Prompt: You and your dragon have already reached Ellesmera, and training has gone smoothly. You have forged your sword and are going to be having your first flight together. While flying, you see an area of destruction. Trees are knocked down and and it seems that there has been a crash landing of some sort. You must write about your first flight, the disturbance in the forest, and your following investigation of the disturbance, as well as how you eventually deal with it.

Score: 11/12!!!! :D Also received judges' pick, which means immunity for the next round, so long as I turn in the next entry.

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‘Remember the techniques I mentioned about following and finding the currents. The stronger they flow, the less you will have to work; something you want, especially with your Rider on you.’

Ebrithil Firnen’s deep voice resonated through Laefel’s mind, flowing across the mental link that we shared. The immense green dragon was perched along the cliff with us, his scythe-like claws digging into the shale that comprised the wind-buffeted bluff we crouched upon.

For the first time, my legs were strapped into leather thongs that laced up the sides of the molded saddle which rested upon Laefel’s back. The supple material had been formed into a saddle only days ago, residing in a corner of our house until today; the day of our first flight together.

A slight growl emanated from deep in Laefel’s throat, drawing me back to the present. ‘Hold on small one!’

With that, she leapt into the air, wings snapping open and gathering air within moments. Her wing arms trembled slightly under the pressure before locking in place, the muscles clenching and flexing under her skin. Laefel took a small look around, regaining her bearings before beating her wings quickly, gaining altitude with every stroke.

As she rose higher and higher I was overcome with a great feeling of euphoria as the wind whipped around us and the sun shone brightly on our backs. ‘Is this how you feel every time you fly? I don’t know how you can bear staying on the ground!’

Laefel turned her head slightly, looking at me though a single golden eye which sparkled with amusement at my excited tone. 'That’s what I’ve been asking myself these last few weeks.'

From behind us, there comes a thundering roar as Firnen joins us in the clear blue sky. In answer, Laefel sends out a low bugle, rotating in the air to face the elder dragon.

Once again, his baritone voice reverberated through our consciousnesses. ‘You may go where you please, so long as you do not pass the borders of the forest. Be back by nightfall and don’t get into any trouble.’

In a single fluid movement, the large green dragon gyrated around, leaving us alone in the air, the breeze whistling in my ears.

‘Us? In trouble? Why would he ever think that? she grumbled mockingly, recalling last week’s  latest episode of lectures from Firnen about her frequent habit of cheek and insolent answers.

I sighed, mild irritation lacing my voice as I replied, ‘Just make the most of this. You’ve been training for weeks, and won’t stop complaining about how eager you are.’

She huffed before turning her attention back to the surrounding sky. [‘I’ve investigated every inch of land within a fifteen league radius of the city, not excluding the Crags of Tel’naeír and an odd little hut that seems to reside there.’]

She paused for a moment, sending me a mental image of a simple, rustic looking home perching on a cliff with a small, silvery poplar tree reaching for the sun next to it. Instantly I recognized it; the hut of the Rider Oromis and his dragon Glaedr, both of whom had been casualties in the Rider War over twenty years ago.

A deep sorrow blossomed deep within me, a sorrow that Laefel could feel, and seemed to regret. ‘I-I apologize small one; I did not know what it was. Now, let us fly and forget such sad things.’

I nodded, wiping away the tears that had gathered in the corners of my eyes. Gripping the leather pommel in front of me, I felt Laefel’s body twist beneath me. Her wings, still flapping and keeping us in the air, started going faster, gaining speed and power with each stroke.

Turning west towards the distant sea, she winged her way across the sprawling ocean of trees. ‘There was one last place I found; a small promontory, riddled with caves. There was no one nor living thing to be found around it, at least, nothing I could sense.’

After a small hesitation, Laefel continued, ‘It was very eerie. There were no noises coming from the forest, as if it were asleep.’ A shudder traveled down the length of her spine at the memory.

