"Go on, then," I said. This is a bad idea. And did I ever know it. I can't believe I was associating with a Rin.

He stood watching me. I refrained from shrinking away from his milky eyes. I wondered if his eyes really held the souls of his past victims. "First, what have you been taught about our kind."

I grimaced, "Your kind is said to be spawns of the abyss sent here to spread plagues on the human race." I said with a matter-of-fact tone of voice.

The Rin scoffed with dry humour. "People come up with the darnedest things." The Rin shook his head. "We came from the same gods as everything else; we worship the same gods as everyone else." He walked over a tree root. The leaves crunched softly under his feet. "At one point in time, not too long ago, our people were a part of your people on what you now call The Council of Pontheugh. It used to be called The Council of Balance."

I squinted my eyes towards the Rin, not sure whether to believe his words or not.

"The council used to contain one of every creature, but now what? There are just dragon riders?" The Rin shook his head, looking almost disappointed. "Once the Council has doubts in their mind about a species, they kick them off and drive them to extinction." The Rin's voice became dark. "The others never enjoyed our presence, especially when there was a woman of our kind on the council." The Rin growled lowly. "She - Mavka was murdered. Someone made her death look like an accident." He wiped a hand over his face and shook his head. "After, our kind was driven out of Pontheugh's lands. How convenient for The Council."

Not once have I heard of this information before. To believe it would be to change my entire way of thinking about the world I live in. It was hard to take in.

The Rin waved his hands towards me, "Go on, what else have you been taught."

I held my breath, worried I would say something he wouldn't like. So, I decided to say something obvious. "You have poison that can kill a human."

The Rin smiled, showing his fangs. "Yes, our bite contains that poison. It can also paralyze a dragon."

I furrowed my eyebrows together. "Is the poison a clear liquid?"

"Yes." He replied.

I widened my eyes, "The dragon hunters are using your poison to paralyze the dragons they capture."

"Yes. They have stolen our people and are using them only for the venom they produce." He glanced over at me. "So you have seen our poison before?"

I nodded my head. "Yes. When I first came to this island, I was close to a hunter's camp and found dragons in cages covered in venom. I'm confused, though, I touched the venom, and it burned through me. How am I not dead?"

The Rin smiled. "This is because you are half Rin. After your first reaction to the venom, your human side is immune to it."

I tilted my head. It makes sense, but if I'm part Rin, that means he is telling the truth. All I felt now was curiosity about the subject. "Tell me more about your people," I said.

"I can show you." The Rin said, and then the world around me developed new scenery. People bustled around me, chattering amongst themselves. It reminded me of my village.

Some sat in groups, weaving baskets or fishing nets. Others sorted through baskets containing different types of plants and berries. A hunting party emerged through the woods behind me. They carried a large buck and a boar. They all had smiles on their faces.

"We are the same as everyone else; we eat, hunt, and gather. Same as every other village in these parts. The only difference between everyone is the way they look and the certain abilities they may possess." The Rin spoke, watching the scene before us.

Watching only made me homesick. Turning away, I focused on other things.

"Navidean." The Rin spoke.

I shook my head and turned to look at him. "If I am part Rin, why didn't my mother tell me anything about it?"

"Even you know the answer to that one." He crossed his arms. "If the people you lived amongst learned about your heritage, they would execute you and Delilah. She left this place to live amongst her people to keep you safe." It made sense, but I needed more convincing.

The Rin sighed. "You forget, I can read your thoughts." I curled my lip.

"Stay out of my head."

He chuckled. "I'm in your head no matter what. We're in your dreamland after all."

I groaned, walking a few steps away from him. "Why? Why are you in my head? Why must you make my life so complicated?"

The Rin shook his head. "I am not making your life complicated. I am here to help you along your journey so you may understand what you're going through."

"But I haven't had anything happen to me other than finding out I am a dragon rider. I have not changed in any way." Thinking about it, I still haven't felt any power after touching the stone.

His eyes met mine, "You have two different sides of you fighting for dominance. I can only help you with one." He stared at me with an intense look. "You have shown small signs of your changing. I can sense it within you. Your body is a battleground, and until you learn to control both sides of yourself, you won't get very far." I closed my eyes, refraining from the urge to groan. I hated how he was able to get inside my head so quickly. This was the answer he needed as I heard his footsteps fall upon the undergrowth. "Our people can sense the balance changing. Something new is in the air. You."

Cracking my eyelids open, I gauged him with critical eyes. "Yes, I know I'm quite the freakshow."

Alec scoffed. "You will learn to accept your fate." His words met deaf ears as I criticized how my life was going. I was the first known female dragon rider to emerge at a time when the Gods hadn't chosen riders in years. On top of it all, I had a Rin haunting my mind, trying to trick me into thinking I was one of him.

