Twintuition
Serenity was sitting by the lake on Eruptadon Island. Re was asleep in a patch of sunlight. His wings were still healing, and he still found it too painful to fly. But he walked around the island and swam in the lake when the burns on his wings hurt him. Serenity checked them everyday. She put Night Fury saliva on his burns and it helped relieve the pain. Serenity could tell he miss his comrades, especially Aurora. They rarely stopped by, since they were busy helping the riders fight Viggo.
Serenity glanced over at her king. He was awake, but hadn't moved. She went over and sat beside him. She stroked his neck.
"How are you feeling?" she asked softly.
"I'm alright," he said. "Just relaxing, so I don't have to move my wings so much."
"You hungry?" Serenity asked. Re shook his head. Serenity leaned back and kept stroking him, and didn't say anything else. Re took a few deep breaths and relaxed. He laid his head on her lap and she stroked his snout.
"You missing Dragon's Edge?" he asked lazily.
"Not really," Serenity said. "I like it here. I don't feel trapped here." Re smiled. "What about you, do you miss the Edge?"
"No, I miss my comrades, but I don't miss the Edge," Re said.
"They have a volcano too you know," Serenity said. Re smiled at her.
"It's not a volcano until the top blows off," he said. "But I'm sure it'll be a volcano soon."
"Do you know what kind of volcano it will be?" Serenity asked. "I remember you said there's many types."
"Composite, most likely," Re said with a moan. "Like Mt. Earth. They're the prettiest. Calderas are probably the most dangerous, they're very big and cause a lot of damage."
"When did you decide to study volcanoes?" Serenity asked.
"When I discovered what they can do," Re said. "When I found out that a mountain could breath fire."
"Are you hoping the volcano on Dragon's Edge erupts?" Serenity asked.
"I hope it erupts, but doesn't mean I want it to hurt people," Re said. "Volcanic eruptions are quite exciting to look at. There's ash, lava bombs, lava, even lightning."
"Lightning!?" Serenity said.
"Yeah, it comes out of the ash clouds," Re explained. "Like it does with normal clouds."
"So volcanoes don't just breath fire, they breath every kind of fire at once," Serenity said.
"Yes," Re said. "Volcanoes are probably the most dangerous dragons on Earth." He winced when he felt his burns again. "I'm going back into the water." Serenity got up and Re heaved himself to his feet. He kept his wings extended since it hurt to fold them. He waded into the lake, then dove into the deeper water. Serenity sat on a rock to wait for him.
On Dragon's Edge the other Draconians were watching the dragon riders perform tests to see if they could find a way to break dragon proof chains. So far they've had little success so far. The Draconians were a bit distraught with their king grounded and out of action. They knew Serenity was taking good care of him, but they still missed him. Aurora and Tenor had taken over in his place and managed just fine, but they missed him too.
They all walked along the outside of the training arena and watched the tests. No matter how much fire the dragons shot at the chain, it wouldn't give. The Draconians tried breaking it as well, but they couldn't do it either. The only ones who hadn't tried however, were the Twins and their Zippleback. The other riders snapped at them to get on their feet. After a few attempts Ruff and Tuff got to their feet, babbling on about twintition.
"We will break the chain!" said Tuffnut. Ruffnut pulled out Tuffnut's mace. The Draconians watched rather smugly.
"I'll bet you a diamond coin the mace breaks the chain," Viper said to Heddrod.
"I'll bet you five diamonds the chain breaks the mace," said Heddrod.
"You're on," Viper said bumping her wing against his. They watched as Tuffnut ran towards the chain. Ruffnut threw him the mace and he caught it. He brought it down as hard as he could onto the chain with a loud clang. Tuffnut raised the mace in triumph. But then he turned and saw that the chain was undamaged. He looked at the mace again in time to see the spiked head fall off the handle. This made Tuffnut go into hysterics. Viper scowled as she handed five diamonds to Heddrod. He pocketed them and left. Tuffnut continued crying on the ground next to the broken mace. The riders wrapped up the experiments and returned to their huts, Tuffnut dragging the broken mace. Astrid taught the Draconians Maces and Talons to help take their minds off their downed king. They found the game entertaining and learned it easily. They played a few matches in the clubhouse and found it a good distraction. Aurora and Tenor backed out when their fellows started placing bets. They flew back down to the arena to study the chain further. They looked at it.
"You think your magic could break it?" Tenor asked. Aurora lifted one claw at touched the chain. There was a loud snap and a hiss, and the chain broke in two.
"I might be able to use my magic to break the chains, but I would have to disguise it," she said.
