I would've kept pushing myself away from the approaching man, but the others were also close behind me. I got to my feet, looking for a way to escape. Naxan was close, I could feel his presence coming closer. "No Nax, don't show yourself. Just wait." He growled in frustration through the bond. I was thankful he listened to me.

The younger males around the fire didn't move from where they were standing, but the two older ones had their hands on their swords a couple of feet away from me. I turned around and was about to flee from them, but a hand firmly wrapped around my clothing and dragged me back to the ground. I tried looking around again for a possible escape route.

A sword was drawn quickly and pointed at my face as if he knew of my thoughts. "Who are you?" Memories of the hunter who asked me the same thing came rushing into my head. Naxan growled out loud at what he was seeing. A couple of them looked around, but the one who had his sword pointed at me didn't take his eyes off of me.

"Naxan will eat them."

I stayed quiet. My hood still covered my head, so they couldn't see who I was.

"He asked you a question, schlamp." I moved my head towards the man called Baylen. His use of the curse word was meant to be vulgar, but it brought me a sense of homesickness as I thought of my town's drunk, Steve McGarty. If he didn't use that word at least once in every sentence he spoke, there was something wrong. I couldn't believe I was thinking of that when I was in such a situation.

I remained silent. The one who had pushed me to the ground stepped forward. The firelight illuminating his features. The first thing I noticed were his eyes, the emerald and amber glowed together in unison.

I recognized those eyes! They belonged to the dragon rider that had been in the hunter's camp. The one with the golden marking on his arm. I was thrilled to know that I wasn't in the midst of hunters, but dragon riders.

His sword captured my hood with its tip and he flung it off. Everyone could now see who I was. Baylen blanched as he realized the use of his words towards a female.

"You're alive." Says the man who took off my hood. His voice was breathy as he took in my appearance. I'm surprised he remembered me.

I smiled slightly. "And surprisingly, so are you. Didn't you die a few months back?"

He cracked a smile at my remark, extending a hand towards me. I took it and he hoisted me onto my feet. He sheathed his sword and we continued to share a look.

"Kayne, are you going to introduce us to the pretty lady?" Baylen asked, leaning closer towards the other male.

"This is..."

"Navi." I quickly say.

"Like the color? Navy?" Baylen asked. I nodded my head, I guess so.

Kayne resumed talking. "Remember when we were searching for someone I had seen when we took down those hunters awhile back? This is her."

Baylen stood wide-eyed. "You're telling me that you've been here this entire time? And you haven't been eaten by anything here?"

I thought of the many encounters when I had almost been made a dragon's chew toy or a cat's meal, but instead, I softly smiled.

"Why were you here in the first place?" The older fellow's eyes were piercing into me with a burning harshness.

All eyes were turned expectantly towards me. I was trying to think of a reason, I wasn't sure I wanted to reveal to them that I was a rider just yet. Especially since my dragon was a breed they'd never expect to bond with a human. The shock of me being a rider in the first place would be enough to put them on their arses, to be named a rider of a Valairex dragon would take the ground away from under their feet. No, I couldn't tell them. It had to remain a secret.

Instead, Kayne unknowingly came to my rescue. "The hunters had her, she was a prisoner."

"Or is she a hunter and she just got left behind." The other man glared at me, his hand was placed on his sheathed sword.

"Don't like him." Naxan's anger rose at the look the man was giving me.

"No, Hames. She was a prisoner." Kayne was looking deeply at me. There was conflict written on his face like he was trying to believe his own words.

Baylen stepped towards the campfire and scooped up a plate of food. He handed the plate to me with a utensil. "You're probably hungry. Here have a seat." He gestured to the logs that were brought around the campfire. I thanked him and took a seat, eating some of the food. I guess I was hungrier than I thought. But they probably thought I was starving.

I was able to survive on this island far better than they realized. I nearly snorted at my thoughts, but remained silent and ate the food given to me.

"What food is that?" Naxan asked, peering through my eyes. He grumbled a few words about how terrible my sight was compared to his.

"It's called stew, Nax," I explained. "It has broth, meat, and vegetables in it."

"Plant?" Naxan sounded outraged, feelings of revulsion ran through him into me.

"How have you been able to stay alive all this time?" Kayne asked, sitting beside me. The others sat, too I could feel their eyes on me. I felt like I was on display, and I hated the attention.

I swallowed my food before talking. "Survival instincts?"

"It's just you here?" I turned my head to Baylen who sat on another log beside me.

"It's just me."

"Lies." Naxan's growl weaved through the bond. "Twoleg would be hopeless without Naxan."

I was tired of questions being thrown at me, so I decided to ask a few things. "So, what are you guys doing here?"

"To claim our dragons!" One of the younger males beamed.

I held my spoon in the air, food dripping back into my plate. My eyes narrowed towards the four younger males. Then it clicked. Four stones, four new dragon riders. I turned to Kayne in shock. "The Gods gave out the stones?"

He nodded his head, smiling. "They did yes."

