Nira clung to the bottom side of a log, hanging her body precariously above the lake. Sweat poured from her brow, and her blonde hair was a mess. Eclipse sat in the water near her, head cocked in confusion. What on Earth was her rider doing?
Well, the answer was training. Training for The Test. The first thing on the list was 'Repeated Flips.' The rules required no straps holding the rider in, so they had to rely on strength and velocity to keep them on the back of their dragon. Skandar had come up with the idea of hanging from the log.
She couldn't train endlessly on Eclipse, because a dragon could only last so long upside down like that. Once Skandar was happy with her skills at hanging upside down, she'd actually start to practice the flips.
The Test was at the end of Autumn, giving Nira the perfect amount of time to practice everything.

"Uhh, Skandar, do you think that there's a better idea than making me hang from this stupid log?" She asked.

The log was soaked from constant falls from Nira. She was soaked too, and the log was becoming slippery.

"Would you rather try it over a campfire?" He suggested with a laugh, walking precariously over the log.

Nira grunted, shaking her body aggressively so the log shook. Skandar wasn't ready for the sudden jolt, and he fell right into the lake. She laughed, which caused her to fall off too.

"Really? I'm just trying to help you!" He laughed in a mock tone of offense.

Nira snorted, climbing out of the water. Her clothes and hair were sopping, but were drying quickly in the heat.

"We've been at the lake all week. Can I finally start doing some real flips? I can do barrel-rolls! What's the real difference?" She asked hopefully.

        Skandar sighed.

"Flips require velocity. Barrel rolls create velocity." He said simply.

"Well, what if I did a few barrel rolls and then did a flip? Would that work?" Nira asked, almost jokingly.

"Fine. But if you vomit, it's on you." He laughed.

Nira grinned and leapt onto Eclipse's back. The dragon roared, stretching her silver wings and leaping into the air. They warmed up by circling the lake several times, gathering speed.
         After a few barrel rolls, they were going very fast. Eclipse tucked her wide wings against her sides and prepared to do a front flip. Quickly, she leaned downward, and nearly made it. But she forgot to flip herself right side up and fell into the water.
Nira sputtered, waving her arms and legs wildly. She finally found her bearing in the water, and started to tread water. Eclipse was floating, wings stretching over the surface. Unlike many water dragons, she could not take off from the water.
Nira laughed, slightly dizzy from all of the barrel rolls and the attempted flip. Wobbly, she climbed onto Eclipse's back like a boat. Silver Schwers were able to float easily, almost like logs. The dragon slowly paddled to the shore, using her wings like fins.
       Skandar was waiting onshore, with an expression that suggested 'I-told-you-so.'

"You need to get higher. You didn't have enough room to finish the flip." He suggested.

        Nira nodded, shaking some of the water from her clothing. She gritted her teeth and climbed back into the saddle. Eclipse shook her scales dry and leapt back into the air.
      Again, she circled the lake, gaining speed. But this time, she climbed higher and higher. She folded her wings, and actually made it. She turned herself right side up again, and soared over the lake. It was a wobbly and loose flip, but it was a flip.
Nira's eyes wandered to the shore, where Skandar was pumping a fist into the air as a sign of congratulation. She grinned, and although it was only one loose flip, it was one step closer to The Test.
She worked on flipping for hours, eventually getting pretty good at it. For the next few days after work, she and Eclipse would head to the lake for practice. After a week, she could do full front and backflips. But there were still five more things to practice.
On the last day of the week, she pulled out the paper with all of the events listed. She leaned against Eclipse's side in the shade, a pleasant aura surrounded them. The slightly crumpled paper had everything about the test written in a neat scrawl.

The Test
Welcome all Dragonriders! The Test is a multistage competition focusing on the bond between humans and dragons. We have no minimum age, but know that injuries are common in the dangerous sport of Dragonriding. The Test stretches over six days, one event for each day. All events are listed below, and to win, a rider must be skilled in all of them.

•A flip course, where the rider and dragon will have to take on the challenge of dizziness by doing multiple flips in a row. The winner of this event will win one point.

•A dragon showing. After the initial excitement of the first day, dragons will be shown and judged. Please note that dragons will be judged by breed standards, and not general standards. The winner of this event will win one point.

•Flameshot accuracy. Dragons will have their aim tested. Riders will not be riding their dragon during this stage, and will have to instruct their dragon from the sidelines. The winner of this event will win one point.

•Scent tracking. An item will be hidden, and the first dragon to find it will win. Riders will not be riding their dragon on this stage. The winner of this event will win one point.

•Freestyle. A rider and dragon will attempt to impress the judge by doing a trick of their choice. The winner of this event will win one point.

•The Final Race. The most important part of The Test is The Final Race. All of the dragons will line up, and they must compete in a high-speed race to an undisclosed location. (It changes every year.) This event will be worth the most points, three.

The winner with the most points in the end wins.

Good luck!

The hardest part would most likely be the ones where she couldn't help Eclipse. They were both so used to being a team. Nira wasn't used to doing professional grooming, but she'd have to do it for the Showing event. Every point would matter.