Falling midflight

Ragul was riding Eldroch for the first time in what felt like centuries. He couldn’t believe how much he had missed this feeling, how much he had missed their connection. Eldroch was humming a nursery song Ragul had sung to him when he broke the shell, and Ragul could not help himself. He broke into giggles as Eldroch sang wildly off key.

“You love that song, don’t you?” Eldroch felt his rider’s excitement through his own body. His wings thrived for air currents just as much as Ragul’s veins thrived for adrenaline. And so they were together again, up in the sky, playing the game they used to play when they were learning to fly. Eldroch had to close his eyes and see through Ragul’s, then dodge clouds here and there. Ragul laughed, cheered, cried out joyfully every time they succeeded. 

There was fire everywhere. Eldroch’s snout was contracted in disgust. Smoke, burnt flesh, heat. Ragul’s eyes were watering, sweat making the armor cling to his skin. “What’s going on?” 

“I don’t know, they must have set the village on fire.” 

“Should we land?” 

“That’s what they want us to do, Ragul.” 

“What about the villagers?” 

“They’ll be fine! The elves must be evacuating right now.” Discomfort, uneasiness, desperation, they all went back and forth between dragon and rider. The smoke was dense and it stung Ragul’s nose strongly, he could barely breath. “I need to go faster, faster, faster.” Wings beating hard, they managed to escape the smoke column rising from the scorched village. Clean air, blue sky and soft breezes welcomed them. But the enemy army was also there to greet them. A loud roar echoed through the clouds, and his scales were suddenly ablaze with pain. Boith had sunk his black claws in his rearguard and Lora hadn’t hesitated to put her black blade through Ragul’s back. Matching cries of pain resonated in their minds. And then they were descending rapidly, unstoppably, to the earth.

But Tyra had caught them midflight and let them somewhere safer, somewhere where she and Kern could tend to all of their wounds. Eldroch was back on his feet before Ragul even opened his eyes. He whimpered, trying to wake his precious human being, trying to revive their connection.

Ragul had nightmares, terrible nightmares. He was alone, connection severed. Slowly, though, Eldroch made it back into his dreams. When Ragul opened his eyes, tears of desperation and joy flowed down their face and snout.