"Good thing too. It's been a damn long time since they showed their faces." Baylen grumbled beside me. "It's a wonder what made them change."

Maybe it was the fact that you people kept denying others the right to be a rider. My thoughts were bitter, but I didn't voice my opinions out loud.

"Sense twoleg is angry. Can Naxan eat them now?" Naxan perked up. He was closer to the camp now. I could feel it inside of the bond. He was a little too close for my liking.

"You're not eating anyone," I said firmly. He grumbled some words and continued to watch me. I couldn't see his eyes through the darkness, but I knew exactly which direction he was in.

"So, what kind of dragons do you think you have?" The four boys listed some names that were unfamiliar to me. Two of them had Airis dragons and the others had a Ceosil and a Dreo. "Whatever that means," I said to Naxan, but I nodded my head like I understood.

I was finished with my food and Kayne took my plate from my grasp, setting it aside with the other dirty dishes. I stood from my seat. "Well, at least she'll come in handy. Now we won't have to do the dishes."

I whipped my head around, glaring daggers at Hames. He noticed my look, and his face only grew smugger. "What makes you think I'm staying?" I seethed.

"Twoleg! Naxan will eat him!" His voice rang through my head in a rather loud tone. He was not helping my situation at all, but I still felt a bubble of laughter rising through my throat at the thought. I covered it up my clearing my throat, ghosting a hand over my mouth.

"Obviously you're coming with us. Your ordeal is over. You can return to whatever home you come from." Kayne said from behind me. My face fell. Home? I had come accustomed to this foreign land as my home.

"Did you honestly think we were going to leave you here?" Baylen laughed and shook his head.

I didn't know how to respond. All I could feel was dread, and Naxan sensed it. "What is wrong?" How was I supposed to tell my dragon that these people were taking me back to my homeland? How was I supposed to tell these people that I was a rider and my dragon couldn't fit in the stables at my parent's house?

"We should get some rest. We have a long day's work ahead of us tomorrow," Kayne said. I still hadn't moved from my position. My gaze was pointed at the dying flames in front of us, I was so focused on them I almost didn't hear Kayne talking to me.

"What was that?" I turned my gaze to him.

"I said you can take my sleeping mat." I glowered at him. I didn't need anyone taking care of me, I was doing fine until they showed up here.

"I have my own. Right here." I pulled at my bison skin around my body. All he did was nod his head. "I left my pack in the woods back there," I said to him.

"We'll fetch it in the morning." He sat on the log by the fire, throwing a few more pieces of wood into the flames. "Go to sleep now."

I refrained from growling at them the way Naxan growls at me when he was annoyed. I plopped myself onto the ground close to the fire and buried my face into the fur. I would not be leaving with these people, I would find a way to escape.

My thoughts were angry and I found it difficult to fall asleep. "It is okay twoleg. I am here." Naxan's voice settled my anger.

"I should never have let my curiosity get the better of me," I said through the bond.

"Always listen to Naxan," He said before my underlying tiredness overtook my senses.

My eyes opened to stare at the starry sky. The fire beside me was still alive, the flames competing with each other to climb higher. I sat up and looked around at the people sleeping on the bedrolls. Kayne was still awake, sitting beside the fire and sharpening his sword with a wet rock.

He didn't notice that I had sat up.

"Because he thinks you're sleeping, Navidean." Alec's voice sounded from behind me.

I quickly got up, happy to see someone that I could actually stand to talk to. "Hey there." I got to my feet.

"I see you ran into some friends." Alec looked around the campsite.

I frowned. "Hardly."

Alec shook his head, sighing. "You have to go with them, Navidean. You also have to tell them who you really are. This is good for you. You can't live here your entire life."

"But I don't want to go with them. I like living here with just me and Naxan."

Alec once again shook his head. "You're becoming like your dragon every day."

I cocked my head at his words.

"Your dragon is of a breed who lives in solitude." He explains, sitting on the log beside Kayne. "It's not healthy for either of you. You need to return with them. Both of you do."

"We're doing just fine the way we are." I retorted.

Alec leaned forward, resting his arms on his legs. "You really think that? The time longer that you spend alone, the more unstable your mind will become. You'll become more dangerous than your ancestor, and your name will be hated. It is time, Navidean."

"They see me as a female!" My tone was insinuating that the word female was something distasteful.

"You are a female, Navidean. Take pride in that. Make them regret ever doubting you."

I sighed, biting my lip. "You really think this is for the best?"

He nodded "Yes I do."

"Well, I guess that's that," I mumbled grumpily. I was still sour about the idea of travelling with these people, but a voice was in the back of my head, screaming at me, constantly telling me that he was right.

"Now onto more important business." Alec got up and the surrounding area changed to an open field with weapons and target boards. "Training."

I groaned out loud, but in reality, I needed this. When I was awake, I craved to be in this state of world and training with Alec. This session was deeply needed. The emotions building up inside of me were exploding, scrambling to be released.

Alec got into a ready stance, his fists up in the air. "Ready?" And before I could utter one word, he attacked.