Wow...finally the chapter is done. This turned out to be the longest yet, and you don't know how hard its been to keep from writing Nipwing's thoughts before he's old enough.

As always, I don't own anything that is in Christopher Paolini's books, only everything else.

Thanks to everyone who has reviewed! Your support has been overwhelming! Enjoy!!!

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Noiselessly, she made her way across the rooftops toward the wealthy section of the city. She had memorized the inhabitants of every fancy house and kept track of the ups and downs of their wealth. Most she had never stolen from, but tonight's target usually had a run of good luck before her visits. This will be the sixth time she's stolen from him, which is rather dangerous. The more times a thief steals from someone, the more likely it is to get caught.

As expected, the merchant had increased his security; but whether because of her last visit or because his newly increased wealth, she didn't know. The number of guards had increased from two to six, and three new dogs slumbered along the side of the house.

The heist will be tricky, but if luck smiled on her, she could pull it off.

She didn't expect an opportunity to arise until later that night, so she lay down on the merchant's roof and, making herself as comfortable as possible, dozed.

She woke an hour before midnight. Much of the sky was covered by clouds, and the quarter moon allowed her good night vision while hiding the dark figure from the guards' sight. It was a perfect time to explore.

She slowly and carefully maneuvered her legs over the edge of the roof and dropped a few feet onto a small balcony. The rich loved balconies and wide windowsills. It made it that much easier to climb to an open window.

Unfortunately, this window wasn't open. It was latched shut from the inside. Latches are trickier than locks. With locks, you only need to move one piece of the mechanism, and you're in; the entire latch has to be moved to unlock it. Latches also made more noise than locks.

Moving between balconies and windowsills, she made her way around the perimeter of the house. Every door and window was latched shut; some were locked as well.

Back on the first balcony, she sat down. Closing her eyes, she listened. Her master used to make her sit and listen for hours at a time; she became very good at it

The most prominent sound in the immediate area was the shuffling of the guards as they made their rounds, and the snuffling snores of the sleeping dogs.

Five hours later, the servants woke in their quarters on the first floor. They yawned and stretched, and headed out to start the morning's work. They tried to be quiet so their master wouldn't be awoken, but they weren't silent enough to hide from The Raven.

In a moment, a series of clicks signaled an opportunity. The maids were opening the hall windows to let in the warm morning air.

Remaining as still as possible, Raven glanced over at the nearest open window. The maid leaned on the sill and took a deep breath before she returned to her duties.

Making sure the guards weren't looking in her direction, the thief climbed onto the windowsill. The hallway was empty. She snuck down the hall toward where she knew the merchant's personal chambers were.

She reached the chambers and stepped inside. Luckily the maid had already restarted the fire; there would be no disturbances for a time.

The merchant had a fondness for jewels and always kept a small stash of the most beautiful in his chambers. Unfortunately, he moved the stash every month or so.

She checked the most likely place first, a carved wooden box which held his day jewelry. No jewel stash. Not even secret compartment. She silently and methodically searched the room. If she didn't find it soon, she would have to come back the next night.

But Lady Luck chose to smile on her. The stash was hidden in a boot in the back of his closet. Snatching up the velvet bag, she went to the glass doors that opened out onto the largest balcony. Quietly she unlatched the doors and opened them slightly. She pulled out a large raven's feather and a piece of string, and tied the feather to the latch.

Stepping outside, she started to close the doors when she heard footsteps coming down the hallway. She had wanted to relock the doors to add to the confusion, but if she stayed ant longer she would get caught.

She stepped on the balcony rail, grabbed the edge of the roof and swung her legs up. She rolled a little ways away from the edge just as the maid entered. The escape had to be timed just right.

The maid was humming as she moved around the room. When she went to open the heavy curtains at the windows, she gasped. She moved to the slightly open door and lifted the feather in her shaking hand.

"Oh, my…Guards!" dropping the feather she leaned over the rail to yell at the sleepy patrol below. "The Raven! The Raven is here! Search the grounds!" once the dogs were roused and the men began searching every inch of the property, the maid stepped back inside to wake her master.

Now. Raven quietly moved into a crouch. The first signs of sunrise peeked over the horizon. It wouldn't be long before her dark clothes become more of a hindrance than a help.

Trying to make as little noise as possible, the thief crept across the rooftop, aligning her body with the next roof. She would have to move fast.

She ran down the rooftop as fast as she could. At the edge, she leapt.

If any of the guards had seen, they would have been amazed. The distance she covered with that jump was beyond the abilities of most humans.

She landed hard on the next roof, but nothing felt broken so she kept running. She didn't stop until she reached the inn. Slipping through the window, she pulled off her mask and collapsed on the bed.

Nipwing stuck his head out of his hiding place, and then, crawling out, he jumped up on the bed and nuzzled Raven's shoulder. The girl lifted her arm, and as the dragon settled against her, absently stroked his scales.

