Looking up from the map in my hands, I watched as Naxan landed on the rocky outcrop. He shook out his body and folded his wings against his body, the sun dancing like fire on his obsidian colored scales. He opened his bloody maw and used his tongue to clean the flesh from between his teeth. I peered over at the half eaten carcass he brought back from his hunting trip. It looked to be a larger buffalo.

My stomach growled.

Naxan cocks his head to the side, gesturing at the carcass for me to start eating. Starting with building a fire, I waited for the yellow flames to burst to life. Their hunger grew ferociously, licking at the meat as they devoured the juicy fat dripping down from it.

I ate in silence, thinking of how much I started to hate this situation.

The food I brought on this trip was little to begin with, I had run out some time a few days ago. Although the water source beside me held fish even they would run out, and to be quite frank, I was getting tired of the taste of fish, but the captain of the dragon hunters had taken my weapons, and all I had was a few daggers in my pack. They wouldn't be entirely useful if I were to go hunting.

Sighing, I put my few belongings in my pack and secured it on my shoulders. My dragon watched as I did so.

Even though Naxan returned with part of a carcass for me to eat, I couldn't depend on him to hunt for me. I was a grown adult, very much so capable of hunting my own food.

Turning to him, I said, "We're going back to the captains camp. I hope he's not still there." He bared his teeth in response.

"Twolegs." His words seared through the bond with hatred. I understood his meaning through the bond we shared. He meant humans, and I guess he didn't like them, well, my kind, much.

"We're called humans, Naxan." He looked at me with a strange look in his eyes.

I sighed and pushed forward. "Let's hope there's no one there." Moving through the trees back to the direction of the camp, my heart started to beat at a higher rate. If he was still out there he could easily capture me again.

I looked back at Naxan who walked slightly behind, he watched the surroundings with calculating eyes. I needed to stop thinking like that, I was a new person now. I was a dragon rider. He launched himself into the air and darted through the trees, weaving through them until he was out of sight. But I knew he was still close, I could feel it through the bond.

"Better advantage point." He said through the bond. "Like flying more than walking."

I rolled my eyes. Wouldn't it be nice to fly? I wonder when we'd get to that point. I looked to the sky, I occasionally saw his body dart between the trees as I walked on.

Coming to the camp around nightfall, I scanned the area. I couldn't see much, there was no fires lit. The air still smelt of smoldering flesh.

Naxan landed beside me, his small body allowed him to get through the trees easily. I wonder if he would grow anymore.

"Do you see anything?"

His eyesight was unquestionably better than my own. "No. Safe."

I took his word for it, but I was still cautious when entering the clearing. The camp was littered with half burnt down tents, empty cages, and abandoned swords.

Naxan hissed beside me. I turned, watching as he bared his teeth at the cages the dragons used to be held captive in. I sensed his hatred and discomfort through our bond, the thought of being locked up in a cage once again made me shiver.

Although the area was eerily quiet and there was no sign of a living soul, my eyes still saw people walking through the tents, their conversations muffled and unable to make out. Everywhere I looked, flashbacks of the previous night flooded my sense. I could still hear the fire tearing down the camp, eating away at everything it touched... burning piles of bodies.

I avoided that area as best as I could as I searched under every piece of fabric for any kind of weapon that would best suit me. Unfortunately, my findings were mainly just of swords that were too heavy for me to wield. Even if I knew how to properly use a sword, I was not strong enough to hold the sword up for a long period of time. I knew better than to think that I could use one of those; my goal was to find a hunting knife and hopefully a bow.

My father taught my brothers how to bow hunt and he unintentionally taught me as well. Whenever he took my brothers out to hunt or train I was their shadow, watching everything they did and then mimicking it as best as I could. I'm sure my father suspected what I was up to, but he never said anything about it to me or mom. I was eternally grateful.

I had low hopes of finding the knives I originally had; they were most likely melted in the heat of the fire.

Beside me Naxan tensed, his head swiveling to watch the sky. I watched him in confusion. His actions were soon explained by the dragons flying through the trees came into view. They began to circle where Naxan and I were.

Naxan snarled towards the sky where the dragons were circling. He moved, circling me, never taking his eyes off of the dragons that seemed to be getting lower to the ground. I counted two of them. The sky was a dark purple and since I didn't share the same vision he had I was unable to see what they looked like.

In a swift motion, the two dragons landed on either side of Naxan and me. There was no way I could fight off a dragon and there was no way Naxan could fend off two on his own. He was smaller than both dragons. We were outnumbered.

Naxan kept his ground, swivelling his head between the two dragons to watch their movements. I was placed in the middle of a battle I was not prepared to fight. Recognition flooded over me. One of the dragons was from the other night. Pale, icy blue scales shimmered in the moonlight, almost looking white. The dragon looked far healthier compared to what it looked like before.

