There isn't a cooldown period for Volyn's shouts, since that was implemented only as a game mechanic. Dragons breathe fire whenever they want, so Volyn will too. Also, I made up a few Shouts that'll be appearing either here or later chapters.

"Uhh…this definitely looks like dragon territory," Varric mused aloud, stepping over a charred piece of…something.

Velthorn nodded, looking around. Everything smelled of fire and ash. Most of the trees and brush remained intact, but open ground had been gouged by enormous claws and rocks had been blackened.

"Can't wait," Bull said enthusiastically, "This is gonna be fun."

"I'm not sure 'fun' is the correct word," Cassandra replied. Everything about her demeanor was ridged.

But of course, they were on the lookout for a giant, flying, fire-breathing lizard.

"I'm just interested in what dragons are like in this world," Volyn said, "I've read they're like animals. They don't speak.

"They don't. They roar and spit fire and eat livestock. They are nothing more than an overgrown nuisance," Cassandra told him.

"That makes me feel special," Volyn said offhandedly. Varric chuckled.

Bull put in, "She's right though. Dragons are…magnificent and powerful and—" Here he made a sound which none of them had a word for. The closest would be a grunt "But…it's all unrestrained power. So people like us come along and balance things out."

"I suppose that's true enough. The dragons in my world are full of power, but they also think much like people do. When I found out I was Dragonborn, one of my mentors was a dragon named Paarthurnax," Volyn said

"You trained with a dragon?" Bull asked.

"Yes, mastering the Thu'um. Shouts come naturally to me once I know the word, but true mastery is different. I suppose you'll be seeing a few Shouts in the coming battle."

"Shouts are how dragons in your world breathe fire and other such elemental attacks, are they not?" Solas asked.

"Yes, that's right, though they do other things as well. I summoned the storm at Haven to cover our tracks and distract Corypheus. There are many powerful things I can do with them," Volyn confirmed.

"Strange that our world is so saturated in magic, yet our dragons don't have the magical capabilities of their counterparts in your world," Solas said.

Volyn shrugged. "I've seen many odd things in my lifetime. That is the least strange. Besides, my world has its share of magic as well, besides just the dragons. Oblivion, Daedra, the Eye of Magnus, the Soul Cairn. And that's just some of the things I've seen. There are so many things I could tell you about, things people know and things people don't know, but it would take days, weeks, to explain."

There was a distant screech as he finished that sentence and the entire team was put right back on the edge. It had been quiet for a while now, allowing them the confidence to talk.

"And we do not have that time, at present," Solas said.

"What I wouldn't give to train with a dragon," Bull mused aloud.

Scanning the skies from under his hood, Volyn replied, "It wasn't terribly exciting. We debated over magical theory, philosophy, and morality most of the time."

"Yeah…but dragon," the Qunari said.

After that, they tried not to speak and instead focus on the impending fight. There had been sightings of dragonlings in the area and they weren't sure how many to expect.

The group found the first of them happily tearing into a dead deer, pulling off strips of skin and chunks of flesh. It heard them approaching, however, and raised its head. A bolt struck it in the neck, sticking fast in the still developing scales.

Bull went after it, bringing his axe around with a great cry. The horse-sized creature let out a rough screech and ran after him, only to collide with the axe. With a crunch, the blade made quick work of its neck and the dragonling dropped.

"We should bring the Inquisition's people when we're done here. Dragonlings, drakes, and dragons have crafting materials we could use," Bull said.

"Plus, having an axe made from a dragon's bones sounds pretty good, right?" Volyn asked with a smirk.

"Oooh yeah," Bull agreed.

More dragonlings stood in their way, but they were no match for the team. Though big, the beasts weren't as skilled or experienced as their mother. Their fireballs went awry and their movements were awkward, giving the team a considerable edge against them.

They arrived at what they assumed was the nesting area. Bones and scorch marks littered the area, and a group of half a dozen dragonlings were play-fighting near the water's edge. Volyn thought they looked like cats, hopping around each other the way they were.

It was obvious they'd roused the mother when a shriek resounded throughout the nest. She rose to her feet and looked down on them from the cliff, wings flaring out. The sun gleamed off the yellow and green scales, the almost hexagonal pattern on display. The membrane of her wings looked golden in the light.

She was certainly a sight to behold.

Then she leaped down from her perch, making the ground rumble beneath her. She hissed as she came closer to them, tail swishing.

The babies had noticed them now and were coming straight for them.

"Varric, Volyn," Velthorn said, "Keep those dragonlings off of us."

Arrows only really worked on dragonlings, since their scales weren't quite the armor of their adult form. As the two began firing, the mages refreshed their barrier spells while Cassandra and Bull kept themselves planted for the coming attack.

The first blast of fire sent a thrill of terror through Velthorn, as the flames and heat engulfed them. But then he and Solas cast a blizzard in tandem and mitigated the heat. Any damage that might have been done by either attack was dampened by the enchanted armor they wore.

With a loud cry, Bull rushed the dragon, aiming to catch her in the face with his axe. She snarled at his approach and snapped, but he avoided the toothy maw and brought the axe around. At the last second, the dragon raised her head out of the way, but Bull had seen that coming. Instead of getting her face, the axe buried itself in a leg as thick as he was.