"Are there times when you're tempted to use your magic to wipe out the hunters?" Tenor asked.
"There are," Aurora said. "But Father warned me about how magic can so easily corrupt. He wants me to use magic responsibly. There are lots of dragons who can break these chains." She sighed sadly and lowered her head. Tenor could guess why.
"I miss Re too," he said. "But he's just grounded, he's not dead."
"I know," Aurora said. "But I still feel lost without him." She leaned closer to Tenor side. She could feel him tense up for a brief moment, she also heard his heart pick up. She relaxed and chuckled.
"Calm down Tenor," she said. "When you find a mate you're going to have to get used to this." She stepped a bit closer to him. Tenor pinned his ears back bashfully. "You know Tenor I think the reason Father hasn't given you a mate yet is not because you look different, but because you're not ready for one yet. I mean look at you. The closer I get the more uncomfortable to you get."
"I don't know what to do about that," Tenor said. "I don't have anyone to practice with, except a human." Aurora touched her wing to his and felt him shutter.
"It's ok," she said. "I'm not going to hurt you, in any way. You've suffered too much pain." Tenor relaxed and let out a breath he didn't know he was holding.
"Will I ever be ready?" he asked.
"Yes you will be," Aurora said. "I can foresee it." The two dragons headed for Skywalker as the sun went down.
Later that night Hiccup and Toothless were sound asleep, when the front door was banged open and Ruffnut called for Hiccup. He jumped out of bed and hurried downstairs, Toothless right behind him. Ruffnut tossed Tuffnut into the room. Tuff was still crying over his broken mace. Hiccup sighed in irritation. Toothless sat on his haunches patiently.
"Ok, I'm going back to bed," Hiccup said yawning. He turned to go back upstairs.
"No wait, Hiccup you have to fix her," Tuffnut begged. Toothless watched all this with mild interest.
"Tuffnut it's the middle of the night," Hiccup said. "The forge isn't lit and Meatlug sleeping."
"Please Hiccup," Tuffnut begged. "She's all I have."
"If it's that important fly to Berk, I'm sure Gobber will be happy to fix it," Hiccup said.
"All the way back to Berk?" said Tuffnut.
"Or the Northern Markets," said Ruffnut.
"Oh yeah, that's closer," Tuffnut agreed.
"And it's way too dangerous," Hiccup said. "It's crawling with hunters."
On the deck of Skywalker Tenor was wide awake. Aurora was asleep next to him. Tenor couldn't really sleep, partially due to his nocturnal instincts and partially because he missed Re. He got to his feet, quietly so he didn't wake Aurora. He spread his wings and flew off. He circled the island to clear his head. He didn't feel hungry at all, so he didn't hunt. But he kept flying. He spotted Snotlout and Hookfang flying a mile below him on their night patrol. He then spotted Ruffnut and Tuffnut flying off on their Zippleback. They headed north and were out of sight in minuets. Tenor flew down and pulled up alongside Hookfang.
"Where are they going?" Tenor asked Snotlout.
"Ah, probably looking for a way to fix that dumb mace," Snotlout said smugly.
"In the middle of the night?" Tenor asked.
"Yeah, the Twins never make sense," Snotlout said. "Why are you out here in the middle of the night?"
"I'm nocturnal," Tenor said innocently. "I can take over for you, you can go to bed if you want." Snotlout seemed very happy with this news.
"Thanks Tenor, I owe you one," he said. He steered Hookfang towards the stables. Tenor flew off to pick up the night patrol.
The following day the riders and dragons continued their experiments. The Draconians stayed in the clubhouse, continuing their Maces and Talons matches. Aurora went hunting and Tenor flew in from his patrol. He circled the arena. All the dragons fired at the chain which had been replaced during the night. When the fire went out Hiccup and Fishlegs examined the chain. It was hot but undamaged.
"Finally we're getting somewhere," said Hiccup.
"You know with the Twins and their Zippleback on Berk it's a lot easier to get thing done," said Fishlegs. Tenor landed at that moment.
"They were going to Berk?" he asked folding his wings.
"Yeah, they were going to fix Macey," Hiccup said.
"Berk is west of here," Tenor said. "And last night I saw them flying north." Hiccup looked horrified at this.
"Oh no," he growled. He ran to Toothless. "They're going to get themselves killed." He mounted up, the others followed. Hiccup looked at Tenor.
"Fly ahead to the Northern Market and see if you can find them," he ordered. Tenor nodded and took off. He was out of sight in seconds. Hiccup flew up to the clubhouse. Aurora had returned and was watching her dragons play Maces and Talons. Morpho was playing Ruby, and the rest of them were placing bets. Gold and silver coins were piled next to the board. They glanced up when Hiccup and Toothless entered.
