Oh. You guys actually thought I would only tell this story from Stargazer's point of view and completely ignore the other main character, Fiori? Well guess what folks, you're all in for one heck of a ride because I'll give one little spoiler:
There will be many POVs later on.
Comments:
Skyassity- Thanks! And I look forward to moar reviews from ya.
Guest- What do you mean "meh"?? :(
With that goody goodness out of the way, let's get straight to it!
Here's chapter 3!
Fiori
Fiori woke to the feeling of indescribable comfort when the rays from the morning sun streamed into the cave. With a start, she suddenly realized.
Cave.
She already has a cave on Vroengard but hers faced to the south. Which meant this cave belonged to…
The red dragoness's body then awakened and she felt the warm mass behind her shift slightly. An audible sigh of contentment was released from the crystal male who had curled his massive frame around Fiori protectively. Now that she had the opportunity to do so, Fiori took in her mate-to-be's appearance.
His scales were the first thing she noticed that were different. Said scales were a gorgeous glittering light blue with a faint purple hue seemingly brushed onto them. They were also translucent and so the red dragoness could faintly see the light gray skin beneath them… and consequently the muscles that rippled under said skin with each movement.. no matter how slight. Fiori had to keep herself from succumbing to her instincts of pouncing on him, and forced her eyes to focus on his wings. Where the usual membrane is, there were instead rows of massive crystal-like shards that looked like feathered gems and followed the same layered pattern like that of a bird's wings. Her gaze shifted and took in the heavy plates of his back and underbelly, all layered perfectly to allow him maximum range of movement and yet keep him protected. As her sight drifted along his neck, she noted the distinct lack of spikes along his neck, back and tail. Her eyes then settled on the central horn on his head. It seemed to flicker and glow seemingly of its own accord and in response to Stargazer's mood.
A sense of amusement then washed over her and a drowsy voice chuckled into her mind.
"I know you're looking me over… you do know it is impolite to stare, right?"
One great indigo eye then lazily cracked open and a toothy grin stretched across the male's muzzle. He yawned, revealing the large razor sharp teeth in his maw, and then began his wake-up routine.
He stood up and began to stretch… directly in front of Fiori. First extending his wings out and as high as they could, incidentally showing off. Next he moved each of his limbs, giving off a satisfied sigh from the various pops of stiff joints loosening. His body rippled with muscle as he moved each of his limbs and portions of his body. It was clear the drake kept himself in shape and cared about his health.
The poor red dragoness couldn't help but stare in both awe and desire as Stargazer's muscles rippled and flexed beneath his semi-transparent scales. She let out a small whimper of want that did not go unnoticed by Stargazer, who smiled and rumbled a chuckle in his chest. Fiori, thoroughly embarrassed, went to turn away from the very desirable male that had kept her safe and had chosen her as his, but yelped in surprise and pleasure as her hindquarters were nipped by the very male torturing her thoughts. She whirled around, a growl resounding in her throat, and looked him in the eyes before her snarl turned into a toothy grin.
Fine. Two can play that game. Fiori thought mischievously.
The red dragoness then half-lidded her eyes and began slowly walking away from Stargazer, purposely exaggerating each step with smooth strides. At the mouth of the cave she sat down and turned her head to him, raising an eyebrow ridge.
"Well? Our future students aren't going to train themselves. I know you want to remain in here with me… but our duties come first, My King."
Without giving him a chance to fire back with a witty response, she spread her wings and took off for the sprawling city below.
Stargazer
As the pair soared through the air, Stargazer looked over to Fiori with a keen eye. He examined her flight patterns and noted how, even though she seemed a natural, his mate could benefit from a few lessons from him. The male snorted, his mind made up.
He was going to teach her how to really fly and how to better defend herself.
"Fiori?" the male asked the dragoness.
He received a pulse of acknowledgement and confusion from Fiori and he decided to tell her.
"I know you might think less of me if I critique your skills… but I feel you would benefit greatly if I gave you a few lessons in flight and defense. Would you be interested in me teaching you?"
Fiori laughed in his mind, which caused Stargazer's heart to clench and then race, and replied with nothing but amusement.