She screeched in fury, raising her leg and pulling the axe's handle from Bull's grasp. More quickly than any of them could anticipate, she turned and used her tail to send Bull flying back. He landed with a grunt, but seemed unharmed, as he got back to his feet and kept on.

Cassandra was already on the other side of her, lashing out with her sword at the giant creature's other front leg.

All but two of the dragonlings was dead, but the remaining ones were too wary to come near and had hidden by some rocks. Volyn pulled his sword.

"Focus on the mother," he called to Varric, "I'll take care of these two."

Varric didn't reply with anything more than a nod as he fitted another bolt to Bianca. If he could just get that dragon in the eye, they might have a better chance.

Volyn advanced on the dragonlings, who made pitiful, terrified sounds. They scrambled over each other, trying to flee. Volyn broke into a run.

They weren't fast and Volyn caught up to them in no time. With a single stroke, he decapitated one of them, twisted around, and did the same to the other. The heads and bodies dropped, blood gushing from both.

"Sorry, little ones," Volyn said, leaving the bodies where they lay.

The others were a ways off, having followed the dragon farther to the other side of the lair. She was swatting, snapping, and breathing fire over his companions, though they didn't seem to be suffering too terribly yet. But in this fight, he was allowed to use his Shouts, and he was more than willing to do so.

"Wuld Nah Kest!"

Volyn felt himself pulled forward and was suddenly standing beside Solas, who was startled by his sudden appearance. Neither acknowledged this, however, as Volyn went to join Bull and Cassandra at the forefront of the battle.

The warriors were slashing at the dragon's already injured leg, giving Volyn a clear path. This dragon breathed fired, so now it was time to see how much resistance it had to the cold.

"Fo Krah Diin!"

The Shout took the form of an icy wave, shooting through the air and rolling over the dragon like mist.

She recoiled, shrieking and breathing a torrent of flames as ice crystals formed on her scales and froze the delicate skin of her wings' membranes.

A paw smacked Volyn square in the chest as the dragon lashed out. He suddenly found himself on his back, unable to find his breath, fifteen feet away. Someone helped him to his feet as his vision momentarily darkened. His ribs ached.

"Are you all right?" Solas shouted over the dragon's commotion.

The ground felt like it was moving, but Volyn nodded, dislodging himself from the elf. After a moment, the world became righted. As it did, Volyn brought forth the spell that would help mend his probably broken ribs. When the pain had subsided, he rejoined his companions.

The dragon had decided that enough was enough. She opened her wings wide and brought them down, causing a powerful gust of wind. Cassandra was knocked from her feet and even Bull struggled against the wind. With one last ball of fire, the dragon made her exit, galloping away from them before taking to the air.

As she did, Volyn wondered if Dragonrend would even work on her. Even if it didn't, it was worth a shot. The Shout hit her and outlined her form in blue. At first, it seemed she would continue flying, but then it was clear the magic was weighing down her wings. She was going to come down.

"What is that?" Bull asked.

"Dragonrend. Created to combat the dragons' ability to fly," Volyn quickly explained.

"She's going to crash!" Cassandra shouted, "Move!"

The dragon was off balance, panic impairing her judgement. And unfortunately, she was coming right at them.

They moved to the sides, running to get as far from the expected impact site as possible. Even still, when the full weight of the creature came down on the earth, it nearly knocked them from their feet. Her wings just barely missed them as she skidded by.

She was stunned, nearly unconscious. She tried to get her feet under her, but looked unable to do so.

Volyn knew this was their moment to strike. He used the Whirlwind Sprint to catch up to her and came out of the Shout running. Sword in hand, he leaped up onto her back, which was a good eight or ten feet from the ground.

Volyn planted his feet as he positioned himself, the tip of the sword between the creature's shoulder blades. With a sharp jab, he brought the sword down, which crunched into bone.

Once more, the dragon let out the most piercing call any of them had ever heard, but Bull was already there. He brought his axe down on the dragon's neck, severing its spine.

Golden, reptilian eyes rolled back and the dragon went limp all over, dead.

Things were mostly quiet that night at camp. Their injuries had been patched up or healed and now they were just tired. Cassandra and Solas had already retired to their tents, while Bull raved about how exciting the fight had been to Varric.

Volyn's eyes were trained out into the darkness, on the lookout for bandits that had been reported in the area.

"How did our dragon compare to some of the ones you've killed?" Velthorn asked. The elf was sitting wearily beside the fire, half listening to Bull and Varric.

"She wasn't disappointing, that's for sure," the vampire replied. "I'm not sure it's even worth comparing them, though. They are so vastly different."

"But was it easier or harder, would you say?"

Volyn thought for a moment. "Easier, on the one hand. Many dragons back home use their wits to outsmart dragon-hunters. The one we fought today was sheer power, and thought it was intelligent for an animal, it still acted by instinct only."

He wondered if this fight would rile up the dragon souls within him. A good fight always made them restless, but this was a fight against a dragon. A dragon from a different world, no less. He had a feeling he wouldn't be getting much sleep.

"Either way, I'm glad you were there with us. And on our side," Velthorn told him.

Volyn gave a little laugh and the younger elf bade him good night.