Ember was different. It was clear to Herb, had been clear the entire day. Some change was to be expected as it had been close to sixty winters since his son had left. He knew his son had found love, had children, somehow lost his mate, and more as the scars that spanned Ember's entire body spoke of trouble beyond that. This much change made sense.

What did not truly make sense was the darkness in his son's eyes, a depth that spoke of more fundamental changes. He did not know what it was, and his son had spoken of events not yet revealed.

But Ember had asked first, had seen Thorn's ever-present distress, and so Herb had told his son what had occurred, the story of a monstrous blue Night Fury and the dragon he considered his own daughter.

His son's expressions as the story unfolded told much of what the orange Fury was thinking, but not all. When Herb reached the end of the tale, the falling out and anger of Storm, it became apparent Ember was holding something back.

"Where is she now?" Ember asked quietly.

"She visits every once in a while. She has grown... distant. I do not blame her." Herb looked down, his dull eye as downcast as his good one. "I cannot blame her."

"I do," Ember growled. "But that can wait. When will my sister next visit?"

"Before the beginning of Winter," Herb replied. "But she is right to be mad. It is my-"

"No." Ember cut him off. "She had a right to be mad, but this is spiteful and hurting both you and Dam. I will not let her continue." He looked off into the distance. "I've forgiven far worse than a well-meaning lie."

"I'm sorry?" Herb had no idea what his son was referring to.

"Nothing." Ember grinned wolfishly. "And as a confirmation, Flint was the one to end that monster's miserable existence."

His son's mate had killed the monstrous Fury, had nearly been a victim of the same dragon. That was ironic, in a way. "That's for the best."

"Yes, it is," Ember replied seriously. "Sire, I have not told you everything either."

"I expected as much. You've grown, son, and changed in ways I don't truly understand." Herb shifted, settling down. "I suspect you have a story to tell."

Ember seemed to appear uncertain. "Yes, but how much to tell is the question."

"What is important?" Herb inquired. "We do not have quite all night, as I'm sure one of your sons will come looking for us sooner or later."

"They both know," Ember answered, pacing almost nervously. "How do I sum this up..? You know No-scaled-not-prey are like us, right?"

"It is what I teach, and why we do not hunt them," Herb replied, wondering why Ember was bringing it up. "Your son has had quite the adventure with them, it seems. Where were you and Spark?" That had felt odd. Beryl had never mentioned his Sire or brother in the telling of that tale.

"To be entirely honest?" Ember met Herb's gaze. "I was dead at the time, and Spark was mentally unwell."

What?

"You're going to have to explain," Herb managed to say.

And Ember did. Quickly, skipping over the time he spent dead, explaining his odd existence as two sets of memory and personality merged together, creating something never before seen. It was insane, ridiculous, and entirely unbelievable.

Right up until Ember seemed to realize Herb could not believe and demonstrated. Blue fire engulfed the orange Night Fury, spreading from his front paws to cover his entire body, before shifting in shape and receding to reveal a No-scaled-not-prey. After that, not believing was no longer an option.

"So..." Herb struggled to put into words the utter insanity of what he'd been told. "You are a piece of memory in a No-scaled-not-prey's mind?"

"A big piece." Ember nodded seriously. "Bigger than any other piece, though it's still about half and half. It helps that we were similar before any of this."

"And you can switch bodies at will. What does all of this mean?"

Ember shrugged. "That I made it back, despite death. That I have a second chance at life," he scowled, "and I'm not going to spend this life watching my half-sister hurt you or Dam through stubbornness."

"What will you do?" Herb tried to squash the rising hope he felt. It was his own fault that Storm hated him, not Storm's, and Ember would realize that. It was foolish to think his returning son could simply put the issue to rest.

"I will tell her what she needs to hear," Ember said angrily. "That she has no right to hold a grudge. I'll go from there."

O-O-O-O-O

Later that night, Herb's son and his children settled down in a nearby cave, giving him and Thorn some privacy. Herb noticed that the three seemed far warier than the situation warranted, one of them even staying up to watch the night for danger. His son had spoken briefly of the unnatural monster that was the catalyst and antagonist of his second chance at life, but it must have been far worse than Ember implied for them to have such defensive habits so deeply ingrained months after her defeat.

Herb himself had a different problem. Explaining what Ember had told and shown him to Thorn. He began by curling up around her, getting them both comfortable.

Thorn spoke first. "This was a very good day."

"Yes," Herb laughed, "it was." He huffed. "Though what I have learned is also good, it is strange in a way I never knew possible."

"Stranger than a No-scaled-not-prey who befriended and saved a dragon from grounding?" Thorn closed her eyes.

"Much more so. Our son spoke, among other things, of a perversion of nature, a creature that could live forever. She was not noble and ageless, but a parasite who stole life from others."

