Dragon Riders
Chapter 5
The door exited onto a lush green field where humans and Dragons were interacting in different ways. There were groups of people fighting with fake weapons and armor. As well as Dragons and riders who lazed about eating while activity buzzed around them.
Stepping through the door, I heard the others follow as I took in my surroundings. “Alright you four, head in that direction and make it snappy. The longer you dawdle here the less time you have to learn, and believe me, you’ll want all the time you can get.” Jenna snapped before she pointed to my right, where I could see a group of people and Dragons relaxing.
Smiling and thanking her Stacy, our Dragons, and I started across the field the heat of the sun beating down on us and causing sweat to break out across my forehead and to drip down my back.
My Dragon was slinking beside me, and it was almost instinct to lift my hand and rest it on his shoulder. His scales shifted with his every step and the oddly cool feel was a relief from the heat. I could hear Stacy talking to her Dragon, but was to busy focusing on the unusualness of my surroundings to be much of a conversationalist.
As we walked across the field I could see people stopping and glancing at us for a few seconds before they resumed what ever it was that they were doing before. The trek seemed unusually long as we moved across the field but we finally stopped in front of the group we had been directed to, who stood instantly when they saw us.
“Hey newbies! About time you showed up!” A girl chirped as she moved away from a large green Dragon that matched her eyes. Tall and willowy, her armor the same color of her Dragon, and eyes, with brown hair piled into a bun atop her head, and a tan face that was stretched into a smile, the girl was beautiful. “I’m Grace-Ann, and this is Seedling.” She told us as she gestured to the Dragon, who nodded towards us.
I was smiling at her about to introduce myself when a shift on the edge of my vision caught my attention and had me turning, and then nearly gaping at what I saw. Tall and muscular, the male who stood beside the dark drown Dragon looked like a god. Black hair and tan skin threw his turquoise eyes into vivid relief, and his body was fitted into dark brown armor that matched his Dragon. His hair was cropped close to his skull and his eyes were hard and cold.
His mouth twisted into a grin that didn’t quite reach his eyes as he looked over Stacy and then me. “My name is Lucas, and this is Blade.” He told us, his voice like deep whiskey. The Dragon beside him was similar in looks to mine, only with different bumping on his head. “We’re,” He said motioning to Grace-Ann and himself. “Your trainers, we will teach you everything you need to know before you head off to your specialization. Which will be determined later.” He said his eyes traveling first to Stacy’s dragon and then onto mine. He stared at my dragon for a coupled of seconds before he turned and literally climbed up his Dragon’s side until he rested on his back.
Grace-Ann’s eyes flashed to me momentarily before she moved to stand beside her Dragon. “Alright, I’m only going to show you how to mount this one time, after that you’re on your own. So I suggest you watch closely.” She told us before she braced her hands on Seedling’s side, in the small section between his wing and leg. “First you put your left foot on your Dragon’s leg and grab their wing with your right hand. Bracing your left hand on their side you put your weight on your left foot and stretch your right arm until you can grab onto their shoulder blade.” Grace-Ann made the moves as she talked through him, and soon she was dangling off the ground, on foot on Seedling’s leg and the other hanging. Her left hand was gripping her Dragon’s shoulder blade while her right hand was braced on his side. “Next, you put your right foot onto the Dragon’s wing base and switch you weight. Switching feet you swing your right leg over their back. Then you want to scoot forward until you are sitting with your legs as far around their neck as they can go.” She said, smiling down at us from atop her Dragon.
I blinked up at her before turning to my Dragon, who I really needed to think of a name for, and moved closer to him. “Sorry, if I mess this up.” I told him before I reached up and grabbed a hold of his wing.
“It’s okay, I can take it.” His voice said. He sounded excited, causing a small smile to crease my cheeks before I lifted my leg to his. The pants stretched easily with my body’s movements, and when I put my weight on the leg and started attempting to climb my Dragon. Doing my best to follow Grace-Ann’s movements, but knowing that I didn’t look near as graceful as she and Lucas had, I managed to get my hand around a bump on my Dragon’s back before I got stuck, and it wasn’t in a comfortable position.
No, I got stuck with my foot on his wing and the other on his leg, and my hand on his back, meaning I looked like a K. Glancing down at the ground, which seemed quite far away, I tried again to heft myself up, and only succeeded in making my muscles hate me.
Biting my lip I looked around before I sighed and thumped my head onto my Dragon’s side. “Um, I seem to be very stuck.” I called out glancing over my shoulder in time to see Stacy swing atop of her Dragon with a lot of difficulty.
