Chapter 3

So Had no idea if I should have gone into detail here of his year long training or summarize it and let you be surprised when he uses his powers later on. Yes I understand dragons have zero control over their magic, but then again our adventurer did get the added blood of a grey folk who had control of the wild magic before the ancient language was created so I'm using that to explain his "mutation" and the fact it all happened when he was transferring to the story's realm means he got influenced by draconic mediums from earth. By all means, leave your thoughts, Without further ado...

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

Fiori, or should I say drill sergeant Fiori was relentless. Despite her saying we were going to take our time getting me airborne, the fact I was a quick learner made her think she could increase the roughness of the pace. After I had gotten to the point that I could subconsciously keep my wings in sync, she had me flap the motions for take off. From there it turned into leaps off of ground then a glide back down. Glides turned into longer glides that eventually became sustained flight. Of course not everything was just 'that' easy. One of the ruin's upper floors collapsed from not bleeding off speed, another incident broke off the uppermost portion of the fountain and there were now more trenches to become tiny rivers and a few less pines standing from landing attempts.

Thank the stars I never swallowed any of those burrow grubs, bleh!

But now my flight was stable. No longer did I wobble when coming out of a banking maneuver, nor would I get disoriented performing a loop, spin, or roll. And even though my landings were heavy, I never stumbled or lost my footing.

I was sorely mistaken if that was the end of my training. She had me pick up and carry differing sizes of rubble from one end of the ruins to the next, had me weave through the pines' massive trunks, practice gliding to safety with an 'injured' wing where she mentally seized the joint muscles in my left, locking it.

Neither was it restricted to flight, exercises to improve my stamina, agility, and strength on the ground consumed the days. Thus I never once noticed as days turned to weeks, weeks into months. So focused that I woke up one morning under a mound of snow, not that I cared, the cold never bothered me anyway. I couldn't argue with the results though, like any Alagaësian dragon, my growth spurts hit hard and I lost the slimness of a young dragon in place of a muscled adult. My chest broader, legs, shoulders, wings, neck and even my tail were thicker and my barrel rippled with the power under my scales. We also learned I had a few magical abilities. I wasn't a magician, but I could cast basic healing and brisingr but I think that was only because I was a dragon. None of the others from the books worked on any of the local wildlife. That was another thing, my memory. I remembered everything as if I've seen or heard it a split second ago and I know I wasn't able to when I was human.

Only after reading or listening to it was I able to then, so why could I now? My only explanation I could think of was this Furu guy who dragged me here and I made me wonder again, is there anything of the old me still in here? Or am I simply a memory in an alien body? I snorted as I rested my head, thick plumes of smoke rolling from my nostrils. Regardless, I do not think I could ever go back, not after experiencing what it is like to be a dragon.

As I laid there basking in the sun, I thought of what I became, how much I changed and what is expected of me. When I began I knew I couldn't play around, not when there are lives on the line. Wild dragons are meant to be prideful, arrogant, quick tempered except Fiori-elda wasn't like that. Speaking of teach, I glanced to the side of me where I had sat her. Having mastered how much strength to use, I managed to unzip my bag and opened her pouch slightly to let the sun's warmth bathe her Eldunarí. Feeling the happiness drifting over our mental link, I slowly lessened it until I would only feel when she woke. That was another lesson I had to learn, shielding, and defending my mind. It was one I would never, EVER, forget or wish to repeat and was a lesson Fiori couldn't fully understand herself. And so Umaraoth once more stepped in since he knew I knew he existed, privately of course. I had to pretend Fiori's attempts helped and I felt awful for it but I couldn't handle the feeling of embarrassment and failure coming from her. I had also respectfully asked him to teach me the ancient and dwarven language since Fiori knew little of the former and nothing of the latter. Thus 'free' time was nonexistent during my training.

Before I knew it, The time came to leave.

"Rïsa Fledgling! rïsa! The egg courier is leaving Farthen Dûr! You must be in the spine before the ambush!"

I jolted awake and rolled onto my paws, one benefit of not having spines along my spine was that I never got stuck when laying on my back. My talon digging farrows into the stone roof I had taken as a roost and after checking the vines for any fraying, slipped my head through the loop.

"Do you think I should save her?" I had asked, flapping my wings to limber them up and shake the stiffness from them.

"As much as we want to, we cannot. If you were to go assist, the shade will see you and that would put the new rider in serious jeopardy before he and his dragon could defend themselves. And If you were to interfere then the egg would never be sent away to meet its destined rider. No, even though it pains us, we must see to their safety, Arya would understand this."

I heard her sigh and I echoed her as I reluctantly agreed. Turning to the rising sun, I leapt into the air, privately telling Umaroth farewell when I passed over the crown of the valley and out to sea. Thankful that my horns shaded my eyes from the glare of the dawn while I climbed higher.

