Chapter 8

Disclaimer: I do not own the Inheritance Cycle or the original characters

At first when their merry band came round the curve in the trail Eragon and Brom did not see me, Saphira did but she already knew I was waiting. As they spotted me though, each had a different reaction. For Brom, he stopped in his tracks, and the lesson he was giving then went stiff with his eyes threatening to pop out. His strained exclamation of "A Shrrgn!" got not just my attention but everyone else's. Eragon asked, "A what?"

"A shrrgn.. They are cave wolves native to the Beors, why is one here in the spine?!"

I could see the anger building up in him before he snapped.

"Well I don't care what it is! Its tracks were all around my home and my uncle's remains! It will pay!"

Seeing as Zar'roc was packed away and was on Saphira, he pulled Brom's blade and rushed at me with a loud cry. Brom paled at the stupidity, Saphy looked alarmed and I just huffed. As he swung for my neck, I raised a paw. To me, the sword met my talons with sparks and halted. To them It seemed that the blade stopped midair above the paw. Both Brom and Eragon were surprised that not only did a giant wolf act to stop the sword but also succeeded. As I began to press the blade back and towards the ground the boy grunted and asked his partner for backup. When she refused the incredulous look he gave her was great.

But it gave me a chance to sound wiser so I chose then to speak up, broadcasting to all present.

"You're partner, little rider, knows not to rush in before knowing whether or not your opponent is what they seem."

I had to fight a chuckle as both father and son's eyes widened again. Really they were so alike, how had no one figured it out by now?. I shook my body then spread my now revealed wings and gave them a flap. With a rumble I had locked eyes with Eragon then down to the sound of rasping. He followed my gaze down and swallowed, finding the blade was stopped with four talons almost equal in size of said sword. He then dropped it with a clang and retreated next to Saphira. The silence gave me the opportunity to finish my 'lesson'.

"For if you are wrong, it could cost you your life."

I punctuated my words with a thundering deep roar and an immense twenty feet long jet of my white and black flames. Fiori seemed pleased with my display. Saphira looked at me with awe and.. something else that made me internally shudder for some reason. Eragon was trying to hide under one of her wings. And Brom seemed to have finally snapped out of his stupor and was scowling at me. After realizing I haven't attacked or moved from my spot, Eragon regained his confidence and his anger but I noted he never left Saphira's side.

"Why?! Why did you kill my uncle?! Don't deny it either! There were your prints all over the place!" He gestured to my pawprints from when I was cloaked with the illusion leading to where I sat now.

"That wasn't your uncle, that was a soldier who had the misfortune of stumbling across me." Partially true, I wasn't going to admit it was intended, else they'd start questioning how I knew he was going to get attacked.

Brom's Scowl deepend.

"Likely story dragon. Not only do you look like a dragon the king had twisted to serve him." Ooh how that remark got Fiori seething, being compared to old' Galby. "-But where is your proof?"

I radiated smugness as Garrow himself decided to step out of the woods to stand in front of me. "I am the proof, you crazy fool."

You know I was quite enjoying the look of shock on Brom's face. Did see him narrow his eyes and mutter a few near inaudible ancient words. My mentor was still raging at him in my mind and just barely kept herself from being discovered. Eventually Brom stopped and seemed to relax though he kept his eyes on me, stubborn fool. Eragon had rushed Garrow and embraced him with tears and I noticed how Brom avoided looking, playing off the hurt in his eyes as giving them privacy. We decided to travel a bit further into the woods, I had once more carried the buck for Garrow. Later that evening he, Eragon, and Brom worked to clean and carve it. After they ate around the campfire, courtesy of me, did Eragon come clean with his uncle. He officially introduced Saphira then got his lecture about keeping secrets and for stealing where he learned we watched him do it. Brom stayed out of it, instead his gaze never left me and followed my every movement.

We woke the next morning, Garrow and Eragon were laying next to Saphira, Brom was next to the dead fire awake and staring at me. I snorted smoke and told him I needed to hunt for another deer to replace the one we used.

"Why is it so important?" he had snapped at me disgruntled and so I told him the story.

"Garrow and Eragon had gone into the Spine to hunt, They had split up to better their success. Eragon had returned when he saw smoke. He'd climbed a tree to see it was from the direction and in his escape to get down quickly, the bark badly scratched the insides of his legs. When he hobbled home, saw the damage that had happened then finding what he thought was his uncle, it grew too much for the boy and he passed out fevered in the road to the village and you Brom, found him there. Garrow needs a deer to 'prove' the claim where he actually was. We watched where the villagers looked, no one went near the barn so we went there and stashed the soldier's armor there. You never looked there either."

