Wyrda: Father of Dragons (Eragon Book 5)

Chapter 4: Training

                  The sky was red and purple as the sun rose to the sky. The light coming from between the peak of the mountains gave a magical image to the new dragon city, Du Skulblaka Ramr, as it fell on the white walls of the tall library and on the shining frozen river. No sound could be heard except for the singing of the birds, and nothing moved except for the occasional animal hunting its prey. Suddenly, the form of an eagle pierced the clear morning sky as it tried to escape the dragon chasing it. The eagle flew faster with every second that passed, letting a terrified cry but it was no match for the flying skills of the dragon chasing it. The distance slowly decreased between them. The dragon opened its mouth and in a few seconds it caught the eagle between its jaws and consumed it in a few bites. As it slowly descended, it let out a victory roar which echoed over the mountains and the peaceful valley below. With a swirl and a few powerful beats from it's wings, the dragon landed near it's rider. 

                   Thrain was a dwarf and the first rider of his kind. He had brown eyes and a long black beard and bushy eyebrows. He was muscular, as he used to be a warrior for the clan of Durgrimst Vrenshrrgn, (the wolf warriors). Being a warrior was a very important part of being an adult of the clan, and all youths were tested before they could become warriors by hunting a Shrrgr., the large wolves that lived in the area. Thrain was wearing a red cotton shirt and a pair of old pants. On one of his strong hands, he was carrying a wooden sword and with the other, a large round shield. Above the cloth shirt, he wore a heavy metallic armor and on his head was a silver helmet shaped as a wolf, the symbol of his clan. He wore his armor, not because it was a time of war, but because as all the members of his warlike clan, he believed that he should always be prepared for a fight and he should always train in the arts of war. He was slowly making his way to his dragon and he did not seem affected by the effort of carrying his weapons as he continued his way, seemingly in deep thought. 

                Being the first dragon rider of his race was not easy on him. He still remembered the dwarf king Orik, shaking his hand in congratulations and the looks that the dwarves council gave him when they learned the news. He had to impress them, so that all clans would accept his new position as a rider. He was concerned with his difficulty of flying with his dragon, as all his dwarven instincts told him that he was of the stone, and he had no reason to fly. Ever since he was a small child, they had told him such stories, and it was difficult for him to go against these instincts. But he also loved his dragon and wanted to please her by enjoying flying with her. He was also concerned about his difficulty with magic spells, which were so troublesome to him, but seemed to come so easily to the human and elf rider. As he walked, he was trying desperately to find solutions to these problems and so paid no attention to his surroundings. As a result, he jumped with surprise as suddenly Vincix, his orange female dragon landed right in front of him.

 "Good morning Thrain."she said with her deep voice.

 "Good morning Vincix! I see you decided to stop showing off your hunting skills" he said with a wink once he recovered. Vincix puffed some smoke from her nostrils and turned her head towards him. 

 "You should have come with me little one" she said looking at him with her large orange eyes.

 "No one wants a noisy warrior dwarf while hunting. It scares the prey away. And no one likes a hungry dragon" he said with a chuckle trying to hide his concerns behind a joke.  Vincix laughed with him and then said 

"I brought you some breakfast little one."she said dropping the rabbits she had caught near him.

 "Ah rabbits! I'm as hungry as a Shrrgr! I haven't eaten anything since yesterday!Thank you" he said hugging with his small arms her large neck. "Don't tell Eragon or I'll be in trouble" he whispered.