12

Your heart falls at the thought that has decided to plague your mind. You jump when you hear rocks crumbling and hitting the stone floor below. Turning, you see the head of your beloved dragon. Like you, he has also grown, more so than you of course.

"I see you're still sitting up here feeling sorry for yourself," he points out, and you roll your eyes. Regardless, you smile and jump from the roof, making your way towards him.

"I see you're still trying to climb buildings despite all of that fat." His eyes widen, faking shock and hurt.

Though your life hasn't exactly taken the turns you expected, there was one thing that had. As well as having such a close bond with your dragon, you also gained the ability to understand and speak the dragon's tongue. It's an achievement that can only be reached by those who acquire a strong enough bond with their dragon, and if attained, stuck with them their entire life. It took most riders decades to gain the ability to communicate with their dragon; even more go through life never obtaining the gift. Yet here you were, nineteen and understanding each and every word.

Next

He stares at you for a second longer before he just turns and walks away, perhaps too lazy to actually retaliate.

"Wow, I didn't see that one coming," you murmur sarcastically and barely escape a light swipe of his tail.

"Did you see that?" he huffs.

Next

You drop down to the ground and leave the fort behind, taking note of the sun that still sits high in the sky. You've been ignoring your responsibilities all day, and no doubt, when you make it home, your mother will give you a piece of her mind.

Lately, all you can think about is the day they told you that you were not truly theirs.

Next

Upon reaching the farm, you check in on the crops. You find that the land is still barren, just like two weeks ago, just like two months ago.

"How much do you think we could make off of them?" Silvertwister asks eagerly.