Me: I cannot believe it. This document shouldn't exist. I have written something other than Sonic. Why? Because I watched a really good movie and thought there were some cute, funny things left unsaid. I HAD AN IDEA OKAY! Just…suffer through it. Reviews would be appreciated.
Disclaimer: The How to Train Your Dragon movie and it's characters belong to DreamWorks or whoever.
The dragon was an outcast. Of this, he was certain. It wasn't his fault, really. The prey had been scarce that season, and many of his brothers had perished for bringing too little to the Controller. The only reason he wasn't one of them was because he had somehow managed to escape. He was too fast for Her.
She cared nothing for him, knowing he could never do Her harm, and severed Her link with him, releasing him from Her control. Finally, he was free to go where he wanted. Eat what he wanted. Hunt for himself. His hunger was satisfied for the first time in years. But his brothers…
They were still under Her control, enslaved to do as She pleased. He couldn't abandon them. They were his family…sort of. He'd hunted with them and fought alongside them. Together, they had suffered through a variety of storms, rivals, and the Controller's wrath.
But what could he do? He could no longer hunt for Her, for he had been banished from their volcanic home. And they could no longer associate with him in any way, shape, of form. For a time, it seemed as though there was nothing he could do, save help his brothers hunt. This, he refused, for he would not serve Her, not even indirectly.
Then, one day, one of his brothers, a firepelt, was hunting on a grassy plain, one dotted with strange little wooden structures. There were hundreds of sheep there, enough to feed Her for weeks, and they were so stupid. They would just stand there and feed as they were picked off, one by one. The others were quick to discover the firepelt's new hunting ground, and they swarmed in to pick off the easy prey.
But the sheep came with a heavy price. A two-legged creature suddenly came bursting out of one of the wooden structures with a mighty roar. It beat his brothers away with rocks and foreign silver claws that could pierce right through a dragon's scaly pelt. Those that did not leave, it killed. His brothers tried to fight back, but there were more of them, and they all carried different kinds of silverclaws, some more deadly than others.
His brothers had retreated, five less than when they first arrived. But the Controller demanded food, and they had to obey. So, it became a war. They swarmed onto that hunting ground every night, always with a prize, and always suffering casualties. But what could they do? They had to press on.
This was the only way the dragon knew: hunt, retreat, attack, and kill. The story of the terrible 'humans', as they called themselves, was passed on through the generations. The dragon was hatched and raised into this endless war, this fight for survival. He was taught how to hunt before he could fly. He was taught of the numerous human weapons, of their strengths and weaknesses.
But the dragon was no longer under Her control. He had no need to hunt sheep. Even so, his brothers were dying. And so, the dragon found his purpose. He defended them, fighting against the humans and trying to help his brothers survive the battle each night. The human's gave him the name 'Night Fury', crying it out whenever they saw him. It was satisfying, for to hear the humans warn each other of his presence meant that he was a great help to his brothers.
That wasn't the only job he had. Many times, both parents would be murdered or captured, and the dragon took it upon himself to look after the hatchling for the night, bringing it back to the nest at dawn and finding others of its own kind to raise it.
Many a night would find him in some cavern or temporary shelter, his tail protectively encircling a sleeping, newly-orphaned hatchling, scanning the landscape for any sign of danger. Sometimes wolves, cougars, and snakes would try to make a snack off the defenseless creature, and the dragon was quick to ward them off.
Because of these tasks he undertook, his brothers grew to know him. He was their protector. He fought for them, cared for them, and kept them safe as they struggled to survive, night after night.
And so, time passed, and the endless cycles continued. Days became weeks. Weeks became months. Months became years. Still, the humans bred their prey. Still, the dragons hunted. Many lives were lost on both sides and, though it seemed the humans had the upper hand, his brothers almost always managed to cart off enough, but barely.
Until, one day, decades later, on a hunt much like the others, the dragon got caught by surprise. Something was shot into the air, wrapping around him in mid-flight and restricting his movements. Unable to fly, he let out a terrified cry as he plummeted toward the woods with nothing to slow his decent.
He crashed head on into a tree, snapping it in half with his force. His body plowed through the soft earth, scraping against twigs and digging a deep trench into the ground before finally skidding to a stop at the bottom of a small hill.
Fury, terror, agony, and panic swirled together as he tried desperately to free himself. His efforts were in vain, however, for his front and back legs were tied together and to his wings. He only barely managed to roll a few feet before collapsing in exhaustion. He was helpless, frustrated, and in pain.
All he could do was lie there and hope that one of his brothers would stumble upon him and set him free. After all, he'd done so much for them. Surly they would return the favor. Wouldn't they? Of course they would.
With that somewhat comforting thought in mind, he slowly drifted off into a painful slumber.
XXxxXXxxXXxxXX
Pain. He was in pain. The pain never really stopped. It just sort of dulled for awhile, only to suddenly intensify to an overwhelming level, enough to pull him out of his slumber. He hated the pain.
And the squirrels. He despised the squirrels! The pathetic, sad excuses for prey who thought it was great fun to scamper up and down his back while he was trying to sleep!
And so, the night passed and the sun rose, dipping the treetops in molten rock and once-again bathing the landscape in vibrant colors. It also awoke the loud, and rather obnoxious birds. Yet the ebony dragon still managed to catch a few winks of sleep.
