I, uh… I… *insert totally unbelievable excuse here*! Anyway, I apologize for the shortness of this chapter, but I had severe writer's block and decided to post it as it was… You know, so something happens. I guess you've been waiting so long; you just want to read the chapter…

Morzan looked at his dragon, thinking that it had to be given a name.

What kind of name does one give a dragon, anyway?

Morzan wouldn't know. He decided to just call his dragon 'hatchling' until he knew if it was a girl or a boy. He stared for a moment or two more, then was interrupted by a tap on the shoulder.

"Touch the hatchling. Go on." The elder rider urged. Morzan glanced at him suspiciously, but did what he said. His hand reached out, and the dragon looked at the object.

"Go on," came a voice from behind him. Morzan hesitated, but it was too late; the hatchling had pushed its snout forwards.

They made contact. Pain erupted in Morzan's right hand. The fire was spreading through his body, and Morzan knew he was going to die. The agony was too much for a mortal, even one like him. His great strength would not help him now, and all he could do was try to end it quickly. The burning had reached the rest of his body, and it seared through his veins. Death was inevitable.

So much for being a Dragon Rider.

And then, it was over. No more pain, no more colour. So why could the tortured boy still feel his surroundings? Why could he still hear the murmurs of the crowd? Soon, it dawned on the young rider that his life was NOT over. He might still reach the freedom he craved. He cracked open his eyes just a notch, and shook his head to clear all of the red splotches crowding his vision. Morzan stared up at a pale blue sky.

Oops.

He had passed out… It occurred to the smith's son that he looked rather bad in front of the gathered audience. Quickly, he pushed himself off the ground and stood up. The elder Rider smiled kindly at him.

"You did well…" the other man said. "Most scream or wail or plea for an end to the pain." This knowledge made Morzan suddenly feel very proud. He raised his right hand, heard a collective gasp as if the world itself was surprised, and swiftly lowered his hand to check what was so wrong. His palm had turned silver.

"You will pack around ten days travelling things and eight day's food. It is only three days to the nearest town on dragonback, but your young one is too small to hunt and will need to be fed often." The other Rider told him. "And my name is Vilrien."

I'm leaving.

Leaving forever.

So… How was it? Good? Okay? Bad? Terrible? Utterly and epically failed? Tell me! Reviews.

XXcandy-kissesXx: Sorry… Have a cookie.

Massa: Rushing things? Am I? Sorry.

R.S: YAY, you got me! But yeah.

NormalityIsNonexistant: Well, ya knows how Morzy was always described as 'Weak of mind' His dragon is sort of… 'Strong of mind', so he makes up for his Rider's flaws by being excessively intelligent, although just as impatient… Ya. I would feel sorry for Morzy, but he has a dragon Rider on his side. Shameless advertising?

I have a new STORY up! Me and CouldBe, who is way awesomer than me (Awesomer is NOT a real word, people) wrote it during a sleepover, while making Pizza and trying to play a game… So it's not perfect, but it IS entirely nuts, and I would like to know how badly we failed. So, everyone, check out 'Be careful what you wish for'. BONKERS!

Oh, and CouldBe has posted two very awesome stories called Freedom and A Rider's Curse. She would appreciate it if you read them.

(Review please! Make the little blue button very happy!)