It was midday, noon on the hilltop. The sun was bathing the Caxian House Complex's straw rooftop with light as well as the neighboring trees surrounding the building. The Complex housed five fifteen year old boys, three fifteen year old girls and eight adolescent dragons whose genders matched their partners. They were all novice dragon riders, sent to the complex because it was rider tradition. Here they train and carry out the tasks that headquarters sends to them. Today was the day after a test which was a rather tough one and most of the novices were sleeping in their bunks. However, two of the more elite novices and their dragons stayed awake to keep guard over the complex in case anything was to arise. One was an Ursin girl named Tzaol and the other, a Human boy, was named Jae. Tzaol was brown furred and brown eyed, and stood about the average height of a Human man, which was normal for her kind. Jae was also average for a Human, standing about five inches shorter than Tzaol. He had white skin, black hair, and green eyes.
They sat atop a stone tower that was only a couple stories tall. Over the tree tops of the hill flew the two companions of the two riders. Tzaol's partner was named Laoz. She had red scales, was a little larger than the other novices' dragons, and her form was rather elegant for a dragon of her color, however, she had no horns which was a normal condition seen in many of riders' dragons. Jae's partner was named Eizil. He had dark green scales, was average size for what age he was, had proto-horns, and had a smooth and quick form. He was rather fast flyer, which meant Jae would have had a hard time holding onto him during their first flight.
"I can't believe those meatheads haven't woken up yet! They have already wasted half their day!" said Tzaol.
"That was a moderately tough test Headquarters gave us, Zay, they don't prepare like we do." responded Jae.
"It was just cleaning out some pests in the area. It wasn't that hard."
"One of those ferals almost killed Tina, you're saying it wasn't hard?" A feral is a wild dragon.
"Hey, I didn't say it wasn't serious."
"Anything that is serious should be hard, Zay." Zay was a nickname for Tzaol who didn't like people using her full name.
"Whatever." The two dragons started circling a spot above the trees.
"There is man" thought Laoz to Tzaol and Eizil to Jae.
"I'll let you go Jae, I can sit here for a few more moment." Usually there were two watchmen for a reason. When two of the dragons circle a spot, one of the dragons must stay as a marker while the other must retrieve the rider.
As Jae heard it, so did Eizil. In seconds they were mounted and above the trees they soared. They stopped above the spot Laoz was cicling and hovered. Jae looked around for the man.
"I don't see him." thought Jae to Eizil.
"We did see him, maybe the trees are concealing him." responded Eizil in thought.
"Lower me into the trees." Jae stood up in his mount and starting to dismount Eizil in mid arm, he pulled a rope out of a satchel on the harness and dropped it down into the trees. This was the only way to get through the trees, by dropped down by rope.
He slowly descended through the air and eventually through the tree tops until he hit a sturdy branch. Pulled up the slack and tied it to the branch. The end of the rope had a red handkerchief on it so they won't lose their landing spot. He descended down the branches, making sure not make too much sound that couldn't be dismissed as a squirrel or bird in the trees. Once he got to the point where he could see the forest floor, he stopped and scanned the area on the ground. Her saw nobody. He finished his descent to the floor and landed with a simple thud. He looked around in front of him, though the trunks of trees for someone. He then turned around to see a grey hooded human sitting up with his back to a tree. Jae instantly pulled out his long sword from his sheath at his side.
"Who are you, speak now!." Jae was used to killing. He killed many ferals, including hatchlings. He killed many people, more than an average person would have.
"I am just a traveler." said the man. "I'm sorry if I'm trespassing on you, I will leave if I am."
"Where do you come from? Take off that robe and put any weapons on the ground." The man did as told, stood up, and took off his robe, leaving only his under garments on. His arms could be seen to show faint grey symbols of some kind, as well as did his legs. He had black hair, semi-pale skin, and what looked to be blue eyes but more towards a violet.
"I carry no weapons, no food, no money. I am a pilgrim, begging for my food from good spirited people." said the man.
"So you are a holy man?" He wondered about the fainted markings, but he just dismissed it as being a religious practice.
"You could say so, yes."
"Put your clothes back on, you're free to go."
"Thank you. Say, you're a rider aren't you?" questioned the man.
"Only a novice."
"Still better than most people. So, you have a dragon nearby don't you?"
"Actually, he's hovering above us."
"A dragon is never too far from their master."
"I am not my dragon's master, I am his partner."
"Did your dragon ever have a choice to become your partner?"
Jae paused for a moment. "No"
"Then you are his master, you brought him into life. Without you he wouldn't exist."
"That's not the way it is, I am part of him and he's part of me."
"Very well be it. Let me ask you, do you think the ferals have thoughts?"
"Nonsense, they're just animals, mindless beasts like wolves."
"What if they did have thoughts and you were killing a being with thoughts."
"More nonsense, feral dragons don't have thoughts, they are merely savage beasts. They kill to survive and that's all they do. I've seen seven other novices and their dragons killed by them. I've seen too many villages tormented by them. They are evil."
"I've heard legends of how dragons used to be guardians of the people. But those are only legends." He took a breath. "Well, I guess I should be leaving now, no meaning to be keeping you here with this nonsense. I bid you a good life." He reached out his hand. Jae responded with just a salute. The man pulled back his hand. "Well okay then, farewell." He turned around and walked. Jae stayed until he could no longer see the man through the trees.
He looked up for the red flag on the rope. After spotting it, he climbed up the tree and then the rope. When he reached his saddle, he got the question from Eizil who usually eavesdrops through Jae's ears.
"What if the ferals did have thoughts, Jae, and we've been killing them all this time."
Jae responded in thought. "If they had thoughts, they would have overcome us by now. They don't attack our complex, which any being with thoughts would surely do."
"I guess you're right."
They flew back to the tower to find Tzaol not there anymore, but rather another boy novice who probably just now woke up.
"Did Zay go down?" asked Jae .
"Yeah, she said she's going for a walk."
"What is up with girls and walks?"
"I have no idea. You seemed to be investigating for awhile. What did you find?"
"Just a pilgrim, nothing major. He had no weapons, but only a question."
"What was the question?"
"Do ferals have thoughts?"
"That's a stupid question; everyone knows that ferals don't have thoughts!" The novice let out a laugh.
"Yeah, I know right?" Jae let out a chuckle. I guess I'll go down and get something and Eizil to eat, want me to bring you up anything?"
"No, I just ate dinner. I'll be good."
"Okay, I won't be back up. You sure?"
"Yeah!"
"Okay, okay, don't you fuss."
Jae dismounted Eizil, who flew off and then came back and landed in the courtyard below. Jae opened the trap door and climbed down the ladder to ground level. He prepared some food for Eizil from the meat box and then snacked on a piece of cheese he found on a table. He had stayed up the entire night before and just realized that he needed to sleep, even though it was only a little past noon. He went to his bunk, changed out of his gear into just his underclothes and pulled the single sheet over his body on his top bunk. His eyes eventually shut close and his mind settled into the blackness.
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