Not long after dawn, he was awoken by a slight pressure on his front leg, one he instinctively shook off, refusing to completely wake up. After all, the squirrels had been bothering him all night. But then, he heard a started cry, followed by heavy breathing and footsteps. Wait…
Human footsteps! His jade eyes snapped open, instantly connecting with a pair of startled green orbs. It was a hatchling, at least a human version. What did they call them? Oh yes, 'boy'. It was a wiry, pathetic-looking thing, compared to some of the others he'd seen, with a mop of short, dusty-brown fur atop it's head.
His eyes soon found the small silverclaw in its hands, and in that moment, he knew he was done for. A human with a silverclaw, even one without a silverclaw, would try to kill any dragon in sight, and he was unable to move, much less defend himself.
As the 'boy' held the glinting tool in both hands, the dragon felt despair consume him. No…It couldn't end like this. This wasn't how he wanted to die. While he'd expected to die at the hand of a human, he had anticipated fighting a horrendous battle, slaying humans left and right and giving everything he had left in him until he could fight no more.
This despair brought a dose of terror along for the ride, a feeling he'd not felt since he'd left Her presence for the last time. Since then, he had been unbeatable, untouchable even. The humans had never gotten close to him; he'd never once touched the ground through all of their raids. He'd never needed to.
In fact, he'd barely felt the rock beneath his feet as an outcast. He spent nearly all of his time in the air, soaring above the clouds. He loved flying. The feel of the air, the weightlessness, the freedom. While he was up there, any problem or worry he possessed seemed to be whisked away with the wind.
But now, here he was, grounded and immobilized, lying at the feet of the most pathetic human he'd ever had the misfortune of laying eyes upon.
He was helpless.
Completely at it's mercy.
So what was taking it so long? The boy just stood there and stared at him. It was acting strange…The dragon peered into the boy's face with interest, trying to discern its expression. It seemed…unsure. Unsure of what? The hesitation was gone as quick as it came though. The boys eyes suddenly hardened with resolve as it seemed to reach a conclusion. It started speaking in that strange language as it raised the silverclaw, pausing to repeat the statement to the dragon's face, this time with more force, as if it was trying to convince him of its previous statement. The boy clenched its eyes shut tight, raising the silverclaw high above its head and the dragon closed his eyes in defeat, waiting for the fatal blow that would end his long, yet well-lived existence.
Silence. There was no sound except the pair's labored breathing. Well, that and the cheery commentary of those blasted squirrels, who seemed to mock him in his final moments! Seconds stretched to minutes and still the blow never came. And then…
Snap! The dragons eyes flew open as he felt his restrictions loosen, turning in disbelief to find that the boy was using the silverclaw on his binds. The boys expression was unreadable, his eyes narrowed in focus on the task before him, which seemed to be…freeing the dragon.
In a matter of seconds, he could move again, and he immediately pounced on the boy, pinning it to a nearby boulder so that it would be unable to harm him.
And for the longest time, the dragon studied this strange boy's terrified face, trying to comprehend why the boy had acted the way it did. It had released him. Didn't it know he was now free to kill it? So his instinct were demanding: Kill it before it kills you! And yet…
The boy had already had it's chance at that. Yet it chose to free him. The dragon narrowed his eyes, wondering just what he should do with this odd human hatchling. A pathetic hatchling that didn't kill dragons.
Though…It had raised it's silver claw in an attempt to do so just a moment ago. It had seemed determined to kill him. So what'd stopped it?
The boy was practically hyperventilating, trying to sink into the rock on which it was pinned. It's frantic green eyes darted back and forth, avoiding the dragon's dark, towering form, looking anywhere but at him, as though it were unwilling to look at the cause of it's demise.
…Just like…he did…
The dragon too had looked away, closing his eyes to accept his fate. This boy's demeanor was the furthest thing from accepting, but…
The boy finally met the dragon's fiery green stare, shivering, almost whimpering, with pure, unbridled terror. Something gave way within the dragon at that sight. It was such a pathetic creature…It could do no harm…It hadn't, that much it'd proven. There was the possibility it would grow up to be a dragon slayer, and yet…It had…spared him…
Slowly, the dragon came to a decision. He would kill this boy…but not yet. The boy was currently harmless, and had done nothing wrong.
And the dragon only killed to defend.
Unlike Her. He would never fall to Her level.
This was not yet the boy's fight. Hopefully, it wouldn't have to be. Perhaps…with a little guidance…
The dragon raised it's head, showing his teeth as though to strike. Then, he slammed both his forefeet onto the ground on either side of the boy and let out his most ferocious roar. The birds tore from their trees in their haste to escape, and he was vaguely aware of the satisfying squeaks of alarm from the squirrels as they darted away like the cowards they were.
The boy ducked his head and recoiled, trembling in fright, too scared to scream. Pathetic. Good. In his opinion, these woods could do with a few more pathetic humans. Perhaps, it would stay away from dragons now. Perhaps…he had saved it from it's inevitable fate.
Or perhaps he had motivated it to become the most ferocious dragon slayer to ever live and breath. The dragon snorted. Oh well, at least he'd tried.
Satisfied, the dragon turned and flew triumphantly through the forest.
And strait into a tree. Right…His wings must've been more cramped than he'd thought. Scrambling to collect his scattered dignity, he took off once more.