The blue dragon finally took its eyes off of my dragon to look at me. The stance it had taken shifts to a less defensive manner.

I think it recognized me. Maybe this means that it would leave Naxan and I alone to continue on our path. However, the other dragon accompanying the blue dragon was not pleased to see me. It only saw that I was human, and unbonded dragons disliked my kind.

The white dragon's nostrils flared as steam exited from them. The two dragons did not make a move to attack Naxan and me, but I feared if I moved wrong they would make their move. The white dragon's eyes kept twitching back and forth from its companion to Naxan. My dragon bared his teeth at the white dragon. A growl rumbles in his chest as he watched the antsy white dragon.

The blue dragon circles around Naxan and me, moving towards its companion. The two dragons exchanged some growls before the blue dragon head-butts the other one. They were communicating. I watched the two of them with wide eyes, their exchange was brief before finally the white dragon shot into the trees and disappeared. The other dragon's eyes met mine. It flicked its tail and bowed its head before shooting off into the trees, following after its companion.

A shuddering sigh of relief escaped my mouth. Naxan growled lowly where the two dragons disappeared, but it seemed that they were gone for good. Taking his eyes away from the trees, he looked towards me. His eyes held a strange curiosity.

I shrug my shoulders, "I guess me and that one dragon are even now. I save its life and it saves my ass from being a chew toy."

Naxan huffs and turns away from me, swinging his tail back and forth. I ignored the feeling of his frustration through the bond and continued to look for a usable weapon.

With the sky coming to full darkness I was unable to see what was in front of me so I called it a day and went to where Naxan was sitting. He was laying under some trees, away from the burnt mess behind me.

"Go?" He stands. I nod in agreement. I followed behind the dragon as he navigated through the trees. Our trip was short, he took us to a different spot than where we first were today. The journey was a fair distance on foot and would be dangerous to make in the dark. I settle myself at the base of a tree. Naxan curls himself into a coil a couple of meters beside me.

I watch where he lay. We were making progress with our bond. I smile softly as I close my eyes and drift off to sleep.

My eyes shot open. The moon shone brightly directly above where Naxan and I slept. I lay still, listening to the sounds of the night. Something has awoken me, but I was unsure of what it was. I sense no impending danger and even if I did, Naxan would have sensed it far earlier than I.

No. This was something else. I shot up in realization, scouring the trees around me. The Rin had stated that it would appear in my next dream as it had done the previous night before. I got to my feet, eyes narrowing at the shadows engulfing the surrounding area.

"Show yourself, demon." My voice echoed and bounced off of the shadows as if they were solid walls firmly placed around me.

"Hello again, daughter." The Rin stepped into what little moonlight there was. His eyes were glowing ominously in the moonlight. Shivers raced down my spine. My hair stood on end. "Are you ready to listen to what I have to say?"

I furrowed my eyebrows, and my mouth gaped open in shock. The Rin really thought I would sit here and listen to his nonsense. I could not believe this. But then again, I never thought I would become a dragon rider either and yet here I am on this strange island with one at my side. Maybe... No! This is ridiculous. I can not believe I would even consider giving this thing a chance to speak to me. Give him a chance to kill me. I would not go down without a fight.

I chance a glance at Naxan and felt sorrow. The poor beast had no idea what was about to happen to me. My heart clenched in agony at the thought of hurting him.

The Rin cleared his throat. "Are you done with your rantings? This is getting quite annoying and we do not have all night to stand here with our thumbs up our asses waiting for you to come to your senses."

The Rin's words held venom. Literally. I didn't want to get too close to the demon's mouth, for he could inject me with his deadly poison.

"Navidean, you are impossible. Do you not think if I wanted you dead, you would be already?" His words made sense. But suspicion overruled this feeling. "I am only here to help, as your father it is my job to do so."

I snorted in amusement. "I already have a father who, by the way, raised me quite well."

The Rin's face gave nothing away, but his eyes flickered with emotion. All too quickly they returned to normal; unreadable. "Yes. Ronan is a fine man. A good father. Delilah chose well after me. However, he was only a temporary fix until it was time for me to help you in areas where he can not."

Curiously now, I stared at the Rin. Studying him. Wondering what he meant.

He slowly approached me. "Navidean, whether you want me here or not, it is my job to help you with your transformation." I shook my head, about to protest. "Before you say anything, let me explain myself."

I held back the string of curse words that floated around my tongue. In bewilderment, I contemplated the idea of hearing what he had to say. This was the Rin's second visit now, and he had made no move of violence towards me. He showed sincerity, but then again the Rin liked to play around with their victims.

I decided I would humour him, but I would stay on my guard.