Hi there! This is my first story and I have been writing it for a while. I hope you enjoy it, and please review with any comments or questions so I can make it better!

Disclaimer: I don't own anything but Tera. I would buy it off Paolini if I knew his number, though.

The moonlight lit up the men's camp. The dry air was still, except for the steady rhythm of the dragon's breathing. Tera breathed the cool, dry air and put her chestnut tresses in a leather headband, and settled to watch the camp. Her camp was up in the crags, out of sight from the men's or the dragon's watchful eyes. With amazing patience, she waited through the night, until what she had been waiting for, appeared.

Tera assumed that she was the only one who had seen the pack of Urgals stalk them, because if it were otherwise, the clash of swords and the cries of battle would have long petered out. Stringing her yew bow, buckling on her sword, shouldering her quiver and letting her hood fall over her eyes, Tera crept out of the small cave and descended the rocks until she was only twenty yards from where the Urgals would attack. She guessed that their objective was to silently surround the camp and attack the dragon first, get it under control, then capture or kill the men. The Urgals managed to surround the camp partway when a light breeze swept across the sandy plains, throwing their stench downwind towards the encampment. The dragon stirred, and opened one eye. Its nostrils flared, and it roared a warning to its comrades. The Urgals hesitated for a moment, then wailed their savage battle cry and charged the small camp.

Quickly loosing an arrow, Tera felled the Urgal closest to the tents. She saw the men rise from their bedrolls and hastily yank on their boots. Two, three more arrows found their mark as she struggled to give them more time. Finally, they emerged and began to defend themselves. They were both extraordinarily talented with their swords, and along with the help of the dragon, finished off or drove away the rest of the ambush party. They crouched, ready for another attack, then relaxed, and began to clean and pack up.

From what she could see from her hiding place, the men were both built like balanced swordsmen. The broad-shouldered one was a sandy blonde, and was more muscular in the upper arm than the other. The lean, slightly taller one had oily black hair that fell in front of his eyes. His defined muscles were stringy, and he had the form of a runner. His pointed nose and sharp jaw indicated that he was a serious threat to anyone who opposed him.

They then began an intense argument, of which Tera could only hear dimly. She peered out farther from behind the rock to get a better view of the dragon, and stiffened instantly. The dragon had looked right at her! She tried to calm her racing heart, and looked through a gap between some rocks to see what was happening. Both men had stopped shouting and turned to look at the outcropping of rocks behind which she was standing. They both drew their swords, and the blonde muttered something to the other.

Tera immediately felt her mind berated by something. She had experienced this before, and concentrated her hardest on her index finger, putting up a mental wall around her mind. It wasn't until too late that she realized that it was merely a distraction, and she was being lifted into the air by something powerful, and then being tossed to the ground in front of the men. Doubled over in pain, she looked up at her now-captors.

"It's not an Urgal, that's for sure," said Blondie.

"The more important thing is who it is, and whether they're dangerous to us", said Runner.

Tera was only allowed to get to her knees, her stomach still hurting from the fall.

"Give me your weapons!" Blondie said.

Tera unbelted her sword and shrugged out of her quiver, handing them and her bow to him without a word.

He looked to the dragon and said, "Saphira, will you go search for any more people in the crags for us? I have to deal with this one first." With a nod, the dragon took off into the sky, scanning the crevasses for any more spies.

He looked at Tera for a moment then demanded, "Who are you? Why were you following us?" When she didn't answer, he flipped off her hood, and she heard an audible intake of breath.

"It's… just a girl!" exclaimed Runner. Flicking his sword to her throat, he hissed, "What is your name, girl? Who do you work for?"

Answering truthfully, she said, "My name is Tera, and I mean you no harm. I work for no one that means you harm. I am alone, and have been following you for four days, and frankly, I just saved your lives, and a hero shouldn't treated this way, if you ask me," she finished boldly.

