The inheritance cycle is not mine. Also, I know Eragon didn't fall unconscious when Saphira touched him for the first time, but we don't necessarily know that it's the same for every Rider. Therefore, I'm saying it's different for everyone. Besides, Katrina was cold, tired, and pretty darn scared, too.
Katrina woke up several minutes later. She was lying in the clearing in the woods; Saphira was curled up on her chest like a cat.
Katrina very carefully reached for her gloves and put them on. When she was sure that they were on so that she wouldn't touch the dragon, she very carefully lifted Saphira off her and set her on the ground.
Katrina sat up and moaned. Falling asleep in the snow at night, even for just a few minutes, is not a good idea. She was stiff and sore all over. She rubbed herself quickly to try to warm up. After a couple of minutes, she felt less like an ice cycle, and more like a human being.
Saphira looked at her with ice-blue eyes. Katrina looked away. She felt as though the dragon was looking right through her. Then she remembered Saphira's leg. She slowly took off her gloves. Then she stared at her right hand.
There was a small, silvery oval on it that glimmered as the moon's light shone on it, for the moon was so bright it almost seemed as if it was day. She tried to scratch the mark off with her left hand, but it didn't come off.
After staring at it in perplexity for several minutes, she decided to just ignore it. She untied the scarf around Saphira's leg, careful not to touch the dragon. The blood had dried, and the wound had almost closed. But just to be safe, (She didn't want the cut to be infected) she gathered up a small handful of snow. She held it in her hands for a minute so it would melt some, then she packed it into the wound.
Saphira winced at the cold, but fairly soon it melted completely and trickled off her leg. Katrina wrapped the scarf around Saphira's leg after cleansing it of the dried blood.
Suddenly, she felt a detached emotion of gratitude. It was her feeling, yet not hers. She closed her eyes shut and covered her ears, trying to get rid of the feeling. It was scary, as though she was no longer herself, but someone else, yet still herself at the same time. But the gratitude… why should she feel grateful to anyone?
Instinctively she looked at Saphira. The dragon's eyes were brimming with… gratitude. The exact emotion she had just felt. Was she connected to this dragon somehow? How was that possible? Unless…
She shuddered at the thought. No. I am not a Dragon Rider!
