Chapter 10

By now I think I made it clear I do not own the Inheritance cycle, at least I hope it's obvious.

As the sun rose the next morning it seemed the world took on an unearthly appearance. The early rays reflecting off the rain droplets and dew made everything sparkle as if made of crystal. This is one of many reasons I came to love thunderstorms, the revitalization of earth and now I could feel it too thanks to my own connection. The first to rouse was the Eldunarí of mentor. She gave her usual morning greeting then fell silent, taking in the fresh start of the world this morning. Not long after her I could feel the dragoness next to me stir. At first she started to rub her head against my chest then stopped, I dared not glance down at her though and incur her wrath at being 'caught'. I think I succeeded for she crawled out from under my wing and stretched.. Like a cat.. Right in front of me. I quickly tucked my head under my other wing, nudging the humans awake. I DID NOT need to be caught by her staring "there!" nope! Maybe I didn't turn fast enough because I heard her huff.

"Wrathion.."

My head snapped back to her to see her sitting in front of me, staring at the ground while the two-legs went about starting a fire. Good luck finding something not drowned.

When she noticed she had my attention she fidgeted before speaking up again.

"I…I wanted to thank you for saving me during that… that storm." Her body shuddered until Eragon patted her flank as he passed by, telling me everyone could hear our conversation. "-At first…I was angry. Angry you thought I was too weak to handle a little thing like a breeze.. I thought you were um…" Here she glanced at Eragon with a plea for help and he did.

"It's 'pulling your leg', she thought you were making it up."

I nodded and kept listening. "Y-Yes, correct. Only thing that kept me from ignoring you and flying anyway was seeing you refusing to fly as well… and w-when I did get hit I was so scared! I…I knew, I felt like I could do nothing! It had me at it's mercy.." She finally looked up and locked her tearing eyes with my softened ones. "But… but you were there and told me what to do, kept me safe. Then I just cowered just like a hatchling! It was embarrassing!"

I couldn't take it anymore. I could never handle seeing my mother crying, and I couldn't with this dragoness either. So I stepped up, sat on my haunches, wrapped my forelegs and wings around her, and drew her against me in a very human-like hug but I didn't care about appearances. I felt her stiffness at the sudden contact then relaxed as she struggled to come to terms. I looked over at the humans and chuckled at the longing to comfort his partner. He finally came over to hug her himself when I lifted a wing for him to pass. Brom came over and stood in front of me, Doing that elven gesture of respect before looking up at me, his eyes full of sorrow and shame.

"Forgive me o' mighty dragon-" I snorted a stream of smoke. Did he think flattery would make things better? "-I fear I have lost much with my age. Including trusting the intuition of dragons, I will not make that mistake again and I do hope you will forgive an old fool."

I stared at him for a few minutes, enough that I saw his expression start to be strained, then nodded to him and asked. "What's the plan then?"

"The plan," He went back to tending to breakfast. "-is Yazuac. And while you two do not need to eat daily Eragon and I do. We need supplies.

"Do not forget, you can get more than usual, I got bags to carry stuff in." Brom only shook his head.

"If we need to leave the horses then you will have to carry everything and we cannot if you're already burdened."

I just sighed and nodded, opening my wings as I felt Saphira start to pull away. But before fully leaving my hug, she watched her rider rejoin Brom then I felt another lick this time on the underside of my jaw. I vaguely heard her say thanks for helping her sleep but I was too busy being confused. My mentor was no help again as usual when I interacted with my fellow dragon. I guess I spaced out because next thing I knew, the camp was packed, Eragon was in Cadoc's saddle looking back at me funny, Saphira was gone, and Brom was slapping the side of my leg with a chuckle. I just decided to get out of there before anyone said anything because I knew they wanted to. My thoughts were a mess, not only from Saphira's lick but also Yazuac, it needed to happen.

It was an important part of Eragon's life, the spark he needed. I Observed the ground and spotted the two making their way to the ill-fated city but they wouldn't reach it until later in the day. Seeing a blue speck turn and head for the bend of the river, I decided to mess with those below. Listening to a chuckle from my teach when she caught my plan, I turned and headed back, landing out of their sight before activating my Shrrg illusion and padding back in their direction. These two were so lost in their conversation I bet an army could be upon them and they'd not notice. Regardless I followed quietly a few paces behind and when they stopped at the walls so did I when I heard Eragon contacting us both.

"Brom said we shouldn't take too long." I could hear Saphira complaining about trouble always finding him when she's not with him and it made me snort in amusement. That made both humans flinch and wheeled around to find me not a foot away.

"Damned it all! You're supposed to be waiting with Saphira, why are you here?" Yup, I gave 'em a fright if the scowl he had while yelling at me was any indication.

"I was going to, until the winds shifted. What I smelt made me choose to go around the walls and wait at the other side."

His ire vanished in an instant. "What was it?"

I got up and shook myself, that's what dogs do when getting up right? And started to walk around the city, answering before leaving their sight. "Death."

