HIYA! Ya miss me? Ok! Tis the second chapter in my little story here. C'mon guyz! I won't kill you if gave a review….well….probably... depends on what you say…hehe…jk!

Alright! I won't delay any longer!

Chapter 2

Kareia looked uneasily at the baby dragon. What should she do? As she reached her hand out to stroke it, a thought struck her.

Wait, this is a hatchling, what would happen if I touch it? I already have the silvery mark on my palm from the first time I touched Saveil…will I get another one?

Saveil leaned his head over Kareia's shoulder. You'll have to touch her sooner or later. Besides, she's hungry.

Kareia gazed at her companion questionably. It's a she? Never mind, whatever.

Biting her lip, Kareia hesitantly outstretched her sweaty hand that already bore the silvery mark and stroked the back of the dragon. A sudden familiar, painful icy rush flowed through her palm and spread throughout her body. Her head ached and she felt as though her brain was splitting in two…something not so familiar. It was like a wall growing in the middle of her mind, she felt a second presence leak into her head and thoughts. Kareia had become used to Saveil's thoughts linking with hers, but now she had to share her one mind with two. She gasped in shock as her brain was divided among three different consciences. The young creature rubbed against one side of her mind while she felt Saveil's presence on the other. Kareia sat gasping for air in shock as the hatchling nipped at her chapped fingers. Saveil gave her a comforting nudge as her eyes came back focus and she snapped back to reality. She was shaking like a leaf from head to foot.

Kareia gazed down at her palm and gasped. The color turned from silver to a sparkling green that faded into silver around the edges. The mark had expanded from her palm to the whole underside of her hand and stretched a little up her arm. This might be a little difficult to hide.

The baby began to bite her fingers with more force in hunger. Kareia reached into her leather pouch tied around her waist and pulled out a handful of small shreds of dried meat. There came a familiar squeal of satisfaction as the baby pecked at the last portions of Kareia's food. Saveil sat quietly, his glowing sapphire eyes watched the hatchling as if he has never quite noticed what a dragon was.

They laid there on the sandy shore until Saveil decided to reminded Kareia, We should really get moving fast, Kareia. There are bound to be more soldiers headed this way and I don't think we really want them on our trail; it would be probably wise to get moving.

Kareia hated it when he used his sarcastic tone, Ugh! It'll be torture on my legs!

Kareia glanced at her still bleeding wounds. Luckily, she wasn't on Saveil long enough to damage her legs enough to a point to where she couldn't walk. Saveil showed signs of concern and guilt as he, too, looked at the wounds. He bent down and lightly brushed against the wounds with his nozzle. The pain slightly subsided but nothing else happened.

I'm sorry. I truly wish I had proper power to call upon to heal you, Kareia, Saveil thought with sincerity.

Oh darling, don't you worry about it. They will heal in their own good time.

Kareia flinched. Hopefully they will heal before she had to exert herself again. She really didn't feel like she was up to the task of outrunning anything else.

Kareia changed the subject: Well Saveil, looks like we have a new traveling companion with us. But this is going to double our troubles…I mean, how can we hide from the empire now that there's another dragon with us?

Don't worry about that right now, Saveil added hastily, She won't be that hard to hide for now and I'll fly high in the clouds, okay?

Okay…we need supplies…the closest town would be…Kareia pulled out a worn, folded map from her leather pouch, this place called Kuasta…from there we can follow the sea coast north to Teirm…

Suddenly, shouts were heard from above. Kareia gazed upward, squinting her eyes in the sun's brilliant shine. Lined along the tip of the cliff were faces looking down upon their small party. But these were faces that Kareia had never seen before…they were squashed pig-like faces with skin of the most unnatural color. Blue? Gray? They wore armor that seemed to be too small for their size, as if it were made for a human to wear and not a—whatever the hell these guys were. Their stocky arms held bows and arrows clutched under their unseen grip.

Kareia immediately grasped the baby dragon and tucked her under her cloak. As the strange beasts pulled back their bowstrings to fire, Saveil leaped over Kareia, wings outstretched, and allowed the arrows to bounce and scatter off his silver armor. There were a couple, however, that pierced the thin membrane of his wings.

