Authors Note from Tallacus: I would like to thank my good friend, fellow CG enthusiast, dinosaur, and dragon and fantasy fan, and overall wonderful person, Acanya Helke for working with me on this project and how we always manage to get each other through on Guild Wars. (If you play this MMORPG please tell us so we would like to play with you and if you're not in a Guild, we need members!) Also for letting me share her account with her! Please check out her other cool stories!

Woot! Wow, I love getting reviews, whether they are praise or flame. (No dragon could out flame our dragons, hehehe) Though let me say this, if we would ever get a really nasty flame, a real bad one that out does our magnificent reptiles then I say this: "May your home be burned to the ground by an army of Urgals and all your loved ones devoured by the Ra'zac ".

Nace: That was too harsh even to my liking.

Tallacus: Oh come on Nace. Let me have fun with my Inheritance analogies or whatever you would call what I had just said.

Nathan was still holding Nace when Oria escorted them out on the other side of the building. "It seems that we have attracted unnecessary attention", Oria said. She looked at Nace, the dragon shuddered back recoiling in fear from her gaze then relaxed. "What did you do to her?" Nathan had asked fearing that Oria had somehow harmed Nace.

Oria went to look for a bag. "I told her that we're going to have to hide her, but I reassured she will be okay".

"How then are you able to -"

"That mark on you hand is a gift from your dragon, it's called the Gedway ignasia. With it you too share a common mind that only the riders and their dragons share".

Oria opened what appeared to be an old picnic basket. Nace still had a look of fear on her as Nathan lowered her into the basket. "It'll be okay Nace," he said trying to reassure her, the dragon looked up at him from her enclosure feeling a bit more secure. As he closed the lid he asked Oria, "How come you could talk to her and I can't. She is my dragon".

Oria lifted up her own personal bag saying, "Your bond with her is still in its infancy, my bond with my dragon is over a two centuries old, don't worry about it. I remember it took nearly a week for me before I was able to speak to my dragon, and believe me on this: part once and you will spend endless days speaking to one another on of mundane things."

The street they had entered was a lot quieter then the one they came in from, only a fewer people here. Nathan had thought it would easy enough to get to his house, pack and get out of Teirm as soon as possible.

"Nay-than"!

He turned around and there was John, Nathan's old study buddy. John proceeded to shake his hand in their style they always used. "What's with the basket"? John asked in his cheery manner.

"Uh I was just picking up a few things for the family, sorry John I have to get going".

John then noticed Oria's tapered ears.

"You never told me you knew and elf".

"She and I just met." Noticing Oria's annoyed look he shooed John away as politely as he can and he reluctantly went on with himself.

Nathan had led Oria to his one story home on the port side of Teirm. No one would be home right now; it should be easy enough to get a few belongings and leave a note for his family. They're not going to believe me, he thought. That an elf just came one day and dispatched me to become a rider. Fate wasn't in his favor as his mother and his brother were still at home.

"Nathan, shouldn't you be a work and whose is this with you"? Samantha had asked as he entered the house with Oria.

"Are you a mother of this young one", Oria had asked Samantha.

"Yes, I am Samantha".

Oria bowed slightly. "I am Oria of house Meli'ivue. Congratulations are in order, for a dragon has just hatched for your son, and I am under obligation to take him to Du Weldenvarden to be trained as a rider."

Samantha was aghast.

"Nathan is this true?"

He was about to answer when Nace had popped her head out of the basket. Samantha had gasp, the dragon was looking straight at her with her golden eyes. Then Nace turned her attention to the left over sausage that was left on the breakfast table and jumped out of the picnic basket causing it to crash to the floor. Before Nathan could have acted she had already jump onto the table, knocked over a vase, the water sustaining the plants spilling over the table, and gobbled up the leftover sausage at lighting speed. Nathan immediately picked up a squirming Nace. The dragon thrashed about trying to open her wings.

"Yes mother it is", he said as he tried to restrain Nace who had finally calmed down.

"Ha"! Nathan turned to see his older brother James leaning on the door frame. "You do realize that if the stories are true, you are going to outlive all of us cause of your dragon".

Nathan was speechless as always when his brother gave him these truths. He just couldn't prepare a defense or was too shell shocked at times like this.

"So this is what fate has led you too", Samantha said and looked at her son smiling. "It finally happened, your path in life has been set, go for it".

"He can barely take care of his own cat, how could he take care of a dragon"? James spoke up.

"James, I can do it, I acknowledge that through out my life I didn't really live up to proper standards, but now this dragon is now a proper turning point in my life". James snorted and left the room.

"Ignore him", advised Samantha. She got up and proceeded to pet Nace who accepted the scratching with a soothing low growl like a purring cat. "All that time waiting, it finally came through".

Before Nathan could reply Samantha embraced her boy. Nace caught in the center purring feeling the warmly embrace. "You have a great destiny in front of you", Samantha said sniffling. She patted him on the shoulder, "Well off with you. Now go and pack, I'll tell your father when he gets home". Oria moved over to Nathan and told him to meet her outside of the city when he was ready.

Nathan hurried and packed his things that he would bring not the just the necessities like clothing and bow and quiver and hunting knife and such, but also his favorite books and trinkets. Nace meanwhile was on his bed bobbing up the down like a bottle on the open sea on the spongy surface making small sounds of amusement then curled on a pillow and took a cat nap. He paused to look at himself in the mirror. Brown eyes and short greasy black hair were his basic features, but his most bizarre feature was his thin mustache that he had ever since he was fifteen. He was brought back to reality when Nace nuzzled his hand. Nathan petted the dragon on the head.

"My life begins anew now because of you." He told her. Nace replied with a squeaked and a released smoke from her nostrils that not only surprised Nathan but Nace as well as she stumbled back.

"Careful now, I don't want you burn down the house that has been in my family for generations", he said with a laugh. He slung his pack on one shoulder and picked up Nace and made one last glance at his room and headed downstairs where his Samantha and James had been waiting for him at the table.

"Take care Nathan", Samantha kissed him.

"Thank you mom, I'll miss you". They embraced.

Samantha then petted Nace on the head and said to her "you too". Nace replied with her squeaking. Then it was Nathan's elder brother turn. "Just take care of her", he said pointy to Nace.

"I will". Then they hugged. Bidding one last goodbye to his family Nathan left, Nace in hand. As they both looked back his home, Nathan hopping one day to return a changed person with great accomplishments. He head out to the town gates, people giving him a wide berth as he walked by with his dragon in hand to where Oria had said she would meet him.