I hated waiting. The stench of the decaying corpses was stronger in this direction and I could feel the stomping strides of every urgal there yet I couldn't do anything, not before they charged Brom and Eragon. It felt like eternity before I heard the bellows and the ringing of metals but the moment of the first one I contacted Saphira, dropped the glamour and rushed in. There were more of the brutes than the two in the book. Those did go after the humans but the rest, I counted five all together, were circling the outermost streets going to cut off escape. Those were my prey. I leapt over the wall, my wings unfurling to send me into a glide over the rooftops to my first target. I saw him step around the corner and saw his head continue without the rest of him from a downward swing of my tail then by tucking my right wing landed me in the street he just came from. The crunch coming from his friend when I landed on him was satisfying and I took a moment to wipe the urgal mush from my paws while I felt for the last one. In the distance I heard the explosion from Eragon's first use of magic, that's those two down. Now where did you.. Aha! He's hiding just inside a doorway on the path the others had to take, was the only kull I sensed too, cannot have that. I began to stalk towards it when I heard Saphira's roar further in the city then felt her mental voice reach me.

"Wrathion! Where are you?! Eragon is barely conscious!"

I sent her a few calming thoughts while I padded down to my target. "Peace, He will be fine with rest, get him back to Brom, the old one needs help he is losing blood and unconscious. I am tying up loose ends." I sent the image of an urgal hiding in an ambush. I heard her huff in my head then felt her move back to the center.

"You took the other two out quickly fledgling, however this last one is clever, the dwelling is too small for you to enter." I chuckled, stopping when the back came into view at the end of the current street and lowered my head with my horns aimed at the distant stone wall. "No worries teach, I'll make my own." I grinned at the groan she gave, pawed at the ground, and charged. Just before my head connected I let loose a loud brassy bugle. Then the building ceased to exist. To be fair this was one of those small single story one room houses, I could have simply waded through it but there was no fun in that. I caught the fearful look on the brute's face just before I barreled into him, we then went through the front and through the building in front. By then I had him thoroughly gored on my horns right into his stomach. Had to give my respect though, he kept hold of his battle ax through the whole thing and even raised it for a strike on my neck. The look when it shattered from connecting with my crest was entertaining but I was done playing. With a few sharp shakes of my head, I tore him fully in two then simply left, not caring he was still barely alive. That wouldn't last long with his innards scattered about with some still caught on my horns. Internally I was thinking How casual that all was. I felt nothing and I knew it should have troubled me and I had no doubt I'd have to face it at some point but for now calm minds are needed. I met up with the others heading my way, Eragon was on Cadoc with Snowfire lashed behind, a glance up spied Saphira and when she landed, all three took in my appearance. I knew I looked like I went on a rampage, Stone dust and rubble along my back, gore on my horns, liquefied urgal on my belly and legs. Seemed Brom was the only one who could talk, Sahpira was staring in surprise, and Eragon looked green in the face with his mouth hanging open.

"Well? How many more were there besides the two who jumped us?"

I spread my wings and legs, giving myself a shake and ridding myself of most of the mess covering me and painting the walls and ground instead.

"Three, one was a kull, he I dealt with last."

He just gave a nod as I turned and took point leading them out. We passed by the destruction I wrought, it seems the urgal had managed to drag his upper half a few feet before expiring and I gave a snort in the direction and kept walking. I heard Eragon empty his stomach further and Brom swore in dwarvish, I could see the dragoness taking in everything and renewing studying me.

"Oh fledgling.."

My mentor must have seen or sensed something because her tone was full of sadness but I ignored it all, my head swiveling from side to side, watching and feeling for any distant stragglers. I didn't want to think.

We continued on, putting as much distance as we could and only stopping for water. Both Saphira and I were keeping our eyes on the world below for the horde responsible or and fellow travelers so as to warn Eragon. I could amost see when Rider and partner were talking and I stayed out of it.

Only stating that I knew riders could use magic and when asked If I did and stating I'm not his teacher, Brom was and it wasn't my place after they asked why I never said anything. We found a small clearing in a clump of trees by the river as the light began to fade and we had a fire going with Brom tending to his injury by the time Eragon reached us. After Eragon checked on Brom and Saphira checked once more on her rider did everyone settle down. No one said a word until the two humans had eaten and then Brom took out his pipe, lit it, and started to explain what happened. Events went somewhat like the book with only a few changes such as Saphira came before Eragon returned to find Brom and she helped him down instead of Eragon pulling him off. Brom's lecture and subsequent argument with the usage and risks went the same with it ending with Eragon getting chastised for being reckless. What I didn't expect was Brom turning his ire on me.

"And you, What you did to that kull was cruel. I know it was your enemy and you have to kill but that's what you didn't do. You ripped it in two then left it to slowly die instead of finishing it. I know dragons were brutal fighters, but every one had gone for the kill." I had let out a threatening hiss and saw the glow in my eyes shift from ice blue to red before I could stop myself. The glimpse of fear in their eyes and Saphira crouching with her eyes on me, made me flinch and with a shake of my head, backed away.

"I-I need to think.." With that quiet statement I turned and left, not seeing the concerned looks that passed between the three.

AN: First, FanFiction doesn't do links well so the song was "Song of The Sea" a male version but same lyrics. Second, our drake is still blind concerning our dragoness. Third, our Drake is starting to feel the flaws that came with his body. Furu and the dragons gave him a body meant for war, to rend, crush, impale any and all enemies to do what needs done for the sake of freedom. Add into that, the spell also drew in some dragon culture from earth and lets be real, how many dragons in our games, movies, and books are painted in a good light? So no, his journey isn't going to be easy or light.