Fear, no anxiety had gripped Mina as she stood in the center of the arena with the other people, potential dragon tamers like herself. She could already feel the heat, the excitement of the following event, the dust that stuck to her moist skin as sweat pearled down her body. 
She had a blade at the ready, though she doubted the tiny weapon would have much effect on the massive scaled beasts they were all about to face. Scaled beasts of legend, fire-breathing monsters that were said to devour humans in a single bite of their massive jaws, tear skin and bones apart with a single lash of their claws or tail. They were simply terrifying creatures, but somehow they intrigued Mina as well. First of all they were massive, legendary beasts that could fly and breathe fire as if it was an everyday thing. Mina had heard of them, but never saw one in her life, which was probably why this was so exciting for her.
Second of all, she couldn't understand how something so massive, so perfect in build and so wise, could be considered incomplete. From what she understood, these dragons would, or could, become their other half, their other side of a coin, their reflection in the mirror so to speak. She didn't quite get that.
Mina didn't get any more time to think about how her encounter with the beasts would be, as the voice of Merrik rang down to them.

[B]"The dragon are being released. Be brave, be strong. Be wise. For today, you become dragon tamers."[/B]

Mina managed to take a deep breath before the sound of flapping wings, screeches and the roaring sound of flames surrounded them. Mina was dazed by the colors that suddenly filled the air, the dust and sand that was spewed up against her body and blinding her. She was forced to step back a bit, losing sight of the other people she had been standing with. Fire roared around her and pushed her back, restricting her breathing.
At first her vision was blurred, filled with every color of the rainbow, colors she didn't even knew existed were created right in front of her eyes and she was stepping back with every new splash of color that blinded her. Then suddenly her vision was filled with a single color, a bright pink that faded into ruby, rose, salmon and numerous other shades of pink and purple-ish colors. This fire was different than the ones that had surrounded her earlier, it was aimed more directly at her, pushing her back towards a wall.
The roaring pink wave pushed her away from the other people, though she had lost sight of them long ago. Or was it just now? She had lost all sense of time since she entered this tornado of flames and colors.

As she tried to pinpoint her own position and the position of the dragon that apparently wanted her to go there, she was knocked back by a gust of wind and thrown into the dust on the ground behind her. She grunted and scrambled on her feet as a dragon appeared in front of her, wings opened wide and towering over her.
The dragon was relatively small compared to the other dragons she had managed to spot, certainly not as large as Merrik's massive black dragon, but it's size wasn't what made Mina gasp lightly in wonder and admiration; it was it's coloring. 

Pink had never been Mina's favorite color. It was by far her least favorite, to be honest. This dragon looked so stunning, so marvelous that she almost changed her entire opinion on the color.
The dragon was a light color of pink, a color she couldn't exactly pinpoint. It seemed to be some kind of rose pink mixed with the color of cherry blossom and cotton candy. It's wings were a china pink, mixed with dark pink and had shades of carmine running through them. The two arched horns on it's head were a carnation pink color, placed perfectly on it's graceful, but powerful looking head. The drake was a stunning image of grace and peace, beauty incarnated in Mina's eyes, though she could almost see the fury hiding behind it's gentle appearance. As she took in the beasts features time seemed to stop, but the moment had to end and Mina was caught by a string of fear when the drake moved towards her. She was given an opportunity to observe it a bit better, watch it's powerful muscles roll under the thick layer of scales and skin that protected it's vulnerable organs. The drake paused and seemed to observe her, before a voice sounded in her head. She had expected something like this, but not this kind of voice. It was calm and peaceful, it was as if she was spoken to by royalty with a grace she had never encountered before.