"We need you guys to come to the Northern Markets with us," Hiccup said. "Ruffnut and Tuffnut maybe in danger." The Draconians exchanged a nervous glance.
"You mean go into enemy territory without our king?" said Heddrod nervously. Aurora stood up.
"Re put me in charge while he's recovering," she said with strength and authority. "I am your queen, and I saw we all go." The dragons got to their feet. "You can finish your games when we come back." The dragons spread their wings and took off.
"Thanks Aurora," Hiccup said. Aurora nodded.
"Re would have done it," she said. She spread her wings and followed the others, Hiccup and Toothless beside her.
They flew north as fast as they could. The Draconians were still nervous, but they had faith in their queen. They flew behind her. They were all about half way to the market when Morpho pulled up beside Aurora.
"You majesty, we had a discussion while you were hunting," he said. "We think it's time to bring in bigger dragons." Aurora looked at him and saw the idea in his head.
"Mountainbacks," she whispered.
"The hunters wouldn't stand a chance against them," Morpho said. "They're indestructible." Aurora considered.
"Perhaps," she said. "I can foresee the Mountainbacks coming here to help us, bringing with them their closest allies, the Feathered Serpents. I will speak with Re and Tenor." Morpho returned to his spot. They flew onward.
Tenor reached the market and looked around for the Twins. He spotted them leaving the forge following a hunter. Tenor circled above them as they headed for the docks. The Twins smuggled their way onto a hunting ship. The ship pulled out and headed out to sea. Tenor had to make a quick decision. He spotted Barf and Belch in the forest below. He flew down and circled the Zippleback.
"When Hiccup and the others get here, tell them I followed the Twins out," he said quickly. He then took off again before the other dragon could say anything.
He followed the ship all the way to a small island that was swamped with hunters. Tenor flew over the biggest shipyard he'd ever seen. In the middle of it was a massive ship made of solid metal. Tenor landed on a ledge that was high enough that he'd go unnoticed, and low enough that he could see everything that was happening. He killed the sentry posted there, and took his spot. His black scales blended in with the dark rock and the shadows. He watched the activity below. The hunters gathered at the base of a higher level of the shipyard where Viggo and Ryker were perched. Tenor's powerful eyes picked out the Twins in seconds. He kept his eyes on them as Viggo started talking.
"My fellow hunters," Viggo said. "Soon the dragon riders will be a distant memory. But time is no longer on our side. That's why it is important that we complete Project Shelfire in a timely manner. Only then will we reclaim the seas that by all rights belong to us." Tenor rolled his yes.
"Keep talking Viggo," he said under his breath, as he watched the Twins like a hawk. They wondered the shipyard. Then they split up. Tuffnut followed the hunter with his mace. The hunter came to a stop near some boxes and put the mace down. Viggo picked it up and Tenor could almost feel the suspicion on Viggo's face.
"Where did you get this?" Viggo said.
"I got it off a dragon rider I defeated," the hunter said. Viggo must have been glaring at him because he caved in. "All right. I stole it from a pair of dragon hunters who got it off a dragon rider."
"Which two hunters?" Viggo asked.
"A pair of twins with blond hair and skinny bodies," the hunter said. Viggo turned to Ryker and the other hunters.
"Project Shelfire has been infiltrated," he said. "Find the dragon riders and bring them to me." The hunters disbursed. Tenor looked at the large vessel. It didn't have any sails so Tenor figured they would power it some other way. But he couldn't think how. Aurora said steam engines wouldn't be invented for hundreds more years. It looked too heavy be lifted into the air, so it wasn't a rival airship.
"What are you up to Viggo?" Tenor asked. He was tempted to fly down and inspect the ship, but resisted and stayed where he was. He watched the Twins run around below.
Night soon fell and Tenor was able to circle the ship. The darkness cloaked him as usual. He spotted Ruffnut pretending to work on the ship. She waited until some hunters passed by then ran down the steps of the rigging, only to be captured by Ryker and dragged off to Viggo's tent. Tenor silently glided down behind the tent and kept to the shadows. He heard Viggo interrogating Ruffnut, but was having trouble. Tenor took off again and circled the shipyard. He spotted Tuffnut still following his mace.
