Alex swam for a long while on the oceans surface. His backpack was weighing him down, but he still managed to make much progress.
"The waters are becoming restless. Something important is going to happen, and I want to find out what" he said, noticing the increasing size of the waves. Alex continued swimming toward the beach, but he was rapidly becoming exhausted.
"I hope I can make it" he gasped. Suddenly a large wave appeared under him and carried him toward the beach. Alex hit the sand rather hard, but stood up and looked around, wiping the sand off of his face.
"Well, that was convenient" said Alex, taking off his pack, armor, and clothes, and laying them on the sunny beach to dry. He then looked up at the nearby mountains, and saw a thin crevice between two tall peaks.
"Looks a little hard to traverse, but it seems to be the only way across them. I'll go there later, when my clothes are dry, and after I've taken a nap and found something to eat" thought Alex to himself. He laid against his backpack, and dozed off in a peaceful sleep, being comforted by the warmness of the noon sun.
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Alex woke up with a yell as a sharp pain sliced across his foot. He looked down, and noticed his feet and the sand below them were wet. There was also a large fish clamped onto his toes.
"Tide must be coming in" thought Alex, picking up a nearby rock and throwing it at the fish's head, stunning it and dislodging it from his foot. He then retrieved the silver sword from his drying armor, and cut the fish's head off.
"This will make for a great meal. Now to find some firewood" said Alex joyfully. He placed the fish on a large rock, and wandered along the beach, collecting small longs of driftwood, and piles of dried grass. He went back to his campsite, and placed the logs in a pile with the grass surrounding it.
Alex then retrieved Balmung, and picked up Ascalon in his other hand. He spread his arms apart, and then quickly slammed the two swords together with a rather loud clang, creating a shower of sparks. He did this multiple times until the brush got set on fire. Alex put Balmung down, and impaled the fish on the silver blade. He held the fish over the fire, which was now growing in size and intensity, and turned it over every so often to cook it evenly.
Once it was done cooking, Alex peeled the scales off to reveal a delicious wad of golden brown fish meat. "This is excellent" he exclaimed, biting into the fish and savoring every bite.
"Ahh, that was good" he said, picking the bones off of his sword and throwing them away. Alex put the swords back into their sheathes, and then kneeled down next to his backpack.
"Time to see what else is in here" he thought, opening the pack. "Sweet, spare traveling clothes, and a metal-mesh undershirt. Now to get across those mountains" said Alex, picking out and putting on the mesh shirt and the suit of tough leather traveling clothes. He then neatly stuffed his armor into his backpack, closed it up and put it on. Taking a deep breath, Alex went to the crevice between the mountains, and started climbing up it.
"Boy, this is conveniently easy to walk. Barely any obstacles at all" said Alex, walking around a large boulder. He looked up at the mountains looming over him.
"Wow" he said. "I wonder what's on the other side of them." Alex stared dreamily at the sky, longing for the breezes blowing across his face. He did not realize he was still walking while dreaming, and collided face-first with a wide tree.
"Gaah" he exclaimed, rubbing his nose. "I have got to remember to observe and be familiar with my surroundings…Whoa"
Alex looked around with surprise at the forest surrounding him, while the mountains were at his back. "This forest" he said softly. "It is silent, mysterious...almost magical."
He continued walking into the heart of the forest, becoming strangely more anxious. "My heart is beating faster, just like when I was climbing those cliffs on that island. Something important must be happening soon" said Alex, pausing in a small clearing.
He had traveled far and fast through the forest, finding nothing but trees, shrubbery, and the occasional trace of an animal. "I should find a place to camp out. Night is coming soon" thought Alex.
He looked up, and saw two large holes in a large tree, high above the ground. "Perfect" he thought, climbing up the tree.
"High enough off the ground as not to be bothered by animals, and excellent shelter from weather."
He climbed in the lower hole, and placed his backpack in the smaller hole above him. He opened it up, and below his armor was a sleeping mat, which he pulled out and laid on the floor of the tree-hole.