[i]"Do you intend on attacking me with that toothpick you hold in your hands..?"[/i] 

A clear and simple question in her head. It was surprising to her how easily she heard it, though the initial feeling was a bit weird. She shrugged it off and stood up a bit straighter, lowering the blade, but keeping it tightly in her hands. 
'No, but I intend to defend myself with it.' she stated calmly, but firmly. She felt like a madman trying to oppose a god, that was how the difference between her and the dragon felt, but she controlled her nerves and stood firmly in front of him.
[i]"I can sense you, human woman. You have killed before, haven't you?"[/i] the dragon asked. Mina was surprised he could sense that from her, but she figured it was some kind of ability this marvelous creature had. 
'I have killed before. Only those that deserve it though. Why would I want to kill something as incredible as you? Or any of your kind, for that matter.' she stated.
A chuckle sounded in her head as the dragon seemed to show her a toothy smile satisfied. 'Incredible, huh? You sure know how to keep a dragon happy."
Mina grumbled a bit, though she knew he didn't mean it in the way she heard it. She wasn't some kind of suck-up, trying to please somebody just because he or she was stronger than her. 'I'm not trying to keep you happy!' she exclaimed. 'I was just stating my opinion on the matter, that's all.' she said, crossing her arms. She felt like an idiot, bickering with a dragon like this, but it was nice talking to him knowing he wouldn't eat her. 
The dragon chuckled again, pleased with her answer. [i]"Ah, it is like that then."[/i] he said. He lowered his head to meet her on eye-level and she gazed into his deep blue eyes, absolutely mesmerized. She felt like she was drowning into the deep blue color of his eyes and reached out to touch his skin, to simply brush over the smoothness of his scales, to feel his muscles move under his skin and hear his heartbeat. The second before she would reach his skin he seemed to smile and a wave of images suddenly entered her mind, embedded themselves into her brain. She saw him, his brothers and sisters, the black dragon they saw as a father. At the same time she felt like a piece of her heart, no a piece of her soul was filled up. Like some empty void was suddenly filled up by the mere presence of the dragon in front of her. Her memories filled him as well, she could feel it, feel his emotions about her tragic past even though she had buried that part of herself long ago. It felt as if some long lost chain had finally reconnected to her soul, making her whole again, even though she never knew she wasn't complete. Among the images, the memories and feelings of the dragon she could now call her partner was a single name. 
She smiled faintly as she regained her senses and looked at him again. 'So that is what I may call you...' she placed her hand on the smooth, warm scales of her partner. 'Ajura.'

***

It seemed as if an eternity had passed while Mina stood there with her newly found half, the missing piece of her soul, though only a few minutes had passed. Probably....
She was forced to tear her gaze off her amazing new partner, the action almost paining her, when she heard the sound of Merrik's voice above them again. 

[b]"My brothers, my sisters, I welcome you to the New Order of the Dragon Tamers. You will never return to the lives you once knew; everything has changed now that your souls have been reunited with their missing halves and your mortality has been exchanged for eternal life. You do not know it yet, but there is mana of old coursing through your veins, drawn from the magicks within the blood of your dragons. There is an endless amount of training and learning that must pass before we depart for the dark lord's tainted lands. And we have precious little time."[/b]

The notion about never returning to her old life didn't bother Mina, though it seemed to affect some of the other tamers she had spotted now that the dust and flames had settled. What did surprise her was the mentioning of eternal life and the notion of mana coursing through their veins. She looked at Ajura questionably, but he simply gave her a look saying he would explain everything better later. She redirected her interest towards Merrik again when he continued speaking.

[b]"There are rules. Some are simple, obvious ones, and others are severe and pain me to ever have the need to enforce them. I suppose the most important rule, is that you don't get to run from this. You all knew what you were getting in to when you agreed to join me here today. You all know the effect of the dark sickness that is pouring over our lands. You all know that without us, there is no hope for Illos. And so, you cannot run, you cannot turn your back on the cause, you cannot betray the order. For if you do, the consequences of your actions will be of the highest severity...I only hope that I should never have the need to inflict punishment for such treason. I trust your hearts and minds are in the right place and that I, nor the Oracle, were mistaken in bringing you here." [/b]
A short pause.
[b] "On a milder note; there are basic rules as there are in any army. You will train every day, your mind and your body will be in peak condition at all times. You will respect myself, Nova, and your fellow tamers. You will consult with me before trying anything new, this includes magicks, maneuvers, mixtures, etc. You will not, under any circumstances, move forward in your training before I say. The powers you've been given, the beasts you'll soon ride, it's all dangerous if not controlled and respected."
[/b]