"Oh let it go Tuffnut," Tenor muttered. But both he and Tuffnut spotted the same thing at the same time. The hunters tied Ruffnut to a post in the middle of the shipyard. Tuffnut ran down to rescue her. Tenor's instincts told him to stay hidden. He landed in the darkest shadow he could find. He snuck up behind several hunters about to run after Tuffnut, and killed them each without them even seeing him. He managed to get at least five of them before they all ran into the shipyard after Tuffnut. Tenor took off before he was seen. Tuffnut ran into the forest with four hunters after him. Tenor followed them from the air. He swooped down and killed one of them. Tuff ran until he hit a cliff and avoided going over. He turned and faced the hunters. Tenor circled around. Tuffnut ran at the hunters and managed to knock two of them out, but was then tackled by the third who just happened to be holding the mace. The hunter banged him on the head with the mace and knocked him out. Tenor made his move. He swooped down and snagged the hunter in his talons. He flew over the cliff and dropped the hunter into the ocean. He landed back on the cliff next to the mace which the hunter had dropped. He clamped the mace in his jaws and waited for Tuffnut to come round.
When he did he sat up and saw Tenor standing there, the mace in his teeth. Tuffnut jumped to his feet.
"Oh, Tenor thank you," he cried. "You saved her." Tenor handed him the mace. "I will never forget this Tenor." Just then more hunters came. Tenor and Tuffnut took a fighting stance. When the hunters were close enough, Tenor shot his purple fire at them, burning them. Just then Tenor heard a Night Fury's whistle. He and Tuffnut looked up to see the other Berkians and Draconians fly overhead. Tuffnut turned to Tenor.
"Tenor will you join Macy and I in rescuing my sister?" he asked valiantly. Tenor smiled.
"Certainly," he said. Tuffnut mounted him and they took off into the woods.
Meanwhile the riders searched the shipyard for the Twins. The Draconians circled higher above, providing cover. Viggo signaled to the hunters over by the big doors that lead to the sea. The hunters pulled the leaver, opening the big gates and water came flooding in around the ship, and Ruffnut.
"They're going to drown her!" cried Fishlegs.
"Fishlegs, Snotlout, you get Ruffnut," Hiccup said. "Astrid and I will take out the archers." The riders spilt up. Astrid and Hiccup fired at the archers, while dodging the arrows. Fishlegs flew down to Ruffnut while Snotlout headed for the leaver. The water got deeper and deeper. Fishlegs managed to cut Ruffnut free. But more arrows were flying at them. The hunters managed to get Hiccup and Astrid out of the air, and the minuet they hit the deck of the ship the hunters lowered the chained dome over the shipyard, trapping them all. The hunters then opened the gate wider. Water got even higher. Hiccup looked up at the center link, ignoring Viggo's gloat.
"Dragons focus all your fire on the center link," he said.
"But we didn't finish the experiments," said Fishlegs.
"It's the only way," said Hiccup. So all the dragons fired on the center link. It didn't break, but it glowed red. They kept hitting it. Just then they heard Tuffnut letting out a war cry. He rode into the camp on Tenor's back. He banged several hunters in the head with his mace, while Tenor killed several more with his teeth. When they reached the edge of the shipyard, Tuffnut threw the mace towards the gate and it jammed right between the gears, stopping the gate. Just then more hunters advanced on them. Tenor killed several of them. The other Draconians flew in and attacked more hunters. Meanwhile the gears of the gate had put too much pressure on the mace and it broke the spiked head into pieces and launched the handle back to where Tuffnut and Tenor stood. The gate continued to open and the water continued to pour in. The Draconians set the place ablaze and killed more hunters. Tenor was about to kill the hunters advancing on him and Tuffnut when Barf and Belch landed on top of them.
"Great timing," Tenor said.
"Yeah, about time you two showed up," said Tuffnut irritated. He got on Belch's saddle and the Zippleback took off. The water was about to clear the riders' and dragons' heads. The dragons aimed another round of shots when they realized they were out.
"Oh no, they're out," said Hiccup panicking. But at that moment, Tuffnut hovered over the chained dome on the Zippleback.
"Come on guys, lets finish this off," Tuffnut exclaimed. Barf and Belch blasted the center link. It shattered and the way was clear for the other Berkians. The riders quickly mounted their dragons and took off. Tuffnut landed the Zippleack on the ship's deck and Ruffnut got on Belch's saddle. Then they all joined the Draconains in the sky and they left the shipyard far behind.
They flew back to the Edge. The Draconians went to the clubhouse to finish their Maces and Talons game. But when they got there, they found Re and Serenity in the clubhouse waiting for them. Their faces lit up. The burns on Re's wings were wrapped in an odd grey substance that shimmered slightly.
