Snart's Saga, Part I Chapter 10
A/N Whump warning. I like happy endings, but sometimes the road from here to there is a rocky one.
o
Snotlout and Hookfang were cruising toward Snart's farm a few mornings later. Snotlout was in a foul mood. "Why can't he live in the village like the rest of us do? A village is a lot easier to find than one farm out in the middle of nowhere. And why am I wasting my time delivering this? He should come to Berk and get his own Dragon Rider pin." Hookfang was enjoying the tailwind, and offered no comment.
When he finally located the farm, he found a strange scene there. The blue Deadly Nadder was lying on the ground in front of the farm house. Snart was kneeling next to it. Neither one was moving.
Snotlout didn't know what was happening, so as he usually did, he hid his feelings behind a mask of brashness. "What's the matter? Your dragon fall asleep on the roof and fell off?"
Snart just looked up at the young rider in silence, tears streaming down his face. Whatever else Snotlout was thinking of saying, it died in his throat.
"W- w- what happened?" he finally managed to stammer out.
Snart turned back to his dragon. "Tell Hiccup... tell him, whatever he wants, I can't do it."
"Ummm, yeah. Yeah, I'll tell him." Snotlout wasn't comfortable with emotional scenes; he couldn't wait to get away. He and Hookfang wasted no time in returning to Berk, leaving Snart to his solitude.
That solitude didn't last, though. Around mid-afternoon, five familiar dragons converged on the farm. Six riders dismounted and stood in silence next to the grieving rider. Astrid rested a hand on his shoulder; Hiccup got down on one knee beside him. "We're all so sorry," Fishlegs whispered.
"He was fine last night," Snart finally managed to say. "We went flying yesterday, nothing was wrong, everything was normal... He went to sleep on the roof like he always does, and I got up this morning, and..." He gestured helplessly at the dragon, whose vivid blue coloring was already fading.
"There's just so much we don't know about dragons," Hiccup said slowly. "We don't know if they get sick, or how long they live... there are some things we may never know."
"I know he was the best," Snart said, shaking his head. "He wasn't just a dragon, or a pet, or a flying warhorse. He was my friend."
"I understand," said Hiccup quietly. He noticed that the other five dragons were slowly forming a circle around the dead dragon. "What are they doing?"
"I don't know," said Snart, "but I can make a good guess. Help me take his saddle off." He and Hiccup struggled to remove the saddle, which hadn't come off since the day it was put on. "Everybody step back."
Once the humans were a safe distance away, the five dragons closed in. Toothless lifted his head and keened, an odd pulsating sound that Hiccup had never heard before. The other dragons joined in, Hookfang and Meatlug in the low registers, Stormfly, Barf and Belch in the high. They rocked their heads back and forth in unison for several minutes. Then they all stopped and looked at the dead dragon.
It wasn't possible to say which dragon fired first; maybe they all did it at once. All the humans had to look away from the blinding flashes of five dragons' flames all converging. When they stopped about a minute later, there was no trace of Skydancer, just a scorched patch of earth.
The riders stared, open-mouthed, motionless. Toothless stepped over to Hiccup and nudged him with his nose. Each of the other dragons tried to comfort their own riders. Snart just stared at the blackened earth.
He stepped a few paces away and stopped, his back to the others. After a moment, Hiccup quietly walked over and stood beside him.
"I appreciate you all coming out here," Snart said softly. "But I guess this is the last time. I'm not a dragon trainer any more."
"Snart, being a dragon trainer isn't all about the dragon," Hiccup began. "It's just as much about you as it is about him. It's about who you are, how you relate to dragons, and also how you relate to other dragon trainers. The time you spent with Skydancer changed you, Snart. You're not just a dirt farmer any more. In our book. you're still a dragon trainer, a dragon warrior, and... a Dragon Rider."
He paused and pulled Snart's copper pin out of his pocket. "You probably don't feel like wearing this right now, but you earned it, and you still deserve it. And we aren't done with you either. That's not how it is with friends. We may have to give you a lift to Berk and back, but we still want what you have to offer."
"Aren't you going to say the part about how I'll find another dragon some day?" Snart said, his voice flat and emotionless.
"Not today," Hiccup answered. "We do have a lot more dragons than riders, and maybe someday you will train another one. But first, you've got to adjust to life without... you know."
"Skydancer! Don't be afraid to say his name."
"Skydancer," continued Hiccup. "You'll mourn him, just like you'd mourn a lost friend. You have to. But please remember, you're not alone."
Not alone? That was almost an alien thought. Snart looked up. The other six were standing nearby, with their dragons behind them. All eyes were on him, and they weren't eyes of pity or scorn. Yes, he would mourn. But he would survive.
Even without his dragon, he wasn't alone any more.