Dragon clutched in one hand and sword unsheathed in the other, Kareia cried, "Fly Saveil! I'll be okay!"

With that, Kareia sprinted as hard as she could with her damaged legs to the base of the giant cliff side and hid among its shadows. The cuts in her legs made each step torture. She managed to race along the cliff's bottom, shielded by the protruding rock ledges coming out of the cliff's side of the raining arrows.

Out of the corner of her eye she saw Saveil take flight, and he made her smile in pride as she saw him catching an arrow in his own muscular hind legs and fling it back at the attackers. Being at an angle that made it impossible to see if the redirected arrow hit one of the creatures, Kareia didn't want to stop anyway. Her main priority was to run hard, get as close to the destined city as possible, and find a good hiding place.

It seemed her cuts were opening wider and she slowed from running to limping. Tears were forming in her eyes now as the pain steadily became to harder to ignore. The tiny dragon under her arm was beginning to struggle as the ride she was giving him became unpleasantly wobbly.

The sounds of the attacker's arrows ceased. Kareia wasn't sure if she should be relieved or worried. At least she knew where they were on the cliff, but now they could be anywhere.

Saveil! I need your help! I can't go on anymore! I feel like my legs are going to fall off!

Saveil reported back sharply, I'm coming Kareia! Stay where you are! I swear if they touch you…

Kareia looked up. Staying where she was had been a big mistake. Around the corner of a small rock ledge of the cliff came marching two of the strange creatures that had been attacking at the top of the cliff. Their twisted faces both showed triumphant smirks as they eyed me and my condition. They raised their swords, but did not attack. What are they waiting for? What do they want?

...maybe they're working for the empire. That's crazy! Would the empire sink this low and form alliances with these…these…THINGS? Well, she wasn't going to wait and find out.

Clenching her teeth, Kareia bent down, placed the struggling dragon behind a rock out of sight of the monsters. With enormous effort charged at the one closest to her. The whatever-it-was raised its sword as if it was expecting an attack, but Kareia was one step ahead of him. Instead of attacking face on, Kareia unexpectedly stepped off with her right foot; dodging the first swing of its sword and leaving the Thing wide open for attack. While it wasted seconds recollecting himself she twirled to its side and stabbed at its only unprotected area, the neck. But it didn't turn out to be the neck she stabbed; it was its…sword? The thing blocked it! It blocked her attack! It was obviously quicker than she thought. It took advantage of Kareia's shock and swung at her side but she was able to block herself at the last second, making her stumble and fall backward. The Thing raised its sword once more and came down aiming for her head, but before it reached her, Kareia rolled off to the side and sliced its foot. It doubled over and grunted in pain. Kareia took the opportunity to go for the neck again. It wasn't going to escape it this time….it was over. The Thing fell dead.

When Kareia looked up, she unexpectedly saw the second creature bringing down his sword in a strange, swift arc over her head. No! There was no time to block it! She couldn't stop it, she had no time…suddenly, out of no where, one word popped into her head, only one word that mattered in the world and it involuntarily leaped out of her mouth, "JIERDA!" A weird green light exploded out of her green and silvery hand with a force so powerful it made her fly back again. Everything was illuminated in the green light and it blinded Kareia. When the blinding light ceased, she looked down to see her hand was glowing brightly with the faintest tingling sensation running up her arm. She looked to see that the Thing which was about to kill her now lay dead on the spot.

Kareia collapsed on the floor in shock. Then all she felt was exhaustion…she couldn't stay awake…

She saw Saveil land at her side and she rolled her eyes, thinking sarcastically, Great timing.

And that was all she remembered before she slipped away to unconsciousness under the shadow of the cliff.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

And THAT, my friends, was the second chapter. BRAVO BRAVO! Whew! Ever since I got home from school I was finishing this chapter and my fingers are numb. XP…

Must I remind you all? REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW! Even if you spit at my story and think it's the most vile and amateurish thing on the planet. LET ME KNOW. I want to know what you guys think. Until next chapter!

- Dragons4eva

Aka: Temeraire00