We flew in silence for a few moments, before Laefel snorted softly, dark ribbons of smoke curling from her nostrils. [‘There,’] she said, stretching her neck slightly to the south, where a sharp spire jutted out of the forest canopy.

As we maneuvered closer, I noticed that she was right; those noises which had been in the background only seconds ago were gone, the only sounds being those we made. No birds could be heard squawking, no wolves howling in the darkness of the forest floor, not a single sound.

I scanned the ground below, looking for a good place to land. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw a shocking sight. A small patch of trees had been battered to the ground. Ancient oaks and pines, beeches and maples, thrown down, as if they were twigs.

‘Land here,’ I told Laefel, pointing towards the felled trees, realizing then just how close they were to the peak we were aiming for.

Under me, Laefel swept into a steep dive, wings folded in close, golden veins glimmering in the sun. With a heavy thwump, we hit the ground, her claws sinking into the soft soil.

We looked around, taking note of the blatant claw marks on the felled trees; the churned soil under our feet. The silence still surrounded us, unnerving and perturbing. Slowly, my hand drifted to the pommel of my new sword, Morilinde, fresh from the forge of Rhunön.

I grasped the handle, the leather cool against my sweaty palm. I grimaced at the sudden cacophony that echoed through the unnatural clearing when I slid the blade from its’ place in the emerald-hued scabbard at my hip. I held it in front of me, the blade parallel to the uneven ground.

Beside me, I could see a look of confusion glinting in Laefel’s eyes. Her hackles were raised slightly, tail tip twitching nervously.

‘There is nothing here except ruin; let us continue on towards the bluff.’ Her voice wavered softly as she spoke, something I had never heard in her voice before. I nodded grimly, burying the fear that continued to rise in the pit of my stomach.

***********

After a few minutes of weaving between - or in Laefel’s case, tramping through - the thick vegetation that covered the forest floor, we reached the foot of the escarpment. It rose up into the air, cave entrances dotting the face of the mountain.

‘We will have to climb; I sense a presence that was not there the last time.' Her nose twitched, catching some scent mine could not. Rearing up to her hind legs for a moment, she scanned the rows of caverns, sniffing around as she did so. Within a few seconds, her towering figure dropped back down to four legs.

‘It’s in the fourth cave straight up. This is all very odd though; I have never smelled this scent before, yet it seems vaguely familiar.’ Her nose crinkled slightly, as if she were to sneeze. ‘This creature reeks of stone and air, an odd mixture in and of itself. Under those, there is a slight reptilian odor paired with stale blood - very odd.’

With that, she turned stepping towards the rocky slope beside us. [‘Come small on! This could be the most exciting thing that has ever happened to you, and yet you sit there like a rock, or worse, a slug.’]

For a moment, the normal twinkle of humor replaced that of anxiety in her golden eyes. A small grin flitted across my face before I slid Morilinde back into the scabbard and ran towards her, sheathed sword thumping against my leg.

*******

Ten minutes later, we found ourselves on a narrow shelf of rock, outside of the cave from which emanated the odd scent. Sword once again in hand, I whispered a low “Brisingr.”

A small ball of golden flame appeared in front of me, illuminating the mouth of the cave. “Eldrvarya bjart istalrí un sitja,” I murmured, placing the flame on the wall. As the incantation took hold, the gold-hued flame burned brighter, staying in the place I moved it to.

Moving to the edge of the light provided by the golden fire, ivory claws clacking along behind me, I repeated the process, taking note of the expansion of the corridor. Taking a moment, I created four more flames and directed them around the cavern, creating an almost cheerful air.

The grotto itself was circular, three tunnels branching off of it to connect with others. One was blocked off, rubble and crushed rock closing off that passage. The other two were dark, seemingly lifeless.

The one farthest to the left had a breeze coming from it, carrying a sweet smell; the scent of fresh air and the forest. I deduced that it must curve back on itself, leading to another entrance like the one I had come through.

That left only one, the middle tunnel. A dank odor came from that one, the air was still and placid, unmoving. It was down that tunnel which the creature awaited us.

