Many weeks had passed since Erik got reincarnate as Valhir the Volibear and his life had been nothing but peaceful. The animals seemed to all respect him and so far, he hadn't see any humans in the woods.
Which was good in his opinion.
He had never felt so relaxed before… except in the time when his beloved father was alive, but he embraced it wholeheartedly. He loved this new life greatly as he no longer had to endure his bitch of a mother or the disgusting (in his opinion) city of New York. No longer does he have to endure polluted air, arrogant people and the loud noises from New York.
In his mind, Erik was back in his childhood… except his father was dead and he was no longer human.
Speaking of which, he didn't missed his old body as his new one was far better to endure elements than his human one. Not long ago, there was a blizzard and his fur was thick enough to protect him from the cold… that and his cave was pretty warm thanks to his little… adjustments.
The deepest part of the cave had been covered with leaves so he could sleep more comfortably at night.
And it worked !
Erik's life, all thanks to this Old Man and his reincarnation, had turned to the better but sometimes, he wondered if his father was proud of his choice. He could have chosen to go to the Beyond and be reunited with him… but he knew his father would have wanted him to live his life… even if he wasn't with him anymore.
And Erik will make sure to enjoy every second of his new life.
Every day, he would get out to either take a walk around the woods, swim in the rivers and lakes of the area or simply relax in a clearing. From to time, he would encounter some animals and they usually bowed their heads at him in respect before leaving him alone.
However, despite all this peace, he couldn't but feeling like something terrible is going to happen sooner or later.
Why ?
Because the smell of Death and Desolation slowly appeared in the air, increasing slightly over time. And despite not knowing what will happen, Erik knew he had to be ready… both physically and mentally.
He didn't know it... but his life was about to take a decisive turn, whether for the better... or for the worse.
It was a peaceful day and Erik was walking on all four as he was patrolling his territory. While he had met no real threats to him (the Wolves would flee at the sight of him and even the largest of Boars leave him alone), it was better to stay cautious because the strange scent of Death and Desolation that had appeared not long ago, was stronger than ever.
He didn't know what could cause such a thing but our hero would make sure it would not threat his home. Having resided here for some time now, he felt like it was his duty to protect those woods and he would rather die a second time instead of leaving it unprotected.
Perhaps it was the bear-part of him speaking but he was not totally in disagreement as he loved his new home.
Back to present, Erik was walking through a world of trees, bushes and grasses when a scent caught his attention. Carefully, he got back on his hind legs while raising his head in the air before sniffing deeply. His blue eyes widened when he recognized the smell: it was the acrid, unpleasant smell of something burning.
Only one thing could explain such a scent : a Fire !
Without thinking, Erik rushed toward where the scent came from. As he ran through the woods, ignoring the thorn branches that touched his snowy fur, Erik hoped that no one, animals or people, would be trapped in the flames. From the corner of his eyes, he swore he saw something in the sky but he ignored it in favor of following the acrid scent toward its location.
It took him a few minutes but soon, he had to stop when he finally reached the location and couldn't help but staring at the scene with wide eyes of shock : meters away from him, in the middle of a large open space was a farm… except that it was completely destroyed. From the look of it, it had been burned to the ground.
Erik stared at the scene in shock, having never seen a burning building before, but quickly regained his composure to approach the building as fast as possible. Now standing in front of the ruins, Erik uses his eyes and nose to find any survivors, in case there are any under the rubble, and then he saw it : a pale hand.
"Oh no..." Erik gasped in shock as he quickly used his large paws to pull the woods away from whoever it was trapped under them.
Soon enough, he came face to face with a tall, with a stick-like frame, a lean, narrow face and graying hair. From the description and the place, Erik recognized him instantly
Garrow !
Here a proof he was indeed, in the world of Inheritance Cycle : standing in front of him, battered and wounded, was Eragon's Uncle.
He was in a pitiful state as his face was burn and deformed, probably because of the fire, as was the rest of his entire body. Erik felt sorry for this man and silently blamed himself for not having been there sooner because he might have been able to stop this from happening.
