My eyes opened after Alec had bid me a farewell. I was staring up at the sky until I heard someone shuffling beside me. I sit up from my sleeping mat, watching as Hames propped himself onto his elbow. He looked at me with his accusing eyes.

He nods his head in approval before he gets up and starts to wake up the others in a noisy ruckus. "Get up you stinkin' worms. The days almost half over." He roughly shoved his foot into one of the boys who didn't wake up. "I said get up you miserable cur!"

The boy awakes with a jolt, flinging his hands around at his assaulter. I heard Hames mumble something about this was why he never had children. I muffled a laugh with my mouth and got up to secure my bison hide around my body. The sun was peaking through the trees, rising above the horizon.

My gaze wandered around the camp, everyone was here except for Kayne. Just as I was thinking his name, I saw him trudging through the snow holding something. As he got closer I realized that it was my bag and my bow.

"I could have done that." I was bitter, I wanted to go and see Naxan while retrieving my things.

"I know." He handed me my things. "But I thought I would do it for you." I secured my things on my back without uttering another word.

"Leaving?" Naxan asked, I felt his eyes on me.

I let out a heavy breath. "We're going to travel with them for a little bit."

"Reason?" Naxan was curious as to why I still wanted to travel with these people. I would tell him that we were leaving, but I wanted to tell him to his face and not through the bond. But even then, I wasn't sure how to tell him that I was taking him away from the only place that he knows as home. I was scared of how he would react. He would hate me for sure. He deserved so much more than this.

Our first destination was to go to the Dreo woods, as they called it. It was separated by a large winding river where the sea had carved out the land. I only knew this from the map that I still carried around, even though I didn't need it anymore with Naxan guiding me across the island. I knew this island quite well after my time of living here, the only place we haven't visited was where Naxan had hatched. The Valairex Plains. It was a black, rocky wasteland, from what he's shown me through his memories. The sun could not penetrate through the thick, electrical storms hanging above and any vegetation growing there had died off.

He was alone his entire time as a hatchling, fending for himself and trying to survive. The other Valairex dragons residing there were not friendly with one another, they were loners, but if they came into contact with each other they would fight until the other was bloody and broken. The weaker opponent would die later and the victorious dragon would eat its prey. Naxan had escaped from one who had chased him down until he crossed where the land started to grow life back into it. The other dragon had tried to kill him, seeing him as a weak opponent because he had just hatched. I found this out by asking him of the scar he had on his hind leg. It wrapped around his right hindleg, disrupting his perfectly laid out scales. He was proud to bear such a scar, it reminded him that he was a survivor.

We had stopped before the gurgling river that separated the land. The canyon before us fell away into a deep river. The water spat and gurgled around the jutting out rocks. "How are we going to get across?" The male who was bounded to a Dreo dragon asked. He voiced my thoughts out loud, but I'm glad I didn't say anything as Hames turned back with a scowling glare.

"I've been doing this for generations before your time, kid." He unpacked his bag and grabbed a rope from inside. It had a hook on the end which he pummeled into the ground. He let the rope fall and he made his descent.

"Come on, you whimpering shite!" He shouted over the gurgling river as he made his way to the bottom where he landed on a rock that jutted out from the water. The boy looked terrified as he crept closer to the edge.

"What? Scared of heights are ya?" Hames could barely be heard over the roaring water. The boy fell back as he lost his balance from looking down.

"I'd say you're in the wrong profession then." I laughed. The boy's gaze turned to mine. I felt sorry for him as I saw the panic in his expression.

Baylen clasped the boy's shoulder. "You'll be fine, lad. If the rope can hold Hames weight, it can hold a dragon's weight." His humorous tone helped the boy ease himself down the cliff.

I could feel Naxan nearby, he was watching the two of them scramble up the rocky cliff with smug humour. "Glad Naxan has wings. Twolegs are clumsy and slow. Tiny things."

"Everything is tiny to you." I watched them a while longer until they scaled the other side of the mountain and disappeared through the trees. The rest of us waited here while they made their way to find the dragon. It wouldn't be hard to do, finding it. But getting around the territorial forest dragons would be another story.

"I have a question," I asked, watching Kayne and Baylen as they dropped their packs in the snow and started sorting stuff out.

"What is it, pretty lady?" Baylen turned his full attention to me while Kayne continued to riffle through his pack. I could tell he was still listening though.

"If you guys are dragon riders, why not just fly everywhere? You would be done before the sun made its highest peak." Baylen laughed softly, and I could see the subtle shake of Kayne's head.

Kayne stood from his crouched position. "It's our custom. The journey to find your dragon is not meant to be an easy one. Every rider had to go through it."

"It's hard on all of us," Baylen grumbled. "We left our dragons behind in Pontheugh, having to travel by boat. Such a mundane way to travel. It's sickening really."

I thought back to when I had found Naxan, or when he found me. It was pretty easy. But that's because he was able to come to me, whereas these dragons would be too small yet to venture on their own.

"Alright then," Baylen said. "Who's hungry?"

My stomach grumbled at the mention of food. I hadn't eaten much for breakfast as my nerves had already filled my stomach.

Instinctually, I grabbed my bow and arrows and was about to head into the forest to find an animal to bring back. I would have to bring something larger than a rabbit, I would hunt for a deer.

"Where do you think you're going?" Kayne asked from behind me.

I held up my bow, showing it off. "Hunting. You guys are hungry, right?"

"We can do that." Baylen slung his quivers sash around his shoulder. His arrows were far more beautifully made than mine, his bow as well.

I scoffed. "Have you forgotten that I have been hunting for myself for months?"