She slept peacefully for a few hours, before a knock sounded at the door. Nipwing scurried off the bed and dove into the pile of bags.

Raven groaned quietly, rolled off the bed, and walked to the door. She cracked open the door to find a young girl standing outside.

"Th' mistress wan'ed t' know if yu'd wan' some breakfas'." The girl said, shyly tugging at her skirt.

"No, thank you. I have some food with me. But tell her I appreciate the offer." The child did a clumsy little curtsey and hurried off.

Raven closed the door and sleepily rubbed her eyes. The pile of leather in the corner shifted and made an odd noise.

Moving to the corner, she lifted open the saddle bag. Inside, Nipwing looked at his companion, mouth full with a small piece of meat hanging out.

For a moment, they just stared at each other, unmoving. Then, the blank look in Raven's eyes transformed to dagger glares, her lips tightened, and her cheeks began to turn red. The meat disappeared and the mass in the small mouth slid down the small throat.

"You are so dead!" Raven said coldly. "That was my breakfast for tomorrow. Now I have to go see Karlik." Nipwing tried to impress his remorse through their mental link but the girl only put up a wall, blocking any communication between them.

Rifling through her bags, she pulled out a simple dress and belt. She slipped the dress on over her thief clothes and buckled on the belt.

She dumped the contents of the velvet bag onto the bed and inspected her prize. The gems were fine indeed. Two were especially lovely. A ruby that was about an inch across and a yellow diamond that was only slightly larger. These she set aside for herself. As for the rest, she calculated their value and replaced them in a bag. She then strapped the bag against the inside of her lag with a strip of spare cloth. Only after this did she drop her mental wall.

"I'll be back tonight. If you do anything other than sit quietly in the bag, I will turn that scaly hide into a new pair of boots." With that, she adjusted her face to an expected morning cheeriness and walked out the door.

"Ah, there you are, dearie," the inn's mistress said as Raven entered the common room. "Did you sleep well?"

"Very well, thank you."

"Glad to hear it. We pride ourselves on our service here. Will you be wantin' a bath and supper again tonight?"

"Oh," Raven pulled out her money purse and looked inside. Three lonely copper coins sat at the bottom. "I think I'll skip the bath tonight and just have supper." She dug out two of the coins. "Your stew is delicious, by the way." The coins were pressed into the stout woman's hand.

"You should try the rack o' lamb. It's a mite more expensive, but its heavenly tender."

"Perhaps tomorrow night." The thief smiled and exited the inn.

For most of the morning, she wandered around the city that was closer to being called home than anywhere else in Alagaësia. She had started off on these streets, picking pockets and stealing from bread carts to survive

But she refused to linger on those memories. Those years had been hard and cruel.

When her stomach started to rumble, she made her way toward Karlik's shop.

Karlik was a rather ordinary man. He was of average height, had an average build, and an average, if not greedy, personality.

Because of his ordinariness, little attention was paid to him and he was able to sell all sorts of stolen goods in peace. All weren't stolen, of course, but a great many items were.

But that was not why Raven had chosen him as her regular buyer. Karlik had a fascinating secret talent. One that the thief had discovered while snooping around the shopping district one night.

Through his identification spells, Karlik was able to keep from being cheated. If a person tried to pass off a bit of cut glass as a diamond, the shrewd businessman's spell would show it for what it really was. His spells also countered basic illusion spells. Raven could fool him I she really wanted to, but that would be bad business.

He had never learned much else, but the identification spell, along with his business sense, was all he needed in his line of work.

"Good day, miss," the weasel said as she entered the shop, "How may I help you today?" That fake grin may seem friendly to a regular customer, but it was sickening to someone who knew the real man.

"Yes," she elevated the pitch of her voice slightly and grinned back, "I'm looking for a gift for my sister. She's getting married next month."

"Oh, congratulations!" he clapped his hands together joyously. Disgusting!

"Well, I have a lovely pearl necklace right over here." It was the same necklace she had sold him a year ago. He's losing his touch, she thought, if it takes him this long to sell some pearls.

The shopkeeper showed her one item after another. With each item, she claimed it was too expensive, not something her "sister" would like, or just not right.

After a few minutes, a young couple walked in. Karlik nodded to tem and turned back to his current customer.

"Is it alright if I just browse?" she asked before he could show her another trinket.

"Of course. Let me know if you need any assistance." He made a slight bow and moved over to the couple.

Raven slowly made her way through the store, pausing here and there to examine an item. Once she was sure Karlik couldn't see her, she pulled a small raven's feather out from under her belt. She cast an illusion spell, transforming the feather into a small stone bird. After setting the bird on a shelf, the girl finished her lap around the store, making sure not to rush.

"I didn't find anything that was right for her," she said once she reached the shopkeeper, "but thank you for letting me look."

"You're most welcome, miss. Come back anytime." Again, that awful grin.

