hey, sorry not alot happens, but next chapter will hopefully be a heck of a lot better :D

claimer: i own everything that's not in eragon or eldest, lucky CP..

enjoy!

29.-Complications

Tears sprung to my eyes, I hadn't known the woman, but seeing her life extinguished so soon after seeing her alive and healthy the day before, it just reminded me so much of my grandmother, her death being so unexpected and coming as a shock. I was speechless as I glared at the tarnished serpentine sword, the snake head adorning the hilt was exactly the same as the one on the dagger I had found in my grandmothers hand when I buried her.

Their murders had obviously been committed by the same fiend, their deaths were linked in a way I had yet to discover, but I was definitely going to find out who killed them, and hunt them down until they themselves were dead, depending on whether I was the one to kill them or not.

"Dorran, we have to get her back to the Varden, Nasuada will surely want to hear of this." I whispered to him, closing my eyes so that I did not have to witness the sight before me any longer than necessary. He nodded and leant down; his jaws closing around the sword, and jerked his head up, ripping the blade free of her chest.

"I will carry her, tie her to my back will you?" he replied, sliding the sword into the sheath that hung from her belt, the blade entering only halfway seeing as the cover was forged for a different sword.

I nodded and morphed, walking towards her body, the black leather she wore bloodstained and ripped. I leant down and wrapped my arms under her arms and lifted her onto Dorrans hard glimmering scales, grimacing as her limp form sagged and dragged her down, making her heavier to hoist.

My ears pricked as I heard a scuffling at the entrance of the cave and I whipped round, dropping Arya and taking up an attack position, wishing that I hadn't left my sword and dagger in the marble cave lining the walls of the dragon hold. The snuffling grew louder until a huge black nose appeared; followed quickly by a tree-colored muzzle and finally a wolf face with glowing sapphire eyes.

I let out the breath I had been holding, Faolan.

But then I grew cautious, what was he doing here at a murder scene? Especially when he was supposedly somewhere in the woods of Grimshaw with Murtagh and Thorn, it was all pretty suspicious if you asked me.

Brother, what brings you here? Dorran asked, projecting the conversation into our heads, his tone wary and slightly suspicious like my thoughts. The wood colored wolf crept into the cave, noticing for the first time Arya's body sprawled on the floor.

Murtagh said they had to return to somewhere, leaving me on my own, so I followed your scent and mind patterns, with difficulty, to here. And by the looks of things I am too late. Dorran, I would never have thought you and Kalanie were killers, I guess I misjudged my own brother. He said all of this not looking at us, but instead examining Arya's body with interest, as if it didn't bother him that she was dead and was instead intrigued by her lifeless corpse.

"It is not like that Faolan, we have only just discovered her body and were just about to take it back to the Var- um…a place we know of that will take care of it." I stuttered and managed to catch myself before I told him of the place Nasuada had told us to keep a secret.

Faolan's body started blurring as he shifted into his human form and stood, stretching his cramped muscles and shaking out his arms and legs. "Fine, but I am coming too, seeing as you both abandoned me and we are far from the pack, I have no where else to go." He crossed his arms and stared at us, giving us no choice but to allow him to follow.

I sighed, "Fine, you may come, but do not blame us if you are not welcomed. And you can also not be a werewolf, so you will have to remain in your human form for the entire time we're there, however unpleasant that may be for you." I said, annoyed at his stubbornness and the fact that he will be one more thing to tell Eragon about.

He beamed, his sapphire eyes twinkling in the now bright sunlight. Without saying anything he hoisted Arya's limp body and easily placed her atop Dorran who had remained in dragon form the entire time. He strapped the dead woman to his scales using his belt so that she would not fall while we were flying, then he turned to face me, his face looking as if he were expecting something.

"What?" I snapped, annoyed at his strange behavior.

"I cannot fly." He prompted. I growled, understanding what he meant.

"Fine, you will have to ride on my back until we get there." I hissed, morphing into the silver dragoness and tucking my wings tight to my sides.

His face supported a look I could not comprehend, "I would be honored to ride you." He replied, and I was suddenly overwhelmed with the sense of a double meaning in his words. I growled threateningly, but it was not I who replied, but Dorran, tangled emotions radiating off of his body and rushing into my mind.

I knew he was talking to his brother, but he shut the conversation from my mind so that I could not hear. Faolan turned to his brother and smirked, an amused look coming to his eyes, and then he turned to me, the blue orbs flitting over my form. I growled uncomfortably and Dorran's enraged roar filled the entire cave, echoing off the walls and the clearing between the mountains, so forceful that the lake itself seemed to vibrate with the intensity of his voice.

He leapt and pinned his brother to the ground, his talons almost larger than Faolan's torso. "Don't you ever, EVER, think like that again, or you will be eternally sorry." His deep voice hissed into his brothers' ear, his ivory fangs bared and his entire form quivering.

Faolan growled something incomprehensive back and pushed the claws off of him and stood up. He brushed his back down then made his way to me. I kept on guard, my silver eyes watching his every move intensely.

"I apologize, as I have explained to my brother, it is not my fault that your…forms please me, but I should not have come on so strong, forgive me?" he pleaded.

I growled, "For now, but don't you ever say anything like that again, or you will be charred on the spot." He nodded and walked to my side, placing his hands atop my wing muscles, and swung his right leg over my back as if he were mounting a horse.

He shifted into a comfortable position and clutched onto one of the many polished white spikes lining my spine. He gripped with his knees and slipped his legs in front of my wings so that they did not get in the way when I was flying. I grew accustomed to his weight as I made my way to the entrance of the cave after Dorran had propelled himself out of the mouth and into the sky above. I spread my wings, crouched, then leapt off the side of the mountain, enjoying the feel of the short fall and the wind rushing around me.

I sniggered as I heard Faolan screaming, his yells of terror being whipped away by the wind. This is payback for what you said, I projected into his mind, and pressed my wings to my side, plummeting faster towards the lake below. Then right before I was immersed in the icy depths I pulled out of the dive, snapping out my wings and catching the air to soar up into the now pale pink sky.

I drifted up to Dorran who was shaking with laughter at the sigh of Faolan's face which was a mixture of terror and embarrassment, like the kind you get when you do something exceedingly awkward in public.

"I swear, if you've peed yourself you're barbequed." I growled to him in between gasps for air. His tanned face turned red and he shook it violently, embarrassed that I had even mentioned that.

I laughed and shook my head, propelling myself forward towards the sky entrance of the dragon hold, following Dorran as he had been the one to lead me to the lake in the first place and I had no idea how to get back. We made it to the hollow mountain with Faolan still in one piece having not been charred just yet, and soared lazily down through the skylight, the gleaming marble walls almost blinding us when reflecting the suns rays.

I caught a glimpse of sapphire and groaned at the though of what was going to happen when Eragon found out that Arya was dead. After all, we did not want to be accused of being murderers, even though we did look extremely suspicious after disappearing in the middle of the night. We landed in the rider and dragon's cave dismally, all of us wondering the same thing, how was everyone going to react when they saw the dead ally?

This was definitely not going to be fun.

tad of graphic humor there, and as i said, pretty short but next chapter will be better :D

PLEASE REVIEW!!!!!!!!!!!

-Firesilk:D