Thorn opened her eyes again, clearly no longer ready to sleep. "You have bad timing, to tell me this now."

"I do, but I feel that you need to know now." Herb took a deep breath. "Ember is here."

"Yes, with two amazing sons." Thorn laughed softly. "Spark glows like the sun and Beryl is as dark as the night sky. I wish we could have met Flint. She must have been an amazing dragon, to equal our Ember in intelligence and looks."

"As do I," Herb sighed before continuing. "Ember is here, alive and well, but that was not the case for fifteen season-cycles. The monster I spoke of had taken him." He was phrasing it in such a way as to avoid the idea of Ember being dead for those fifteen season cycles. It was a hard enough story to swallow without that, and it would only worry Thorn if she did believe.

"And..?" Thorn waited.

"Through a series of unfortunate events, the monster accidentally merged our Ember's memories and body with that of Beryl's No-scaled-not-prey companion. Their minds found a kindred spirit, and instead of fighting for dominance as in the monster's case," that part even Ember had not truly understood when explaining, "they managed to merge. That is our son, but he is not only our son."

"I fear losing Flint had broken Ember," Thorn whined, "if he has told you this and believed it himself. It cannot-"

"He showed me," Herb cut in, "and it is very hard to deny seeing his body engulfed in unnatural blue fire before shrinking and shifting into the shape of a No-scaled-not-prey." He was not so hypocritical as to be much bothered by strangeness, after a life of defying what was considered normal, so it did not bother him too much.

Thorn jerked away from Herb, aghast. "He is-"

"Himself. Alive, in spite of death. It is him, I assure you, and even knowing that there is apparently memory from a different kind of person inside him, I cannot truly see its influence. He says it is subtle, so subtle that only Beryl, having known both parts of him, can see the individual pieces."

After that, it was simply a matter of reassuring Thorn that Ember was still himself, still a dragon in mind. Eventually, Thorn understood. Then the other part of their discussion came up.

"He knows?" Thorn asked sadly.

"His mate was the one who killed the monster," Herb replied, "and I told him the rest. He is apparently not at all happy with Storm, and plans on talking to her when she comes before Winter."

"Good." Thorn purred. "Maybe he can mend the ties between you two."

"I broke them," Herb whined, "I do not think they can be fixed. Not after this much time."

"Let him try?" Thorn said, phrasing it as a question. "I have faith in our son. Maybe he understands more than we do."

"I will... let him try." Herb agreed, though he did not want to risk the possible fallout for his son if Storm took the interference badly.

Hope was almost a foreign emotion when it came to this situation, but he still felt it.

O-O-O-O-O

"So, Sire, what's the deal?" Beryl smirked sarcastically. Spark, who was watching the entrance to their cave, slapped Beryl with his tail.

"Be respectful!" Spark snapped. He clearly knew it was a lost cause, but he did it anyway. After several months, the two brothers had slipped into an odd version of normality, taking turns acting like the older brother, though in reality, Spark was technically the elder of the two. Beryl's more varied responsibilities and life experience negated that advantage. It was all in good fun, so Ember saw no reason to intervene.

Besides, Beryl was his friend as well as his son, a dual relationship developed as Hiccup and Toothless, in the time before Vithvarandi and before he had known Beryl's true name. It worked better for both of them if Spark did the chastising when it was needed.

Yes, they had a very odd family dynamic, but it worked. It was only going to get crazier with two, maybe three more Furies added into the mix.

Ember spared a moment to wish that Flint was around. It was not possible, as she too had died to Vithvarandi many years ago, but that would make this moment perfect. He was trying to let go, to move on, as he knew he must, but he still found himself missing her. She would want him to be satisfied, happy, and he knew it, but it was hard.

He shoved memories of his dead mate from his mind, concentrating on the question at hand. "Apparently, your Dam and I killed someone a few decades too late," he quipped weakly.

Beryl and Spark eyed him with identical looks of confusion. Beryl snorted. "You only use humor like that when something's wrong."

"True," Ember agreed, "though I resent the implication that I'm only funny in those circumstances."

"Out with it," Beryl growled. He dodged a tail swipe from Spark.

"My Sire and Dam were attacked. That is how Sire lost the use of his eye, and how I gained a half-sister." He spoke bluntly, waiting for his sons to make the connection he could not bear to say outright.

Comprehension dawned on their faces, followed by rage. It was warming to see they already valued his Dam and Sire so highly.

"I believe we have a new hunt." Beryl gritted out, growling angrily.

"As I said, it is already done. That monster tried the same thing with Flint and me, and your Dam killed him quite efficiently." He didn't mention that the dragon in question had just beaten him in a fight. He wasn't embarrassed, but it wasn't something they needed to know.