The man lowered his weapon, and Tera was allowed to get to her feet. For the age of seventeen, she was tall. She saw eye-to-eye with the blonde-haired man. Back home, she towered over every woman and could see the top of most of the men's bald heads. Her long chocolate brown locks came down to the small of her back, held back out of her emerald green eyes with a strip of worn leather. Her limbs were graceful, like a dancer's, and she was light on her feet.

"I guess we owe you an apology, then," said Runner, his face unreadable. "My name is Murtagh, -"

"And I am Eragon," said Blondie, "and that's Saphira," gesturing to the sapphire dragon, who had just landed from her flight. "Why did you follow us?"

Tera hesitated. "Because while I was traveling, I noticed that you were being followed by that pack of Urgals. I was too far away to warn you, so I had to try to overtake you. I only just caught up this evening."

"Why are you alone?" demanded Murtagh. "Where did you come from?

Again, Tera hesitated before answering bitterly, "I am alone because I escaped alone. As for where I came from, it is a place worth escaping, and that is all I will say."

Abandoning the interrogation, Murtagh and Eragon began to collect the lifeless bodies of the Urgals and piled them in a heap, setting it ablaze. Their burning stench was unbearable, and they all covered their noses with their shirts. Tera began to ascend back to her camp.

"Where do you think you're going?"

She turned around. Murtagh had his hand on the hilt of his sword, his eyes wary.

"Back to my camp, to get my horse and my things," she replied.

"And then?"

"I'm accompanying you to wherever you're headed."

Murtagh looked taken aback for a moment, and then said, "How do you know we're not going to Uru'baen, to serve the King?"

She scoffed. "Because if that were what side Eragon Rider chose, he wouldn't be in hiding, and instead, be in the cruel service of the King already. Seeing as we are here, and not there, I assume that he is, in fact, opposed to King Galbatorix, and you are headed to the Varden, the people I seek. You both will not last much longer free from the King's grasp, especially if he is looking for a Dragon Rider, which is not difficult to notice, really."

With one last incredulous look shot at her, Murtagh finally relented and said, "You have a half-hour, and then we leave, with or without you."

Tera was ready. Her black stallion, Rùben, was finally coaxed down the slope, and she piled her things neatly beside him. It included her bedroll, some extra garments, one loaf of bread, a small collection of spices and a leather envelope. All of this was crammed into a small, lightweight pack, which could also serve as a saddlebag. She changed into a more economical outfit- consisting of dark-brown trousers and a cream-coloured tunic, instead of the long skirt she'd been wearing before. As she pulled back on her leather boots, she slipped Drak'nàor- her silver, gem incrusted dagger- into a slip on the inside of her boot.

"I'm ready to go. Where to?"

Tera looked over to where the men's horses were. They had assimilated their possessions in the same fashion. Eragon appeared out from behind a bush and brought the last of their horses' tack towards them, and strapped it on. With one final tug, the horses were saddled, and he turned towards her.

"Well," he began, "You and I are headed to the Varden, and Murtagh knows someone who can take us there.

"He isn't joining us?" Tera asked, surprised.

"Don't ask me why; it's his business. He divulges little information about his past."

Just then, Murtagh came into view with the rest of his things. Both his hand-and-a half sword and bow looked of the finest make, as well as his clothes. It looked like he was accustomed to money, and a lot of it. Where could he have come from to have such a wealthy past? Moreover, why did he leave it all behind?

"Where are we headed?" Eragon asked Murtagh.

"Gil'ead," he said stiffly.

"Gil'ead? But that's leagues away!" Tera exclaimed, disappointed. She had been hoping to get to the Varden in less than a month. "Who's not to say that once we get there, the Varden aren't in the opposite direction?

"Would you rather stumble around blindly until you found it? It would be a lot easier for me," Murtagh replied calmly, stuffing the rest of his things into his bag.

"Humph," grunted Tera, and she swung herself up onto Rùben's saddle, and waited for Murtagh to lead the way.