Here's the second chapter of Dragon Hearts, peepz, since I felt I couldn't leave it at the first chapter, because then the dragons wouldn't have been introduced, and I just couldn't let that happen! So, readers and (maybe) reviewers, read on!

Disclaimer: Nope, last time I checked, I don't own XME. I only own my plot ideas! *grabs horde of plotbunnies sitting on her computer* All…mine!

Summary: Kitty has always hated dragons. When she meets a young dragon named Kurt, her views change entirely. But when disaster strikes the dragons, can Kitty save the beasts who have become her friends?

Dragon Hearts

2. Choosing a Dragon

Kitty sat up slowly, blinking her eyes against the starkly shining sunlight that poured in through her window. Grumbling, she wondered briefly what made her choose the bed with the window, then remembered that whether or not she was chosen by a dragon, she wasn't coming back here today.

She walked outside with Wanda, finding herself being stuck in a line with other beginners. A girl paced back in forth in front of them – she was the one who would tell them what to do. She had brown hair that went to her shoulders and a streak of white in her bangs. Kitty had heard of her; the girl's name was Rogue. Rogue's gaze swept over them once, and she spoke.

"Today all of you will choose a dragon. Or some of you will. There is always the chance that some of you will not bond to a dragon." She paused. "I'm here to tell you all what to do."

Kitty almost zoned out, but figured she'd have to pay attention anyways – since she'd be going up there eventually.

Rogue gestured to a wooden platform jutting out over the abyss. "This is where you'll stand." To demonstrate, she walked up the small amount of stairs and walked close to the edge, then turned around to look back at them. "When you get up here, in order to signify to the dragons that you're going to try to choose one, you must stick your fist out in front of you, and whistle. The fist, is so they can smell you, they'll know if you're destined to be a dragon rider or not. The whistling is for them to hear yah. Watch." She turned back to the darkness of the void, and whistled, sticking out her fist. A dark shadow shot up from the blackness, landing beside her.

Kitty nearly gasped. It was a dragon, wings flared out, making it appear bigger.

The dragon was large, and Rogue appeared to be a dwarf next to it. It was a great brown dragon, with darker brown horns and claws. The barbed tip of its tail was the same color as its horns. Its eyes were strange, red-on-black. And on its forehead was a red, diamond-shaped jewel; the light hitting it made it shine like a small star, out of place against the dragon's brown scales.

Rogue patted the dragon's neck. "This here is Remy. He's my bonded dragon. If you're lucky, you'll get a dragon. If you're not, you won't." She walked back down the stage, Remy flying off. She pointed to someone. "You go first."

Kitty realized it was Wanda. Slowly the black-haired girl stepped out of the line and walked up the platform, looking rather small against the shadows of dragons flickering across the abyss.

Wanda whistled, sticking out her fist like Rogue had told them to do, and for a moment all was silence. Kitty watched in rapt fascination as a breeze blew over the ground, and a great orange dragon, its bright wings spread wide, landed before Wanda. Kitty listened vaguely as Rogue called out instructions, and hesitantly, Wanda reached up and put one hand against the dragon's bright orange jewel. It flared once, a bright star in the early morning. Then Wanda grabbed a saddle from the allotted pile, sitting over by the edge of the wooden platform; securing it to the dragon, she climbed on. For a moment both seemed to hang there on the edge, the dragon's claws dug into the flimsy wood; then the dragon dropped like a stone and vanished out of sight, its orange tail-tip disappearing out of Kitty's line of vision last.

Kitty let out a breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding, and waited, anxiety building up, as others went before her, some getting chosen, some not. She was the last in the line, waiting still, until Rogue called her name.

Stiffly, Kitty forced herself to walk past Rogue and up to the dais, closing her eyes for a moment, swallowing in a vain attempt to calm her nerves.

She slowly took the steps up, struggling slightly to make herself get across to the almost-edge. The blackness of the yawning chasm in the ground seemed waiting to swallow her up…

Rogue's voice cut through the paralysis, and Kitty, still trembling, forced herself to hold out her fist as she had been instructed, and whistled, a high, quavering note that appeared (to Kitty) to be consumed by the far louder noise the dragons in the canyon were making.

Silence…

Hope was beginning to appear in Kitty's mind. She heard Rogue's voice. The dragon rider was yelling, "Okay, you can come back now…!"

Kitty had not time to wonder why the other's words had cut off so abruptly; for a huge azure-blue dragon had soared up from the depths of the gorge. Its huge glowing golden eyes were fixed on her, and she couldn't move, couldn't speak… Faintly she noticed the horns, claws, and tail-tip of the dragon were the same indigo color as the gem on its forehead.

Her ears dimly registered that she was supposed to be doing something. Slowly, closing her eyes to stave off the dragon's golden stare, she reached up one hand slowly. The dragon snorted – a breath of hot air in her face. She closed her eyes tighter and waited for it to breathe fire on her. But nothing happened.

Instead she felt smooth dragon scales beneath her hand.

Slowly she opened her eyes; her hand was just below the jewel; trembling, she reached up, and set her hand against the cool surface of the indigo jewel.

Her world was fading away; all she could see was the bright gemstone, her hand upon it appearing to be rather small. The air seemed to swirl with blue, and she heard a voice, echoing through her head.

Welcome, dragon rider.

She had no doubt it was the dragon. Who are you? she thought, her thought-voice quavering slightly in fear.

I am Kurt.

I'm Kitty, she replied. Suddenly the world came rushing back to her, and she blinked, her vision no longer filled with blue.

She remembered the other dragon riders (the ones who had been chosen anyways) had gone flying immediately afterwards. Kitty glanced at Rogue, who was standing by the platform. "Go on," the dragon rider stated. "First flight always cements the bond between you and your dragon. Go, now!"

Kitty's body automatically followed her instructions; Kitty's mind was still in a daze, swirls of blue swimming at the edges of her vision. She barely noticed when she threw the saddle over the dragon's back, securing the straps tightly. She only really noticed when she had climbed onto the saddle, staring out across the wide desert landscape.

She thought, in amazement, I don't really hate dragons anymore…

Any other thoughts were cut off when Kurt dropped like a stone from the platform, the darkness of the ravine coming up to meet them.

We met Kurt! Woo! How many of you suspected he would be the dragon? Well? *remembers* Oh right, it was in the summary… Ah yes, remember to review!

~ Shadey