"Re, you're back!" Viper cried. Aurora pranced over to her mate and nuzzled him. He nuzzled her back, happy to be with his family again. Tenor greeted Serenity just as happily. Morpho looked at the king's injuries.
"What's that stuff on you wings your majesties?" he asked.
"Tilapia skins," Serenity said. "They're great for sever burns. I attached them using Night Fury saliva so they'll stay on better. They'll heal those burns up faster, and more painless with minimal scaring."
"Fish skins?" said Heddrod, surprised.
"Yeah, this the only type of fish skins that work though," Serenity said. "Vitamin was nice enough to send me a thick roll of them. It works on both humans and dragons. I figured Re wouldn't mind wearing another animal's scales for a short while, and he can eat them afterwords." Re beamed.
"My wings feel better already," he said. Aurora nuzzled him again and snuggled closer to him.
"I missed you," she said, tears of joy in her eyes.
"I missed you too," Re said. "It was a slow couple of days without you." Then he spotted the game board and the pile of gold and silver beside it.
"Astrid taught us Maces and Talons," Phoenix said. "We were playing it, and placing a few bets." Re said nothing, but didn't seem to disapprove. Aurora looked at Serenity.
"Thank you for your help," she said.
"You're welcome," Serenity said. "I've been looking for an opportunity to try those tilapia skins." She stroked Tenor's neck.
"We all have an idea we'd like to discuss with you your majesty," Morpho said.
"You can tell me about in the morning," Re yawned. "I'm feeling kind of tired."
"We should all get to bed," Aurora said. The Draconians packed up the game board and headed for Skywalker. They told Re all that had happened in his absence. When they got to the ship, Serenity went to her room with Tenor. Re and Aurora curled up together beside the warm furnace. Aurora snuggled up to Re again, her nose wrinkling slightly from the strong oder coming from the tilapia skins. She yawned.
"I'm so glad you're back," she whispered. "I don't know what I'd do without you." She rested her head on his shoulder. Re wrapped his wings around her.
"You're my whole world Aurora," he said. "I can't imagine a world without you either." He pulled her closer. He could sense that she wasn't completely happy. "Something's missing isn't it?" Aurora sighed.
"An egg," she said.
"You really want to hatch an egg with all these hunters on the loose?" Re asked.
"Of course not," Aurora said.
"I don't think you're ready yet anyway," Re said. Aurora gave him an exasperated look.
"I raised a human," she said. "I think a dragonet would easy compared to that." Re smiled sheepishly.
"Of course, forget I said that," he said. "I guess it's just me that's not ready, emotionally anyway." His smile faded. Aurora could hear where his mind had gone. She nuzzled his snout.
"It's okay," she said gently. "I'm sure Chris would want you be happy. He wouldn't mind if you hatched dragonets. But you can take as much time as you want." Re laid his head down and Aurora laid her head beside his. She licked his face and fell asleep, and he followed suit.
The next morning Hiccup and Toothless casually watched the Twins holding a small funeral for the mace. At that moment Re landed beside Toothless.
"Re, you're back," Hiccup said.
"I am, these fish skins really help," Re said, gesturing to the tilapia skins. "What are those two doing?" He looked at the Twins.
"Ah, Tuffnut's mace was broken in battle and now they're holding a viking funeral for it," Hiccup explained.
"Yes, Tenor told me what happened last night," Re said. "He certainly had fun." Hiccup and the two dragons watched the Twins wrapping up their little funeral. When it was finished Tuffnut turned to Hiccup.
"I know what you're going to say, our twintuition almost got ourselves and the whole team killed," Tuff said.
"Uh, yeah," Hiccup said. Then Tuffnut reached into his pocket.
"But if it weren't for our twintuition would we have managed to get these," Tuff whipped out a scroll and opened it, showing Hiccup what was on it. Hiccup wasn't impressed. Tuff looked at the content of the paper, and realized it was up side down. He flipped it over and showed it Hiccup again. Hiccup looked closer at it and realized what it was.
"It's the plans for something big," Tuffnut said. Re glanced at the plans as well.
"Project Shelfire?" he said, reading the caption at the top. They all flew up to the clubhouse, gathering the others. Hiccup placed the plans on the table and they all looked at it.
"What's all this for?" asked Astrid.
"It must be plans for that ship they were building back there," Tenor said.
"Whatever it is, I don't think it's for hunting dragons," Hiccup said with a sense of foreboding. Just then the other Draconians landed on the board walk.
"Excuse us please," Re said. "My comrades and I need to discuss what to do next." He and his comrades flew off, heading for Skywalker's deck.