18-Threshing

Dain walked me back and I did what he said. I changed and went to bed, Hetta had the same idea she was out by the time I got back.

I now wake up, changing into another outfit, making sure to wear my dragon scale vest. Apparently I really need it for today. I make sure to braid my hair tightly behind my head.

I debated just going for it and chopping it all off in the spur of the moment, just so Barlowe and whatever dumb asses are teaming up with him have nothing to hang onto. But that means they'd need to get closer to me... If they're in arms range..they're dead.

I don't want to kill anyone today...

I take a couple deep breaths, as if that's going to prepare myself. Hetta gets up along with all the other girls in our squad's room getting ready as well. We were all required to go out in the courtyard listening to a few words from Kamori.

" This is the day some of you will become riders!" He yells over all of us.

Alot cheer, while I stay silent looking around briefly running my fingers up and down the sheathes of my new blades. I'll celebrate once I come out alive with a dragon.

" Some dragons already picked your from yesterday, when you all get realeased...if you have a feeling go with it...If you have a feeling to run...go with that instinct as well..." He continues. " Also note, your more likely to be rejected and incinerated IF you go in groups... If you truly want to be bonded go alone."

" What one are you thinking about?" Hetta whispers to me.

" I'm thinking that green that was sniffing me, I think it liked me.. How about you?"

" There were those reds right in the beginning, I felt drawn to it. Haven't been able to get it out of my head."

I offer a smile, " Sounds like you have a dragon already."

I half listen as Kamori talks some more, glancing around at the other riders. Ofcourse, Jack Barlowe is close enough to me, giving me his glare mouthing ' Your dead' makign a stabbing motion. Orren and Tynan at his sides glaring at me as well.

I sigh, I already know this is going to be a long ass day.

"... And don't give up. You gave until nightfall to claim a dragon, don't stop until a senior leader or one of the administrators come get you. Good luck." Kamori says finally and it's go time...

" Good luck." Hetta says quickly. " Don't die."

I chuckle, " You too. You have a knife? Just in case?"

She nods,  " I have 2."

" Take one more." I offer one of my other daggers. " You sure?" She asks.

I nod quickly, " I have at least 15 on me right now, take it and be safe."

Everyone breaks into a dead run, Even Jack ignores me and runs up the stairs where the Gauntlet was, into the canon, looking for their dragons. I do the same, pulling out a knife just incase I need to fight, or defend myself.

I see dragons flying over head, none of them called to me, I almost ran into an orange, pretty sure it was the one that was going to scorch me along with Luca. I never ran so fast in an opposite direction.

I hear dragons, the other cadets, screaming, plooms of smoke, dragons with riders, and riders who fall back to the earth destined to be another name on the death roll. Imagine having the hope that your a rider just for the dragon to kill you for not keeping your seat.

I watch I think a boy ride off on a red before I hear some hollering behind me and I take off that sounded to much like Jack. And I'm not waiting to see if I'm correct or not. A minute later I collide with a massive body, I roll a couple times before pulling myself up knife in hand.

I see the blonde hair that I just collided with getting into a fighting stance as well. Liam Mairi stares back at me with a tense expression, his sword in his hand.

Shit!

I can fight but this kid is better. I know he is, though I never fought him before. But I've already heard enough. I glance at the sword then back to him, gripping my knife so tight my knuckles turn white. " I don't know about you...but I'm here just for a dragon. Not spilling blood." I say quickly holding his eye contact.

" I can say the same." He says, his voice a bit deeper then I expected.

" I'm not going to sheathe my knife but I'll run, if you run the other direction." I say backing up.

" I'll do the same."

And I take the chance spinning around spriniting off, looking back for just a moment to make sure he wasn't going to try to kill me, luckily he kept his word.. he ran the other way. Phew...

It was another good hour and there's been a pretty consistent flow of riders going in the air. I take a breath, not feeling anything... " Come on..." I mutter. I haven't seen any dragon life in awhile, not even burn marks where cadets would've got burned. Is it a dead zone or something here?