"So... you have a sister?" Spark blinked, processing that. "Cool. What's she like?"

"Apparently, stubborn," Ember muttered.

Beryl laughed at that. "So, like everyone else on Berk was? You just cannot get away from that personality trait!"

"She's also being a bit cruel, though she had reason in the beginning. My Sire did not tell her she was not his."

Spark winced. "How did she find out?"

Now it was Ember's turn to wince. "Apparently, it is custom to leave the body of certain offenders to rot. She found it, and it wasn't far gone enough to get rid of the family scent."

"Ouch." Beryl shook his head. "So I get that she wasn't happy, but that had to have been fifteen years ago, at least."

"Yes. She's still not even speaking to Sire. That needs to stop. Holding her grudge is hurting both Sire and Dam."

"So, you're going to..." Beryl smiled. "Use your Hiccup negotiating skills?"

"Oh come on, I said that one time!" Ember growled playfully.

"What's this?" Spark laughed. "I want to hear about this one. Stories of Ember the No-scaled-not-prey are fun."

"Okay, so this was right after he had gotten up," Beryl smirked at Ember as he elaborated. "He was walking around the nest, looking at all the stuff that the other No-scaled-not-prey had built. Two Spine-thrower-two-leg dragons got into a fight over a female. He said that right before trying to intervene."

"I didn't know what was going on!" Ember objected. "I thought they were fighting over food."

"Anyway, neither of them wanted to hurt him, so they kept fighting right over his head. But his hair got in the way of a blast, and it caught. He had to dunk his head in a water bucket!"

"At least they stopped fighting!" Ember mock-glared at Beryl. "And I didn't see you helping."

"I was too busy threatening all three dragons, including the one they were fighting over, after they set you on fire." Beryl yawned. "Anyway, that's what I think of every time you talk about negotiation."

"Well, this time I have a better understanding of the situation." Ember considered that. "And I know how to forgive when one's Sire does something they later regret." Stoick apologizing for disowning him came to mind. He could have easily rejected the apology and held a grudge, just like what his sister Storm was doing.

That was a strange feeling. He had never known what having a sibling would feel like, let alone an adult half-sister with family issues. It might be nice if he knew anything about her aside from that. At the moment, she was just an aggravant, someone who was hurting his Sire and Dam through spite. Once they got past that, he might be able to find out.

O-O-O-O-O

The next few weeks passed quickly. Herb and Thorn got to know their son's sons, a task both they and the grandsons in question took to eagerly. Hunting and fishing trips were spent happily conversing, though that did lessen the amount of prey brought in by hunting trips. They easily compensated by simply hunting more often.

At the same time, Ember spent quite a bit of time with Thorn, feeling out his Dam on her view of the issues with Storm. He didn't suspect his Sire of lying or even intentionally skewing the story, but everyone has a bias, and Herb seemed very set on blaming himself.

"She is headstrong and quick to... well, everything." Thorn had said. "Quick to laugh, quick to cry, and everything in between. Emotions are her driving force."

That explained why she was still holding to her feelings of betrayal and hurt so long after the fact, but it would make his task harder. Still, it was clear that Storm was mostly in the wrong, so he could do little more to solve the issue until she arrived. In the meantime, he too reconnected with his parents, regaling them with tales of a young Beryl and Spark, his misadventures over the decades of wandering, and in sadder moments a few of Flint.

Time passed, but Storm did not arrive. On the cusp of Winter, Thorn began to look to the sky, and Herb took to the woods more and more often, in a pattern Ember quickly discerned as a habit. It hurt to see his Sire almost hiding from Storm, but he knew that was what he was going to fix.

When the first snow came, it became clear Herb and Thorn were worried. A week later, they were frantic. Ember asked what was wrong.

"She is never this late." Thorn had admitted. "Never."

Another week, and he had resolved to go out looking. On a morning of cold and windy skies devoid of clouds, he had announced his intentions.

Of course, it did not go well. He had intended to go alone. It would be safer that way.

"I'm going," Beryl said calmly.

"As am I," Spark added.

"You'll need someone who knows where she was supposed to come from," Thorn said carefully. "She told me, and she always sticks to the path."

"I'll stay..." Herb started.

Ember took a quick look around, judging the resolve of the other three. "We're all going, it seems." He glanced over at Herb. "There's no point in staying behind if everyone else is going."

"What if she gets here and there's no one around?" Herb objected. "She might get worried about Thorn." The matter-of-fact way he omitted himself did not make Ember happy at all.

"She'll do the smart thing and wait," Ember said dismissively. "And if she does not, we'll at least have a trail to follow. Besides, we know what direction she'll be coming from, and apparently her entire route?" That was said questioningly.

