Dawn was freezing, waking me with its icy air and a layer of frost on my skin. Dew laced the grass and flowers of the ravine, giving a wintery touch to everything around me and in the vacinity not in the sunlight that was curling over the edge of the paradise. My eyes shifted from the top of the ravine to the bottom, finally finding Void standing on the water out in the center.

"What are you doing out there now?"

"Catching food." He called, forcing his hand through the suface, trying to catch a fish, but failing.

"You won't get anythat way." I puffed, noticing my arm was completely healed. Had his nerotoxin done this?

"It's worked before!"

"It may have, but not for long. Things adapt, they move from ignorantly being caught by your techniques to speeding up their movements to avoid being caught, but, they haven't become to smart to avoid falling into traps." I smiled, pulling my fishing pole from my bag.

"What's that supposed to mean."

"You'll starve unless you adapt to them." I sighed, sitting down, digging in the ground for a worm. One very long, very juicy nightcrawler slithered through the dirt as I snatched it up, hooked it, and threw my string out in the water that was just water from where I was.

"How's that going to work? They're too smart."

"For being caught by hand," I grunted, the first fish large and brutal on my tiny fishing pole. "But they aren't smart enough not to be caught by trick. Like I said before." I explained, grabbing the fish and snapping its neck.

"I thought you were against killing."

"This is merely for survival."

"What about a dragon attack."

"I can't hurt anything on my intelligence level that knows what I'm doing. And besides, you wouldn't hurt me would you?" I smiled, my face flushing a little as I remembered last night.

"N... no but..." Void stammered, catching the fish I tossed him, his body morphing into a dragon so he could digest the bones.

"Exactly. Even though some are dangerous, I hope they are smart enough to know I won't hurt them." I sighed, resting my hand on his head. I could hear a soft purr from within his body, rumbling inside. Dragon's weren't the beasts and monsters that we all thought they were. If anything they were like giant cats!

I caught eight more fish and then set them aside.

"Don't eat them." I puffed, picking up a few twigs and sticks to start a fire. When I turned around, Void was sneaking one fish. "Hey!"

"Heheh..."

"Don't steal. Come on, I need you." I waved him over, setting the sticks down in a circle of rocks. "Fire please." I snickered, purple flames igniting the twigs and sticks as I shoved each of the fish on a stick and set them in the fire.

"So... you need anything else?"

"An alibi for last night and why you aren't dead."

"I could escort you back."

"Any intruders are killed on the spot, besides, you have... those tattoo things on your face."

"Oh, these?" He asked, the tattoos fading into his skin. "They can go away on command. It just takes a crap load of focus."

"I see. Well still, intruders, shot, stabbed, impaled, sliced with acid swords, you name it, it will happen."

"Ouch. Hey what about torture?"

"Oh don't be rediculous..." I laughed, turning back to him, "That's only for... I don't really know... but if you ever go to the dragon pens, you'd cry..."

"Pens?"

"There are some of them that are caught and used for training... I can't even look at it."

"Training? What is that place?"

"One of the worst hells you could imagine."

"How did your mother get mixed up in all that?"

"I don't know... but there's a good chance that she fed those poor people."

"How would you know?"

"I... have a specific memory of a dragon girl... she was... different. She cried a lot and she had long blonde hair... she looked a lot like the girl that was here a few nights ago."

"Sounds right. Those two were rescued from some camp near your place. They remember a woman who helped them and her son so it's highly possible if not entirely that it was you and your mother."

"Could be... but then why would they attack me?"

"Oh... Clarane. She hates all humans. I was surprised she let you live."

"You were the one that nearly killed her."

"I still don't get it."

"Get what?"

"Why you stood up for her."

"Heh... You are the one that doesn't get things Void."

"I get everything."

"Oh really? Then how come you can't get me?"

"Because you're Ezmarie's son. No one understood her and why she refused to attack anyone of the Vikings or people in general. She would come back to her house with gashes and bruises because she wouldn't dodge them or fight back even though she was the most powerful dragon in the world."

"She was the most powerful?"

"One bite, scratch, or shot of fire even grazing your skin and you were a dead man."

"That's why..."

"That's why what?"

"My mother refused to hit me or get mad at me. She kept babbling about my death if she did."

"A dragon's rage in any form is uncontainable. Her scratches would kill you if she got mad at you."

"So... she was just protecting me."

"And teaching you for the better."

"Ezmarie... she had a pretty name..."

