Hey! This chap is being rewritten.
'Cause it SUCKS!

Three days later, our company had reached the edge of a glassy smooth lake. Sunset had thrown the beautiful land into calm serenity. Everyone was silent and content. Everyone except Arya, of course. She was tense and usually replied with a one or two word answer.

The fire was reduced to embers. I was sitting with Vrangr, Eragon was with Saphira, the others around the fire. Arya approached us saying, "Follow me. There are things you need to know before we reach the elves tomorrow."

She led the two of us to a corner of the camp. Turning, she said, "The humans and dwarves may share many traits, but the elves are far different. We value courtesy and truth over all else, because of our longevity. The both of you need to learn how to adopt these traits so you may gain a favorable impression among my people. To begin with, before speaking to another elf-"

"Touch your lips with two fingers to signal that the truth will not be distorted during the conversation." I said

"You know about elven culture?" Eragon seemed surprised.

"A bit."

"To continue with the lesson, elves always begin a conversation with..."

Arya taught us about all kinds of greetings, to any elf of any status. The list was a tiny bit overwhelming, even with my knowledge from the books. It took about an hour for Arya to be satisfied.

After that, everyone went to bed. I had a strange dream:

"I can't believe she would just run away like that! Onyx has seemed so happy these past months. Why would she do this?" It was my mother. she was ranting to my father, brother, and sister.

"She's to smart to just take off. Onyx must have something up her sleeve." My older brother and best friend, Jay said.

"Onyx had been gone for five days!" My father.

"Why... How could this happen?" My sister Rhys was in tears.

"This is just so out of character for her."

I'm right here! Don't cry, please, I'm fine! I tried to say, but I was only there in spirit. The dream pulled me away.

And at that moment I woke up in a tent in a forest at dawn. I was panting and covered in sweat.

"Are you okay?" Arya asked me - we were sharing a tent.

"I'm fine, it was only a nightmare."

I would say it wasn't real, but it probably was. Vrangr told me.

"Then get up."

"Fine." She headed out of the tent.

I dressed in the customary black, but wore a white tunic instead of a black one. Even emos needed a little variety now and then. After brushing out my hair, I tied it in the usual ponytail. Then I finally headed outside.

The others seemed to be lounging around for a bit, so I decided to got for a fly. The cool morning air added a wonderful effect to the forest around me, with only a gentle wind supplied by my wings. Not far away, I found a clearing that dropped down about thirty feet in an earthy cliff. Pine trees swayed in the wind, birds and other forest animals could be heard all around. I could actually see a couple nests.

Vrangr and Saphira were practicing areal combat up in the sky. Their majesty pervaded the very air around me.

This was just...peaceful. Right.

Eragon POV

Eragon looked about the camp. Orik and the other dwarves were playing a game of riddles. Arya was sitting on a log, staring at the ground. Then Saphira sent him a thought:

There's a nice place a little way away. Meet me there. She showed him a clearing with a big drop.

Okay. Just a minute.

He set off into the forest. Emerging into the clearing, he saw Onyx standing at the edge of the cliff, facing the flying dragons. She was so different, he thought. Taking everything in stride, being kind and always managing humor whenever someone else was cold. And when nobody would talk with her, she stared off into the distance with a faraway expression in her eyes, sometimes singing to herself. He had never met anyone like her. She was, only in a few days, someone he could trust completely.

He walked over.

Onyx POV

Eragon came to stand beside me without a word. Our dragons landed. We all enjoyed a few moments watching the sun rise. It was amazing. The myriad of colors spilled out over the sky in a torrential flood. Winding trails of pink and gold encircled a disc of flame. Clouds hovered on the edges of the horizon. I amlost didn't want to leave.

"This is...wow. I've never seen a sunrise like this." I said

"It is something to remember."

"I think we should get back, though. The others probably want to leave."

"True," He said as we turned to walk away, "what do you think the elves will be like?"

"More different than any being that you have ever met."

"I guess so."

We then rejoined the others, and went through the customary routine of rolling up the tents, stowing them and any other gear, and readying the animals for departure (We had gotten the donkeys yesterday. Like Arya, I refused to ride them, and ran.).

It took us most of the day to make our way down the lake, reaching the elven outpost. Arya moved ahead of us, saying in the ancient language,

"It is I, Arya of Ellesmera, returned to the land of my ancestors!"

Four elves emerged from the trees, all laughing in amazement. They all hugged her, and even she seemed happy. So much for elven courtesy. Saphira and Vrangr landed them, causing the elves to cry in fright and reach for their weapons. Arya calmed them. She pointed to us, told them who we were.

"You are dragon riders?" One of them asked.

"We are." Eragon said.

"Why are there two of you?"

"His dragon was the egg that had been stolen. I found my dragon's egg in the Hadarac Desert."

"What are your names?"

"Eragon."

Saphira.

"Onyx."

Vrangr.

"This is amazing! A miracle that one rider as come to our lands, nearly unbeleivable that there would be two."

"Then have we served our purpose?" One of the dwarf guards asked.

"Yes, but you must all stay the night here. It would be a insult to have you leave right away."

They agreed, and the four elves began to rush about, readying food. No meat, of course. Actually being there in the forest could never compare to just reading about it. I had tied myself to this world, it was becoming more my home every day.

This was my life now.