"Of course I wouldn't mind learning from you! I was wondering when you would ask me something like this, actually. I know I am nowhere near the best at flying or fighting, but I have learned what my instincts alone have taught me. To have the master of the skies and a fighter unmatched among our own tutor me? I could never say no. Besides… I am sure I will enjoy seeing you push yourself to your limits and beyond. That body of yours is almost enough to make me drool."
Stargazer was so shocked at that last sentence that he nearly smacked into the cliff face they were passing by. After hastily correcting his flight, he shot Fiori a dark look, his indigo eyes flashing brighter as he narrowed them at her laughter.
So you want to play dirty Fiori? Game on. The male thought with a smug grin spreading across his muzzle.
"If my body is enough to make you drool, my dear, imagine what the other males here will think of your physique when you're undergoing these lessons from me. Mmmmmm… I can almost smell the hormones raging and filling the air." Stargazer inhaled deeply for dramatic effect. "Oh yes. To see a striking dragoness corkscrew through the air effortlessly will be very enticing indeed… a shame to be the other males, though. You're mine now."
The crystal dragon snuck a glance at his partner and it took all of his willpower to not burst out laughing at the sheepish look plastered on Fiori's face. Gliding underneath her, Stargazer then looked up at her while the dragoness looked down at him as they flew. The male suddenly smirked, plunged his wings down and struck Fiori's underside. She yelped and immediately wrapped her forelegs around the base of his neck. She folded her wings against her back and brought her head to rest atop his, humming all the while.
"Dirty play there, My King," the female quipped.
"Two can play the game of tease, my dear." came the sarcastic response. "Now hang on!"
With the red female securely nestled onto his back, Stargazer began one of the most aggressive diving maneuvers known to dragon kind… the lunging corkscrew dive.
This maneuver was one of the most difficult to achieve, successfully and consistently execute, and most of all; master. The dive required the dragon to surge into the dive while rapidly corkscrewing. This rapid spinning motion is the dangerous part of the process because it messes with a dragon's sense of sight, balance and direction, rendering those senses useless.The wind screaming past their ears also made hearing unreliable.
This maneuver has already claimed dozens of dragon's lives.
And Stargazer had mastered it.
"Stargazer!" Fiori screeched in his mind, panic overwhelming any other senses. "I know this dive! You're going to get us killed! Pull up! PULL UP!"
The crystal male snarled both mentally and vocally, snapping at the female's foolishness.
"You wanted to learn? You wanted me to teach you? Well this is how I trained ALL of my pupils! They flew WITH me! If I did a daring maneuver such as this, I would have them on my back, which is where you are now, and execute it so that they would live if I messed it up!"
Fiori was frantic. "You are a fool! How many of your students d-"
"NONE OF MY STUDENTS' LIVES WERE AT STAKE IN THOSE FLYING LESSONS!" Stargazer thundered, cutting her off. "THE ONLY LIFE AT STAKE WAS MINE! MY OWN!"
The red dragoness's mind was suddenly pulled into the male's as he showed her memories of students crawling onto his back, him guiding them through different aerial stunts and tricks… all while putting his life in front of theirs. With a start, Fiori felt shame wash over her as she watched him dive after a hatchling that fell from their nest on a cliff, the parents roaring in anguish, only to see the crystal male grab it. He curled around the hatchling and let his body take the brunt of every hit as he slammed into the ground and trees below. Every scenario showed him placing his life in front of his student's and guard's lives. He would bear the brunt of the hits, both physically and vocally, for them.
As the pair streaked toward the ground, a massive boom echoed across the island and everyone, dragon and two-legged alike, looked up. Collective gasps were heard as those on the ground saw the stunt the crystal dragon was executing and moved to tell their dragons to stop him. The dragons didn't even respond to their Riders, their gaze transfixed on the scene unfolding above them. All activity halted as everyone looked on in anticipation as a circle of air rippled outward from Stargazer and yet another boom was heard and all dragons immediately knew.
He was breaking the sound barrier.
Stargazer was traveling faster than the speed of sound.
Giving a roar of triumph, Stargazer snapped his wings open, angling them to achieve massive amounts of lift, and he leveled out. Shooting past everyone on the ground and circling back around, Fiori could hear the cheers and applause from the dragons and Riders.
"And that, my dear Fiori, is how it's done." the crystal male below her smugly remarked as they glided toward the training grounds.