"I know. Everyone did. What stuns me is why your father didn't know she was a dragon. Her name in Dragonei means Earth Child for Peace.

"Then what does your name mean?"

"It's self explanitory. Void: Empty Hearted Night."

"Why were you named that?"

"Prophecitical reasons. Our names are based on what our healer predicts, but seeing as your mother's death, we are dying off pretty fast."

"You mean you have no medicinal person?"

"Not one. Ezmarie left before she could have an aprentice to study under her so she never left an heir."

"I... I know everything about her... what she taught me all her healing techniques."

"That's good, but it wouldn't do much good."

"Why?"

"Dragons rely on their magic for healing. She might have told you human healing but for dragons it couldn't do much good."

"Your arm is better isn't it?" I pointed out the tiny sliver of a scar that was left behind. "That was one of the techniques she taught me."

Void looked at his arm and back at me. Ding! Light bulb goes off in head.

"She taught you this?"

"Yes."

"Pfft..." He laughed, rolling over on his back.

"What's so funny?"

"I'm sorry, it's just... you're so much like Ezmarie that it's not funny. All you'd need is her blonde hair and being a girl." He wiped a tear from his eye in laughter.

"Oh ha ha. Very funny... Hey... so... how do you think you'll ever get out of here?"

"Oh... No idea. It could be months or... I could get some assistance."

"How?"

"Grow another one of these." He pointed out, morphing his tail out and pointing to the missing piece of the tail."

"That's all that's stopping you from flying?"

"Yep. This one little piece is all I need."

"So.. how long does it take to grow one back."

"That's the thing. You can't." Void puffed bluntly, letting the tail morph back into his human spine.

"I see... Well, I can help you."

"And how?"

"You'll see... but I need to get out of here."

"I can't climb up the edge but you'd have to jump over yourself."

"Can do." I smiled, shoving my pack over my shoulder.

Void morphed into a Night Fury and notioned for me to climb on. The climb was freezing as we gained altitude, the sky coming closer and so did the edge. Finally, with one last mad rush of insanity, I jumped for edge, Void falling back to earth.

"You're on your own for now. I'll be here. Trust me."

"Just... stay hidden... There's probably a search party out for a body so don't make it too easy for you to be seen." I called, running off in the direction of the village, so many things running through my mind. Oh shit... the main thing being that I was part Dragon, I had a scale, now up to three, on my arm, a guy kissed me, and I was trying to come up with a way for Void to fly... To the blacksmith!

Before I knew it, I was back in the village, out of breath and out of mind.

"Hiccup?" Sheelah gasped, catching me as I entered her herb field.

"Hi there. Hey, have you seen my father?"

"No, he's out on that frivilous search for the Dragon's Nest. Why?"

"Good... oh nothing... Hey, can I have some of those?" I asked, pointing to her garden.

"Uh... sure... Hey, why are you in such a hurry?" Sheelah called, my direction already to the metal shop where I was an apprentice.

"Things." I smiled, bolting to the shop where my employer was out for hunting something he'd never find.

I heated up the fire and threw on my leather apron and pulled out metal rods and bolts. A Dragon that can't fly is a dead dragon so I needed to figure out some way to give that piece of Void's tail back.

Ding!

I tossed the ends of the rods into the fire, setting them aside to heat up as I cut leather to the shape of his back wing. From my angle it looked perfect and I was just thinking how I was going to get it to work right.

Thinking... thinking... DING!

Wait... how would Void feel if I made a saddle? Hmm... for flight, I don't think he'd mind.

I ripped a good portion of sheep wool from a bag and set it on top of a piece of leather and pressed another piece on top and began to sew them together. It was easier than I thought it would be to make the saddle but all I needed was the back wing and a way to control it. The nuts and bolts of it all, literally, was the hardest part.

The chinks and kinks was loud and began to draw attention of Sheelah.

"What in the Gods name do you think you're doing?"

"Uh... experimenting."

"Sounds like thinking."

"That too."

"Thinking is dangerous."

"Then accuse me." I puffed, turning back to my work. Finally I had all the kinks out of it and everything was ready. Now all I needed was one Void Night to put it on.

"Where are you going?"

"Out. Hey, can you keep a secret?"

"Of all kinds."

"Okay... I really need you to lie for me. Tell my father that I went on a hunting trip for the weekend and I won't be back for a few days."

"Why?"

"Because... important matters. Just tell him that." I called, taking my basket of fish that I'd caught between picking herbs and making the saddle and running off back to the ravine. I just hoped that this would be easier than I thought it'd be.