"We know. But you don't have to do that anymore." Kayne said, also equipped with hunting weapons. I was left stewing in hatred. I remember now why I wasn't ready to go back home. I had always been seen as a woman whose place was at home, providing a meal for her family.

I watched as they left through the trees. The other three younger males were quick to look away from my burning gaze, they didn't try to say anything else in fear of upsetting me further. I could sense their fear, the taste of it was like a sour apple biting at my tongue.

One of them, however, was braver than the rest. "I think it's pretty cool that you survived on your own here. I don't think you're incapable."

Naxan huffed. "Twoleg was not alone. Give credit to dragon."

One of the others nervously laughed. "I wouldn't doubt your abilities either. I'm sure if you were able to, you could kick my arse."

"Do it. Naxan needs some entertainment." I softened the harsh lines creasing my face, relaxing, and joined them in their circle they created.

As they talked more, I learned their names. The one who was bonded to the Ceosil dragon was called Aelric. I could sense the cool wash of water gently in his soul, it was refreshing to be around him.

The Airis riders were like a breath of fresh air, the wind soared through their veins, pumping with the blood in them. One's name was Roland and the other was Ton. Their infinities were calming and cool and as I sat beside them. My senses were calmed and I even started to join in the conversation.

"I have a few names picked out for my dragon," Aelric stated proudly.

I laughed, remembering when I had tried coming up with names for Naxan and how he would react when I said them out loud. "Hopefully your dragon isn't too picky."

"Name is forever. Has to be a good one." Naxan said from afar. He was eating his meal, a moose that he had snatched in his claws and killed instantly. It had been injured by something before and was bound to be eaten in the future. "Want some?" Naxan teased, showing me through his eyes the bloody meat he was ripping off.

"Thanks, Nax, but I'm okay."

He huffed and proceeded to call me weak. Every time. I contained a smile that was rising on my face.

Baylen and Kayne came back, looking victorious. They had a deer dragging behind them. The sun caught Baylen's eyes and made them shine with an orange hue. It looked as though fire was trapped within them. I looked away from the two, feeling my hatred ripping through my calmed emotions.

I didn't talk much as Baylen skinned the animal, taking out portions of the meat that were to be eaten. I did, however, snap at Baylen when he told me to start a fire, or more so asked if I knew how.

I was about to show him how easily and fast I could do it, but the pile of wood erupted in flames before my eyes. Smoke tendrils were dancing off of Baylen's fingertips.

That was my last straw. I got up and made my direction towards the trees. "Where are you going?"

"Away from you," I shouted, my temper rising quickly. I felt the burning desire to punch him in the face. My fingers itched to curl into fists and make contact with something. I left them behind, trudging through the snow in search of my dragon.

He could sense my emotions as I made my way towards him. "I am fed up with these people!" I seethed through gritted teeth. Naxan was sitting calmly, watching as I exploded. "They are insufferable swine! Bullhead, ignorant, sexist pigs!" I punched a nearby tree and instantly regretted it. I shook my hand, fury igniting deeper in my soul. Shadows licked at my wounds, willing me to heal the bruising. I extended my fingers and clenched my fist and my hand was fully healed.

"If I can't put up with them here, how am I supposed to put up with them at the Academy!" I continued to rage on.

"Academy?" Naxan's voice was curious.

I stopped pacing in front of him, contorting my face. "I was going to tell you Naxan, I just didn't know how to." I put a hand to my forehead, massaging out the skin that was clenched tight. "We have to go with them. Back to my home."

Naxan looked at me for a while. His expression showed me nothing but his mind was turning over with his thinking process. "Wherever you go, I go." His lips moved the hair on my head, the dark curls cascading around my face.

"But Naxan, there will be lots of humans there. And you won't be able to fly wherever you want. You'll hate it there!" I didn't realize that I was trying to make him hate the thought of going until the words left my mouth. But maybe if he hated it, then we could stay.

"I did not think we would stay forever. Riders go back to home, they do not stay here." Naxan's words were wise from observation.

I breathed heavily, the hair hanging over my face flying in all directions. I placed a hand on his nose and we stayed like that for a while, just breathing with each other. I didn't realize how antsy I was becoming by not being near my dragon. I wondered how the others were able to do it when they were on a completely different island.

As my emotions calmed and I was feeling better, there was soft crunching coming from behind me. "Go!" I whispered to Naxan as I went in the direction of the footsteps. I could feel his gaze on my back for a moment longer before he slipped into the trees, heading in the opposite direction.

It was Kayne. "Hey there." He said, stopping in his tracks as he saw me in front of him.

"Hey there," I said back.

Kayne stared at me for longer than I would have liked. His gaze felt like it was cutting through my flesh, analyzing every part of my face. "Don't pay any mind to Baylen. He's secretly impressed by you."

I snorted. "It clearly shows with the way he treats me." I walked past him and went back in the direction of where they were camped.

Kayne tugged on my arm, turning me to face him. "I'm impressed too." I looked into his eyes, the amber stood out the most. Flickering dark as he looked into mine. We stared at each other. I was in a trance. I hadn't felt such a fire stir in behind my ribcage when looking at a man.

"Bond is open," Naxan growled. "If twolegs are going to mate, keep Naxan out of it."

I had to turn away from Kayne's face so he wouldn't see my smile. I've always vowed to myself that I would never see a man as attractive, for that would mean I would fall in love and have a family. I was never one to enjoy the thought of a family, being taken care of by a man, and tending to his needs.

"Your eyes are truly beautiful when you're angry." Kayne's grip grew tighter on my arm. I heard a loud whooping behind us. "Looks like the others have returned." He let go of me and went in the direction of their cheers, leaving me to figure out how to stop this burning attraction.