"I would rather have my scales ripped from my body than go anywhere with you!" Kiragi shouted. "Why must you invade my life even more by heading to the place where I live?"

"Simple; we need a place to stay," İzzet explained. "I am not going back into the Goderath Peaks. And if Doryu's theory is correct, we'd be found within a day or two. The soldiers heading to Soirault are under Shahzad. Knowing him, he's probably already found out where we're going and is having the soldiers stay there to watch for any signs of dragons or us. Luckily, he didn't anticipate we'd have a Frukink that scouted out the area before we got caught. So, we're going to hang out at Fethprist for a while until the soldiers hopefully leave."

"Oh? So I'm a slave to you? The bloodline lives on," Kiragi spat with a flick of his tongue. Alaois jumped onto his hind legs, opened his mouth, and roared loudly, leaving Doryu hanging desperately onto his saddle loop.

I've had enough of this, he growled as he rested his front talons back onto the solid ground.

You and me both, Doryu said as he patted Alaois's shoulder. "We're wasting time. Daylight hasn't exactly disappeared. I know you guys have tension between one another, but we need to move." Alaois grunted in agreement.

"Wise words, young rider," Kiragi complimented, making Doryu smile. "Fine. I'll come. But I am riding with Doryu and Alaois." The Frukink hopped onto the back of Alaois's green rear. He kneeled and his tail hung over the dragon's side. Doryu turned to his father, who mounted Danuška and strapped himself into his saddle. Without a word, the dragons took off from the ground. Kiragi, despite not sitting down or strapped in a saddle, rode behind Doryu with ease.

"Seems like you have practice," he pointed out. Alaois turned his head to the question. "Unless it's a Frukink thing."

"All of us are trained to ride dragons without a saddle because we consider it slavery."

Seems like they have a problem with servitude, Alaois growled. That's all he talks about.

"For your information, dragon, yes, we do have a problem with it. Younglings like me who have parents that have served Bokon are dishonored. We have to claw our way back onto the rankings due that they believe we'll turn any secret into the Lord. Do you know how many years it took me just to be trusted? How long until I was able to do anything without having a scout watch over my every move? How long until I was able to leave Fethprist for anything? I guess not, because you were never born with a parent who served Bokon. We are two entirely different species, so don't judge me for what my Tribe believes in."

I would like it if you didn't peer into my mind and thoughts the entire time, Alaois growled to Kiragi, but to Doryu too in case he had to transfer the message.

"As you wish, I will not stick my mind into yours, but it would be easier if you would set a boundary. But, I can understand the delay in both your training." He turned his head to İzzet. "Do you understand Bokon and Shahzad don't just know a simple levitation spell?"

"Training got set-back due to survival. I was going to teach him much more once we arrived at Soirault, but that got delayed too. So, once we reach Fethprist, hopefully with no more interruptions, he will learn more. Don't you worry. It's none of your concern about his preparation anyways."

"Well, maybe it should be. It would probably be best if he were to be with magic users and become their apprentice. I know you Rider's are strict with who trains your Younglings, but there's none of you left." Lorcan squealed loudly to end the conversation, with a little help from Danuška, who looked annoyed.

"Would it satisfy you if we did training now?" İzzet groaned. Kiragi responded with a nod as he eyed Doryu, pondering what he had in store for the young Rider. Doryu, on the other hand, smiled. "Alright. Alaois, we're mainly working with you. I know you dragons are quite fast, but you're going to dive as fast as you can then pull up at the last second. You need to be able to land without being loud or destructive."

Sounds easy enough, Alaois commented.

"With an enemy at your saddle." All three looked at İzzet with confusion. "Just because we have our own dragons doesn't mean that no one else can ride them and try to control them. Thankfully, dragons are not horses, so they are loyal to their rider. So, Alaois, you'll be trying to get Kiragi off of you and trying to catch Doryu, because he's been thrown off, while not trying to kill yourself. Now, Alaois, if you see that your rider is safe, your main objective is getting your enemy, or enemies, off of you. Doryu, you'll be trying to protect yourself from falling. Putting a spell on yourself is a little more harder than using it on something or someone."

Kiragi stood up, gripped his claws into Doryu's shoulders and pulled him off the saddle, tossing him off Alaois. The green serpent growled at İzzet before folding his wings and diving fastly. In an attempt to get the Frukink off his back, he spun in a spiral multiple times and tried to snap at him. Doryu, despite being terribly frightened of the closely incoming ground, did his best to levitate himself. Leviteerima. Leviteerima! he constantly said, but it didn't work.

Doryu, I can't reach you! Alaois said as he fought with Kiragi. Danuška came speeding down towards Doryu, faster than Alaois had ever done before. She grabbed Doryu by his shoulders with her talons then bellowed to Kiragi and Alaois. The Frukink stopped fighting and allowed Alaois to regain control and zoom towards Doryu, Danuška, and İzzet. Danuška slowed her speed and dropped Doryu onto the back of Alaois, where Kiragi caught him and settled him back into the saddle.

"What kind of training is that?!" Doryu yelled as he sat. "I nearly died."

