It looked to Kai like every dwarf had joined the fight when their band met up with her in the battle, she barely gave them a glance, but she could feel their stares bore into her back as she swiftly maneuvered through the crazed confused crowd. She vanished leaving a line of mangled bodies and moved toward the slowly backing line of Empire soldiers.

The thick veil of smoke over the Burning Plains burned her throat and watered her eyes. Peat fires burned everywhere and the dead bodies caught up in them tainting the air with the stench of death. Everything was a blur of orange below the dark cloud over the plains.

Kai glanced up while she pulled her thin sword through a few men, the smoke cloud swirled as her friend swooped down again adding to the flames, she saw the few arrows sticking from his hide, shallow gashes patterned his legs and his mouth seemed to pour blood, his own and the soldiers he crushed in his jaws.

Kai realized that neither of them were armored in the least, all she had was her shirt and pants and thin cloth shoes, while her companion only his thick hide and durable scales.

How are you holding up? Kai thought to the beast as she used a mans shoulder to launch herself away from a burning peat fire.

I do not fight for myself, I will last. He replied in a huff as his angered thoughts lowly played in the background of his message. I only fear what will happen to you at the end of this. He thought softly then cut the connection as he dodged a horde of arrows, some piercing his thin wings.

Kai's falter at his words awarded her a thin scratch of a sharp sword across her cheek, she felt the hot blood mix with the dirt dusting her face and drag down her neck and soak into her dark shirt. With a glare she removed the mans head, his shocked expression of actually harming her forever stuck on his face.

"She is no demon!" A man yelled at the sight of her cut. "She bleeds!" his words brought something new to the group of men solely transfixed on her. The realization that she could be harmed brought on another rush of adrenalin in the surrounding men. Kai's golden green eyes flashed at the men that formed the circle around her, but before she could lash out at them a war cry echoed through the wails of death and a rampage of urgals, no Kull, broke through the men around her and continued on.

So the Varden had befriended the Urgals. She concluded standing back from their battle parade.

War clouded her mind as the fighting continued on and the Varden slowly over took the Empires soldiers. Kai finally ceased her onslaught of the empire and watched as the last of their soldiers hurried to regroup and attack later.

The fighters that had also stopped kept weary eyes on her; she could see the death they had seen in their eyes. Their haunted eyes stayed with her long after the battle. Their stare left her as her only real friend shook the ground with his crooked landing, the arrows planted in his sides moved with his muscles as he walked toward her. She watched as he folded his wings back and grew worried as the sight of the smoky plain could be seen through the numerous holes littering his leathery wings.

They thought you a demon with the way you fight. The dragon told her as he kept his head high. Kai sighed as she heard the humor through his tone; he must be fine if he could joke. The Varden leader "desperately" wishes to meet with us.

"As would be assumed." Kai said aloud, her muscles were still tense with the battle, her hearing picking up on every carnivorous bird circling the dead bodies below the thick smoke in the Burning Plains.

With the intimidating beast behind her Kai made her way toward the Varden's resting place unhindered. She assumed the massive walls and tent tops was the direction she would find the Varden's leader.

The battle weary men avoided them as they trudged through the death ridden field and around the hundreds of fires. Even through the suffocating smoke in the fields, the little light that made its way through glimmered and shinned off the blue scales of the other dragon, she guessed that was the dragon with the Varden, next to the beast was a very tired looking boy dressed in armor as well as the blue dragon, both displayed almost fatal wounds, though they stood strong. A man stood next to the tall boy, he had a thick beard and travel worn clothes splattered in blood. Kai doubted she looked too presentable; she avoided any other injury beside the cut on her cheek. Besides the thin trail down her face, she was just about drenched in the empires blood. She could feel the blood dry in her hair, over her hands and in her clothes; she tried not to show that it bothered her.

Across from the dragon she noticed two women, one was tall with dark black hair and an elf's face, the other was a little shorter with dark skin and an air of power about her, that, Kai guessed was the leader wishing to speak with them.

