Disclaimer: I don't own the Inheritance cycle – Christopher Paolini does. However the story line is my own along with the majority of the characters.
Warning: contains mild language
I would just like to say thanks to 'Forestwater' for her help beta reading my fanfiction. ^;^
Oh and I'm sorry for taking so long to update, there's just too much to do and not enough time to do it in at the moment. If you feel the cannon characters aren't right, can you let me know? Thanks :)
Enjoy! :)
Chapter four: La la land
She jolted awake. Harsh breaths whistled from her lips as she tried to shake off the feeling of the dread filling every thought as that nightmare chorused through her mind: of the storm. Slowly, she brought her body forwards, clutching her knees while sweat dripped from her brow. She felt as if her body had been torn inside, little rips here and there, just so she could feel the pain. Tensing her muscles, she tested the extent of her injuries, searching for uneven structures. But the pain overwhelmed her thoughts. She couldn't pin-point it; it was everywhere. Just seeping through her mind as her body sent bullet signals of alarm around her body, swamping her senses like an ocean of messages, in turn suffocating her like she had a thousand people shouting at her at once. She couldn't handle it.
Alyssa looked around her surroundings, gently feeling the soil beneath her hands while salty tears poured down her cheeks. She was testing if the area was safe. It was still damp and bitterly cold. She decided the storm must have lasted a while. Looking up into the sky, she saw the sun begin to rise. The sky was tinted a zesty orange, as the sun shone through the canopy above her. She had to shield her eyes to avoid its bright gaze. Around her each leaf was glistening from the night's storm and cobwebs changed into an array of diamonds. But she had to be glad it was over . . . wasn't it? She tried looking at the bright side, and found herself almost mesmerized by her surroundings, despite the pain burrowing trenches inside her body.
Not quite awake, she opened her eyes fully, despite their protests to shut them and rest. Everything…seems to just shine—even my palms. She moved her hand in front of her, bemused by the rain's effect. She checked over her body once more, still shaking from the pain. Moving her arm in front of her she saw the cuts were still red and angry and the bruises blotchy and violet. Somehow she found the energy to manage a small giggle. If Leo ever found out I'd got busted up because of a forest, he'd maim me. I could just picture his reaction… She smiled. I'd better get back to camp…whichever direction it was in. She looked around her in confusion -- had she really been that out of it? She sighed. Well on the upside, I'm not stuck with D--
The realization hit her like a punch in the face. Wait a minute, wasn't he with me last night? Oh shit! Where the hell has that idiot got to now? She tried focusing on last nights events. She tried blaming it all on him, denying her faults, but she couldn't have been more wrong. David was barely partially to blame, if at all. And even if he was, this was fate.
She scrambled to her feet and begun her trek back to camp, only to be knocked down moments later, lightheaded and moaning in pain. She struggled to keep her thoughts in focus, but the throbbing from her arm demanded all her attention. She could easily confirm her arm was broken, the bone bending at an awkward angle. It sent nausea rippling through her stomach.
Oh fuck. Just great, not only am I stuck somewhere in a forest, cold and alone, I am now flipping handicapped too. Argggg!
Hobbling around on the floor, she searched for her bag. Her vision, still hazy and marred, saw no such resemblance around her. Frustrated, she continued her search, patting the ground roughly as if it were a punch bag.
"Oww!" she yelled, yanking her hand from the jagged rock beneath it.
She clutched her hand and grimaced. Was there really need for her to injure herself again? Alyssa clenched her eyes shut in a vain attempt to ease the pain. She paused, inhaling deeply in attempt to avoid passing out. Unfortunately, however, pain doesn't fade within an instant. She opened her eyes in annoyance. Feeling helpless, she went to grab the rock to send it flying into a nearby tree, but the rock was gone. She huffed, turned round and came eye to eye with a wall of dark violet. She froze.
She staggered backwards, her eyes widening. What are you?
Her eyes followed the outline of the creature. It had spiky scales covering every inch of its body—they were a dazzling violet while its underbelly had a lighter pink hue—apart from its large puppy-like eyes. You could almost see the creature as cute and it stood only a few feet off the ground, like a small cat in size and looking almost innocent as it waved its scaly tail across the dirt. Until you saw it had sharp silver claws embedded into its paws that looked like treacherous knives that could cut your throat out at any given moment…and it had six limbs.
She stared in disbelief. She brought her hand to her head to rub her eyes when she noticed the headache begin to form on the brink of her mind. Argg! Now what?
She was so caught up for a moment that she didn't see the purple creature edge closer towards her. Alyssa flinched as its marble-like skin brushed her injured wrist. She couldn't believe it. It must be a dream. Surely? Her gaze moved back to its other limbs. They looked streamlined and delicate, yet also strong and leathery; they looked like wings.
Okay. I admit it. I am officially crazy. I am hallucinating a dragon is nudging my wrist. She gasped. Maybe I'm dreaming? She giggled. Yeah, I'm not that crazy. So, dream, where to next? Ooh I know! Let's go to the beach! Shutting her eyes, she refocused her thoughts to all the beaches she had ever been to. The soft sands beneath her feet, the cool ices soothing her parched throat and the tender warmth of the sun as it beat down on her back.
