Wyvern Rider (A story in the Ravenglass Universe) - II

An orphan girl and an orphaned wyvern find shared a destiny...

The next morning, Irina rose with the sun and made her way to the old forge. She carried a basket laden with scraps of meat, bread, and a flask of water.

Nim chirped in greeting when she entered, craning its head toward her.

“Morning, Nim.” She smiled, setting down the basket. “Hungry, are we?”

As Nim devoured the food, Irina changed its bandages. The wound was already looking better. She mused that perhaps wyverns healed much faster than humans. At this rate, it would heal completely within a week.

She sat beside it, running a hand over its scales. A strange warmth flowed between them, waves of calm and love radiating through her mind.

The wyvern’s thoughts seemed to float into her own, tinged with contentment and trust.

After a while, Irina left the forge and made her way into the village square. Villagers milled around the market stalls, haggling over cloth and cheese.

A broad man in worn leathers Irina didn’t recognise pulled a cart through the market, hawking wyvern skins and boasting of their hunting prowess.

Irina strode over to him, her fists clenched. “Have you no shame?”

The man dismissed her with a snort. “Bah! Mind your tongue, girl, before it gets you into trouble.”

“The only troublemaker here is you.” Irina spoke loud enough for some nearby villagers to pause their shopping. She swept an arm over the hides and bones. “Profiting from murdering a sacred being! Have you ever gazed into a wyvern’s eyes and seen the spirit within?”

The trader’s face reddened. “Damned beasts have been raiding herds all summer. Now step aside and stop meddling in affairs you don’t understand.” He reached down to shove Irina but she danced back.

“Would you stand idly by if someone sought to slay your kin?”

“My kin don’t have wings and breathe fire, girl.”

“Wyverns don’t breathe fire. ”

The trader grumbled under his breath, continuing to push his laden cart through the square. But Irina trailed him.

“Can you not let them be? The forests and rivers provide enough game. Wyverns are gentle. They only attack when threatened.” She gestured as she spoke. “They should be our allies, not our enemies.”

The trader halted and turned to her, his nostrils flaring. “By damn, girl, enough. I won’t be harassed in my lawful trade.”

Irina spotted the village reeve making his way through the crowd and raised her voice. “There is no law allowing wyvern poaching.”

Murmurs rippled through the crowd as all eyes turned toward the approaching official.

Irina lifted her chin, daring the trader to challenge her before witnesses.

The trader looked between Irina and the official, waved his hand, and muttered a series of curses.

“Is there a problem here?”

Irina turned to find the reeve glaring at the trader, his arms folded.

The trader turned his back to Irina and adjusted items on his stall. “No problem.”

“Your goods aren’t welcome here.”

The trader narrowed his eyes and then he shrugged. “Just passing through anyway.” He turned his cart and marched away from the village, glancing back over his shoulder, his eyes set on Irina.

“Damn pelt hunters,” the reeve said. “Have no place here.”

Irina smiled up at him. “Thank you.”

“Just try not to antagonise strangers, eh? Never know what might happen.”

“I know.” She dipped her head. “I’ll be more careful.”

He nodded and sauntered off.

Irina let out a breath, her hands unclenching. Perhaps that trader had been the one who’d injured Nim. Maybe it was only through sheer luck that Nim’s pelt was not among those for sale.

She left the marketplace and headed towards the old forge.

Nim stirred as she entered. Bolting the door behind her, she glanced through the grubby windows, checking she hadn’t been followed.

She approached Nim, who lay curled on the pile of rags. The wyvern’s blue scales shimmered in the dim light. She knelt beside it, examining the wound.

But the wound was little more than a faint scar.

“Wow, Nim. I can’t believe how quickly you’ve healed.”

The wyvern cooed, its eyes gleaming.

“Looks like you’re much stronger than I thought.”

She recounted her altercation with the trader, her voice laced with concern. “It’s not safe for you out there, Nim. There are people who won’t understand, who will see you as nothing more than a prize.” As she spoke, she felt an unspoken understanding pass between them, a subtle bond that seemed to grow stronger with every word.

She sensed an emotional response from the creature, a kind of empathetic resonance that echoed in her mind. She wasn’t sure if these sensations were real or a figment of her imagination.

The wyvern nudged her hand and she stroked its head.

This silent communication, a blend of emotion and thought, was something Irina had never experienced before. It was as if Nim could sense her intentions and feelings—and she in Nim’s.

She sat there for a while, lost in this newfound connection.

In this quiet moment, with the wyvern resting beside her, she felt a deep, unshakeable resolve take root in her mind.

She rubbed Nim’s head. “I won’t let anyone hurt you.”

Nim nudged against her, a quiet chirp in its throat.

Irina smiled. But her smile faded when she thought of the trader, of the pelt  hunters. If they could kill wyverns so easily, what was to stop them from killing Nim?

She could not let them know here secret.

Nim butted against her again, more insistent.

What if someone found Nim in the forge? What if that trader returned? If people were sick enough to trade in wyvern pelts, Nim was not safe here.

But she wasn’t even a woman grown. How could she protect Nim from such men? Who was she fooling?

She took a deep breath and blinked hard. “Nim, I have to let you go.”

The wyvern cocked its head, peering up at her.

Irina’s eyes stung. “It’s too dangerous for you here. If anyone found out about you, I don’t know what they might do. You have to leave.”

Nim huffed, shuffling closer.

How could she make it understand?

“Please, Nim.” Her voice broke. “You need to go. Be free, like you’re meant to be. I can’t protect you here. It’s only a matter of time before you’re discovered. Maybe next time, you won’t be so lucky.”

Nim nudged under her hand again.

Irina blinked through welling tears. “Please. We need to go, away from the village.” She went to leave. “I will be back first thing.”

Thanks for reading!

I hope you're enjoying the story so far. Wyverns feature quite prevalently in the Ravenglass Universe, so I'm using this story as a way to delve deeper into wyvern lore. Let me know what you think.