Eyarr and I had made ourselves comfortable at our campsite for a decent period of time. We stuck to our usual tasks; I'd fish for us, make sure our supplies were organized, and practice using my new daggers.
He had also set a target station, first showing me how to throw a dagger. In his words, "Sometimes you just need to throw something sharp." I didn't have any reason to question it, so I went along with his instructions. While my father had trained me with target practice for stationary targets, it had not been put to much use. My skills had deviated to oceanic fishing, using spears on schools of fish.
"I can aim for a moving target! Why can't I get one that's literally not moving!" I exclaimed in frustration.
"It's okay, Laeli. It's a different kind of aim. You need to remain steady and focused. I don't expect you to be perfect at this. It takes time."
"If I can get at least one on the target…" I mumbled.
"Here, let me help your stance." He positioned my arms, angling them in the right direction, and moved my feet accordingly. Then to my surprise, he stood against my back, so my head was against his chest. He gently took my wrist with his hand, demonstrating the motion, holding my opposite hand up.
"Watch this." He said. He waved my arm for a few seconds before throwing the dagger with a flick of the wrist.
With his guidance, that throw landed me a ring away from the bullseye, to my amazement.
"You did it!" I said with excitement. He grinned and shook his head.
"No, you did. All it takes is a good flick of the wrist." He demonstrated it again for me, and I mimicked him, "Go and try again, with that wrist motion this time." He said. I went and yanked the dagger out, returning to my original position. My body recreated the position from moments earlier, and I recalled that wrist motion.
I held out my other arm for my aim.
Once I was sure of my aim, I took in a steadying breath and threw.
Just outside the bullseye this time. My jaw dropped. I eagerly turned to Eyarr with the excitement of a child.
"Look! I did it!" He grinned again.
"You did!" He high-fived me, "Keep that up, and you'll be better than me."
"I haven't even seen you use your daggers."
"Because I haven't needed them yet. I need to train you on proper combat usage before we try fighting with them."
"One-on-one?" I asked. He gave an affirming nod.
We trained for a few more hours until the sun began to set. My shoulders and triceps were extremely sore from all the throwing, but I felt excited.
Our dinner was satisfying that evening; Eyarr told me stories about some of his travels with Cliffire and the experience he gained. I felt like we were becoming even closer than before. I could feel he trusted me. And I could never betray that trust.
We went to sleep, exhausted but happy.
I awoke in the middle of the night randomly. My mind swore it heard something splash in the water. I sat up, yawning and pushing a stray hair out of my face. I looked over, the fire had died, and Eyarr was sound asleep next to Cliffire, who was asleep as well, snoring-like noises emitting from his throat. Eyarr rolled over under his blanket but did not wake.
I blinked the gunk out of my eyes and groggily made my way toward the shore, clutching my arms and feeling the chill in the night air.
The ocean was pitch black, but the moon provided enough light that I could see the trees and outlines of sea stacks in the distance and surrounding our campsite.
What could've woken me up? Maybe it was a dream or something. Even though I knew Eyarr and Cliffire were asleep several yards away, I still felt like something was watching me. I scanned the water and the forest surrounding us but couldn't see or hear anything.
Suddenly I heard something in the water again, the same sound that woke me up. I blinked to refocus and swore I could see a dark shape swimming close to shore. It wasn't anything that I could think of. Whales and sharks wouldn't swim this close to shore without the risk of beaching themselves.
I took a few steps closer to inspect it, and suddenly I saw yellow eyes watching me from beneath the surface. The eyes seemed to be glowing, and I felt my heart drop out of my stomach.
And then, whatever it was, finally emerged from the water. And it dawned on me what it was.
It was the Sliquifier from the Hidden World.
"What in Thor's name-" I blurted. I had always used the name of the gods and goddesses from home, but this was the first time I'd uttered the name of a Norse god.
The Sliquifier was eyeing me, its yellow eyes glowing brighter now that it was out of the water. The tendrils that dangled from its chin were glowing a bright blue. It flared its wings at me in a threatening manner, emitting a guttural growl.
Frightened, I stumbled backward in an attempt to get back to camp, but I tripped over my feet, yelping as I hit the sand. The Sliquifier aggressively ran at me now that I was down, its maw open, and I screamed in terror. As I shielded myself in anticipation of a blast of fire, I heard a yell and a roar from the opposite direction. I twisted my neck to see Eyarr and Clilffire wide awake and running at us.
Cliffire roared ferociously at the Sliquifier, who roared back. The two dragons began to fight before my eyes, I wanted to move, but I was frozen in fear. I'd never seen dragons fight before, and my mind was stuck. I snapped back into focus as I heard footsteps trample across the sand as Eyarr came to my aid. He grabbed my arm and pulled me to the side, shielding me from the fire blasts.
Soon, the dragons settled down. Eyarr and I looked up to see the dragons staring at each other, snarling at each other, and sizing each other up. We were dumbfounded.
"What the Hell," Eyarr exclaimed. He was still holding me close as we tentatively approached the dragons.
"Eyarr, what's going on?" I finally uttered. He shook his head.
"I don't know. Stay here." He carefully approached Cliffire's side, who was breathing heavily from the fight but seemed to be calmed down. He observed the Sliquifier for a moment, which was pacing around on the beach until it saw me again. Eyarr and I looked at each other, and he slowly gestured for me to come to him. I did so, watching the Sliquifier with caution.
"It followed us," I said.
"It did. I can't fathom a reason for a dragon to leave the Hidden World." I looked at the Sliquifier. Now, I was curious but still fearful. The dragon had followed us for a reason. It didn't appear to be as enraged as before, but it was still wild; therefore, unpredictable.
I cautiously approached the Sliquifier, making eye contact with it, trying to indicate my respect for its power. I kneeled on one knee before it, and it cocked its head, lowering it to my level. Still watching me carefully, I could now make out the details in its eyes. An intense yellow, much like the flame of a torch. Its pupils were rapidly constricting and dilating, furthering my uncertainty about its emotions. But I don't think it saw me as a threat anymore.
"I think… it's interested in you…" Eyarr commented softly. And I could only silently nod in agreement. I was at a loss for words.
I scanned the dragon, taking in the details of its body, observing its streamlined shape and its fins. It was meant for the water. Tidal class, if I wasn't mistaken. In the same class as Scauldrons, Seashockers, and even Bewilderbeasts.
"It's beautiful…" I said.
"Very impressive creature." He agreed.
"I mean… if it came all this way, just for me… as wild as that sounds… we can see how it's doing in the morning, right?" Eyarr came to my side.
"If that's what you want, I'm open to it. Cliffire can keep an eye on it. Or him…?" The Sliquifier seemed to make a noise of affirmation that it was male. Eyarr shrugged.
"Fine by me. But it's still a wild dragon. Let's not get too ahead of ourselves."
It would be a huge risk for me to attempt any sort of bond with a wild dragon, but maybe… it would be worth it.