The dragoness said nothing, instead choosing to move her forelegs so her paws gripped his chest scales and began rubbing his neck with her head. Stargazer hummed in content as he lightly touched down onto the ground, sending a dust cloud billowing outward with a few short strokes of his massive wings. Stargazer had just folded his wings against himself when he was swarmed by dozens of younger dragons in awe of his performance.
"Stargazer-elda! Stargazer-elda!" they blurted out while surrounding him. The younglings then began plying the crystal dragon with dozens of questions. "How did you do that? What was that? How did you master such technique? Who's that red dragon on your back? Why is there a female on your back? How are you so big? Is that dragoness on your back your mate?"
Stargazer and Fiori traded a look at that last question and the younglings fell silent, watching the pair. The two dragons looked into each other's eyes, searching for their answers. The ruby red dragoness found her answer while peering into the depths of those indigo orbs. Smiling, she turned her head to address the younger dragons who were patiently waiting for an answer.
"Yes." Fiori stated with utter surety. "I hope I can prove myself a worthy mate to rule alongside Stargazer, have a family with him, and eventually die beside him when our time to exist on this world is over."
The male thrummed at that, and began walking into the city. Dragons and their Riders cleared a path for him wherever he turned, gazing upon him with admiration and approval. When they reached the training fields, Stargazer stopped.
"Now… we begin our fighting lessons."
The female slowly slid off of his back, letting her tongue caress the scales along his neck and causing the male to shudder. Stargazer hissed and whipped his head around, slamming his jaw into her neck and causing her to stumble away.
"Training. Now." he stated coldly. "We'll have time for… that… later when it is just you and I."
A bright red dragon then landed heavily on the ground and collapsed. He was panting with foam coating his muzzle, his wings were splayed carelessly across the ground and his limbs and body quivered. His golden yellow eyes showed absolute exhaustion, but he managed to blink and slowly began attempting to sit up. Stargazer gave a soft growl, walked over to the struggling dragon and pressed his snout firmly against the red dragon's neck. There was an audible sigh and Fiori nearly gasped at how much energy was passed from the crystal male into the exhausted dragon below him. The amount of energy within Stargazer's being was immeasurable. It was as if he was made of pure, unchained, unrestrained energy. There was no depth or end to it. He was an endless, swirling abyss of energy.
Fiori shook herself from her thoughts as the red male groaned and looked at Stargazer before bowing his head. The crystal dragon snorted and smacked him playfully over the head with a wing. The red grinned and nodded. Stargazer must have told him about her then because the red male's eyes went wide then narrowed as he looked over at the red dragoness. Stargazer growled at him and he seemed to shied away slightly before standing up and slowly approaching the female. He stopped a respectable distance from her and bowed his head in respect before she felt his mind brush against hers. When she relented at Stargazer's nod, Fiori almost laughed at the nervous tone in the red's mental voice.
"I- uhhh I do be- what am I saying? Gah! My name is Mester. I am Stargazer's second in command after himself in our soldier rankings. You must be his chosen to crown as his Queen? Are you Fiori?"
"Yes. I am her." The dragoness replied with a smirk and winked at Stargazer before she sent a private thought to him: "I like this one. Although he lays on the flattery a bit too much."
Stargazer's laugh boomed across the fields as he lost it with his dragoness teasing his second in command. A few Riders and dragons turned to look at them with raised eyebrows in question before shrugging it off and resuming their previous activities. As everyone returned to their previous tasks, Stargazer squared off against Fiori in one of the training rings. They circled around each other, waiting for the opportunity to strike hard and bring the match to a quick end.
"You must remain calm, controlled." the crystal dragon guided. "The moment you let loose your instincts, you've already lost. Your instincts, that bloodlust, it blinds your senses and clouds your judgment. Knowing this, I give you the first attack."
Fiori began sizing up the male, taking an in depth surface look at him. She knew he was strong and had extreme endurance. What she did not know was how swift his reaction times are. A sudden force struck her side and she yelped as his tail snapped against her flank. Fiori could feel her blood begin to boil, but tried desperately to remain in control as she ducked under one of Stargazer's massive paws. She felt his jaws clamp down on the back of her neck and then she was weightless.
The dragoness sailed through the air then crashed to the ground in a billowing dust cloud and tumbled a bit before her back hit a post. Groaning, she tried getting up, but her legs failed. Releasing a huff she reached out to her mate's mind.