She smiled and re-opened her eyes; frowning, she noticed this dream wasn't going to be kind. She was still in the forest. And still dreaming of a dragon. She sighed.
Why did you have to be cruel, dream? Did I do something wrong? Or did David mess up again?
Suddenly the purple creature took her full attention as it snorted a stream of smoke, knocking her out of her moment of self-pity. It looked sternly at her as if to say, "Hey, stop your moping and look at me a moment!" She was taken aback. Its eyes looked wise, and somehow…human? Noticing the pain begin to ease but not really considering it, she realised the creature might be hungry. As if hypnotized, she crawled towards her bag, avoiding putting any pressure onto her wounded arm.
She reached into her bag and almost absentmindedly tossed a piece of meat towards the dragon. At which it seemed to look at her like, "Thank you -- it's nice to be noticed for a change," as it marched around holding its small head high, then darted towards the meat, gobbling it up like it hadn't ever tasted the tenderness before. It looked back up at her, licking its lips as a piece of stray meat hung off its tooth. She smiled, pleased at its effect and tossed the creature a second piece.
She began to hum a tune, nearly forgetting her injuries and petted the creature softly. Hmm…you look like Spyro. She giggled, remembering the popular video game character—and all the funny memories that came with it. Even her dad dreamt of Spyro one night, after she and Leo had been playing on the game all day. They could never quite get it that Spyro was only a one-player game, so they always played together, even if they disliked the idea of sharing, but in the end, it was fun all the same.
"If we're both stuck here, in the land of weird dreams, I might as well name you," she said, looking at the creature in her lap. "I think I remember writing some names down from my Dad's stories he used to tell me as a kid. Maybe one of them would suit ya?" She grinned, reaching for her notebook. She began flicking through the pages, making sure not to jostle or hit it.
"How about Celebriän?" she said, her finger resting on the word. "It means angel, and you do look kind of cute…when you forget your claws…nah, I don't think it fits, even if you have wings. What do you think, little dragon?"
The dragon just seemed to roll its eyes, like it was bored of the task.
"Hmm, I thought so too. How about…" She ran her figure down the list and selected another name. "Máraran? It means patient."
A soft rumbling came from the direction of the dragon, like it was laughing at the thought of the name. "Okay, I take it you're far from patient." She winked. "That's good.
"Maybe you'd like this one?" She pointed to the name on the pad, reading it out loud. "Ophelia."
The dragon placed a paw over its head, as if trying to drown out the thought.
"Too Shakespeare-y, eh? I don't blame ya, didn't she drown herself or something? How about…" She continued to trace her finger down the page, disappointment welling inside her; the rest of the names were horrible. She turned the page over, hoping for something to strike her. Nothing was there either. She turned the pages faster and faster, nearly tearing at the pages. Then she stopped.
Grinning, she turned to the purple beast below her and said, "I think I know what your name should be." Pausing, she lowered her head closer to the creature and whispered into its ear.
"It's good to see you," she said, "my little purple protector, Táranis." The dragon's eyes grew wide in recognition, turned, and placed its paw upon her hand.
A while later, accompanied by rustling from the bushes, a figure stepped into the clearing. The shadows from the canopy above them masked his or her face, but the outline of its body was clear. It was tall and lanky, belying footsteps that were clumsy and uneven. Its breathing was husky, as if he or she'd been running. But running from what? As it walked closer, stumbling as it went, it became clear whoever it was was male—not because his clumsiness, but because the way his feet hit the ground, and the way his shoulders were broad. Although, male he may be, there was only one boy Alyssa knew of who tripped so easily: David.
"Oh hey, David, how ya doing?" she called out to him. "Didn't expect to see you here," she said, gazing upwards at his brown eyes. Actually, that is strange. Why on Earth would I be dreaming of him?
He gave her a strange look; she usually bit his head off every time she saw him. His eyes widened as he saw how torn up she was. "Are you feeling—" He froze. "W-what is that thing?" he stuttered, pointing a shaky hand towards the beast as his face paled.
"Oh this? This is just my dragon friend Táranis," she smiled.
"D-dragon? F-friend? You're kidding, right? You're petrified of lizards, that thing could claw your throat out at any second, and even worse, it's a hatchling."
"So it's harmless." She grinned, petting the beast's head like you would a cat.
"Yeah—but its mum might not be. Alyssa, do I have to scream at you? You are holding a lizard! It could kill you! Or its mum might."
"M-mum? You mean…there's a bigger one?" She panicked, jerking away from Táranis and causing her to fall off Alyssa's lap.
She looked up at Alyssa with wide eyes; why was she throwing her off? What had she done wrong? She tried climbing back onto Alyssa's lap, but she just…backed away, like a rabbit might from a fox. Come to think of it, a rabbit did sound good to her right now…
"Yes, that's what I came here to warn you about. I thought I imagined it but…apparently not," he said.
