10.Feb.23, 10:02 PM
Ereben spotted the dragon along the horizon before it spotted him. Or at least, he thought he did. He watched the slim, metallic shape glide over the canopy like a ship over smooth water. And since the dragon was far off, Ereben didn't think about hiding himself. He just watched.
His interactions with dragonriders hadn't been pleasant. Honestly, that was because his interactions with them were because they had been called in to find the thieves that had just raided the latest Hold. Thieves like Ereben. Look, if he had been given a choice, he wouldn't have done it. But his father had been manipulating him into that shit for so long, Ereben didn't get the option to say no. So, yeah, the only thing he knew about dragons was that he had to hide from them.
So when the dragon wheeled and began coming in his direction, his stomach dropped. Shit, he had been spotted. Shit, shit, shit. Could he get down in time? Shit. He quickly shrugged on his pack and was about to take his first shift down when he heard the dragonrider say, "Hello! If you're in need of a lift or anything else, we'll wait for a bit at the clearing just over there."
Wait, what?
The dragonrider was pointing towards one of the closer clearings, some place big enough for the dragon to land in but still not too far away for Ereben to reach within a few minutes if he hurried. Should he do it? What if the dragon scented Holdless on him? Because dragons could do that, right?
The dragon had started to wheel away when impulsion grabbed Ereben and he heard himself say, "Okay!" Why had he said that? He was going to get caught! Wait, for what? He hadn't done anything wrong by climbing the rocks. He hadn't done anything wrong at all! Lately anyway. He could lie to the dragonrider, give him a different name, story, whatever. No one would know. As long as no one figured out his lie, Ereben could start over anywhere.
Even at a Weyr, if he wanted.
He nimbly descended and raced towards the clearing. His pack banged against his back painfully but the possibility of getting as far away from his father as a dragon could carry him outweighed the pain. He reached the spot, out of breath, and that's when he realized how big dragons were up close. Until that moment, he had only seen them at a distance or broken up by treetops. There was nothing small, distant, or broken about this one. His hands gripping his pack's straps, Ereben gaped.
Until finally he recovered enough brain cells to blurt out, "You mean that? You'll give me a lift somewhere?"
His interactions with dragonriders hadn't been pleasant. Honestly, that was because his interactions with them were because they had been called in to find the thieves that had just raided the latest Hold. Thieves like Ereben. Look, if he had been given a choice, he wouldn't have done it. But his father had been manipulating him into that shit for so long, Ereben didn't get the option to say no. So, yeah, the only thing he knew about dragons was that he had to hide from them.
So when the dragon wheeled and began coming in his direction, his stomach dropped. Shit, he had been spotted. Shit, shit, shit. Could he get down in time? Shit. He quickly shrugged on his pack and was about to take his first shift down when he heard the dragonrider say, "Hello! If you're in need of a lift or anything else, we'll wait for a bit at the clearing just over there."
Wait, what?
The dragonrider was pointing towards one of the closer clearings, some place big enough for the dragon to land in but still not too far away for Ereben to reach within a few minutes if he hurried. Should he do it? What if the dragon scented Holdless on him? Because dragons could do that, right?
The dragon had started to wheel away when impulsion grabbed Ereben and he heard himself say, "Okay!" Why had he said that? He was going to get caught! Wait, for what? He hadn't done anything wrong by climbing the rocks. He hadn't done anything wrong at all! Lately anyway. He could lie to the dragonrider, give him a different name, story, whatever. No one would know. As long as no one figured out his lie, Ereben could start over anywhere.
Even at a Weyr, if he wanted.
He nimbly descended and raced towards the clearing. His pack banged against his back painfully but the possibility of getting as far away from his father as a dragon could carry him outweighed the pain. He reached the spot, out of breath, and that's when he realized how big dragons were up close. Until that moment, he had only seen them at a distance or broken up by treetops. There was nothing small, distant, or broken about this one. His hands gripping his pack's straps, Ereben gaped.
Until finally he recovered enough brain cells to blurt out, "You mean that? You'll give me a lift somewhere?"