"Yes, she told me," Thorn answered. "She goes in loops of a sort every Spring, circling through a path that covers most of the major nesting grounds. By the time Spring is over, she's pretty far out. Then it's a slow and steady flight straight back, stopping at nests along the way." She flicked her ears toward the sky. "I know where she would have been. We can ask around at the nests she visits."

How close is the last nest she should have reached before coming here?" Hopefully, it wasn't far.

"A week's flight," was the reply.

"Okay, so if she was there, we know she's somewhere around that area, and if she wasn't we know we have to keep going." It was lucky Storm kept to such a predictable...

Oh. Well, at least his massive absence had one side effect, even if it was his sister wanting to make sure Herb and Thorn never lost another child.

They set off the next day, following Thorn. Ember spent the first day's flight wondering what had delayed Storm. The second day, he actually brought it up.

"Hopefully she found a mate and lost track of time." Was Thorn's theory.

"It's possible. Or maybe she got stuck somewhere," Herb added. "She might have run into trouble." That was slightly less desirable.

"Of course, we can't rule out just getting lost," Spark added.

"Or an accident," Beryl muttered for only Ember to hear. "I hate to say it, but we might never find her if she got struck by lightning over the ocean or something."

"Let's go with your theory, Dam," Ember decided loudly.

"Hey, how long has it been since you two left home?" Spark asked Herb a few minutes later.

"Many, many season cycles. Before Ember came along, for sure." Herb laughed sourly. "Then again, we only left the pack a few years before that. We didn't need to leave our home for anything."

"What's the deal with that?" Spark inquired politely. "Was your pack overcrowded?"

Thorn warbled sadly. "No, we left for other reasons."

Ember had never thought to ask about that. Thinking back, he could not recall any stories of his Sire or Dam's parents and really didn't know much of their pasts. He listened carefully.

"Like..." Beryl prompted.

"The pack, like all dragons, lived and breathed custom." Herb began. "Things like 'males fight to prove dominance,' or 'everyone obeys the chosen alpha'."

"Yeah, we know those." Spark supplied. "There are a lot of them though."

"That, son of my son, was the problem. Our species specifically is fading, and so many of those customs are restrictive." Herb trailed off.

"In our case, it was one involving rivalries," Thorn picked up where Herb had left off. "There were two families of our kind in the pack, and our Dams were not at all friendly. It is custom that the offspring of two feuding Dams cannot mate."

"Even though..?" Beryl seemed personally affronted by that. "But what if the kids wanted to?"

"Then they," Thorn supplied with a growl, "were 'discouraged' quite harshly by the entire pack. Herb and I were those two offspring. It was very bad."

"How so?" Ember spoke up, too enthralled by the story he had never known to exist to stay quiet.

Herb snarled. "For me, the females of the pack were very stern, ostracizing me once it became clear that I liked Thorn, and dropping hints. Hints that I should leave to find a more suitable mate. When I made it clear that wasn't happening, the mates of those Dams began to attack me, trying to drive me off."

"And for me," Thorn added, "it was just as bad, in a different way. Another custom said that females don't go out in search of mates..."

"Yet another way to kill our species off entirely." Herb griped angrily.

"...so they had to try something else." Thorn winced. "The young among our pack were instructed to keep me away from Herb, and those whose mothers agreed with Herb's Dam took it a step further, having their offspring shame and humiliate me at every turn, hoping that Herb would be driven away."

Spark barked in surprise at that last piece of information. "That's really harsh!"

"Yes, it was. We both left after my Sire almost killed Herb," Thorn whined. "That was too terrible to bear. I wish they had just accepted him, but..."

Herb swooped over and tapped Thorn with a wing. "I didn't want to leave either, but it was better with you than without you." He spoke to the rest of the group. "That is why we left, and why we live in isolation, avoiding other dragons as much as possible. Not only is it safer, but it means we can ignore those rotten customs that restrict our lives in the worst ways. I only taught my offspring," he glanced at Ember, "the few customs that are good and fair. No mating by force, no eating dragons or No-scaled-not-prey, and so on."

"Yes, I know those." Ember laughed. "And it's a good thing I taught them to Beryl and Spark, else Beryl might have looked upon my No-scaled-not-prey form in the cove as food and not a friend."

Beryl looked thoughtful. "You know, I always wondered about a few of the things the dragons of the nest did, but I never saw any of that."

"It is always there if you know what to look for," Herb replied sadly. "This nest we are coming to, for instance. Storm used to speak highly of it, but if you look I know you'll see things that are twisted and pointless."

The group settled back into silence. Ember wasn't sure what he wanted to focus on. Storm and her issues, the search, his Sire and Dam's past, or the general pointlessness of dragon customs.

He had five days. That would be plenty of time to think.