbed an ankle and yanked it toward him, pulling her off her feet. He unlocked the chain on that ankle, and then grunted, wanting the other chains. She moved them within his reach and he unlocked her fully. /p
p style="margin: 0in 0in 0.25in; text-indent: 0.5in; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;""Go." He grunted, raising his hand as if to hit her. Scorch pinned back his ears in anger and snorted. She scrambled away from him, and went up to Scorch. He forced himself to relax. For now, she was an ally. They were in this together. She put the bucket down next to him and got the cloth wet. Then she carefully began to rub his shoulder with it, watching him for any signs of aggression. He blinked reassuringly at her and she allowed herself a small smile, pushing down more to really get the dirt off. She moved from his shoulder to his neck, and Scorch found himself leaning down to get her to rub harder. It felt really nice! She smiled again and rubbed harder. /p
p style="margin: 0in 0in 0.25in; text-indent: 0.5in; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;"After a while, she had finished. Scorch still felt dirty, but there was little that the elf could do with the limited resources. "Get back here." The man growled. /p
p style="margin: 0in 0in 0.25in; text-indent: 0.5in; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;"Nervous again, she grabbed the bucket and went back to him. He opened the cage door just a crack so he could put the chains back on. Once they were on, he opened the door so she could fit through and yanked the chains, pulling her to the ground. The bucket of dirty water splashed everywhere and she bit back a cry of pain. "You got me wet!" The man screamed at her and began to kick her. She curled up, desperate to protect herself. Scorch climbed to his feet, eyes blazing. The man didn't notice as Scorch went to the edge of his cage and blasted out his meager fire. To the human though, it was quite a lot. The man jumped back, and the elf whimpered. He glared at Scorch. "You will pay for this, dragon." He hissed. He turned on heel, and walked away, locking the door behind him. Scorch looked down at the elf and made a concerned almost whimper. She looked up at him, and slowly uncurled, wincing. "Thanks."/p
p style="margin: 0in 0in 0.25in; text-indent: 0.5in; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;"He pressed his nose up against the bars and she placed a gentle hand on it. "You are going to pay though." She murmured sadly. He snorted softly, trying to tell her that it would be all right. She looked up at him with big, hazel eyes. "Yes. You will be. You are strong. Tomorrow, I think, we start training." He looked at her a moment longer, then curled up next to her. She smiled, and adjusted so she would be more comfortable. "Good night." She said sleepily./p
p style="margin: 0in 0in 0.25in; text-indent: 0.5in; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;""Good night." He rumbled. He thumped his tail on the ground once, pleased, then closed his eyes and fell into a dreamless sleep./p
p style="margin: 0in 0in 0.25in; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;"-/p
p style="margin: 0in 0in 0.25in; text-indent: 0.5in; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;"The next morning, they were woken up by the man opening the door again. /p
p style="margin: 0in 0in 0.25in; text-indent: 0.5in; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;""Time to work." He stayed away from the two as the elf got to her feet, wincing at the pain in her abdomen. She went over to a dark corner and pulled out what looked like a saddle for a horse, except with long straps that connected to it. The man edged forward and opened the cage. The elf walked in and placed the saddle gently on his back. /p
p style="margin: 0in 0in 0.25in; text-indent: 0.5in; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;""It's ok." She placed a hand on his trembling shoulder as she moved in front of him and began to connect the straps. She asked for him to stand, which he did, and moved a strap underneath him right behind his forelegs. Scorch could feel himself tensing as the leather tightened against his body, constricting him in a new and unpleasant manner. She left the cage again, and came back with a rope with a large metal bit attached to it. /p
p style="margin: 0in 0in 0.25in; text-indent: 0.5in; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;""All right, this has to go in your mouth now." She explained calmly as she put it in front of his mouth. "You need to trust me. You are going to despise it, but I have to put it on." She continued to reassure him until he finally opened his mouth tentatively. She put the bit in his mouth and pushed it all the way back until it was up against his lips. "Ok, now follow me." She said, tugging gently on the reins. The man opened the cage door fully and Scorch followed her out. Once they were in the light, Scorch took the opportunity to look at his new found friend. She had slightly wavy brown hair that was matted with blood and dirt. Her hazel eyes were downcast, but when she looked up at him, he thought he saw a calm, collected look. It comforted him enough to realize that his muscles were tense as he subconsciously waited for a chance to fly away. /p
p style="margin: 0in 0in 0.25in; text-indent: 0.5in; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;"As if reading his thoughts again, she placed her other hand on his shoulder. "Don't try. Some of their best dragons are patrolling the area. Don't get yourself hurt. Just do what you have to, and we will get away eventually." Scorch sighed, and relaxed. He followed her docilely into a large sand rink. It had seven tall poles close together, a series of targets, and what looked like a very used cat scratching post. The man walked in behind them as Scorch surveyed the rink. He took the opportunity to look at the man, as well. Dark hair, nearly black, and a smattering of stubble across his face. He couldn't have been that old, judging by the few speckles of grey in his hair, although Scorch didn't have much experience with humans. He wore his dark brown clothing well. It was dirty, but clearly not in as poor shape as the elf's./p
