Introductions went by rather swiftly after that; Brom had bowed low, introducing himself as an old storyteller associated with the band of rebels fighting against the Empire. That had earned a sly head-tilt from Erik, the poison dragon's maroon eyes narrowing as he listened in on the old man only to be barred from his thoughts by a kind of wall.
«The old man is only telling a half-truth,» he said to the rest of his Thunder privately. «He's truthful about the band of rebels, but he's not just a storyteller.» Rogue growled, making the blue dragoness that accompanies the two humans' glance at him, lifting her lip in the slightest of ways. «I could hide in his shadow if we find reason enough to suspect him,» The shadow dragon offered, but Natsu mentally tapped the two dragons cautiously.
«Just keep an eye on him for now,» he muttered. «So far, his scent is all over the boy and the little blue… don't suspect him unless he gives you a reason- no need to go headfirst into trouble.» Gajeel snickered, red eyes flitting to his Alpha. «When did you get so wise, Salamander?» Natsu snapped his jaws at the Iron Dragon, making the humans jump. «I've always been wise, you bucket of bolts!»
«If you would be so kind as to let us continue,» a new voice made the beginning of a quarrel pause and the three males turn to the one who had spoken- the blue dragoness. «MY name is Saphira, Dragon companion to Eragon.» Laxus snorted in amusement at the boy's name (being the one letter away of spelling Dragon) before stepping forwards, his massive bulk making the ground shake. He sniffed at the smaller blue and nodded his head. «Wendy has always wanted a younger sister,» was all he said before the named fluffy sky dragon bounded forwards, her lithe, airstream-form winding around Eragon and Saphira excitedly. The boy cried out and Saphira snarled in surprise, but Sting huffed. «Relax, she's just introducing herself to you.»
The sky dragon sniffed and churred over the Dragon-Rider pair before disentangling herself, her feathery wings chiming musically as she shrugged them.
«It's wonderful to officially and properly meet you,» was all the sky dragon said.
Natsu watched the proceedings before he turned to look at the sky- it was getting dark, and they would all need to camp somewhere for the night. «It's dangerous out in the open,» the Lightning Flame dragon said. «Rouge?» the shadow dragon nodded his great head once, rising to his paws. «I'll be back soon. Keep Sting out of trouble for me.» Natsu barked a rumbling laugh as the Light dragon sent a beam of white light at his brother, making the Shadow Dragon sink into the shadows of Gajeel's bulk to dodge before emerging from Laxus' shadow and flapping into the air.
"Where is he going?" Eragon asked, watching the black dragon vanish into the clouds. «He's going to keep a look out from farther away,» Sting answered. «Rouge stands the best in hiding in dark areas- he is a Shadow Dragon after all.»
Eragon was silent for several moments before he swallowed thickly. "I still can't wrap my head around it all- there are still free dragons out in the world… dragons that can force the very elements to bend to their will aside from fire… it's amazing."
«Yes… in the lands we come from, however… we are the last.» Wendy said gently; she didn't want to get these young ones' hopes up just to see them crushed when they found out that there weren't as many dragons as it seemed. «There was… a terrible war when we were very, very young… it was human against human, dragon against dragon, and human against dragon.» Brom perked up at the information, mounting Snowfire and gesturing in the direction Rouge flew in the coming night.
"You can tell us about this war as we continue, Wendy," the old man said. The six dragons exchanged looks before Natsu nodded. «Sure thing, old man.» with rumbles varying in pitch and degree, the seven dragons all lifted into the air, their minds still connected even though their bodies were apart.
Eragon could feel the longing to fly alongside her own kind run rampant within Saphira, but the fear of leaving him alone after an attack had happened so recently stayed her wings from joining her foreign brethren.
«Go ahead and join them,» Eragon encouraged her after a moment. «I will let you know if anything happens on the ground.» Saphira's mind brushes against Eragon's in thanks before she takes to the skies as well.
«Thank you, Little One.» Eragon let a tear slide down his cheek as he felt the unrestrained happiness that exploded from his partner as she rose in altitude, slotting herself beside the red and gold dragon and the smaller fur-covered dragoness. Moments later, six pillars of elemental breath erupted high into the skies, almost as if in celebration of a new member among their small thunder.
"Listen, boy," Brom said, pulling Eragon's attention from the dragons circling above. The old man had tears staining his cheeks, and his eyes glistened with more as he watched the glittering hides overhead- no he wasn't watching them, his eyes were closed…
"Listen."
Eragon did as the old man instructed and let his eyes slide shut as well.
Thunder rolling over the hills and plains…
The rumbles of ages past…
The thuds of hundreds of thousands of wings filling the air…
The boy let his eyes snap open, watching the dragons in wonder as he understood what the meaning was behind the name, when the foreign dragon's Alpha called his pack his Thunder…
The sound a group of dragons in flight makes is a-.
"It's a Thunder of Dragons," Eragon said in awe. Brom nodded once, eyes now open and never leaving the celebrating flight even as the Shadow Dragon joined in on the display of power, his rippling mix of fur and scale shifting like oil under the sun as he seamlessly joined the draconic celebration.
"Indeed, it is, Eragon," he said. "Indeed, it is."
Hours later, Saphira had deemed herself flown among the Thunder long enough, and eager to be back at Eragon's side, flew lower towards the humans to keep watch as they det up camp for the evening. Higher overhead, the Fiorian Thunder circled, all seven of them feeling restless, too restless to land for the night. Ducking under the clouds, Wendy trilled as she felt the air around her; this world's foreign magic thrummed all over, feeling like small bursts of air against her fur. Turning to Natsu, the new Sky Dragon gave an inquisitive chirp to the Lightning-Flame Dragon, and Natsu nodded his permission- they all needed to polish their skills anyways, and friendly spars in the skies were the best way to do it, far enough from prying eyes and close enough to their new companions to help should a need arise again.
Rising higher overhead, the youngest of the Fiorian Dragon Thunder swept around before tailing Sting, the Light Dragon feeling his younger sister's presence but not acting on it; he was unaware of what the most pacifistic of their thunder was about to spring on them. Taking a breath, Wendy began to feed on the latent power in the skies, the clouds streaming in towards her beaklike muzzle and the air visibly moving towards her.
Below, Eragon looked up, double-taking at the cloud formation taking shape. «Saphira,» he said slowly, eyes never leaving the clouds, and when they parted to show Wendy, the furry dragon herself, he felt a rising sense of alarm. «What is she doing?» Brom seemed to sense something amiss as well, looking up with an unreadable gaze. «I have no idea, Little One,» Saphira said, her own blue gaze stuck on the Sky Dragon and her intended target, Sting. «But I believe that if we keep watching, we may get a show to remember.»
With a shrieking cry, Wendy let her Sky Dragon's Roar loose, the pillar of wind shredding the remaining clouds apart before the column of dragon-powered air slammed into Sting, drawing several gashes worth of blood and making the light dragon roar in surprise and pain. The maned dragon fell several hundred meters before righting himself, looking back at the youngest of the Thunder with wide blue eyes glittering in challenge.
Off to the left, Natsu laughed at the controlled chaos Wendy wrought, hovering in the skies behind a large cloud formation. «I'm betting the next deer we find on Wendy.» he said to Gajeel. The Iron Dragon scoffed, narrowing his red eyes at his Alpha as Sting charged. «You really think Imma take that bet, Salamander? Fat chance.»