What makes him think that trying to fight off an enemy will increase my diving speed. That was ridiculous! Alaois snarled.

"You saw how fast Danuška went. That's what Alaois should be able to do with time," İzzet explained.

"If I may butt in, that was not really a training session. Doryu nearly died, both me and Alaois could've been severely injured, whether it was from each other or from the impact of the ground if we had crashed. Not necessarily the smartest nut in the tree. Perhaps I should teach him some things. I may not do magic as our magicians do, but I do know how to use weapons. I could work with Doryu's archery."

"If that makes you stop complaining, fine." İzzet turned his head away from his son and the Frukink.

"Alaois, keep us steady. Doryu, grab your bow and a few arrows." Doryu took his weapon out of the bag that hung from the saddle while Alaois glided among the wind, only flapping if he needed to. "Alright. I want to see how you are so far. Shoot at one of the clouds, then bring back the arrow." He armed the bow with an arrow and drew the string beck as far as he could, then released it and barely pieced the white object.

"Lously, I can tell you that," Kiragi said with his arms crossed. "First of all, you're slow. An animal nor will an enemy stay still enough for you to shoot them. You've gotta be quick and swift, but also precise. Second of all, you're sloppy. You can't just pull the string back as far as your arm allows and you don't have it over your shoulders either." Doryu paid attention as he tried to recall his arrow. Tule minu juurde tagasi. Come back to me. The arrow was merely a dot. A speckle in the sky before it zoomed back and rested in Doryu's hand. "Go back into the position you were in." Doryu did. "Sit and look straight, then turn your head to the left. Straight your back. Now hold your left arm all the way out, holding the bow just below your arrow. Pull the string backward with the arrow aligned with your jaw. Then aim for the cloud, keep your pose, and shoot." Doryu released the arrow. It shots towards the sky. While it was not the best arrow he's shot, Kiragi praised him for his positioning.

The two went over practicing shooting a bow and arrow correctly for about two hours. Doryu's aim had gotten better. Once he had done perfect shots into the clouds, Kiragi had him move onto objects on the ground. He had Doryu try to hit the arrow onto stones to make it bounce off, and shoot into the holes decorated into passing trees. Not only did Doryu get better with his aim and stance, but he was enjoying learning how to correctly use the tool. It wasn't magic, but it was the best thing he had done in a while.

"You've progressed well, young Rider," Kiragi announced as he dipped his head in approval. Doryu smiled.

"Thank you. And, please, call me by my name. You don't need to address me with that title."

"If you wish."

I do believe that he's calling you that with respect, Alaois pointed out.

What?

Well, think about it. He's only called your father by his name, not anything else. Not like the names he's been calling you. I think that it's because you do hold that title. You are a young Rider, one who will become leader. Not only are you a young Rider, you are the young Rider. The first one that has been appointed for sixteen years. Kiragi, and probably anyone we meet who is on our side, will treat you with the utmost respect.

Let's not forget about you, Doryu said as he patted Alaois's shoulder. The dragon grumbled softly as he responded.

Maybe. Doryu sighed as he looked forward at the upcoming landscape; a long, vast meadow with trees and ponds scattered across the terrain. From his line of sight, it looked like tiny brushes and raindrops. "It'll take forever to cross this!"

"The Melistead Grassland is one of the largest. That's why it's a part of the Trei Mari Câmpii, the other two being the Channora Plateau and the Ashgonie Plains." Kiragi explained. "If we keep on traveling at this pace, we should be at Fethprist by sunset tomorrow, possibly sooner. However, aren't you supposed to be hidden? It'd be hard to advance in broad daylight when someone could see you."

"That's why we'll fly above the clouds. The air may be slightly thinner, but we'll manage. Plus, we can catch some air current's to speed up the process." The six continued flying across the Melistead Grassland for a few more hours until they had to proceed above the clouds. Kiragi had Doryu practice more with his archery skills, Danuška tried to have Alaois practice using his fire, which he unfortunately hadn't been able to do as he was still too young, and Lorcan taught Doryu to clear his mind from any thoughts so no one could attempt to peer into his mind, though he still needed a lot of work. When they reached the shrouds, İzzet taught Doryu a new spell, Looge auk, which meant to create a hole. He showed his son the advantage of making small holes without disturbing the entire cloud. He told Doryu that it was useful to spot your enemies without being spotted himself. During the trip, he tried creating holes in all different directions. In one certain cavity, he could spot in the distance an object with a mossy color.

"Doryu," İzzet spoke as he glanced through the hole Doryu had made, "I want you to stay in the clouds. Danuška and I will go down and see if it's safe. We'll send Lorcan up to retrieve you."

"And why must he do that?" Kiragi hissed.

"One, I haven't been back here in ages. I want to make sure we're still on good terms. Two, it'll give Doryu a proper welcome. Your Tribe is all about the Rider's and they'll be delighted to know another one had been born," he explained. "And you'll be coming with me." Kiragi patted Doryu's shoulder before leaping from Alaois to Danuška. They then left Doryu and Alaois to hover above and wait for Lorcan.