Her friend was a some bit larger them the blue dragon, his form still twitched with the arrows and his mouth dripped blood to add to the streams running down his side.

You look better off then the other dragon. Kai thought glancing back at him as he tried not to flinch with every step. I promise to treat those as soon as possible. She added not liking the state he was in.

The dark woman didn't really seem to know what to say, the rider looked shocked to see them approaching and the other two just stared, the remaining mans beard hiding his features. With some pressuring of her present company Kai addressed them herself.

"I am Kai, and this is…" Suoh. The dragon supplied to her. "Suoh." She said in her soft, emotionless voice. The others still seemed dazed. "Suoh wished to help your cause, and I joined him." She added.

"We appreciate your assistance." The dark woman said slowly… "How-" she cut herself off gaining a thoughtful look. "The only egg left is in the Kings possession." She said lamely, Kai kept her level gaze as the dark woman seemed to be talking to Suoh.

"I am Nasuada of the Varden." She formally introduced herself. "This is Eragon and Saphira. Arya, our elf ambassador and Rowan, Eragon's...cousin." She said with a nod from the tall boy next to the dragon, his features close up were very smooth and elf like.

Kai fluidly bowed to them all and Suoh nodded his head.

"Three in the same day…" Kai glanced to the man that just arrived, he was tall and his once nice clothes were worn and dirty, his eyes were transfixed onto Suoh and there were small glances towards Saphira.

"I believe we all should deal with these issues in the morning, right now we all should rest…….." Nasuada suggested in a way that meant she was suggesting nothing; it was more of an order.

"I'll show you to a tent." Eragon put in quickly after a sharp look from Nasuada.

"Thanks." Kai said slowly looking to Nasuada oddly then taking cautious steps toward Eragon with Suoh moving in jerked motions behind her. The big white head lowered near her head as they walked silently behind the armored rider and his dragon. It was obvious they were speaking to each other about Kai and Suoh. Kai caught every glance shot back towards them.

What do you think their saying? Kai asked Suoh as she kept a hand on his huge head as her form of support. There's no doubt they don't trust us…..

Suoh never really answered he only grunted and snorted a puff of smoke to add to the constant smog around them. He was in more pain then he would say.

Kai guessed that Eragon didn't know where he was going. They had been wandering for twenty minutes before someone from the Varden lead Eragon to a tent then her and Suoh to one directly next to it, yeah, they were positive they weren't trusted. They got the tent right next to their Rider.

Kai ignored the tent and physically pushed the huge white beast to the ground next to it and examined his wounds. She felt and heard him growl as she tenderly touched the arrows and observed his muscles contract on contact.

Kai was humming trying to sooth the beast as she gently wrapped her fingers around an arrow. Suoh knew what she was about to do and his growl deepened but he didn't move and clenched his jaws anticipating the pain.

The ground around her rumbled from Suoh's held in growl of pain. She held an upset scowl as she pushed her hands over the flow of blood.

"I don't like magic." she told Suoh in a soft voice. His growl was dissipating as his wound chilled under her hand. "But I'll do this for you." It bothered her how she had become so fond of the dragon over such a short time, well to her it was short time span.

Suoh roughly hummed as his last arrow wound disappeared under Kais cold hands. She pulled her hand away and watched the dragon's last scales weave back together, then with distaste snapped the urgal arrow in her fist.

"Let me see your wings." Kai said blankly as she felt Eragon and Saphira watching her. Suoh delicately stretched his wing avoiding the surrounding tents and Kai quickly pulled her hands over the thin skin, the wounds weren't as sever so it didn't take much to heal.

"Be thankful I can do this much." Kai told the healed beast pushing her nose onto his large chiseled snout.

I am grateful. His deep voice said in her head and he hummed causing pressure to rattle Kais shoulders, she smiled, stroked the beast's cheek then slipped into her tent.

Review please.

-BS