Merrik's words made sense, for as far Mina could really understand them. Her mind was still a bit fuzzy from her bonding with Ajura, her brain still having to organize and sort the massive amount of information and memories she had been given. When Nova's voice entered her voice it felt a bit like it didn't belong there, now that she had bonded with Ajura, but she almost wanted to squeal in joy when she heard what he spoke about. 

[b]"Flying, will be our first task. You must learn to be comfortable atop your bonded drakes at any time, at any height, in any weather. Their wings should feel like an extension of your own limbs. Hatchlings, the weight of your tamer upon your back should feel as perfect as the weight of your own scales on your hide. Stay close in mind with each flight and feel each other's movements. For anyone who wishes to "make things more exciting" and take high pace or extreme maneuvers, there will be consequences. Need I remind you all, there at least 7 great tamers over estimated their and their dragon's abilities while in flight and have plummeted to their death. None of you have mastered retrieval dives well enough to guarantee you will save your tamers life, should they fall, so unless you wish to end your bonded lives on the first day of grace, I suggest you all take it slow and listen to Sir Merrik and myself."[/b]

Flight was something Mina had dreamed about almost her entire life. When she was younger and more depressed about the loss of her clan she had thought of ending it all, simply taking her own life and flying off forever. She had spend hours on a cliff near her new home, simply gazing at the sea and the ground below it in an attempt to understand how it would feel. This was a whole lot better than what she wanted to do when she was younger though.

[b] "In each of the dragons' dens, lining these walls, you'll find leather straps, to be used much like a halter and reins on a horse. You will find no saddles, for assuming that riding a dragon is anything like riding a stallion is an unwise assumption indeed. You will all use these straps for the first week or two, until I and you are confident in your abilities. Secure them under your drake's front limbs, around the neck, and then around your waist. You won't fall easily if you secure yourself on properly. Once you're set, I want you to get used to the movements of your dragons on the ground. Take time to move about the coliseum, and when you're both ready, take to the skies, but stay close, no more than 400 ft in the air and not out of the clearing. Are we understood? We'll soon be departing for the Forest Garden, your new home. And the flight will be a long one. Get comfortable and get confident. Now go."[/b]

Mina almost sprinted towards the dens, followed by Ajura, who had an excited and amused smirk on his scaled lips at the reaction of his partner, the amazement when she immediately knew where the dens were. It took a while for her to strap the leather reins and halter on Ajura, but eventually she succeeded. She was hesitant to get onto her partner's back, but Ajura's gesture of lowering his neck for her allowed her to get over the weird feeling of getting on his back. She found a comfortable spot for her to sit on, at the base of his neck between what seemed to be the bases of his wings. It formed a nice little pit for her to sit in and she could even lean back a little bit. 
Once she strapped herself in Ajura started moving around, walking around the arena in a slow pace to allow her to get used to it. Merrik had been right, this was nothing like riding a horse.
Eventually Mina got the hang of it and she was confident enough to let Ajura lift off the ground. As she saw the ground get further and further away she felt her fear disappear with it. This was everything, no even more than she ever anticipated of flying. She felt immensely free, at peace. She focused entirely on the breeze against her skin and the feeling of Ajura's heartbeat below her hands. At one point she almost fell off her partner's smooth scales, but she managed to regain herself before slipping off. 
When they landed on the ground again Mina couldn't describe the intense feeling of happiness that coursed through her veins with any other word than perfection.

(Okay, enough writing for now, I'm so tired *.* Will post the skip to the Garden in my next post)