I look around, maybe if I..climb... I can see where some of these dragons are, maybe I'll feel something if I happen to see one. I find the tallest tree in the area making my up the trunk making sure no one is sneaking up on me in the process.

I was just about to peek from the canopy when I heard a shriek, a pained sound not to far off. I pause for a second before peekign my head out.. I see a little ball of light-no..gold- crashign through some of the trees about a quarter of a mile right ahead of me crashing in a small clearing...

The little gold dragon.

Then I hear the voices... they're voices...

" Nice shooting!" Tynan says laughing.

" Dude that was cool as hell!"

Orren...

" Come on, let's go find the little shit..." Jack Barlowe says, I can hear the grin on his face.

" The gold one is almost down...then we can find her.." Orren grins.

Her... I bet referring to me...

" I can the kill. Are we clear? Maybe I'll keep her head as a prize." Jack sneers.

" Just be careful for those damn knives... Sorrengail can sure use a knife."

" I'll use her own knife to slit her throat." Jack counters, " With all of us...neither of them stand a chance."

There was running just to the left of us, Jack's head snaps in the direction " You think we should get some practice?"

The 3 laugh making it to a girl... I hear the scream...

They're going to kill that poor dragon. I swallow lookign to where it fell. The hell did they do to it? Dain's words run in my mind let the dragon worry about itself...

But I can't. And maybe it'll get me killed but I have that feeling. The feeling to save it.

I look back to where the boys ran, " Dammit Freya.." I mutter to myself climbing down. I look around quickly to make sure the dumb asses weren't coming back and I make a beeline towards the gold dragon.

Why...why am I doing this?

I'll tell you why..because I feel something I don't think it's like the bond between a dragon and rider but I sure as hell can't ignore it.

I run through the trees, looking about for any other riders that might want to kill me, or dragons for that matter...maybe I am lucky I'm in a dead zone at the moment. It's a straight shot there... if I see anothr dragon on the way I can tell it their plans..it can't scorch me then..

Right?

But I don't see any. Ofcourse I see none.

As I fo further I can spot the little golden ball laying in the clearing curled up, I can hear it's heavy breathing just as I break through. It's head snaps to me and it stands, blood splattered all of it's body, though I don't see any cuts...anywhere..

Until it flicks it's tail.

They hack some of it off, and..there's a hole in it's wing. I learned that a dragon can't fly with broken wings or no tails. In this case they did both. It growls bearing it's teeth at me I freeze looking at it, slowly putting my hands up.

" It's ok.. I'm not going to hurt you.."

It growls only louder, though I think it might be more bluff then anything.. it backs up..dragons never back up.

" Those 3 idiots are trying to hurt you..they did hurt you right?" I say quickly and the growling stops. It straightens blinking at me a couple times. I sigh, " Yea, they want to kill us both... I came too.. help I guess. We need to find another dragon or something to get you safe-"

Just as I say that I hear the multiple foot steps fast approaching.  Shit!

I pull out the knives Dain gave me whipping around. taking a couple steps back towards the small dragon.  Jack, Orren and Tynan all break from the woodsline grinning, " Well look who we have here! I knew it was you, nothing like two damn eye sores in the middle of a clearing!" Jack says grinning in triumph.

" I understand if you want to kill me Barlowe, but a dragon?!"

He shrugs, " It doesn't belong.. just like you Sorrengail. You should've died in the Parapet.."

" Still mad for that scar on your face? Grow the hell up." I snap. " You think your just going to get away killing a dragon? You think the other dragons won't SMELL it on you? On your swords?" I counter.

I see Tynan's face stiffen, ofcourse he didn't think of that... by the looks of all of them..none of them did. I laugh, " You three are idiots... They still have the whole day..dragons are flying..you think none of them are going to see the GOLD dragon..like you said..it's goign to be hard to miss.."

This seems to anger Jack, his face reddens " I'll get rid of my sword! After I kill you and this runt! No one is going to catch us."

" You sure about that?"

I see the red now drain from Jack's face. I've never been so happy to hear someone's voice his voice.

Xaden appeared out of literally thin air..or shadows with Segyl behind him, I could hear her menacing purrs as she steps towards the group of us.