However, his guilt turned into rage as he knew who were responsible for this : the Ra'zacs.
"I will kill them...I will kill them all !" Erik promised to himself with determination before freezing when he heard the sound of wings in the distance.
Having the slight idea of who it can be, Erik quickly rushed back into the woods before hiding in the shadows, all the while keeping his eyes on the battered form of Garrow and the destroyed farm. Barely a few moments later, two figures appeared : the first one was a human of average height with intense brown eyes, brown hair, and dark eyebrows while the other was… a fucking Dragon.
Erik's eyes widened in shock and awe as he got his first look at a real dragon : it was a magnificent a beautiful creature whose scales and eyes were the color of the purest of sapphires. Her talons, along with the spikes on her neck, back, and tail were bone-white in color. Erik could see that she had two serrated fangs jutting out of her upper jaw onto her bottom lip and, knowing Dragons, he was 100% sure that her jaws were filled with sharp teeth. Speaking of the head, it looked roughly triangular in shape and she also had four cheek spines, slightly curved horns and spines between her horns.
She didn't looked to tall either : 133 cm at the shoulders at most but she was big enough to carry someone.
Erik knew who this Dragon was and couldn't help but saying that Saphira looked even more beautiful in real life than in the books. The same cannot be said for her Rider, Eragon, who looked like a normal boy but, after reading the book, Erik knew that he couldn't judge the boy.
However, he quickly regained his senses when the two started to speak… well, for him, it was a silent conversation as he couldn't hear what either Saphira or Eragon were saying : they were speaking through their bond. Erik, however, could see the sorrow shining in their eyes when they saw Garrow's body.
Erik watched as the two of them created a stretcher with the use of a board and leather thongs. Knowing that he was not needed here, Erik turned tail and left the scene as silently as he he walked, Erik couldn't help but be immersed in thought: he knew that Garrow was going to die and that his death would be the trigger that would push Eragon to pursue the Ra'zacs with Brom but he wondered if he should go with them.
A part of him wanted to experiment Eragon's adventure while the other part wanted nothing to do with it, wanting to live a peaceful life away from battle. Sadly, the second part was the smaller one and the adventurous side of him won the contest : when the time will come, he will join Eragon, Saphira and Brom in their quest.
Beside, a part of him was itching for a good battle…
Was it a part of Volibear's nature ?
God/The Old Man did say some of Volibear's personality would merge with his before he was sent into the Vortex.
Shaking his head, Erik decided to find a river to cool down a bit… beside, he still had to get rid of the ashes on his fur.
00/(Time Skip)/00
Hours had passed since Erik had left Garrow's farm and he was currently heading toward his home in the mountain as the night was about to come soon. After leaving Eragon and Saphira with the beaten farmer, he went to a nearby lake he knew and washed his fur of the ashes that covered it.
After that, he went to look for any clue of the Ra'zacs' whereabouts… only to discover that they already left the valley. He wanted to go after them but decided to remain behind…
He didn't know why but something was telling to stay near Eragon and Saphira.
But why ?
He didn't know… but maybe you will discover why in the future.
Shaking his head to regain his senses, Erik resumed his walk and after a few minutes, reached the mountain's side. With a smile on his furry muzzle, our hero started to climb the rocky path leading toward his cave but, just as he stood a few meters away from it, a strange scent reached his nose.
Blinking, Erik frowned as he smelled the air again and indeed, there were a strange scent coming from the inside of his cave. That only means one thing: someone or something was occupying his cave! A growl escaped his throat as his eyes narrowed in anger at the idea of someone inside HIS cave and readied his fangs and claws for the coming confrontation with the intruder.
Silently, he approached the cave and when he stood at the entrance, he growled loudly so whatever/whoever was inside could hear him before roaring loudly in the sternest tone he could muster
"I don't know who you are but I'm warning you : get out of my cave or I will make you !"
His roar echoed throughout the cave, his voice ricocheting off the walls as his blues eyes were locked toward the deepest part of the cave, growling threateningly.