There was some giggling before there was a thud, which I’m guessing was one of the pros getting off their Dragon. “Well you seemed to have done everything right.” Lucas said from behind me, his voice filled with amusement. “This big boy just seems to be the tiniest bit too big. Don’t worry, over time you’ll figure out an easier way to do this.” He told me a second before I felt something press up on butt, until I was high enough to flip over onto my Dragon’s back, panting and blushing, but I was on his back.
Looking down at Lucas I flashed a smile. “Thanks,” I told him, to which he nodded and moved to back to his Dragon, which he scaled with effortless ease.
Grace-Ann glanced at him with raised eyebrows for a second before she smirked. “Alright guys, so first flight always takes place away from the field and over the water incase you slide off. So, just ask your Dragon to follow us and we’ll be on our way!” She said before her Dragon lurched forward.
Blinking a few times at her I turned my attention to my Dragon. “Um, do you mind following them?” I asked him, and with a hum he did just that.
“You do realize you can communicate with me through our minds, that way everybody in the area doesn’t have to know?” My Dragon asked as he walked after the others.
His movement felt weird under me, the motion very different from that of a horse. Gripping onto a bump that extended from his neck I held on so that I didn’t slide off him. Smiling at the idea I focused on my Dragon and thought hard. “Can you hear me?” I questioned.
My Dragon rumbled under me happily. “Yes I can, and please stop yelling. You don’t have to be so loud!” He told me as we entered the lush forest that surrounded the mansion.
I was silent as I thought, my mind whirling at everything that had happened in the past two days. My life had changed so much, but I still lacked a name for the thing that was a main part of everything that had changed. I figured now, while we were literally just traveling silently would be as good a time as any to name the Dragon who I guessed now belonged to me.
“Hey, I was thinking, you need a name and well I have some idea’s I wanted to run by you, and if you like one it could be yours.” I thought to my Dragon, who a hummed an affirmative in my mind. “Okay, so my brothers used to tell me the words they learned and school and I remember some of them, they mean gold, I think, and I feel like that would fit you. Khryses, Orel, Upaz, Opher, Te-” I was interrupted when my Dragon came to a quick stop, nearly making me flip over his head.
His body tensed under me a second before he shouted a word in my head. “Yes!”
Stepping through the door, I heard the others follow as I took in my surroundings. “Alright you four, head in that direction and make it snappy. The longer you dawdle here the less time you have to learn, and believe me, you’ll want all the time you can get.” Jenna snapped before she pointed to my right, where I could see a group of people and Dragons relaxing.
Smiling and thanking her Stacy, our Dragons, and I started across the field the heat of the sun beating down on us and causing sweat to break out across my forehead and to drip down my back.
My Dragon was slinking beside me, and it was almost instinct to lift my hand and rest it on his shoulder. His scales shifted with his every step and the oddly cool feel was a relief from the heat. I could hear Stacy talking to her Dragon, but was to busy focusing on the unusualness of my surroundings to be much of a conversationalist.
As we walked across the field I could see people stopping and glancing at us for a few seconds before they resumed what ever it was that they were doing before. The trek seemed unusually long as we moved across the field but we finally stopped in front of the group we had been directed to, who stood instantly when they saw us.
“Hey newbies! About time you showed up!” A girl chirped as she moved away from a large green Dragon that matched her eyes. Tall and willowy, her armor the same color of her Dragon, and eyes, with brown hair piled into a bun atop her head, and a tan face that was stretched into a smile, the girl was beautiful. “I’m Grace-Ann, and this is Seedling.” She told us as she gestured to the Dragon, who nodded towards us.
I was smiling at her about to introduce myself when a shift on the edge of my vision caught my attention and had me turning, and then nearly gaping at what I saw. Tall and muscular, the male who stood beside the dark drown Dragon looked like a god. Black hair and tan skin threw his turquoise eyes into vivid relief, and his body was fitted into dark brown armor that matched his Dragon. His hair was cropped close to his skull and his eyes were hard and cold.
His mouth twisted into a grin that didn’t quite reach his eyes as he looked over Stacy and then me. “My name is Lucas, and this is Blade.” He told us, his voice like deep whiskey. The Dragon beside him was similar in looks to mine, only with different bumping on his head. “We’re,” He said motioning to Grace-Ann and himself. “Your trainers, we will teach you everything you need to know before you head off to your specialization. Which will be determined later.” He said his eyes traveling first to Stacy’s dragon and then onto mine. He stared at my dragon for a coupled of seconds before he turned and literally climbed up his Dragon’s side until he rested on his back.