"Now to find some food" Alex said to himself, climbing down the tree. He continued through the forest silently, looking for something edible.
Suddenly an explosion shattered the tranquility of the forest. Alex dived behind a bush, then got up and looked around. A herd of deer ran in front of where Alex was standing. "Time to tackle" said Alex, leaping at a nearby deer.
He grabbed the animal by the neck, but fell off and crashed to the ground. The deer retaliated by kicking him in the legs, and running away into the forest. "Curses" swore Alex, getting up and brushing himself off.
"Now I'll be hungry for a …What the!" His heart skipped a beat as he noticed an arrow protruding loosely from his chest.
"Thank the gods for armor" said Alex, relieved, pulling the arrow out. "Now to find the owner of this arrow. He or she should be nearby." He walked in the direction of the explosion, hoping to find the cause.
Walking through the forest, Alex came upon a smoky clearing of grass and brush, flattened to the ground by a strange force. In the midst of the clearing were two shiny stones, one a deep black and the other a beautiful blue.
"Wow" said Alex. "I wonder who or what sent these here and how… Whoa!" His head snapped around as he noticed a young lad crouched in a nearby bush, with an arrow nocked in his bow. The lad, surprised that Alex noticed him, released the arrow which flew right into Alex's chest.
"Hey, what was that for?" exclaimed Alex, pulling the arrow out.
The lad got up, and said cautiously "Who are you, and why aren't you dead? That arrow went straight into your chest."
"My name is Alex, and the reason I am not dead is because of this" He lifted up his over shirt to reveal his mesh armor.
"Here's your arrows back. And what might your name be?" asked Alex, tossing the arrows over to the lad, who caught them deftly and placed them in his quiver.
"I'm called Eragon" said the lad warily. "What might you be doing here in the Spine of all places?" Alex walked toward the stones in the center of the clearing, being watched closely by Eragon.
"To be quite honest, I don't know. I just have this gut feeling that I'm supposed to be here" he replied. "What about you, Eragon? Are you just hunting here?"
"Yes" replied Eragon. "My family needs food for the upcoming winter, and I've some to get some here. Though I've run out of supplies, and probably should turn back." Eragon walked up toward Alex in the center of the clearing.
Alex, looking at him deeply, could sense a faint bond of trust between them. "There is something strange, rather unique, about this lad" thought Alex. "Though I don't exactly know what it is. I guess I'll find out eventually."
"However" said Eragon, bending down to have a closer look at the stones. "I think these stones will fetch me enough to buy plenty of meat. You don't mind if I take them both?"
"Well" said Alex, bending down and picking up the black stone. "I believe that this is what I was supposed to be here for. How about this: I'll take this black stone, and you can have the blue one. It should still get you enough money for food. Is that okay with you?"
"I suppose" sighed Eragon, looking up at the sky. "I should go now. It's getting late. Do you have a place to stay?" he asked, watching Alex.
"Yeah, I found a large tree with a gaping hole in the trunk that I've made a nice home out of. It's rather deep in the forest. What about you? Is there a village nearby where you reside?" replied Alex.
"Yes, it's called Carvahall. It's not too far from here. If you want to visit, follow the animal tracks out of this forest and into a large valley. Carvahall is at the base of a waterfall" Eragon put the blue stone in his backpack, and began to walk away. "I have to get moving before night falls. You should do the same, as this forest can be quite dangerous at night."
"Thanks for the info and warning" said Alex, waving goodbye to Eragon, who disappeared into the trees. He sighed, and began to walk back to his tree home. Suddenly, a small vibration shook the stone. Alex blinked in surprise and looked at the stone. He tapped it, but nothing happened.
"This is no normal stone. I wonder what's within it. Oh well, it's waiting until morning" thought Alex, climbing up the tree and into the hole. He put the stone next to his backpack, then laid on the floor and dozed off into a peaceful rest.