Like Hell I'd get anywhere near the sea, no thank you.

—-

I flew all day and through the night with long, steady beats of my wings. My heart however, was another matter. I swear it was about to break out of my chest, out of excitement and fear. To pass the time, my mentor quizzed me on dragon history and the riders. I had a feeling she was ecstatic to have a purpose again and wished I could do something for her. Morning came with a gray overcast of Clouds and a view of mountains on the horizon and the view brought relief to the both of us yet we knew we still had awhile to go. It was almost noon when I past over the spine and skirted the valley until Carvahall came into view, from there I swung wide and landed amongst the trees several yards from Igualda Falls, quite heavily too. I laid there, stretched out on my belly, panting hard and with my wings stretched limply along the ground.

"W-we made it! By the stars I feel like my wings are going to fall off!"

My master chuckled and it was easy to feel the pride she felt for me. "Indeed, and all on your own without needing me to lend you strength, all the hard work you did had borne fruit. And we made it in time, I just sensed the magical discharge of the egg appearing and I could feel the presence of a boy picking it up."

I gave a sigh of relief and after a few moments of rest, dragged myself to the river feeding the waterfall to gulp the crisp cold water. After quenching my thirst I curled up close to the top edge and observed the village, making sure I couldn't be seen. Eventually I spied a boy matching Eragon's description leaving a building with a tall, muscled man wearing the apron of a blacksmith that could only be Horst.

"What now? Wait and observe?" I had asked as I watched Eragon leave the village, the blue egg not concealed very well in his arms.

We waited until he reached a distant farm then Fiori responded as I left the edge for the forest, remaining near the river.

"Indeed, and we must be careful not to reveal ourselves. When she Hatches and learns to fly she will explore, her sense of smell might discover you."

I hummed, thinking it over as I curled up having found a place to rest. I woke up with a start very early the next morning by howls, three it sounded like. Two sounded like adults and sounded frantic, the third, higher in pitch sounded young and in fear.

I lept to my paws and looked around, and the three seemed to be getting closer.

"There fledgling!" Fiori exclaimed "On our side upriver, it seems their pup fell into the river and got caught by the current!"

I spun around to face upstream and indeed, there was two wolves on the bank running in my direction yipping and growling out to the water. With my keen sight I easily spot the wolf pup thrashing in the water and without a second thought, dived in. The wolves on shore spotted me and stopped to give howls full of despair that I could feel. I could only imagine how it looked, a larger, fiercer predator going after their defenseless young for a meal. I however ducked my head and body under just as the pup came close, and once it cleared my head, stood, catching the youngling on my back. After making sure it stayed there using my wings I looked back at the parents and reaching out with my mind, spoke gently to not spook them.

"Tauthr"

With that, I turned and made my way back to where I left my bag and teacher. When I glanced back out of the corner of my eye I could see the two heeding and following quietly. Once I reached where I had bedded down, I dug a decently deep hole then began to gather dry branches and sticks which I piled into it. Deeming it good, I then breathed gently upon the pile, a thin brief stream of flame met the tender and set it alight then laid down, turning to the two wolves waiting anxiously on the edge of the treeline.

"Kausta, eka eddyr aí vinr. Astorí eom thurra onr dautr framvír iet hjarta." 'Come, I am a friend. Welcome to dry your daughter in front of my hearth.' I slowly rolled onto my side, presenting my back and the tired half-drowned pup to her family.

After a few seconds the one who looked like the mother came close and gently grabbed her pup by the scruff and removed her from my back. The other gave a sort of bark and joined us around the fire. The mother settled with the pup between her forepaws to lick her as the heat warmed and dried her. I slowly rolled back onto my belly and laid my head down on my own front legs before closing my eyes in false sleep hoping to set them more at ease.

"I am both proud and impressed with you fledgling. Even though they could have easily attacked you for having their child, you saved it anyway. And your pronunciation of that language was perfect." My mentor rumbled softly in my mind as I returned to the realm of sleep.

When I next woke, the fire had burned out and the small wolfpack was gone. In their place however was half of a recently killed deer and leading back into the forest, two large and a single if rather energetic trails of pawprints. Grinning, I grabbed the carcass with a foreclaw and dragged it closer to dig in.

"I guess they were very happy for the save, teach. Mmm this is good!"

"Indeed" She chuckled. "You've made an ally of sorts with one of the packs. That mother whose pup you saved appeared to be a matriarch, did you not notice her size compared to the other or how she moved?"

"Hmm, I guess I didn't notice, I was still half asleep for the whole ordeal." I gave one of those coughing growls a dragon did when laughing and licked my muzzle and talons clean before getting up and stretching, shaking out a hind leg that had fallen asleep. Having done that, I pushed the dirt I had dug out for the fire back into the hole, grabbed a drink from the water then slipped my head back into my bag's carry loop. Then walked off.