Irin lay in the packed dirt gazing at Uram, his silver dragon and his other half. He lay there, smiling, as he stroked her silvery nose, which felt almost like a damp sponge. He familiarized himself with her breathing pattern, every few seconds, a blast of warm air struck his face, only to be overtaken by the cool breeze moments later. Neither of them knew how long they stayed there, nor did they care. They both would have been perfectly happy staying like that for the whole day if they could.

But alas, Merrik Tetra and Obsidian Nova had different plans for them. The rider of shadows spoke again, piercing through the waking dream. [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] Irin bolted upright in shock at the mention of eternal life. That which alchemists searched for for ages, he had stumbled upon by pure accident! Without even asking! He had heard nothing of this when Merrik first approached him back in his home town.

[i]Immortality... an eternal friendship with a beast of legend... and magic? What other secrets could that strange man have in store for me?[/i] Irin thought to himself.

Merrik didn't give him much time to think before he continued. "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." Irin nodded instinctively. He was prepared for fate. There was one small thing that bothered him, and he would have to consult Merrik personally about it, but that was for another time.

Merrik and Nova then proceeded to finish their speech by explaining flight, and how they would go about learning today. When they finished, Irin stood up, and went to retrieve his weapons that he had set aside before he was whole. Upon retrieving them, he turned to his other half, and spoke to her. "Mr. Merrik said there were straps in your den, mind showing me the way?"

They both knew where the den was, actually. The exchange of memories made Irin "remember" where it was. He merely asked so as to be accompanied by Uram, and they both knew that, for their minds were now one and the same. They walked side by side through the doors the dragons emerged from. and emerged with the reins before any of the other tamers. Irin looked around the colosseum, and grinned at this realization.

"I guess we have a head start." He said to Uram, as he wrapped the reins around her waist and neck. It took him a few minutes to buckle everything and adjust it, but it wasn't as difficult as he'd feared it'd be. He then got on her left side and climbed up her front leg. The wing-shoulders made a nice dip in her back, which allowed for a good place to sit. There was a spike right behind him, which made leaning back uncomfortable, but other than that, it was a surprisingly comfortable seat. Irin thought about strapping on some kind of backboard so he could recline while flying high in the sky, but immediately dismissed the whole idea because the image in his head looked ridiculously excessive.

[i]I would tell you to make sure to keep a good grip on the reins, but I already know from experience that you're a plenty good at that. Maybe a little[/i] too [i]good.[/i] Uram spoke into Irin's mind. Irin responded with a light chuckle, and stretched his arms, reins still in hand.

"I'm ready." He replied.

And so they began to travel around the colosseum at a steady pace. If it weren't for the fact that he was on the back of a [i]dragon,[/i] Irin would have found the whole thing rather boring. It wasn't exciting, though, he was a bit too eager to take to the skies already.

"This is much easier than riding a horse." Irin commented.

[i]How so?[/i]

"Horses don't care where I wish for them to carry me."

[i]Neither do I.[/i]

Irin laughed at Uram's reply, to which she got on her hind legs and attempted to knock him off. Irin's hands slipped from the reins and he tumbled off onto the ground, landing hard on his rump.

"Ow... That was a bit unnecessary..." Irin groaned.

[i]I don't care.[/i] Uram replied, now back on all fours and looking at him with a wolfish grin. [i]Rule number 1: Never laugh at a dragon.[/i]

"You're having too much fun with this... you know?"

Her thoughts took on a more serious tone, as did her face. [i]Maybe so, but that really doesn't matter. Now hop back on. And remember this: The battlefield does not care if you're caught off guard. So here's a thought: Don't get caught off guard. I may poke fun at you, I may be snarky or arrogant towards you, I may even hurt you; but I do aim to keep you alive.[/i]

Irin stood up and nodded, and climbed back onto Uram. Her wings began to beat, which surprised Irin. Apparently she thought he was ready for flight. They took to the skies, and circled the colosseum. Irin looked down below at the small people below him, and laughed. "So this is the world from the eyes of a dragon... Just like a dream." Uram replied with a grunt of acknowledgement, and beat her wings a few times, picking up speed. Irin closed his eyes, feeling the wind rush through his hair. Freedom in its most primal of forms. He opened his eyes, to see them flying alongside Obsidian Nova. Irin began to laugh. Nothing else seemed important now. He just wanted to fly. To feel the wind blowing against him as he and Uram soared and soared. He could live the rest of his days like this—and if what Merrik said was true, he had a lot of days. He turned to Merrik, a large grin on his face. "This... This is amazing!" He shouted, perhaps a little louder than was necessary.

[i]Do you want to know the best part?[/i] Uram said to Irin, [i]This is nowhere near my top speed.[/i]