We sat there, silent and poised, listening for any indication of life coming from the tunnel. Seconds passed, then minutes, then half of an hour. We had come this far, only to wait in silent fear for this creature to appear at it’s own whim.

I sighed, and decided to turn back. I stood and pivoted, my feet padding softly against the stone floor as I walked. Together, Laefel and I strode out of the cave, just in time for a blood-curdling screech to echo out from the now deserted cavern.

I fell to my knees, my hands clapped over my ears, Morilinde now lay on the floor. My mind receded, as a telepathic probe attempted to pierce my mental barriers. Over and over it stabbed out, endeavoring to destroy the shields around my mind to no avail.

In an attempt to stop the mental assault, I lashed out during a pause in the barrage of blows. My mind met another, one completely foreign from any I had com in contact with before. It was animalistic and barbaric, driven by the primitive urge for food.

Within moments, my own mental barrage began, relentless and harsh. Not long after, Laefel joined in, easily conquering the creature’s consciousness, forcing it to come out from it’s dark recess.

Slowly, a long, winged, dragon like creature crept out from the mouth of the cave. It took a minute, but I recognised it to be a Fanghur, one of the five native creatures to the dwarvish Beor Mountains.

The creature was covered in greenish brown scales, great leathery wings extended from its back. It’s serpentine like figure curled up, another product of Laefel’s control.

I stepped forward. “Slytha,” I muttered, putting as much force behind the word as I dared. The Fanghur’s legs buckled beneath him as he drifted into the realm of sleep.

Turning towards Laefel, a smile worked its way onto my face, as I noticed that the fear on her face had changed into pride. ‘Thanks.’ I said, gratitude evident in my voice.

‘Of course small one.' She leaned down, her nose resting against my forehead, the forest green scales cool to the touch.

She pulled back after a moment. ‘Why would this creature be so far from home? The Beors are quite the ways from Du Weldenvarden.’

‘I don’t know,’ I replied, sensing her confusion. ‘It doesn’t really matter now anyways. All you really have to do now, is tell it to be on its way back, and we’ll have no more problems.’

'Still...’ She trailed off, receding from my mind quickly. Laefel swung her head around, staring unblinkingly at the sleeping Fanghur. I noticed it tremble slightly, before becoming still again. After a few seconds had passed, she twisted back, understanding plain on her face.

‘What?’ I asked, intrigued by what I knew she had found out.

‘Not much, actually. I guess that based on his memories, the Fanghur migrate north every year to Du Fells Nángoröth, for some reason, which matters not. This one simply flew too far north. A stupid mistake really, considering they were going to the desert, and we are currently in the middle of a forest,’ she huffed. ‘Irregardless, he missed the most obvious feature of the desert and went to the closest mountain he could find. By the time he got here, he couldn’t go any longer, and crashed, explaining the flattened trees and such.

She sighed dramatically before continuing. 'All in all, not very interesting. Simply an act of blatant stupidity, something that seems to come quite often from the Beor range.’

*******

The trip back not much more than the trip there was. The only change, was the greenish brown body that levitated behind us as we flew.

Upon reaching Ellesméra, the Fanghur was promptly placed under an even stronger spell, sending him deeper into sleep for his impromptu trip back south.

After learning of our encounter with the Beor native, Ebrithil Firnen sought us out. ‘I thought I told you two to stay out of trouble. Yet another example of disobedience by the master of such things, Laefel.’

His low voice was deadly serious as he stalked around us in a wide semicircle. But as he spoke, his eyes glimmered with humor.

'Actually, I would like to congratulate you on finding the beast and bringing it back rather than killing it. These beasts are rare enough. I thank you on behalf of myself, my Rider, and the dwarves, I am sure.'

After a moment's pause, he nodded and took to the sky, his scales sparkling in the midday sun.

As he left, Laefel turned to me. 'Well,' she said, 'that was...eventful.'