Callum had hardly slept, how could he? In one evening his entire life had changed. After he had arrived back at his wooden hut, he and Tyviin retreated to his room and sat in the firelight silently communicating with each other. He came to realize that some things, like strong emotions, would pass between the two of them without conscious thought, private thoughts, memories, and conversations, on the other hand, had to be willingly shared. During that night he had shared what seemed like his entire life with his partner and the dragon happily absorbed the stories, before they both fell asleep on the floor near the fire, Tyviin nestled in a spot between Callum's legs.
Shortly before dawn, Callum was awoken by the sound of Tyviin climbing back through his window carrying a particularly large rodent in his maw, still struggling against its fate. Callum could sense Tyviin's pride in capturing prey nearly as large as himself.
"Ahh, Tyviin the fearsome rat slayer has returned from his hunt, the other woodland critters must be quivering with fear and thanking their gods that they were spared this day," Callum said out loud in a dramatic tone, causing the orange dragon to growl deeply before finally snapping the critter's neck. "Ok ok, I suppose you are pretty deadly when you choose to be." He was now more aware of the sharp teeth and four razor-like claws that adorned each of his feet. Even while small, dragons were not a being to scoff at.
As he exited his room, leaving Tyviin to devour his prey, he was hit with the smell of cooked meat and eggs. Turning to the source of the delectable scent he could see his sister cooking on the fire in the center of the hut. "I figured you could use a good meal this morning, we have a big day ahead of us," Lyara said as she handed him a wooden plate of hens eggs and grilled beef.
Callum eyed his sister, who was now wearing plain garments and not her fine, layered armor from the night before. "Did you stay here last night? I didn't hear you come in."
She looked up from the fire and smiled before answering, "I did, I thought it would be nice to stay in my old room after such a long time away. Do not feel bad though, not many can hear me move unless I choose for them to, it happens to be a skill of mine." she said with a wink.
"Yeah, I noticed that. What about Varyn, did he stay here as well?" Callum asked, deciding to finally broach the subject.
Lyara laughed. "You haven't changed a bit, little brother. Of course, we are mated after all. As are Aurelia and Galvorum.
"What!" Callum shouted, nearly dropping his plate. "You're married to Varyn the immortal?! You could have sent a letter or something. I don't know if I should be happy for you or pissed off that you didn't tell your brother, the only blood relative you have left." Lyara had an awkward smile on her face as she let out a short, painful laugh.
"Callum, surely you must know the difference between mating and marriage. I can't believe I'm explaining this to you, we are not married but we are...together, and he is NOT immortal. He may be an exceptionally fierce warrior, but he is not immortal."
Finally getting his thoughts under control, Callum cringed as the realization of what his sister was saying was clear. "Oh. Geez, got it, he's your boyfriend, can we change the subject please?"
"Fine by me, I'm heading out anyway, finish your food and hurry down to the river." She said before exiting the but and hopping onto Aurelia who was waiting just outside.
__________
Callum arrived at the designated meeting place just as the sun was rising behind him, Tyviin running along at his side.
Standing like a statue with her arms at her sides, facing towards the village, was Brenna. To her right was Varyn in his silver armor and next to him was Lyara, back in her violet armor and twirling a short, curved dagger in each hand that seemed to match her armor perfectly. Behind each of the riders were their dragons, standing majestically. The sunlight was reflecting off of each of their scales and Callum thought to himself that they might be the most extraordinary beings in existence. Even Jorviss, whose bulky brown scales usually looked like boulders, looked noble and mighty.
"Hmmm, Lyara, at least one member of your family is punctual. Greetings Callum and Tyviin, it seems you are the first to arrive, this is good considering the others have had time to learn some of these things already." Brenna stated as she walked forward confidently.
"Let us start with the bond. Lyara has informed me that she had told you a bit about it, now allow me to fill the gaps she may have left. Please, show me your mark."
Callum rolled up the sleeve on his left arm to expose the bite mark that Tyviin had given him. He noticed that it had changed dramatically. The bright orange, shimmery veins were no longer visible, instead, the bite marks themselves had taken on the orange color and were slightly raised.
"Good good, your bond has matured and settled. As your sister told you, the mark is the physical tie between you and your dragon, what she may not have told you is that it is caused by the blood of the dragon entering your body and merging with your cells. Over time it will gradually change your physiology. Your strength and speed will increase dramatically at an almost limitless level, all your senses will heighten to extreme degrees. Even parts of your anatomy may change, but everyone develops differently." As she finished her sentence she raised her hand and moved her hair back, showing an ear with long pointed tips, just like a dragon. "Even now you must have noticed your senses changing. Your vision, sharper, more refined. Colors more vibrant than you have ever experienced."
She was right, he had noticed, especially when he was looking at the dragons but he just associated it with the bright sunlight.
She continued. "Your hearing, even in these early stages, is more sensitive than any other predator found in nature, save for the dragons of course. You must learn to control it, know what to listen for and what to drown out. Close your eyes and focus, tell me what you hear."
Callum did as she instructed, he could not focus on any one sound. They all blurred together, the sound of the water, the wind rustling in the trees, even the livestock shuffling around on the other side of the village, he began to feel nauseous as the litany sounds overwhelmed him. "It's too much," he exclaimed. "How can I focus on anything with all of this noise?"
"How does a dragon do it? Instinct, discipline, and focus! Much of your life going forward will be kill or be killed situations. You must learn to be an apex predator." Brenna was speaking with such intensity Callum could not help but feel a sense of fear from this small, old woman. There was something lethal about her and he hoped he would never find out. "Perhaps you need some incentive." From under her robes, she drew a small curved sword in her right hand, bronze in color, then using the other hand she made a series of quick motions, and Callum's vision went black.
"Brenna, don't!" Callum heard Lyara scream.
"Silence child, this is how you learn," Brenna replied in a menacing tone that caused Callum's hair to stand on end. "Callum, if you do not stop my attack, Tyviin will die."