New Beginning

J'rin jumped fast enough to avoid getting swooped down by his dragon.
"There are people here, I can hear them, and firelizards too."
"How did firelizards get here?" 
Amitath remained silent.

Lityan shuffled in a little closer. The man didn't look like much danger, Ysvelt and Chaltyk were bigger, but that big animal could turn out to be extremely dangerous. She turned back and moved carefully between the trees, back to the others.
"What did you see?" Ysvelt asked.
"One man," Ysvelt sighed in relief, "and a creature bigger than a Mammoth. It looks like ours too."
"They can't grow bigger than a Mammoth! Look at them!" Chaltyk exclaimed, maybe a bit too loud.
"I saw it myself! You know I don't make mistakes!" Lityan screamed back furious, defiantly to loud. A roar so loud that their firelizards hid in fear below their clothes sounded through the forest.
"Believe me now?" Lityan said with a smug smile on her face.
"I'll have to see it first." Chaltyk said.
"No problem, Amitath will love to know he was right." J'rin said behind their backs.
As one, the Icelanders turned. 
"Who are you?" Chaltyk demanded.
"Why, I'm just some visitor, my name is J'rin."
"What's that animal you have there?" Lityan asked.
"That is a dragon, his name's Amitath."
"Dra-gon?" Ysvelt tried.
"Close enough. Me and my dragon are looking for people who'd like to impress, that is tend to, other dragons. They can't survive on their own, as neither can firelizards."
J'rin stretched his hand towards Dusk, who inquisitively smelled it. The lizard carefully sat in J'rin's hand and started crooning contently as the searchrider scratched his eyelids.
"He's never done that for me." Chaltyk said enviously.
"Well, they are quite common where I come from. How did you keep their hides so good? I don't see any patches, nor could you have known to oil them."
"I've never seen patches on Crystal." Lityan said and copied the moves of J'rin on Crystal.
"You need to strike fat on them to keep their hides soft."
Ysvelt nodded when he understood and said.
"That's the same for humans here, our hides still have a fatty layer inside and they've been sleeping in it."
"I see."
Everyone kept silent after that, the wind singing softly between some trees.
"You should ask them now." Amitath said.
"Amitath says I should ask you if you'd like to come with me."
Lityan gasped for air and shouted: "They talk too?"
"Yes but only in your head, and not all the dragons."
"I think we should go", Chaltyk said, "At least we'll get somewhere."

Arrival at Ryslen

They appeared from a cold deeper than anyone of the Icelanders had ever known. A cold so penetrating it went straight for their bones and lingered, even in the afternoon sun of Wintertime at Ryslen.
Amitath landed and let his passengers dismount. 
"You told us it was winter here too." Lityan complained, "it feels like summer to me!"
She tossed of some furs and caught Crystal safely with one hand as she drifted down with the clothes. Ysvelt and Chaltyk followed her example and looked across the platform in the mountains. The Castle was built inside a crater and still had it's shape.
"So this is where we might impress one of these dragons?" Ysvelt asked.
"Yes, there are plenty eggs waiting on the sands." J'rin acknowledged.
"Let's not keep them waiting any longer!" Lityan screamed as she raced off toward the castle.

To be Continued

Something about the Characters

Chaltyk is a man in his early twenties. He's quite impulsive and takes risks as often as he can. He then claims they are calculated and he was in no real danger. He is quite smart and has an intuitive knowledge of math (probably why he's that good with statistics).
He is big, standing 2.10 metres from the ground with strong flexible legs and arms. His hair, long and often braided, is light brown. He has soft brown eyes, which look like they see everything. He's an excellent hunter.

Greyne was a small and fragile child when she was born. Everyone had urged her mother to not get too attached as she was likely to die. But against all hopes Greyne blossomed as her mother grew paler and eventually died. She had long blond hair and blue eyes, a common sight in the village. Yet her eyes looked at the world with a strength and vitality that made everyone around her feel warmer.
She was only 15 when she first met Ysvelt, he had come to trade and stayed for her. He was 19 at that time, and within a week deeply in love.
She died during the crossing, crushed by an avalanche and buried in a nearby Ice Cave.

Lityan is a boyish girl of about 16 years. She has long dark blond hair and green eyes. She stands about 1.60 metres above the ground and dislikes being called little. She always liked the hunting better than cooking and was gladly sent along when the other women learned her way of preparing food. She's excellent with almost any weapon and can outrun every man in the village. 

Ysvelt is a young man of 23, with long copper hair and a neatly kept beard. He has deep blue eyes and a soft way of speaking. He's about 1.90 metres tall. He searched far and wide for a girl he liked, travelling with the caravans from village to village...until he found Greyne.
Greyne being killed had a great influence on him, they were deeply in love and making plans for the rest of their life when the disaster struck. He hopes change of environment will help him mourn for her in a healthy way (without getting the urge to run into the ice at night and to never come back).

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Chaltyk, Ysvelt and Lityan are Candidates for the Ryslen Flurry 2002