A growl answered him and soon enough, a familiar form stepped into the light causing Erik to be momentarily stunned.
Why ?
Because, standing a few feet away from him, was none other than the blue Dragoness he had seen earlier : Saphira. She looked ready to lunge at him, judging by her barred teeth and shining talons. However, despite her menacing pose, Erik didn't felt threatened as he was still bigger than her… as well as physically stronger.
Slowly, Erik stood up on his hind legs, drawing himself up to his full height as a hollow growl escaped his throat. His blue eyes shined a bit with power as he glared down at the smaller form of Saphira before opening his jaws to release a thunderous roar.
Saphira was frozen in place when this creature roared at her.
Ever since she had hatched, she felt like nothing could hurt or scare her, and this feeling strengthened when she bonded with Eragon, her Rider. As the time passed, her love for the farm boy grew as he not only taught her about the world she lived in (wildlife, mountains, trees…) but also spoke about simple things such as his family and life.
Curious about this world, she had listened to everything with attention and fascination. As she grew, Saphira became a skilled predator and later, when she managed to fly for the first time, the feeling of being unstoppable and the strongest being in existence grew.
She felt like nothing would oppose her… but she had been proven wrong when those beasts came.
At that moment, she felt nothing but fear and dread, which were feelings foreign to her until then. Her instinct wanted her to flee and hide from whatever those beasts were and, following her instinct, she went to save her Rider from them, going as far as ignoring his plea to warn his uncle in her rush to put as much distance possible with the strangers.
But later, her fear turned into regret and she reluctantly accepted to go back to the farm… where she and her Rider found nothing but desolation as the area had been completely annihilated. Garrow's state had horrified and angered her greatly and she wanted nothing more than to find those beasts and make them pay.
Then she helped her rider in taking the injured farmer near Carvahall before she was forced to leave as the villagers would surely freak out at the sight of her. She had been scared when her rider fell but an old man, who presented himself as Brom told her that he was no threat to her Rider before taking him to the village alongside Garrow.
When she was sure her Rider and his Uncle were safe and sound in the village, she left the area, deep in thoughts. Internally, she was ashamed for fleeing instead of fighting like the Dragon she was and, for a good portion of the day, was either hunting or thinking.
When she saw the sky slowly darkening, Saphira went to look for a cave and she found one big enough to fit her near the mountain. However, when she landed at the entrance, she had frozen when she caught a familiar. It was the same scent she had briefly caught near Garrow's battered body !
For a moment, she had been standing there, thinking about what to do but after a few seconds, she made her choice : she would face whatever that scent belonged to and make it pay for what it did to Garrow ! Deliberately, she entered the cave and, as she went to the deepest part, she discovered what looked like a bed made of leaves and she instantly understood that the owner of the cave usually slept there.
However, she discovered another thing : from the look of it, this cave had been inhabited for a while now… maybe weeks and it was only recently that those strangers came. Saphira went deep in thought at this : what if the owner of this scent had helped the strangers to come ? After all, he might have been the one to lead them here.
In her mind, it seemed accurate and so she decided to stay here and wait for the owner of the scent to come to her.
However, barely a few minutes after she arrived, she heard a growl coming from outside. Saphira didn't know why, but her instincts were screaming at her to put as much distance as possible from whatever it was and for a moment, she wondered why…
… until she saw IT.
It was a huge creature covered in white fur with a bit of gray on his limbs while blue claws and strange markings on its fur. Its eyes were blue like her scales but were shining with power and strength. It looked powerful and intimidating. But then it opened its jaws… and spoke in a stern tone.
"I don't know who you are but I'm warning you : get out of my cave or I will make you !"
Judging by the tone, it was a male and Saphira had to admit that his voice was deep and resonant... eerily similar to the rumble of thunder. It scared her for a moment but then , her fear turned into determination as she slowly advanced toward him with a menacing look.
She was a Dragon ! And a Dragon never back down from anyone !
With a threatening growl of her own, Saphira stepped into the light, revealing herself to the massive Creature in front of her. Much to her frustration and anger, he didn't seemed affected by her barred teeth and instead went to stand on his hind-legs… and Saphira would be lying to herself if she said she wasn't a bit intimidated right now as he looked even bigger now.