Orren and Tynan take a step back looking in horror at the dragon mere yards away from us. " And what are you going to do Riorson?" Jack snaps. " Rules are you can't do shit!"

" Right. But it's also a dragon your trying to kill, I might not be able to do anything...but she sure as hell can.." Xaden mentions towards his dragon who bared her teeth, " And trust me Barlowe.. She's told me 10 ways already she's going to murder you three...make that 11."

" We haven't killed it."

" But she's wounded." Xaden counters. " And I don't take kindly to that."

Jack's expression sours, " Fine, the dragon is off limits.. but Sorrengail isn't. So, stand back it's about to be bloody."

My eyes snap back to Jack that's eyeing me now, sword raised. All I see his evilness in his eyes as he comes at me.

With my knives I duck out of the way, taking the quickest look to make sure Orren or Tynan wasn't coming. Luckily they're frozen still looking at Segyl. Jack kicks me in the gut and I go rolling.

I had just enough time to get out of the way of Jack's blade hitting my face, landing just mere inches in the ground next to me. He roars in fury and I kick him in the elbow making a sickly popping noise.

Good news, I think I dislocated his elbow...bad news..he's mad mad.. " Kill her dammit!" He yells, and Orren along with Tynan jump to life. Well shit...

Tynan comes in first...so much for being squad mates.. But he's sloppy so when he tries to cut my head off I duck once more stabbing him in the hip. He grunts going down clutching the hole in his body.

While I was defending myself Orren caught me in the back with his blade, though thanks to Mira's vest it only cuts my clothes.. " You have amor?!" He yells.

This makes me grin, seeing the red I hate but now in this moment I can't appreacite more.. "Surprise..." I sneer throwing a blade at him, he hits it away with his sword " Nice try halfblood!"

" Behind you!" I hear Xaden yell, I just know to roll as Jack is using his left arm to swinf his sword at me.. being majorly sloppy but I know if Xaden didn't say anything I wouldn't have an arm at this moment.

I spin just as fast again, close to jack I slit his eye, I see it open, my stomach twirling as blood pours down his face. He screams in pain stumbling back.  Orren swings at me again this time grazing my arm, luckily it was my left but still enough I know to do some damage if I " ' get to a healer soon.

I fall back...to where Jack Barlowe should be... I fell in his pool of blood... but I see him stumbling away... He's running away..from me.

" Your my kill bitch." Orren grins raising his sword... I couldn't even push myself back seeing my arm wouldn't let me... I hear the samm dragon roaring...

Then a loud one. One that rumbles the very ground we stood on, then all I see is a massive shadow.. Orren looks straight up and his sword falls...I see Tynan shoot up dispite the blood seeping his pants..

I dare look away from them behind me to see...

How?

A white dragon. WHITE.

It drops itself right behind me, the gold dragon coming right over me roaring at the two boys. " I suggest you move halfblood." A deep voice sounds, I see the white dragon look at me for just a second before it's gold eyes fall back on the boys.

Did that thing just...

" Yes, now move." It says again chuffing.

The small gold dragon grabs where Orren cut my clothes pulling me away, I see the two boys back up ever so slighty before bolting off. I see the white dragon draw a breath before it drawls out fire...which is a lighter color then all the other deep dark orange fire dragons normally breathe.

It's lighter orange, almost like a peach.

It scorches everything in it's path.. Orren drives to the side barely missing it while..Tynan who struggled to run not screams as he's burned to death.

All I could do was blink a couple times, my head spinning as I try not to faint right then and there. Finally his head goes..behind me..where Xaden and Segyl were. I see Xaden's face..looking almost shocked as he looks at me then the dragon but he quickly jumps on Segyl's back and takes off.

Leaving me.

The white dragon looks at me, " Let's go."

It talked..to me..

I need to get on it's back. It's..choosing me?!

There was a nudge from behind me, the little gold one. " I.. I can't leave you." I mumble. " I won't leave. Your hurt-"

" She'll come with. Just GET ON." He demands.

I'm not going to fight with a dragon, especially one I didn't even know existed..