As a Dragon Rider there were a few rules one had to follow. One; Always be compassionate. Two; Always put your dragon's needs before your own. Three; never, and I mean never, interact with an Asgardian.

I didn't really understand the last rule, and at this point I was to scared to ask. I knew that a few hundred years ago, long before I was born, Drakarus, the home planet of all dragons, and Asgard, had a major war. Like make planets uninhabitable, major. But like I said before, that happened hundreds of years ago. One would think it would be all water under the bridge by now. Apparently it was not, and I wasn't the type of person to influence change despite what everyone thought about me after my choosing ceremony.

I was the type of person to keep my head down and never cause any problems. I fallowed the rules, I did what I was told, and I never stepped out of line.

So you could imagine my panicked surprise when the two princes of Asgard came into the very same restaurant I was eating in one afternoon when I was on a mission for the crown.

*

A dragon had made its way to Earth, a cute little planet in the Milky Way System. Most people from Drakarous absolutely despised missions to Earth. They said the pollution was terrible and the inhabitants were all strange. None of them could ever figure out how to get along and always seemed to be angry with one another over the stupidest conflicts. Worst of all there seamed to be very minimal magic on Earth.

Yes, I could see all the problems my comrades pointed out. And yes, they were all valid. Though, I never really found Earth to be all that terrible
of a place. Especially if I just kept my head down and did my job. Contrary to popular belief I liked humans. Even if most of the galaxy saw them as a weak pathetic race. I was always amazed by their persistence, and how they always seamed to keep getting up no matter how many times they got knocked down.

Anyway, there I was in a small rundown restaurant in the middle of the redwoods happily eating my delicious hamburger when two big tall men walked in through the small little entryway.

They caught my attention the moment I saw them from the corner of my eye. Not only was their presence beyond noticeable, but their clothes were something out of this world. Both men wearing glittering amor made with the most detailed designs I had ever seen. Material that looked to be gold and silver, but was probably something much more valuable.

That's when my brain caught up to what I was seeing. These two men weren't just some regular important people, they were one of the most important and infamous people in the galaxy. They were the princes of Asgard.

I swallow down my bite dryly, too shocked to do anything other than stare at the two brothers from my booth by the window.

"Inform me once again why father insisted for us both to come to this retched planet?" The dark prince asked. I believed his name was 'Loki' if I was remembering that right from school.

"Do you not remember anything from our briefing, brother?" The golden prince asked. I think his name was 'Thor.' "And here I thought you prided yourself on knowledge."

"I remember the briefing." The dark prince snapped. "I just don't understand why father needed both of us to go on some wild goose chase. Everyone knows the dragons have been extinct for hundreds of years. Whatever your friends said they saw must have been something else. Do you really believe father missed a dragon during the war?"

"I must admit that would be rather uncharacteristic of him." The golden prince admitted. "But if he did it is of the most importance to have both of us here to take care of it."

As if remembering they were in a public space Thor quieted down, looking over the small restaurant, his blue eyes landing on me as I continued to not so subtly ease drop on their conversation with a mouth full of food.

I swallow my bite, smiling awkwardly at the two princes, giving them a slight wave. Like when your crush catches you staring at them for an uncomfortable amount of time.

Loki scoffed and rolled his eyes, looking away from my direction while his older brother, Thor, smiled kindly with a nod. Clearly unaware that I was a dragon rider, which I was grateful for. They must have assumed that my odd clothing choice was some kind of Earthly fashion. Or perhaps they thought I was just weird?

"Remember brother." Thor smiled at me, flashing me his superhero smile. "We came here to keep the people of Earth safe from harm."

Loki glanced over at me once more, sizing me up, but quickly assumed I was of no interest to them.

The brothers went up the the counter and ordered some lunch, probably tired and hungry from walking around the the redwoods all day long looking for a dragon.

   That's why I came here.

They got their food and sat down at a booth a few tables down from me, talking in hushed tones in a language I've never heard before. Once I realized I wouldn't get any more information out of them I quickly finished my meal and headed for the door walking out of the warm inviting restaurant into the cold wet forest.

The redwoods were a sight the behold. Each tree taller than a 20 floor building. Their massive trucks wider at the base than a bus was long. Walking next to just one of the trees made me feel small. Being in the woods filled with them made me feel like I was some kind of insignificant insect.