"I yield." she grumbled.
Waves of amusement rolled through her mind from his, and she detected hints of concern and regret as well.
"Star," the dragoness said. "This was training. We weren't fighting out of hate or anger. I will be fine and I do not hold these temporary injuries against you."
The male was about to respond when his body stiffened and a wing suddenly covered her, shrouding Fiori in a kaleidoscope of rainbow hues from the light refractions through his "feathers". She could hear and feel his snarl, the vibrations causing his scales to ripple slightly.
"What do you want?" Stargazer asked this unknown individual.
A snobby female voice wormed its way into her mind and her blood began to boil.
"I simply wanted to present myself to you. I heard you're searching for a mate, correct?"
"I would sooner shatter my own Eldunarí than mate with you. And you are wrong for I have already chosen a mate." The crystal dragon growled, anger and annoyance rolling from his mind.
"Oh please," the unknown female voice scoffed. "I know you haven't taken a mate. Why are you being so difficult? Am I not appealing enough to you?"
The male was about to fire off a retort when Fiori nuzzled his flank and spoke to Stargazer. "Let me deal with this. I think this needs a more… feminine approach." she soothed.
After a grumble of agreement from the male, his wing lifted off of her, exposing her snuggled into his side. Fiori blinked and snorted in amusement at the shocked expression on the orange dragoness's face in front of him.
"Oh hello! I do apologize for not introducing myself sooner," Fiori began, sarcasm lacing her every word and causing the crystal male against her to stifle his chuckles, "but I was recuperating from my mate and I's sparring session. I am Fiori. And you are..?"
"M- You- I- huh- but-" the orange female stuttered and stammered over her words since her mind slammed into a brick wall. After regaining her composure, the orange inclined her head stiffly. "My name does not matter to you, nor will you both be seeing me again. Good day."
And with that, the dragoness stood up and sauntered away, leaving the soon-to-be-mates staring after her in surprise.
"Well…" Fiori began slowly, needing to break the silence. "I was definitely not expecting that response…"
"Likewise…" Stargazer responded in agreement.
By unspoken agreement, the pair stood up and began walking toward the council building. The sun was descending and it was time to meet their pupils. Their students. Riders and their dragons subconsciously parted to allow the duo's path to remain unobstructed to their destination. As the pair approached the steps, they could see their students. A dark green, almost black actually, dragoness had her neck arched down. Her Rider, a male elf, was hugging her snout and she was humming. Mester was sitting at attention on one side of the steps with Ornex, a green male dragon who was a trusted guard of the wild dragon hierarchy, mirroring the other side. A smaller framed ash-gray male was resting his nose on top of his Rider's head. He kept giving her hair little nibbles and the she-human would swat at his nose playfully, laughing. A bright orange male was peering over his Rider's shoulder as he read a book, his yellow eyes never leaving the pages. A larger, yet still young, black male was curled around his human Rider, smoke curling lazily from his nostrils. His blood red irises watched his human levitating several stones. Stargazer and Fiori's fifth student was a shy white male who was slightly separate from the rest. His Rider, a shorter female elf, was leaning against his neck, stroking the scales absent-mindedly. The couple glanced at each other before steeling their nerves and walking up the steps.
It was time.
Holy smokes. I told yall I would go all out on this chapter. I hope I delivered, I really do. I have some news regarding plagiarism… I have finally reached out to Christopher Paolini, and he gave his approval of my plan to write this story. Seeing as I'll be using several of his characters extensively, I wanted to do the right thing and laid everything bare before him. This being said…
Bladewolf101. You cannot use ANY of the content from ANY of my stories. I know you just repost and steal content from other stories, but you cannot, and will not, steal from this one. If you do, and I read about it in one of your stories, I will let FanFiction know. That is illegal stuff bud. Don't press your luck. Be an original writer, not a thief.
To all my readers, thank you. You're all the reason I write anything at all. I enjoy a good challenge and this task, this project, is gonna be huge. So please. Share this with others. I don't know when the next chapter will go live, maybe as a little Christmas gift to you guys and gals, but we'll see. No promises. I don't make promises I can't keep.
Alright. Enough of the sappy shit.
Stargazer out.