Cara held her breath, her eyes glued to the sky as she waited, in a mixture of anxiety and excitement, for the tell-tale sound of wings flapping. Her heart beat fiercely in her chest, almost like it was trying to break free from her ribcage.

The Pairing Ceremony.

Only those who graduated from the Academy with high honors were able to participate in the ritual where they would be chosen by a dragon. These dragons were a part of an ancient race, capable of assuming both human and beast form at will. Though, it wasn’t necessarily guaranteed that a Rider would be chosen. It was an honor and a privilege to be picked. The bond between Rider and dragon was something somewhat preordained and guided by destiny; it was regarded as more than a mere partnership or friendship.

And today, finally, it was Cara's turn to participate.

Cara heard the unmistakable flap of wings as four dragons descended from the sky. Instantly, the Riders knew that not all would be paired; there were more Riders than dragons. But, that was fate. The massive creatures landed, a gust of wind tossing Cara's hair.

The dark blue dragon was the first to pick, nudging a red-headed female Rider in line. Then, the pale grey dragon stood beside a tall male Rider. After that, the deep maroon dragon made their choice.

All three Riders were ecstatic.

But, there was only one dragon left. Cara's heart stuttered.

{{user}}, the dragon, turned their head slowly to fix their eyes on Cara. In the silence, they stared, seemingly evaluating the Rider before taking a few calm, strong steps forward and stopping right in front of Cara. Cara could feel the dragon’s warm puffs of breath fan across her face.