We were in the air for less than thirty minutes before Obsidian had to land from exhaustion. I guessed that we had travelled roughly ten leagues from my house. The direction in which we had travelled, however, was a little more difficult to fathom.
My fatigue, coupled with the uncomfortable woodland floor on which I was sitting, studying the map, had landed me in a foul mood.
"Okay...so we...I think we flew North-East...which would mean that this would be the Forest of Twyne...oh, but it could have been South-West, in which case this is...Du Welenvarden," I muttered to myself, stumbling over the pronunciation, before sighing and looking over at Obsidian, who was lying on his side with his back to me. "Oh, I give up, Obsidian, this is much too confusing. All four corners of this map look exactly the same! Mountains and trees and ocean...how am I supposed to figure out where we are? Selena always said I had no sense of direction, but I thought she was only saying that to offend me after I mocked her dancing at the summer ball...which was ridiculous, I might add. She looked like an animal caught in a trap, all flailing limbs and...hey, are you listening? Why do I have to do everything, anyway? You're the dragon, you know, you're the one with the wings, you should have been keeping track..."
He interrupted my rantings with a loud snore which sent a flock of birds nesting in a nearby tree darting into the air with fright. I sighed, rolling the map up and stuffing it haphazardly into my bag, which I then threw to the ground beside me and rested my head on, pondering what our next move should be.
It was almost morning, and I had not slept since the night before. As I lay there, gazing at the lightening sky, I stifled a yawn as fatigue finally caught up with me and it was not long before I gave into sleep, despite the loud grunts and snorts coming from the overgrown lizard beside me.
When I awoke, it was to find the day well and truly under way. The air was alive with bird-song and animal-chatter and the sun beamed down through the gaps in the foliage overhead. I sat up, groaning, as it seemed that every single muscle in my tired body was protesting against the movement.
I forced myself to my feet and stretched, doing my best to ignore the pain as I did so. My legs ached from gripping Obsidian's sides so tightly during the flight the night before, and my back had seized up with cramp from sleeping on the cold, hard ground. For a few moments, I was so pre-occupied with my own aches and pains that I completely forgot about my companion. I wheeled around to face him, and found to my extreme concern that I was alone in the clearing.
"Hey! Dragon! Obsidian, where are you?" I cried, cringing inwardly when I heard my voice trembling slightly of it's own volition. I listened intently, but heard no reply. I inhaled a breath to call again when a voice behind me made me jump.
"Yes?"
I spun around so quickly that I threw myself off-balance, swaying awkwardly before landing with a yelp in a rather ungraceful heap in the bracken. I blew my hair out of my face and glared indignantly at the large reptile before me, who seemed to find my current position rather amusing.
"What are you laughing at?" I demanded, angry at myself for my clumsiness rather than him.
"Perhaps I should not have flown with you last night, it seems you are still having trouble finding your feet." He replied, mockingly. Perhaps out of sheer surprise that he had rebutted with wit, or perhaps because I knew his thoughts and saw that his statement was not without affection, I found myself unable to stay angry with him.
I pushed myself lightly to my feet, laughing, and my damaged pride was forgotten about in an instant.
"Hmm...perhaps I should not have flown with you, little dragon." I teased, "Because now we are lost."
"We are not lost." He replied, snorting indignantly.
"So where are we, then?" I challenged. He looked around thoughtfully, before replying.
"We are in the woods."
"You could be a little more specific." I said, crossing my arms and cocking an eyebrow at him in amusement.
"What is your concern? We are safe." He replied, and there was a slight hint of irritation in his voice, which I ignored.
"For now, but what will happen when my father sends his guards after us?"
"They will not track us." He said, simply.
"They will not have to! My father is one of the most powerful men in Alagaesia, he could have soldiers everywhere!"
"You are exaggerating, girl. We are safe in this place."
"Okay, let us pretend that you are right. Say we are safe. What then? I do not plan to live in hiding for the rest of my days."
"We will not have to. Soon I will be strong enough to protect us both." He snorted, and I found his lack of concern for our predicament more frustrating than I cared to admit.
"And until then we remain completely vulnerable!" I threw my hands up in exasperation.
"Not completely vulnerable..." He started, trailing off when he saw the expression on my face. "What do you suggest?"
"The Varden's main base is rumoured to lie somewhere in the Beor mountains, I'm sure they would welcome us into their midst gladly...after all, two dragon riders are better than one. Of course, the mountains remain a vast area to search...but I have a feeling if I show up with you they will find us."
"The Varden...the rebel fighters?"
"Yes...what do you know of them?"
"Only what you do." He replied, with a definite air of amusement at my ignorance.
"Of course..."
"Where are these mountains that you speak of?"
"Due South of my father's lands...so it would really help if we knew where we were now in relation to there...maybe I should check the map again." I said, doubtfully, the memories of my last struggle with the complicated diagrams and keys still fresh in my mind.
With Obsidian's help, I was given a rough idea of where we were. He scouted the area from the skies and discovered a winding river less than a mile from our camp, which we decided could only be the Gaena river, meaning that we had travelled quite a distance South the night before. This news was gladly received and we used the remaining hours of sunlight to plan the rest of our journey.
We would follow the Gaena river South until it pooled into the Eldor lake, then we would continue down the Edda river which was born of the lake and which ran into the Az Ragni. This last river would take us to the very edge of the Beor mountains, and we would have a constant supply of running water along the way.
Satisfied, and feeling rather pleased with ourselves, we set about building a small fire on which to cook our supper...then lay the challenge of catching something large enough to feed us both.
I sat cross-legged, grateful for the heat radiating from the dancing, orange flames, and strung the bow that I had brought along with a deftness that can only be achieved from years of being forced to learn the "art" of archery by angry tutors with hard canes.
Obsidian watched my fingers work with something close to fascination in his eyes, before snorting contemptuously.
"You humans are such queer animals." He observed, though not unkindly. I stopped mid-way through the act of loading my quiver and looked up at him.
"Oh? How so?" I asked, genuinely curious to hear his thoughts.
"You hold so much power over this land, and yet you rely on such feeble weapons for strength."
"You would not think them so feeble with an arrow in your gut." I promised, grinning at his words.
"Sticks and strings...a ridiculous contraption. I will show you how a dragon hunts for prey." He said, proudly.
"And I will prove to you that my methods are just as effective."
"I do not understand, Katharean, how you could be so naïve as to believe that any weapon ever forged by man, elf or dwarf could match the skill and precision achieved by simple tooth and claw."
"That sounds like a challenge, dragon." I smiled, good-naturedly.
"If you will accept it, archer." He replied, the mocking tone in his voice not going unnoticed. "Although I would understand if you were to refuse while you still can."
His attitude put me in mind of a competitive child, so much so that I had to force mysefl to supress a giggle for fear of hurting his pride. I swung my quiver over my shoulder with confidence and nocked a single, red-feathered arrow.
"I think you know my answer."
AN: Blegh, I hate this chapter, but I've looked over it so many times that I just want to get rid of it...my brain won't work any more and I've read the same sentence twenty five times now...but still, I figure I have you guys :-P If you have any suggestion to make this chapter not suck, they would be much appreciated :-)