The race was on.<br/><br/>A test of speed lit a fire of competitiveness among the young riders, especially in young Juniper, who strives on victory. Aynir -her juvenile dragon who has been at her side since hatching- was already at the starting line with wings spread, ready for take off. Impatiently, the night coloured dragon swept the ground with his tail as he eagerly fluttered his wings. Without anymore hesitation, Juniper jumped on his back and stroked his scaled neck.<br/>"Let's show 'em how we do it, eh boy?" she grinned.<br/><br/>The instructor signaled the beginning of the race, over a dozen pairs of wings flapped forcefully and whirled into the air. Juniper had already began to lag behind. Nightraider dragons are not known for their speed, they are considered particularly slow during the daytime, but stealth was on their sides. Juniper and Aynir had spent their free time practicing maneuvers and tricks to increase speed. The little bundle of dark energy reared higher in the sky, above their fellow racers.<br/><br/>Riding the wind, the pair could see the entire home-island. The island was isolated; its closest neighbours being a bundle of miniature islands that were too small to be habitable. It too was small, its population ranging in the hundreds, but what it lacked in ground it made up for in height. The settlers learned to live harmoniously with the mountains, especially as on the very top of the largest mountain hosted a breeding ground for the other settlers on the island; dragons. Humans and dragons lived peacefully on the island; they helped each other improve their quality of life and kept balance. The more lucky of the settlers, the elite of the tribe, were the dragon riders, the protectors of the lands and skies. Juniper was a legacy, the daughter of a long line of dragon riders, now training to fulfill her destiny.<br/><br/>The finishing line was now in their sights."Come on, Aynir," she cheered her dragon as they plummeted down with a great speed. Aynir twirled, rapidly gaining speed as they approached the ground. With a tumultuous force, the pair hit the ground and toppled over a few yards. Once her head had ceased spinning, Juniper noticed that she was not the first to land, nor the second, she swore loudly and punched the soil. 'Next time, we'll get it,' she thought as she rolled over to check on Aynir who had already jumped back on his feet and chuckled. At least she assumed he was chuckling.<br/><br/>"A sloppy landing, Juniper," the instructor said coldly, his brows furrowed and lips tightly squeezed together. "Please, practice some control over your dragon." His disappointed glare made Juniper wince; her smile faded and she immediately silenced Aynir, once again was waving his tail excitedly. The instructor returned his eye to the sky, watching the final racers finish.