I stopped my rambling thoughts when I noticed the Rin was staring at me intently. "I am here because it is necessary for your survival. Learning about your past will help with your future. I can aid you, but only in certain aspects. You will have to find the strength to figure out what to do with your dragon rider side."

My heart drops. "I don't know the first thing about dragon riders. Women weren't taught anything about the sort. I am supposed to be in that damn Academy, but they threw me out. How am I supposed to learn anything about myself when I'm stuck on this dragon island?" My knees wanted to give out. All this weight was on my shoulders, and I couldn't do anything about it.

"You're wrong for thinking such ways, Navidean. What better place to learn than on this island?" The scenery changes and shows dragons of all breeds around us.

Some gathered branches and ferns, while others brought back animals in their talons. It was almost like watching my village or the Rin's village working. "You will find so much more knowledge about yourself on this island than anyone can teach you from this Academy you talk about."

I watched the scenery around us until it faded away, and we were back where I had left my dragon peacefully sleeping.

"So what now?" I asked, feeling miserable.

The Rin walked a few steps, looking into the woods. He then turned to meet my eyes. "You must learn to survive."

I scoffed, "I've been doing alright for the past couple of months."

The Rin didn't look impressed. "Alright, isn't good enough. It would help if you learned more. Do more. How are you supposed to survive by doing alright?"

I pursed my lips. "How do you suppose I do that?"

"Rin's used to train the army." He took a moment before speaking with pride. "We have a different way of battle strategies that they wanted to learn from."

I narrowed my eyes. "Are you saying that you'll teach me how to fight?"

The Rin nodded his head. "A father must look after his child."

I pushed air through my nose in a short burst. "I still don't believe that."

"I showed you my memories, that is all. There was no trick." He said, sounding exasperated.

I shook my head and held up a hand. "Listen, I will agree to the help you promised me, but I will not look at you as my father." I avoided looking into the Rin's eyes.

"That is fine." He spoke softly. Looking up, his eyes changed slightly. They were softer. Once he noticed I was staring, he straightened, and the softness was gone in a flash.

"Alright," he said. "We will start with the basics first."

Hearing that sparked excitement. "What are the basics?" I asked, having a slight jump in my step as I followed in his footsteps.

What I had in mind was completely different from what he did. I was balancing on a tree branch. It wasn't so hard until he started swinging a stick at me. "What's that for?" I struggled to keep my footing while dodging the stick he swung in my direction.

He jabbed the stick at my torso, and I toppled backwards onto the ground below. "It is to help maintain your balance." He reached his hand down for me to take. "Keeping your footing and being able to dodge a weapon." I grabbed his hand, and he pulled me onto my feet.

I sighed in dismay. "Well, I'm not doing a very good job."

The Rin laughed. "You will not be perfect at it in one day, young one." He shook his head. "Patience is something else you must learn."

Looking down, I ran my tongue across the inside of my lip. The Rin sighed. "It cannot be learned all at once. My warriors are trained for many seasons."

"Is that how long we're going through this?" My voice was close to being shrill.

The Rin poked the stick at my torso. "Do you think you can handle that?" His voice was harsh.

I thought of my family back home. They were probably worried about me, unsure of what to think. At some point, I would have liked to go and see them. Tell them I'm okay.

The Rin poked at me again, ruining my thoughts. "I can read your mind." I glared at him. "It is up to you to learn what I have to teach you. Then, you will be able to journey on your next path." He swung the stick he held in his hands. "As I help you along this journey, you will learn many things that will guide you to where you're supposed to be."

I slowly nodded my head. "I'll do what needs to be done."

"Good." He smiled. His silver eyes still made me uneasy.

"But," I started off, "How does any of this help with being a Rin? What changes will I go through?"

His milky eyes slowly blinked. "Not all go through the same changes. Just like every other creature."

"Like...?" I ask.

"Rin's have a variety of different powers. Some are able to transform their bodies into something different from their original form. Others have mind powers such as dream walking, mind-reading, or mind control."

I think back to what he showed me before. "So you can shift into that bear-looking creature?" He nods. "And you can also dream walk and read minds?"

"I can only read minds if I'm dreamwalking." He states.

"But others can read minds if in person?" He nods his head once again. "What about the eyes? Will I permanently have silver eyes? Will I be able to hide them?"

He sighs. "I do not know. When you change, that is when I will be of most help."

"Do you know when that will be?" I was scared of the response.

"Soon." He says. I sink into myself. "I can sense your transformation approaching." A feeling of dread washes over me. My human days will soon be behind me.

The Rin pokes me with the stick he carries. "Enough questions for this time. Let's continue training."

"What do I have to do?"

The Rin smiles. "You can start by calling me Alec."