"Davvvvvviiiid!!" Alyssa screamed. "We've got to get out of here! It could kill me -- I mean us!" She grabbed his shirt and shook him as her voice climbed to higher octaves.
"I've got one word to say." He paused. "Run!"
They began to run out of the clearing and away from the little dragon. After a few moments, Alyssa collapsed onto Dave, leaning on him for support.
"Come on, we've got to keep going or it'll be back in a minute," he said, pulling her arm to guide her upright.
"Owwwww! My arm! It hurts!"
"Well why didn't you say so earlier?" he asked.
"Because I thought this was a fricking dream! In dreams you don't think of things like that! Well any normal person wouldn't." She huffed
"But Alyssa, you're far from normal. You're bonkers." He laughed. "Just be careful 'kay?"
A loud rumble zipped through the air, stopping any laughter in its tracks. Eyes widened and their bodies froze.
"Could it be…?" It didn't need to be finished.
"Might be." She paused. "Let's go the other way," she said, jerking her thumb away from the rumbling sound.
"Wait…can I just…" He started towards the rumble, rummaging in his bag.
"What do you think you're doing?" she spat, following closely behind him for support.
He continued walking through the forest, pushing past branches as he went with a silver object concealed in his hand.
"I said," she snapped, "what do you think you're doing?"
"Shhh," he said, gesturing for her stop.
"I sehhh-ed --"
"I heard you the first time, now shut it. If you really want to know, this is what I'm doing." He indicated towards the silver object, moving his hand so Alyssa could see it clearly.
"You are crazy. You can't seriously be taking a—"
"Well I won't get a chance to if you won't shut it for a sec."
He placed the object in his palm, switched it on and aligned it in front of him. Alyssa watched as he aligned it, and then gasped as she saw what he was pointing it at.
"It's a-a- it's a d-dragon, a big dragon…" she said, looking at the sapphire beast in front of her. Silently she prayed they wouldn't be seen, and thanked God for the measly few feet of foliage between them and the beast.
He moved one finger to his lips and glared at her.
After that, time just seemed to be racing ahead. David had a fit because the branch was in the way, he couldn't get the right alignment. He stepped closer, causing Alyssa to fall forward, and then, after that, they were face to face with a very livid dragon.
"Oh. Shit," Alyssa muttered.
"Okay…I admit this time it was my fault…" He put his hand over his head, and like Alyssa, he was frozen. "So what the hell do we do now?"
The dragon turned to the pair, staring into their eyes.
Oh my god. It's going to eat us.
The dragon glared at Alyssa; while unknown to her, Táranis had returned, curling round her feet. After a moment, she looked down, screamed, and sprinted across the clearing. Noticing the dragon become even angrier than before, she then noticed Táranis, then the dragon once more. They looked unnervingly similar. Oh shit, shit, shit. It's its flipping mother. Oh gawd, I'm going to dieeeeeeee.
To any onlookers, such as David, she looked like mad woman flailing around a clearing, screaming and whimpering at octaves that shouldn't ever have to be known to man.
It was just at that moment when a middle-aged man with dark hair appeared from behind the dragon. Alongside him, a younger lad followed, looking strangely amused with the situation.
Alyssa stopped dead in her tracks. I'm still alive…? She gazed at the duo front of her, then back to the dragon. Her head was spinning -- what was going on? She looked at David for advice, but he merely shrugged, also baffled by the situation. She gazed down at the smaller, purple-scaled dragon, and it looked back up at her. Maybe it isn't so dangerous after all?
Alyssa.
The thought sent every nerve in her body into alarm. The headache was growing stronger, feeding off her remaining strength. It was then she began to lose control of her body, each cell becoming weaker and weaker. I just want to sleep… Her knees buckled, and her head lolled forward as she leaned on David.
The older man approached Alyssa, who was now being supported by David.
"Where are you from? You do not appear to be from around here," he asked, noting her jeans warily.
Although she felt weak and tired, somehow she just had enough energy to withstand one last conversation. Even if it was only to argue.
"Why should I tell you that?" she spat.
The old man rolled his eyes, seeming to think he was her superior. How dare he? Stupid git.
"Do I need to ask again?"
"Look man, I wouldn't bother. When she's in one of these moods she practically bites your head off," David said.
"Understood. And you are?"
"David." He grinned.
"Right, calm your sister, will you?"
"He's not my brother," Alyssa snarled.
"Well, whoever you are, just show me your hands."
"You what?"
"Show. Me. Your. Hands."
She paused, unsure whether to trust the strange man, but without much strength left to argue, she just gave in; she extended her hand. The older man began analysing her wounds, and then turned her palm so it would be facing upwards.
His eyes went wide. He began mumbling something too softly for them to hear.
"What? It's just a scratch, it'll heal." The man just ignored her and turned to the younger lad.
"Evan, ask Saphira to lend you some of her power; we need to heal this girl," he said, worry echoing through his words.
"Wait, who are you…?" she said, barely able to stay focused on the conversation.
"Nobody. Just an ol' man, a storyteller—but you can call me Neal."
Thanks for reading :) And if you have a spare minute, please review!