p style="margin: 0in 0in 0.25in; text-indent: 0.5in; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;""Climb on. It's time to get down to work." He ordered quietly, uncoiling and recoiling a whip. Scorch bared his teeth at him in defiance, but the elf went to the area just behind his wing. /p
p style="margin: 0in 0in 0.25in; text-indent: 0.5in; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;""All right boy, this will be a bit weird. Bear with me here; it's my first time too." With that thought still ringing in his mind, the elf nimbly climbed up the side of the saddle and sat on top of it, ducking under his wings. Scorch reared at the feeling of weight on his back. The elf girl clung to the saddle as he reared again and pounded the ground. Eventually he calmed down, though he still pranced nervously. /p
p style="margin: 0in 0in 0.25in; text-indent: 0.5in; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;""Easy there. Once you are calm enough I can untie your wings. Settle down. Once I do that though, you have to listen to what I ask you to. Just stay still until I ask you to fly. I know you understand me. Settle down now." Scorch eventually relaxed more and soon stood quietly. The man tossed up the key to Scorch's wings, and she could feel him quivering with excitement. "Easy." She said one more time before sticking the key in and turning it. As soon as he felt the chains fall away, he took off with one big flap of his wings. The elf clung on tightly. However, the more he flew, the more she relaxed. Eventually she took hold of the reins and allowed herself a whoop of joy. Scorch roared his agreement and spiraled into the air. The elf laughed and Scorch rumbled happilu as well at the elf girl's simple joy of flying. Eventually though, he felt an odd tug at his mouth. He shook his head, trying to make it go away. The tug came back, accompanied with a now familiar voice. "Come on, we have to get back." She sounded sad. Scorch looked longingly out at the open sky, than focused on the tugging, trying to figure out what she wanted. He realized that he just had to let his head be moved. He was directed back towards the arena, and then the tug went down, along with a shifting of weight on his back. After hesitating a moment, he flew lower. /p
p style="margin: 0in 0in 0.25in; text-indent: 0.5in; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;""That's what I wanted!" The female elf praised. Scorch felt a glow of happiness as he flew down to the ground. He landed softly and tucked his wings to his side, ignoring the odd feeling of the saddle against his wings./p
p style="margin: 0in 0in 0.25in; text-indent: 0.5in; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;""It's about time you two got back." The man grumbled. Scorch felt the girl flinch and he bared his teeth. The man only chuckled and uncurled his whip. "I've already seen some of what you can do, dragon. Now I want you to do that course." He gestured with the butt of the whip towards the center of the arena where what looked like a huge obstacle course was set up. There were rings for him to fly through, poles to weave around, and targets at the end. These targets had scorch marks on them from previous dragons. "Go, as fast as you can." The man ordered, snapping the whip behind him. Scorch jumped into the air, more startled then willing, and shot forward, wanting only to avoid the whip. He felt his rider's hand holding him back, and he tilted his head slightly, wondering why. She continued to hold him in as he pulled his wings close to himself as he darted through the rings then began to weave between the poles. Scorch felt himself dreading the targets, knowing that his feeble fire wouldn't appease the man. Still though, he tried. He reached a point close enough before shooting out his small fire. The man's rough laugh resounded behind him, and he pinned his ears back./p
p style="margin: 0in 0in 0.25in; text-indent: 0.5in; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;""Is that all you got, my noble one?" The man mocked. "I've seen babies do better! Come on, give me a blast!"/p
p style="margin: 0in 0in 0.25in; text-indent: 0.5in; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;"Scorch tried again. His flame was larger, but not much./p
p style="margin: 0in 0in 0.25in; text-indent: 0.5in; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;"The man's irritation grew. "What was that?! Give me a blast!" He yelled, snapping the whip behind Scorch. He jumped and tried again. The man's eyes bulged. "What is wrong with you?! A dragon your size should be able to produce something much larger! Give me something that's not as pathetic as that!" He roared, bringing the whip down on Scorch's haunches. Scorch jumped away from the sting and shot another small stream of fire at the target. The man had no words, only able to bring down the whip. /p
p style="margin: 0in 0in 0.25in; text-indent: 0.5in; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;"Eventually, Scorch grew tired of it and exploded forward, racking his sharp claws across the face of the target in anger. His nails easily shred the wood, sending pieces flying./p
p style="margin: 0in 0in 0.25in; text-indent: 0.5in; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;"The man stopped the whip. "At least you can do something." He grumbled, though he was secretly amazed at the display. "Girl! Take the dragon, clean him up, feed him, and clean out his cage." He turned and walked away, leaving the two to themselves. The elf sighed and jumped off his back. She took the reins and led him back to their damp, dark room where she took a cool, wet cloth to his aching wounds and muscles and soothingly began to clean them, humming softly. Once she finished, she tossed him some meat which he wolfed down as she replaced the thin layer of straw in his cage. Scorch watched her lazily, too tired to do much thinking. She smiled when she saw him and coaxed him to his feet before leading him into the cage and closed the door which locked automatically. Scorch watched with half-closed eyes as she curled up near him and fell asleep before he joined her in a heavy, dreamless sleep./p