As I walked down the parking lot to the head of a trail I could see my breath as white puffs of steam, while a steady amount of rain gradually landed on my face and hair, making the cold air that much colder. One thing I leaned while I was here was that the redwoods got a lot of rain. And I mean a lot. There hadn't been a sunny day since I arrived here.

I briskly turn down the muddy trail, walking further into the woods, my hands shoved deep into my pockets as I tried to keep my fingers from freezing. Tuning down a hidden deer path I walked until I found my way back to the small little stream where I left my dragon who was currently finishing off his catch of fish.

Eclipse was a Night Fury dragon. A medium sized black dragon that was built for speed. Night Furies were well known and respected across Drakarus even if they were a rare species of dragon that was infamous with just how intelligent and deadly they could be. The very first thing that was ever recorded about them was that they were the unholy offspring of lighting and death its self. And that one should never engage this dragon in combat if they wished to live.

After years of having Eclipse by my side I couldn't see why so many people feared Night Furies. Sure they were extremely intelligent and powerful. But they acted like ginormous puppy dogs.

"Hey Eclipse." I great my dragon as I approach him.

Eclipse perked his ears up at my voice and looked over at me, a grumbling purring sound coming from the back of his throat as I approached him.

Taking a quick glance I see that he was done eating his fish and was just simply waiting for me to come back. "You won't believe who I ran into." I tell him as I pick my saddle up off the ground, throwing it onto the back of his thick neck. "Asgardians! And not just any Asgardians. The princes of Asgard! And they're here looking for the escaped dragon as well! Can you believe it?"

Eclipse continue to purr as I buckled up his saddle and began to clip in the saddle bags. Watching and listening to me as I talked to him.

"We have got to find that dragon before they do. If we don't..." My voice fades out as I begin think what could happen if I didn't find that dragon first. From the sounds of it Thor and Loki believed dragons were extinct. That their father had managed to wipe them all out long ago during the war. If they found the lost dragon before I did then not only will that dragon be in danger, but all of Drakarus as well. They will learn that dragons are not extinct and they may begin asking questions. Dragons could be hunted as sport. The riders would be recruited as solders. Worst of all there could be another war between the planets and it would be all my fault.

*
I follow behind Eclipse as we trudge through the bushes and mud, walking underneath the majesty of the coastal redwood trees. The sun had gone down a few hours ago, making the woods not only cold and wet, but dark as well. If not for my enhanced senses I would be as blind as a bat.

Eclipse had his head down, searching for the faintest scent of another dragon. Finally, after hours and hours of searching he stops, looking at an object on the muddy floor.

"You found something?" I ask as I make my way up to him to see what he found.

Eclipse gently roars in response, gesturing to a small glittering green scale on the ground.

I crouch down, picking up the muddied scale, studying it closely. The scale was a lime green color and was only the size of my thumbnail. Which explained why we were having such a hard time finding this little rascal. Either it was a baby dragon that somehow found a portal to Earth, or a small dog sized dragon.

Either way it was proving difficult to find such a small creature in a place like this.

"Do you think you can find its trail?" I ask Eclipse who was looking at the scale in my hand from over my shoulder.

He purrs and leans forward, sniffing it once more to memorize the scent then begins to circle me, sniffing everything from the ground to the bushes to the trees, after about five minutes he calls to me before bounding off deeper into the woods.

I take off after him, my many years of training making it easy for me to keep up with him, even through the mud and harsh terrain.

As we run I spotted an orange flicker of light, dancing on the trunks of the red trees. Illuminating a small clearing.

Eclipse, without my warning, slows down, wary of the light. He waits for me to take the lead. Then he fallows my movements as we creep our way over, hiding in the shadows of the trees.

Peaking over a sizable bush I see a camp sight with six elegantly crafted tents sitting by a warm welcoming fire. Over the fire was some kind of meat on a stick, slowly turning as it cooked. The wired thing was was that no one was tending to the meal. There was no one by the fire manually turning the stick. Or watching to make sure the food didn't burn. No, the meal was cooking its self.

I glance over at Eclipse who seamed equally as confused as me.

"I don't see why we have to be camping when a hotel is a few short miles away from here." A accented voice speaks. "I mean really brother?'

At hearing the man me and Eclipse both shrink down further into to bush watching as the two princes from earlier make their way into the camp sight, going over to the food cooking on the fire.