Grace-Ann’s eyes flashed to me momentarily before she moved to stand beside her Dragon. “Alright, I’m only going to show you how to mount this one time, after that you’re on your own. So I suggest you watch closely.” She told us before she braced her hands on Seedling’s side, in the small section between his wing and leg. “First you put your left foot on your Dragon’s leg and grab their wing with your right hand. Bracing your left hand on their side you put your weight on your left foot and stretch your right arm until you can grab onto their shoulder blade.” Grace-Ann made the moves as she talked through him, and soon she was dangling off the ground, on foot on Seedling’s leg and the other hanging. Her left hand was gripping her Dragon’s shoulder blade while her right hand was braced on his side. “Next, you put your right foot onto the Dragon’s wing base and switch you weight. Switching feet you swing your right leg over their back. Then you want to scoot forward until you are sitting with your legs as far around their neck as they can go.” She said, smiling down at us from atop her Dragon.
I blinked up at her before turning to my Dragon, who I really needed to think of a name for, and moved closer to him. “Sorry, if I mess this up.” I told him before I reached up and grabbed a hold of his wing.
“It’s okay, I can take it.” His voice said. He sounded excited, causing a small smile to crease my cheeks before I lifted my leg to his. The pants stretched easily with my body’s movements, and when I put my weight on the leg and started attempting to climb my Dragon. Doing my best to follow Grace-Ann’s movements, but knowing that I didn’t look near as graceful as she and Lucas had, I managed to get my hand around a bump on my Dragon’s back before I got stuck, and it wasn’t in a comfortable position.
No, I got stuck with my foot on his wing and the other on his leg, and my hand on his back, meaning I looked like a K. Glancing down at the ground, which seemed quite far away, I tried again to heft myself up, and only succeeded in making my muscles hate me.
Biting my lip I looked around before I sighed and thumped my head onto my Dragon’s side. “Um, I seem to be very stuck.” I called out glancing over my shoulder in time to see Stacy swing atop of her Dragon with a lot of difficulty.
There was some giggling before there was a thud, which I’m guessing was one of the pros getting off their Dragon. “Well you seemed to have done everything right.” Lucas said from behind me, his voice filled with amusement. “This big boy just seems to be the tiniest bit too big. Don’t worry, over time you’ll figure out an easier way to do this.” He told me a second before I felt something press up on butt, until I was high enough to flip over onto my Dragon’s back, panting and blushing, but I was on his back.
Looking down at Lucas I flashed a smile. “Thanks,” I told him, to which he nodded and moved to back to his Dragon, which he scaled with effortless ease.
Grace-Ann glanced at him with raised eyebrows for a second before she smirked. “Alright guys, so first flight always takes place away from the field and over the water incase you slide off. So, just ask your Dragon to follow us and we’ll be on our way!” She said before her Dragon lurched forward.
Blinking a few times at her I turned my attention to my Dragon. “Um, do you mind following them?” I asked him, and with a hum he did just that.
“You do realize you can communicate with me through our minds, that way everybody in the area doesn’t have to know?” My Dragon asked as he walked after the others.
His movement felt weird under me, the motion very different from that of a horse. Gripping onto a bump that extended from his neck I held on so that I didn’t slide off him. Smiling at the idea I focused on my Dragon and thought hard. “Can you hear me?” I questioned.
My Dragon rumbled under me happily. “Yes I can, and please stop yelling. You don’t have to be so loud!” He told me as we entered the lush forest that surrounded the mansion.
I was silent as I thought, my mind whirling at everything that had happened in the past two days. My life had changed so much, but I still lacked a name for the thing that was a main part of everything that had changed. I figured now, while we were literally just traveling silently would be as good a time as any to name the Dragon who I guessed now belonged to me.
“Hey, I was thinking, you need a name and well I have some idea’s I wanted to run by you, and if you like one it could be yours.” I thought to my Dragon, who a hummed an affirmative in my mind. “Okay, so my brothers used to tell me the words they learned and school and I remember some of them, they mean gold, I think, and I feel like that would fit you. Khryses, Orel, Upaz, Opher, Te-” I was interrupted when my Dragon came to a quick stop, nearly making me flip over his head.
His body tensed under me a second before he shouted a word in my head. “Yes!”