A/N: We've been over this. I. Am. Not. C. P. If I were, this would not be fanfiction. All wolves belong to me. Shadefire and Raven belong to me. Murtagh and Thorn belong to C.P. If you were here for ice cream, go away. I don't do dairy.

Inspiration goes to IndigoDragonRider, an awesome author. Check them out.

Secrets of Life

Chapter Three

Tales and Tails

Raven settled her chin in her hands, her long dark braid resting over her right shoulder. Maelstrom, who always made a show of never leaving her side, lounged beside her on the old bench she sat on, occasionally sighing in contentment. Finally, she asked him, Are you absolutely sure about your earlier statement?

Of course, he replied, his calm voice soothing her, a balm for her multiple worries. My nose doesn't lie, Ravenna.

You must be serious if you're using my full name. But...

Maelstrom shifted to get a better look at her. You look alike, you smell alike, and you have the same taste in clothing, somehow. You may not have the same emotions at times, but you were raised apart, after all. Shadefire says the same.

That is correct, said dragon commented dryly. One great green eye rested on her, and Raven could see all the fire her dragon was known for within their emerald depths. Even Ebrithil could say the same: it is probable that your assumptions are correct.

But not certain.

Shadefire sighed. Aye. It is not certain.

Maelstrom flickered an ear before saying, Do you think we should introduce them to Ebrithil?

Not yet, replied Raven. I'm still working on how I would, if at all. If anything, it should be Ebrithil who decides.

That is wise, murmured the black dragon.

There was a soft knock on the doorframe. "Yes?" queried Raven.

A blonde head poked in. "Ah, Raven... They're here..." she said. "Thank you, Nova. Could you bring them in?" The other nodded before disappearing. A moment later, Murtagh appeared in the doorway, followed by Thorn, and they looked around the spacious area. Raven gestured to the bench opposite her, and Thorn immediately slid behind it, crouching down and making himself comfortable, mirroring Shadefire, who sat behind her own Rider. Murtagh sat down on the bench, and they waited for Storm, who was late in getting back from whatever she was doing.

After a few minutes, she trotted in, nodded to Thorn and Shadefire, and sat at Murtagh's feet. Raven chuckled, and Storm replied with an indignant 'I did protect him for nine years, you know,' look.

"Well, Storm obviously remembers you. Whose story should we start with first?"
This time, it was Thorn who replied. I would like to hear your story, Raven. Murtagh has only told me about you twice, and what he said was vague. I wish to hear your adventures of the last twelve years. His deep voice was like that of the sky itself, she noted.

She nodded to him, and then, taking a deep, steadying breath, began her story.
"Well, Murtagh, you know what happened before we left, so I won't need to say anything about that. After we galloped off, we went north. My father - the Hunter - knew of this pack of wolf-people. It's where Maelstrom and Storm are from.

"Just before we entered the Spine, soldiers caught us, and my father and his horse were killed in the skirmish. My own mare had gotten a bad gouge, which, thankfully, I was able to heal. We were then in the Spine, with only my father's directions to go north. So north I went.

"After several months, Maelstrom's brother, Tempest, found us, and guided us to the rest of the pack.

"After a month of recovering, the alpha, Pyra, taught me the ways of the wolves; how to hunt and fight, how to shift into a wolf at will, and also how to completely conceal my mind. When I had mastered this, he taught me to use the sword. As you can see, I prefer dual-wielding.

"When I had finally had all the training he could give me, he took me to a small cave, where they were holding Shadefire's egg. I didn't know it was an egg at the time, so when they asked me to touch it and sleep in the cave close to it, I was surprised, to say the least. After a day in her company, she hatched for me, and marked me as her Rider.

"After that, it was almost eight years before anything of huge importance happened, and that was just Storm coming back after watching over you, with the word that you could more than take care of yourself."

"Until I got here."

Raven smiled and nodded. "Yes. Until you got here."

"So... You've just been here all these years, with no word from Alagaësia?"

"Mmh."

"How did Shadefire train?"

She gave him an unreadable look, then said "She follows her basic instinct, and her heart. She trained herself, really," was all she said. Murtagh nodded, then sighed and said, "Well, you'll be wanting to know how I've been faring, won't you?"