"Because we are enjoying the hunt!" Thor grins.

Eclipse lets out a low soft growl only loud enough for me to hear as I watch the two brothers.

Then I hear it, more footsteps in the woods. "Come Loki." A thin man I had never seen before chides as he steps out of the forest into the fire light along with two other men and one woman, all Asgardian warriors judging by their clothes. "If there is a dragon here there will be stories written about us and how we saved the people of Earth from unimaginable suffering. Do you really want the history books to say that we spent our quest in a lush hotel spending our free time laying by the pool? We will be seen as gluttons."

"You are gluttons." The dark prince mumbled under his breath, but if Thor and the others heard him they didn't acknowledge Loki's rudeness.

"Fandral is right." Thor agrees with the man who had just spoken. "We want to be remembered as fierce warriors, not as pampered nobles."

"Besides," The man, Fandral chimes in, draping a arm across Loki's shoulders. "Its been so long since you've been able to go hunting with us Loki. You know all of us want to enjoy the company of Thor's younger brother."

Loki scoffs, shoving Fandral away with a disgusted glare as the group laughs good-naturedly, having fun teasing the younger prince.

One of the men, a short stout man with a long brown frizzy beard goes over to camp fire, cutting off a peace of meat with a long dagger. He doesn't even put the food on a plate or napkin before he begins to eat. "Was it not fun hunting this buck together?" The chubby man asks with a mouth full of food.

"Your idea of fun and mine are completely different." Loki snarls, "I did not wish to be here."

"Loki," Thor chastises, looking over at his brother with a glimmer of disappointment in his eyes. "We all know you did not wish to come. But this is your first mission father has trusted you on since your imprisonment. It would be wise to treat this mission with respect."

Father only trusted me with this mission because dragons no longer exist." Loki growls at his brother, glaring at him.

As the group bickers amongst themselves my heart sinks as I see a small green dragon perched atop a tent. Its bright yellow eyes eyeing the food over the fire. The small Terrible Terror was practically drooling over the delicious smell of food.

The poor thing was probably starving since it was out here all alone without its pack to hunt with. It probably hadn't eaten much since it got stranded here.

Me and Eclipse watch from the shadows as the small dragon climbs down the side of the tent, leaving small claw marks in the fabric's side.

This was not good. I couldn't let the Terrible Terror get spotted. Not by the Asgardians.

I turn to Eclipse and point my pointer finger up in the air, spinning it in two circles then pointing down.

Eclipse nods, understanding his orders. Then sneaks off into the shadows, going around the campsite to the back.

I trusted that Eclipse could lead the group far into the woods without being seen while I grabbed the dragon and made our escape.

Once Eclipse made it to the back of the camp sight he purposely brushed up a against big bush, making it shake and rattle.

The arguing died down, all six Asgardians looking over to where the sound came from. "Did you hear that?" The one woman of the group asked.

Eclipse rustled some more plants, wanting to draw them into the woods.

Thor nodded to his group, gesturing for them to follow his lead as they all began to creep into the woods. All of them, other than Loki, looking ready to enjoy the hunt. 

Once the group disappeared into the darkness the Terrible Terror bounded out from behind the tents, jumping onto the meat and hungrily sinking his teeth into the food with happy little squawks as it took bite after bite.

"Oh no, buddy." I scold the small dragon gently as I walk into the camp sight.

The small dragon jumped a little, startled that someone was still here, but quickly went back to eating once it realized I was a dragon rider and of no threat to it.

"We're not to let them know we're here. They're definitely going to know if you eat their food."

The dragon payed no mind to me, as I made my way over to it, to enamored with the food to care about me or what I was saying.

I grab the dragon gently, lifting it up and away from its food. It hissed and flapped its wings, trying to squirm itself out of my hands.

"We have to go." I told the Terrible Terror, wrapping my arms around it and holding it to my chest, trying to gently pin its wings down so I wouldn't get hit in the face. "I'll get you dinner when we get home. Then we'll find your pack."

The dragon continued to squirm, hissing, and generally just cussing me out in its own little language.

I was so focused on the squirming dragon in my arms I didn't hear, or notice, someone entering the camp sight from the shadows.

"I stand corrected." The smooth voice of the dark prince says making my heart sink into my stomach. Looking up I see Loki standing in the firelight, a small smirk dancing across his face. "Dragons do still live."