She exited the store and slipped down a side alley to the shop's back door. Here she took off the belt and dress, and put on her mask. She then untied the velvet jewel bag from her leg, folded the dress, belt and cloth strap together and set them to the side, out of sight.

Karlik knew every item in his shop by heart. Once he finds the stone bird, he will cast his identification spell, revealing the feather. Recognizing their signal, he'll temporarily close the shop and come out the back door to talk. She only had to wait a few minutes.

"Raven, I didn't expect you for another day, at least." The weasel glanced down the alley making sure no one was around, "How long have you been waiting?" He always asked this, probably trying to figure out which of his customers she was.

"Too long." She replied with her usual answer, lowering her voice just enough to sound different than her normal voice.

"When I heard about the theft this morning, I tried to scry you, but I only got some blond-haired girl giggling over some new beau. I was sure I had done something wrong." Poor fool, she thought, he may have learned the words to scry but he didn't know the rules and limitations. He's gonna kill himself one of these days from overexerting himself. Her master had drummed into her from the start the rules of magic use.

"This," she said as she pulled out a small amulet on a leather thong around her neck, "is a special amulet. Anyone who tries to scry me will instead view the giggly girl who has a matching amulet."

"Oh," Karlik seemed a little put out at not being trusted, "so why did you steal from that merchant last night? Did you fail at Urû'baen?"

"The Raven never fails." She knew to show a weakness around his lot was worse than jumping in a pit filled with starving wolves.

"Let me see the prize, then."

"I'm keeping my prize,"

"What?!" Raven raised a gloved hand, signaling the businessman to keep his voice lowered. "We had a deal!"

"Yes, we did. But I've become attached. It's impossible for me to part with it now." Although now that she thought about it, she might have tried to merge the pieces back together as an egg. Oh, well. She couldn't do anything about it now.

"But what did you steal?"

"You'll find out soon enough. If I tell you now, with that slimy tongue of yours, you might let it slip." The man scoffed.

"You can trust me." Such obvious false sincerity.

"Yes, just like I can trust Galbatorix to pardon my crimes." Karlik snarled.

"Then why should I spread your great legend, hmmm?" he asked with a sarcastic tone. She tossed the bag of jewels to him, which he barely caught.

"You'll get a discount on those." He quickly opened the bag and spilled its contents into his hand. His face got the greedy look that always appeared when he saw a new treasure. He mumbled something and the jewels glowed for a moment.

"They're real enough." His face became one of the shrewd businessmen once more. "How much of a discount?"

"Thirty percent."

"Fifty percent," he countered

"Thirty."

"Forty."

"Thirty."

"Thirty-five."

"Thirty." Raven's eyes showed steely determination. Thirty percent off the purchase price and thirty percent added on to the selling price would still make him a large profit.

"Fine, thirty. Let me get the money." He walked back into the shop, coming out a minute later with a sack full of coins. They went through each jewel, figuring its value and calculating the thirty percent off the price. Karlik tried to cheat the thief a few times but she kept him in line.

Soon, the money was counted out, put in Raven's purse, and the two parted ways. Raven slipped on her normal clothes again and left the alley.

She continued to wander around the city, eventually coming across a row of food shops. She stepped into a bakery first. After buying some rolls for breakfast and some hard bread for traveling, she moved on to a cheese shop. She moved down the row buying a small supply of food to replace what Nipwing had eaten. When she reached the butcher shop, she took her time picking out some tasty meat. Finally, she bought a juicy-looking half rack of ribs for herself and a cheap block of regular meat for the ball of mischief. He had gotten most of her good food already; why should she buy him some good meat now?

She returned to her room at the inn a couple of hours before sunset. Before doing anything else she went to the pile of packs in the corner and lifted the flap of the saddlebag. Nipwing lay with his head on his claws. His eyes looked up at her with sadness lined with boredom.

"Look, I'm sorry for getting so mad at you this morning, but if you keep eating my food like this you're gonna cost me a fortune!" the golden eyes fell to the floor. Raven sighed.

"We're only gonna stay here a few more days then we'll move on and you can hunt all you want while we travel." Nipwing lifted his head slightly to look at the girl, and then dropped his head. Raven sat down next to the pile and was silent for a moment before continuing.

"As a thief, I don't like surprises. They cause too many problems. And you are a bundle of surprises," a small whine escaped the dragon's throat, "but I would bet my life that if we work together we can get through any problem thrown at us." Nipwing raised his head and gave a half-hearted chirp.

"Here, I've got something for you." She grabbed the hunk of meat she had bought for the dragon and unwrapped it under his nose. He let out a squeak and took as big a bite as possible.

"Don't eat it all at once! This has to last for the rest of our stay here," she slipped the package and the rest of the food into the saddlebag, "if you finish it all tonight, don't come crying to me tomorrow." She briefly petted the scaled head, and then headed downstairs for supper.

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Well, how'd you like it? Review to tell me what you think! Don't expect chapter 5 too soon. Its turned out harder to write than I thought. But I'll try to finish as soon as possible!