Brom had stared at me after I finished the fake events then muttered something along the lines of "..getting old.. The dragon is a better storyteller than me.. Completely plausible.."

I took it as a compliment, didn't feel like telling him I've been thinking on an excuse for over a month though. I took wing not long after, and when I returned everyone was awake and getting ready to leave. Eragon and Brom were surprised how human the wound on the kill looked and I had to explain how.

" Used my mind to paralyze, slitted the throat with a talon, then pricked a hole in the ribs to appear like an arrow wound."

Eragon was amazed and a bit intimidated that I could do that with my mind, Brom just grunted "Fanghur trick". I grinned at that and gave Saphira the other I got and gave me a thankful look in return. Eragon field dressed the new deer while I explained the story to him and her. Both were impressed by how thought out it was. I had Eragon give his quiver and a few arrows to his uncle and had him say that his snapped when it got snagged on a passing bush and he simply threw it away instead of carrying the deer and the pieces.

Once everyone was ready, we all returned to the path. Eragon and his uncle shared a goodby with Garrow giving his blessing, telling him how proud he was and that he wouldn't hold it against his nephew.

We went with him until we got close to the village, then he took the deer on his shoulders, waved to us and set on down his path. Our young rider and his partner watched him disappear around the bend then turned to join Brom. I followed the duo and after an hour, decided to join Saphira in the air. No matter how many times I'm up here, I'm always feeling a rush of excitement. So did my flying partner, I spent the entire day watching her spin, roll, and dive through the air and it was quite the sight. It was easy to tell she had a closer attachment to the skies. That was ok, my element was below us. Occasionally she'd show off, darting towards me, rolling back onto herself before we connected then swooping up under me then looping back over my back.

A few times she'd give the back of my head a bap with her tail, or try to push off on my side with her paws and I'd just chuckle. Mid afternoon I saw a town in the distance and I frowned. If Garrow is still alive then is Eragon still after the Ra'zac? I'll have to ask when we make camp. In the meantime, I asked Saphira to relay the sighting and we would arrive by evening. I could have done it myself but Eragon was still a bit wary of me from earlier and I had a feeling Brom was waiting for camp to really start questioning me on my presence.

When evening came, Even those earthbound could see the town. After the two humans, jeez it was weird saying that, found a camp and made a fire did we land. I let Saphira go first, it's only polite, and after she settled did I land with a heavy thud. I hadn't even furled my wings in when Brom was up and scowling at me.

"Alright you, I want answers. Who are you, where did you come from, and why are you traveling with us? Did you save Eragon's uncle just to get his trust?"

I blinked and tilted my head in confusion. Did I not introduce myself? No, I didn't want to interrupt Eragon's reunion with his uncle. That last question got a growl from me as I leaned close, my snarling muzzle an inch from his face and I could tell my eyes glowed brighter because the underside of my horns grew lighter.

"My name is Wrathion you senile old fool, I came from across the sea, and I Have vested my life into the protection of these two, and I saved him because he was innocent. Isn't that what you do? Shur'tugal?"

The last part I said only to him and Brom jolted as if I tried to bite him. He glanced at Eragon and Saph but they didn't hear me then reached out with his own mind and I let him. I even fancified it up for him. A nice silvery mindscape With letters from the Dovahzul Alphabet lazily drifting about. Ok so wasn't fancy but it kept him distracted from pressing further and just asked "How'd I know? And did Saphira tell me?"

"I could feel the energies from your gedwëy ignasia, I was unaware that she knew."

He grumbled then demanded that I keep his secret. I just laughed and Asked Why should I?

"You demand me to tell everyone MY secrets. then want me to keep silent about yours? You've fallen far. But I will give you one piece of proof. Eke kausta fra arúnd du vaer. 'I come from over the sea'"

Was the truth too, Vroengard was across the sea and I did come from there. Half truthing it was easy.

A Lot of his tension seem to leave his body, and he promised not to ask anymore about me if I didn't tell his secret and I agreed. He withdrew and then told the others who noticed our, to them, silence I was no trouble to them.

After everyone settled down by the fire, Eragon asked if we had time to hunt and both Saph and I teased how slow he and Brom were moving. After that Brom began Eragon's swordsmanship lessons.

Watching the absolute slaughter the boy suffered at his father's assault was way better than what I read in the books. I did ask Saph if she could spot the resemblance between the two and she replied she could now that she was looking. We both were cheering the younger on, even my mentor who commented to me was enjoying the entertainment. She seemed to be quiet so far during our travel only stating her joy earlier when I shared my body to let her feel what it was like to fly again. Everyone turned in for sleep after Eragon became more bumps than human so they could get an early start tomorrow. My last thought before drifting off was what comment I could make when he woke the next morning.

I did not envy him.