Chapter Two

Can I ever catch a break?

I'm beginning to think that I'm just not allowed to have nice things for very long in my life.

I cracked my eyes open, only to shut them immediately and grumble in pain as the sun shone directly onto my eyes. Then my eyes snapped open as it dawned on me.

Sun.

The dragons.

Me being turned into a dragon?

I lifted my head to look down and yep. I was a dragon. From the instincts and knowledge given to me through my transformation, I knew I was given the body of a five year old dragon. I chuckled to myself before I lifted a wing and froze as I examined it in shock.

The wing… it wasn't the typical leathery membrane that dragons normally sported. Neither was the other upon a brief glance.

They were segmented into various glass-like shards to form layers, like how a bird's feathers are layered into primaries, secondaries and tertials.

When I stood on all four of my paws… er, feet, I took a moment to study my surroundings…

Until my stomach rumbled with the might of a 2.0 earthquake.

I chuckled to myself. Guess I should go hunt for some food. Although, if my internal compass is correct, I'm within a few miles of Palancar Valley.

Spreading my wings, I marveled at the soft tinkling sounds my "feathers" made as my wings extended and then I launched myself into the air, taking to the open blue sky.

I needed sustenance.

Little did I know, I was about to take a rain check on my lunch plans.

Saphira POV

My loving Rider was screaming at the top of his lungs to take him back, but I could not. No matter how much it hurt to disobey him, I could not let those monsters harm or capture him.

As I flew northward, I was so engrossed with the thoughts whirling through my mind, that I did not see the glittering blue and purple mass heading straight for us.

WHAM!

I crashed right into said mass, which felt like slamming directly into a mountain. I heard a roar of surprise before I started slashing wildly, hearing shattering sounds and yelps of pain. Something struck my right shoulder, separating me from whatever I had hit, before a presence enveloped my mind and froze Eragon and I, leaving us suspended in the air. A male voice that sounded like crashes of thunder in a storm roared into our minds.

YOU DARE TO–

The voice cut off abruptly before it returned, albeit much softer this time and released us from the freeze.

Apologies, O' dragoness. I should have been paying closer attention to where I was flying. I assure you, I shall not make the same mistake a second time.

Regaining my bearings, I was baffled at what was hovering in the air before Eragon and I.

A dragon.

A free dragon.

A free male dragon.

Y-You… I stuttered out, at a loss for words.

The unnamed dragon simply turned around and headed north without another word. I decided to follow closely behind, speechless at this recent development.

As we flew on for what seemed like hours, the male dragon, who hadn't even bothered to respond to Eragon and I's inquiries, suddenly tucked in his wings and dove into a small clearing in the trees.

Three seconds later, he rocketed back up into the sky, two deer hanging limp in his front claws.

He flew toward us and spoke for the first time since running into my Rider and I.

I found a clearing that will fit us comfortably. Let us land there and rest.

Without giving my Rider and I an opportunity to respond, he flew off in another direction, forcing us to continue following.

Justin POV

Just what the hell was going on?!

It would've been nice if the dragons had told me that Saphira would already be around, or at the very least let me know where in the timeline they were dropping me. Perhaps this was their way of getting back at me for being so demanding and rather disrespectful.

Did I regret my actions though?

No. No, not really.

Grumbling to myself, I winged my way to the clearing I had told my two followers about and began to descend toward the treeline.

I began to circle around the clearing, angling my wings to give myself a view of the glade. I allowed Saphira and Eragon to land before I followed suit. I shook the ground slightly as I landed and then calmly walked over to the duo who were obviously having a mental argument. They flinched when I dropped one of the deer carcasses between them and gave the two a slight glare.

Eat. I spoke to them, then walked away to the other side of the clearing where I laid down and began tearing into my own meal.

Who– The sapphire blue dragoness began before I cut her off with a low growl.

My name remains unimportant. I stated dismissively, as if I couldn't care less. Which, let's face it, I don't. Eat. Once you are finished with your meal, I will tell you who I am.

Eragon huffed, clearly impatient and wanting answers sooner rather than later. I chuckled at his immature actions.

You may not know me yet, but I do know who you two are, Eragon and Saphira. Their eyes widened and the dragoness prepared herself for a fight.

A fight that never came as I was rather busy munching on my venison dinner once again, not paying them any heed. Saphira's hunger soon overtook her paranoia of not knowing me and she too started on her meal. The sounds of tearing flesh and crunching bones filled the air of the clearing while the human boy started a small fire.

Third Person POV

As she ate, Saphira studied the dragon across from her and her Rider closely. She noticed in the dying light of the setting sun and the flames that danced in the middle of the glade, that the scales that she had cracked earlier were completely fine. In the short span of a couple hours, the dragon's scales had repaired themselves back to their original splendor, teasing the dragoness's eyes with the random light refractions they threw off. On the topic of his scales, the sapphire colored dragoness noticed they were two different colors: with the deeper purple near the base of each scale fading into light blue at the edges. Moving her gaze from his scales to his wings, Saphira noted the layered patterns and how each fragment held the edge of a honed blade. They looked razor sharp and ready to kill, regardless of how fragile they may be. Shifting her sight from his wings, up his thick, muscular neck, she also saw the thicker dull plates adorning his throat that ran to his underbelly. Although they were a bit duller than the rest of his scales, they were no less magnificent. Saphira blinked in surprise as she noticed the slightly glowing middle horn that crowned the top of his head, angled backward slightly to allow him to retain aerodynamics in the air.

Overall, this was quite the unique and handsome male dragon.

As the dragons finished their meals, gulping down the last traces of the deer, the mysterious male silently stood and walked into the darkness, disappearing within the trees.

"Where is… oh." Eragon began speaking before closing his mouth when he and his dragoness heard water splashing nearby.

Saphira began the process of cleaning the blood from her paws as the larger male dragon strode into the clearing, the firelight causing the water droplets that stubbornly clung to his scales to glimmer.

I suppose it is that time. The dragon said rather bluntly. He arched his neck down to look Saphira in the eyes, making her pause in her cleaning, before turning to the youth beside her. The one blue eye that he had fixated upon the boy cast him in a soft glowing light, the slitted pupil nearly lost in his swirling iris. Pulling away, the dragon sat in front of them in a regal pose before speaking.

I am Stargazer, Bringer of Storms and Lightning. I have been charged with your protection, Eragon and Saphira, and I will stop at nothing to ensure your safety. Even if it results in my death. The now identified Stargazer looked down at the red faced young Rider and smirked. Now you may ask me questions, little one.

Eragon stepped forward and opened his mouth to speak.