Rainbow Magic (Dragon Rider #1) {EDITING}

Cliffs + Oz = Traumatisation

Exhaustion pulled at all of their limbs as they finally arrived at the top of the narrow incline. Dull grey rock flattened out, revealing a much larger ledge which they'd no doubt be camping on if the presence of Oz and his dragon was any indication.

"What took you idiots so long?"

Sora stared at him, deadpan, silently wondering if there was something wrong with his perception of 'easy' and 'light exercise'.

Probably.

"We didn't want to fall off?" Eir suggested, smiling slightly as her sister bonelessly sank into her side. It had been a somewhat stressful climb, the wind threatening to sweep them off the side of the cliff on a few occasions.

"Don't be silly," Oz said, scoffing at them as he made a camp under the shelter of one of the wings of his dragon. It was one of the few places sheltered from the blistering wind, and the same place Sora hoped they'd be sleeping. "I wouldn't let you idiots die from something as simple as falling off a cliff."

"You're the best!" Raelynn yelled.

Sora really wondered about their lovable blonde sometimes.

She didn't know whether the brain damage was already setting in, or whether her head was actually as hard as she claimed it to be.

"You were up here, though," Silver grumbled, watching as Beatrice and Callum went to where the six small dragonettes were.

They looked oddly cute, all huddled up together in a mish mash of scales and wings. It was somewhat like a puppy pile. One Sora wouldn't mind being part of.

Dragons were warm.

The clifftop?

Not so much.

"And?" Oz asked, an oddly innocent expression plastered across his face.

Silver stared at him witheringly. "How were you supposed to know if we fell?" she asked, eyes narrowing as he strode towards them.

"Trust me, I'd have heard the screams."

Sora stared at him sceptically. "What if we didn't scream?"

Oz turned his attention on her, and she had a horrible feeling about some sort of impending doom. "Oh, trust me... you'd scream." He smiled. "Just like this." His hand slammed into her chest, and she sailed backwards, eyes widening when she realised the sudden absence of solid ground beneath her feet.

She screamed, internally cursing Oz to the nine circles of hell and back, because if there was one experience she didn't want to have – it was falling to her death from some five thousand feet above sea level.

"I hate you Oz!" she yelled, her voice horse as she scrambled to get her balance, hair flying in front of her face as she tumbled head over heels.

Reptilian eyes met hers, a large red scaled dragon launching itself down after her, and her vision crackled. Static buzzed in her ears, the world above her seemingly splitting in two.

In one half a red dragon was swooping to her rescue, and in the other a golden dragon soared – scales tinged with black, blue eyes burning with fire as a set of claws closed around her gently.

She clung to the scaled hands which held her, a name slipping off her lips... one she didn't recognise on her lips yet fell from them naturally as though she was meant to speak the name. "Rhyx..." she whispered, thinking of those golden scales.

"Wasn't so bad now, was it?" Oz smirked, watching as his dragon set her back down on solid ground. "Nothing to be afraid of."

Sora drooled, pressing her face against the ground, swearing to never leave it again.

Not till her egg hatched... whenever that might be.

She was sure it'd be any day soon.

Raelynn was by her side in seconds, shaking some sense into her as she stared blankly at the sweet, firm ground she'd suddenly learnt to adore.

"How could you do that to her?" her favourite blonde moaned. "You've broken her!"

"Oh, shush, blondie. She'll be fine," Oz said, waving her off as he went back to preparing their camp along with their dinner. "Eventually."

"Pfft."

"I was just giving you proof – if you fall, I'll catch you."

Sora blinked, and she would've been touched by his words... if he hadn't thrown her off the side of a cliff.

Dimly, she felt Raelynn drag her further away from the terrifying edge of the cliff, the pair of them settling under the wing of Oz's dragon while Sora mulled over their lovely instructor's words.

Oz was their safety net.

He'd catch them every time, no matter what.

She hoped.