Shaking her head, the young Dragoness was about to roar in challenge… only to flinch in fear when the Beast in front of her opened his jaws to release a thunderous roar. Every fiber of her being was shaking in fright at the roar as Saphira was looking up at him with wide eyes.
Once again, for the second time in her life, she was afraid of something… and she didn't like it one bit.
When the Beast stopped roaring, she shook her head to regain her senses before lunging forward with a defiant roar. However, just as she was about to reach it, the Beast effortlessly pushed her away with a single swipe of its paw, sending her crashing into the ground.
Saphira went back on her feet with a growl of pain before glaring at the white Beast who looked… amused ?! Filled with rage, the young dragoness threw herself at him again with a roar of fury but, once again, she was easily pushed back with another swipe of her paw.
For the next few minutes, it was the same thing: she attacked her opponent and he pushed her back in a precise and simple way. Saphira had tried to trick him but not ONCE did she managed to catch him off guard ! It was as if he could guess her intentions !
But the Beast seemed to get tired of their little game and suddenly grabbed her by the head with one paw before pinning her to the ground, preventing her from moving.
'Let me go !' Saphira hissed at him as she struggled under his grip.
"I will… if you stop this foolishness at once !" the Beast answered in a deep tone.
'I will not ! You must pay for what you did !' she retorted with a snarl.
She watched as the large Beast blinked with… surprise on his face before frowning down at her.
"What are you talking about ? What did I do ?" the Beast asked her in clear confusion on his face.
'You led those things to Garrow !' Saphira retorted with as much hatred and anger as she could muster.
Her words seemed to anger him as he growled at her with barred teeth. The sound of his growl stopped her as her eyes looked at him with slight fear.
"If you are talking about that farmer, I have nothing to do with it ! I was patrolling my home when I smelt fire and I came to investigate ! I saw the ruins and I pulled this man out from under the rubbles ! Not once did I tried to hurt him or anyone else, even though I have lived here for a while now !"
Saphira listened with shock and a bit of shame when she saw the sincerity shining in those blue eyes of his : that and he looked offended by her claim. At this instant, the young Dragoness felt embarrassed and ashamed for acting so harshly toward him : just because she had caught his scent near the downed form of Garrow, she instantly assumed that he was in league with the monsters that attacked the farm.
'I'm-' Saphira began to say as the Beast released his hold on her, letting him move again.
"Don't … What's done is done… and I don't blame you for attacking me..." the Beast replied with with a huff before adding gently
"For what is worth, I hope this man, Garrow, will recover..."
'Thank you...' Saphira replied to him with gratitude as she stretched her wings a bit.
"Anyway, it's getting dark… You are welcome to stay here for the night..." the Beast told her with a smile on his furry face.
'Really ? Would you let me stay in your cave? Even if I attacked you ?' Saphira asked him with surprise, completely taken aback by his gesture.
If she was in his place, she wouldn't have blamed him if he kicked her out of his home with anger.
With a chuckle, the White Beast looked at her with amusement as he answered her truthfully
"Like I said, I can't blame you for attacking him... It was an honest mistake and besides, I would be heartless to let you sleep outside in the cold..."
'Thank you for your generosity…' the young Dragoness replied after a few seconds of stunned silence.
"You are welcome… Now, can I know the name of my surprise guest ?~" The Beast asked her with a teasing smirk.
The young Dragon couldn't help, but snorting in amusement at his question and, after making herself comfortable near her host, she answered him calmly.
'My name is Saphira… It is a pleasure to meet you…what about you ?'
At this moment, Erik went deep in thought : should he give her his former name or take the name of the being he is reincarnate as ? Truthfully, it was a new life for him so, logically, he should claim another name. After a second of thought, he internally nodded to himself before looking back at Saphira who was still waiting for an answer.
"I am called Valhir… the Volibear" he said to the young Dragoness with a small smile on his face.
(To be continue…)