Authors Note: All Rights Reserved to Christopher Paolini, characters, and names are owned by him. I am only adding a few new animals here and there. The characters will be represented differently, like the title, This is an AU, where things are a little different. If any work from another author has been used, I apologize. Just PM me, and I will immediately change it. Other than that, ENJOY!

Chapter 1

Findings in the Spine

Saphira, a young 17 year old girl, with blond hair and sapphire like eyes, readied herself for the kill. The stag that she had been hunting for two days was now in range of her bow. She strung an arrow and pulled back on the bow. Keeping calm, she aimed directly at the unsuspecting Buck. Without a second thought she released the arrow and it flew forward and hit the stag straight in its heart. The buck quickly began to run, fearing that it had been attacked; it did not want to die. She watched as it ran up the rocky hills, through a thin forest of trees. "Now, I must find it." She rolled her eyes and began the expectantly long walk. She followed the blood trails all over the spine. The drops soon became puddles and she knew that the deer was close. Really close.

Saphira quickened her pace. The deer was for her uncle. She had been taken in as a little girl and as such became the daughter he never had. To her, he was her father. She also had a cousin, Roran. He was like a brother. Roran was always watching out for Saphira. She had a tendency to get into trouble. Roran was always there to help her get out of that problem. She had grown up with them and soon took over the role of gathering food from any bushes nearby, to cleaning dishes, and then finally tending the fields with her uncle and cousin. Life was good, but as the Empire grew, so did the taxes. Her small family was beginning to grow to nothing more than a few pieces of gold. As each season brought in traders, so did problems with the fields. Whenever there was a good harvest. Her uncle could make dew and get by with the minimal price. But when the harvest was poor, they all suffered. This was not turning out as good as it would have.

Roran was becoming attached to a girl in the nearest town called Carvahall. He had met her when she had moved to town with her father, the towns butcher. Saphira had met this girl only a couple times but she liked her, she rather did not like this girl's father. Once Saphira had tried to barter with him for some cuts of meat, but yet he refused her. Calling her a child and that she was nothing more. If it wasn't for a townsman who had stopped by, she would have tried and strangled the bloody and grizzled man. But alas, she went home with no meat, with fall quickly approaching, her family would have a tuff time in finding money to get food. Roran was forced to go hunting; he refused, because he wanted to go into town to see his girl. Saphira spoke up and said that she would go and hunt. Her uncle refused, but she reminded him that it was almost time to harvest the fields and that money was not going to be very ample this winter. He sadly accepted and she was off.

Now she was out in the mountain, which people did not like. The reason it was called the Spine, was because of the steep cliffs, forests that spread for miles, and jagged rocks. Any outsider who entered was usually never seen again. Only the local men were able to navigate through its terrible terrain. Even then few came home to tell the tale. Saphira was not afraid but she respected the mountain. It was not a place of horrible deaths that people told rumors about. It was a land that was unique in its own way. The way the birds chirped, the tranquil sounds of moving water, always calmed Saphira. She was the only girl in the whole community that was brave enough to go in and lived to tell the tale.

Finally the vast amounts of blood began to come closer and closer. She walked calmly; her kill was just right over the top of the rocky hill that she was on. With each step she took, her movements became wobbly. With the need for food, her heart began pound and adrenaline took over. She began to run up the hill. White puffs of condensation escaped her lips. The days were starting to become cold. She reached the top, only have her heart sink when a cat was seen prowling towards her kill. This cat was one of the many creatures that the forest inhabited. It was known was a sabor. It was bigger than a lion. It had long, pearly while fangs that protruded from its mouth.

Her efforts were about to be lost, she quickly pulled out another arrow out of her pack and restrung it in her bow. The sabor prowled close to the ground. It was only an instinct that this cat had. The sabor, like her needed to survive, to live, to prosper, it was not to succeed. Saphira needed this one, her many, long hunts were going to go without reward, if she did not take what was rightfully hers. She took aim at the cat. It stopped and smelled the air, a low growl escaped its mouth and its tail began to twitch in agitation. It changed its course and began to run at her. She followed it as it approached quickly. She let the arrow go, but it missed by mere inches of the sabors head. The arrow hit the ground and the cat continued to charge at her.

Her heart was pounding heavily; fear was flooding her mind as the sabor was only ten yards away. Saphira turned and ran, she did not know where, but it had to be a way, to stay away from that cat. The sabor roared and leaped at her, only missing as she changed her course and instead ran to the left. The sabor recovered and quickly caught up with her. She ran back up the hill and dropped her pack, lightening her weight, she gained some speed. As she ran, she was suddenly tripped by something. She hit the ground hard and scrapped her knees. She looked to see that it was her dead deer that had caused her fall. The sabor was close. It leaped again. This time there was nowhere to go, no time to get up, she was dead.

As the cat soared through the air, I bright blinding light appeared right before Saphira. She closed her eyes and shut her ears as a loud BANG, was heard. Even with her hands over her ears, the sound from the explosion was so loud, that when the Spine quieted, a loud ringing could still be heard in her ear drums. Bright dots were seen even as her eyes were shut. Saphira soon opened her eyes and there in front of her lied a boy.