She nodded, giving an encouraging smile.

He sighed again, then stated "I'm assuming Storm told you about the nine years she was with me?" She nodded again.

"Hmm. Well, after I had escaped from Urû'Baen, which was where she left me, I journeyed to a friend's estate, and stayed there awhile. I didn't stay long, though.

"After a few months, I left, wanting to somehow strike my own blow against the Empire. I soon found out about the Ra'zac, and tracked them to Dras Leona. After a few days, they left, so, I went after them. In doing so, I teamed up with a boy, only two years younger than I, who was also a Dragon Rider.

"His name was Eragon, and his dragon, Saphira, was blue. About a month after I met him, we were on the outskirts of Gil'ead, where he was captured.

"His dragon and I got him out, while also rescuing an elf named Arya, who had couriered Saphira's egg back and forth between Ellesméra and the Varden.

"After that little escapade, we travelled to the Varden. When we got there, the Varden leader at that time, Ajihad, recognized me, and had to lock me up, both because he was suspicious, and also to protect me. While I was there, I met his daughter, Nasuada, and... Well..." He trailed off, getting a distant look in his eye. Raven let him brood for a moment, before prodding at him to continue.

"Sorry. As I was saying, after a few weeks, an Urgal army, under the command of Galbatorix, waged a battle on the Varden, and Ajihad let me fight. We won, and I gained a mutual trust from the Varden.

"However, after the battle, we found Eragon, who had defeated a Shade. But not easily. Now he had a scar on his back, much like I did, and it pained him whenever he tried to do something even slightly exerting.

"After the battle, Ajihad, two of his lieutenants and a small amount of his followers and me went down into the tunnels to track down Urgal escapees. We managed to find and kill what we thought was all of them, but we were wrong.

"The two lieutenants were actually allied with the King, and ambushed us as we came back. They killed Ajihad, most of his men, and took me prisoner. They brought me before the very court I had run away from, and that's where Thorn hatched for me.

"When the King found out, he immediately extracted our true names and made us swear oaths in the Ancient Language, binding us to him. He then gave us extensive training, teaching me magic himself, while his own brute, Shruikan, taught Thorn. After awhile, he showed us the Eldunarí, making Thorn and my powers grow far faster than they should have.

"It was in Galbatorix's court that I learned that Eragon and I were brothers.

"After several months of hard training, he sent me to battle with the Varden on the Burning Plains. There I killed the dwarf king, Hrothgar, and fought my brother on a higher plateau than the two armies, and told him that we were brothers.

"I could only let him get away because of a loophole in the King's orders.

"After that, we battled on and off. I learned who had trained Eragon and Saphira, and Galbatorix and Shruikan used us to kill them. Finally, after over a year of battle, they moved to attack the capitol. Then, Galbatorix ordered me to capture the Varden leader. I didn't even know it was Nasuada until I followed through with the King's orders.

"After she had been captured, Galbatorix tried to break her, to convince her to join his side, and had me torture her at first. Then, he used a more barbaric means, even if it was only once, and I don't know what was worse: torturing her myself, or watching that be done to her.

"Finally, the Varden attacked. Eragon, Saphira, Arya and another, a girl named Elva, made it to the throne room. There, the King made Eragon and I fight, where I learned that he wasn't my full brother, only my half-brother. His father was the man who killed mine. I wish I could have thanked him.

"Then, Eragon did something to end the fight; he let me stab him. Then, he struck me with a blow, and in that instant, my true name changed. We were then able to go against Galbatorix, and he... 'eradicated' himself, you could say. His blast killed Shruikan as well, and after that... We went north."

He concluded his story with a hint of sadness. "That was almost a year ago. I have no idea how they are now, or if the third egg that the King had has hatched yet. All I really know, is that I'm finally free."

A/N: Whoo! That was exhausting! I hope I never have to do that again! Anyways, PM me if you can guess what Raven was worrying about in the beginning. Don't say in public reviews, please! You can review, if you want to, because:

You need to tell me what you think. Like it? Hate it? TELL ME!Con-crit is really quite welcome, thank you. Flames will be used to keep me warm this coming fall/winter

Thanks for reading!

Falcon