She was so caught up with the deer and sabor that she did not even see the boy until she found her deer only a few feet away. Only then did she finally see him. When she saw that he was not moving, then did she recognize that he needed her aid! She grabbed her pack and approached him. He was wearing, some sort of loin cloth, but his bare chest was in open view. She blushed, a little as she looked him over. He looked to be about her age with blond hair, and a very strong chin. His arms were defined with lean muscles and his torso was covered with muscular abs. To any women, he would be considered to be very handsome, but for Saphira he was a person in need of her help at the moment. She swallowed her shyness and reached down to feel his arm for a pulse.

As she felt his warm skin, another bright light appeared and burned her hand. It sent lightning like tingling sensations up her hand, through her arm and into her head. She could not withstand the pain any longer and passed out. She awoke in the afternoon, the bright reds and oranges were breaking through the thinning trees leaves. She opened her eyes to the sound of the boys snoring. She was glad to see that he was breathing. "If only he could wake would this be so much easier." She thought. To her displeasure, he did not wake up when she tried. It was as if he was alive, but in some sort of trance that kept him from becoming responsive to her actions at getting him to awake.

She bit her lip and found that the only way to get him back to her home was going be a very difficult way. She grabbed her satchel and strapped it over her shoulder. She then summoned all of her strength and pulled him up and on her back. He was lighter than he looked, but still heavy enough that every step she took would be hard. She slowly struggled her way through the rough terrain. What should have took her only a few hours to get to her marked check point, actually took the rest of the day. She finally stopped at the small creak that told her that it would only take one more day and then she would be home on the farm once again.

She made a small fire to keep them both warm, see as he was still in a trance. She wanted to give him food but did not want choke him, so she only dabbed his lips with several droplets of her last bit of fresh water. She ate in silence, while she listened to his snoring. A smile cracked on her face and her cheeks became a bright red. He was definitely handsome, no matter if he needed her help. She soon closed her eyes and fell asleep. Her dreams led her to being back on the farm. She was joined by the boy, they worked together in the fields and he helped her with the dishes. It was great, as she looked into his eyes; they stared back with nothing but love. As he leaned down, she moved her head up with anticipation of what was about to occur. As their lips touched, Saphira was awakened by the light of the morning sun.

She felt that her heart was again pounding. Her cheeks were hot and again red in color. "Was that dream real?" She questioned herself. It felt so real to her; she could feel his warm, tender lips touch hers. The only thing that had stopped her from feeling that sensation was the sun. She mumbled some words, it had ruined the moment. She looked to her right to see that the boy was still sleeping. "It was just a dream. I don't even know this boy….so how can I feel something so strong for him?" Saphira continued to ponder on this tender subject as she gathered up the remnants of her camp.

As the last remains of the fire was put out, she re-strapped her satchel and again began her slow journey with carrying the boy home. Some of the journey was hard. The task of keeping the boy safe from harm while Saphira climbed up steep, rocky hills were one of the toughest. Saphira had luckily caught him once when he was about to fall backwards off of her back. Finally her efforts of tiredly trekking through the Spine were rewarded; the final rise that would soon give way to an open pasture, where a little cottage was built would come into view. Home was within her grasp. She summoned her entire strength and pushed over that rising and her home came into view.

It was built with any type of wood that her uncle would have found. Smoke was coming from the bricked chimney that stood from on the side. Saphira made her way down the mountain and hurried as fast as should home. When she made it past the fence that lead into a small yard, Garrow, her uncle, came running out of the door. She dropped her pack and bow. He hugged her tightly, he was happy to see her safe and sound.

"Uncle, he needs our help."

"Who needs our help, my darling?" He questioned.

Garrow released Saphira from their embrace. She turned and showed the limp boy that was she held on her back with his feet, dirty, and bleeding from being dragged through spine.

"Oh yes, RORAN COME QUICKLY!"

Roran ran out of the cottage, he was just a little taller than the boy, with brown hair, brown eyes, and a muscular frame.

"What is it father?" He asked.

"Help me with him son, he is weak and needs bed rest, please help, Saphira had to drag him all of the way here."

Roran did not waste any time. He joined his father and got the boy out of Saphiras clutches and brought him into the cottage. Saphira followed, she forgot about her satchel and bow and arrows, and ventured into the home. The boy was put on a roughly made cot, Saphira stayed with him. She ignored the burning pains in her legs. She sat with the boy, as he continued his slumber. Saphira had to finally leave and enter the small kitchen and poured herself a bowl of stew that was boiling in a pot. The food was hot and felt good as she blew and sipped it down. By this time, nightfall had completely fallen. Saphira continued to stay and watched over the boy. Garrow made a little pad out of blankets for her to lie on. She lied and listened to the boys breathing. Once again sleep over came her and she began to dream about a future life with this mysterious boy.

Authors Note: This was my first Eragon Fan fic. It may not be the best, this story is going to be an experiment. All comments including flames are accepted. I really want to work on my detailing, and so feed back is appreciated.