Hello! I want to congratulate my faithful reviewer Vvarden on being #50 and getting a sneak peek of what the future holds for our friends in CCF.
I like that you have questions!
Vvarden: Yes. All the while Aeri and Shade have been making a home for themselves on Heimme, James has been searching for them. Question is, will he find them?
Spartan10007: As you will read, not everything goes according to plan. Don't worry, James isn't out of the picture completely. Have patience!
Harkonnen28: It's not weird at all haha, I appreciate your honesty. Hopefully Aeri can redeem herself in your eyes!
StormMoonRabbit: As to WTF is going on back on Berk, well… nothing big. Don't worry, we'll get back there eventually, and it will definitely be worth the wait. At least, I think so!
darkness surrounds me: Excellent catch! I fixed it ;) Thanks for being so aware, obviously I am not!
Now, back to the story. Enjoy…
Haku heard his sister's scream, and along with everyone else rushed towards the open doors. Above the shouting, the crying of children could be heard, and outside, Haku could see the glow of fire.
The panic was mounting as the entire crowd frantically pressed towards the door, until a loud roar silenced them all.
"ENOUGH!" a voice shouted. Confused, Haku peered over the heads of the people in front of him, to see Rádgatá standing in the doorway, arms raised.
"We can't afford to panic! You five, gather the children and head into the forest. The rest of you, get to your weapons and to the catapults as fast as you can. Do not kill them! I repeat: do not kill any dragons. Drive them away or capture them, but let them live. We'll do our best." She disappeared from view, followed by the dark form of her dragon.
She wasn't wearing any armor. And she didn't even have a weapon.
She could die. "Do as she says!" Haku shouted, and much more quickly, the people streamed out into the night, where a flock of dragons was just arriving.
He sprinted to his house, shoving the door open and grabbing his bow and quiver before running full speed back to the center of the town, where dragons swarmed overhead, swooping in to catch the madly fleeing livestock and lighting structures on fire.
Where was she? he wondered, notching an arrow and letting it fly, hitting a Flashfang in the side of the head as it was about to grab a sheep. Distracted, it looked over to see Haku standing with his bow raised, and immediately rushed towards him with a hiss.
He didn't bother sticking around, running in the direction of the forge. "Maara! Vasara!" he shouted, frantically searching the streets as he ran.
When the forge came into view, he was greeted by the sight of Maara, in her dress, wielding a sword— a real sword— as she charged right at a fully-grown Grimler, which for the moment appeared to be distracted by two other villagers.
But even from where Haku stood, he could see the dragon watching his sister out of the corner of its eye. "MAARA!" he cried, breaking into a sprint. "RUN!"
He was too late.
Shade flew in and out of the chaotic throng of dragons, trying to reason with them. Most of them seemed confused by his efforts, but many were put off by the human on his back.
"Shade!" he heard Aeri cry, and without hesitation he banked in the direction she was leaning.
What… The forge was nearby, and he caught sight of a figure running straight for a large Grimler. That's Haku. But the dragon's focus wasn't on the future Chief of Heimme. No, even as Shade roared with all the intensity he could muster, the Grimler pounced on Maara, holding her down with its enormous claws.
She fought, though. With a defiant shout she freed her arm and sank her blade deep into the dragon's leg, causing it to screech in pain. Fearing for Aeri's safety, but knowing that Maara would be killed if he didn't act now, Shade slammed into the Grimler at full speed, feeling as Aeri either leapt or was thrown from the saddle.
The two dragons tumbled end over end, Shade clinging to the larger dragon's back with his claws deep in its hide. Snarling, the Grimler rolled, trying to shake him free. Finally he jumped off, leaving deep slashes where he had been holding on.
Furious, the dragon screamed at him. "What's the matter with you?"
"Leave this island and return to your own!"
"And bring nothing back for the Queen? Unlikely!"
"If you don't leave now, and take as many of these dragons with you as you can, I will kill you."
"Ha! I'm sure. You're not so frightening. You can hold on with your little claws and teeth but you're no match for me!" it growled. Other wild dragons, attracted by the exchange, approached, some curious, others looking malevolent.
Glancing around to make sure no humans were within range, Shade simply opened his mouth.
"What are you doing?" the Grimler asked roughly, hearing the building whistle.
Shade rolled his eyes, before releasing a medium-strength blast at the other dragon's chest. Unprepared, it was thrown backwards, crashing into the side of a house.
"Anyone else?" he asked the gathered dragons, who all backed up quickly and took off.
He turned to see Aeri kneeling over a still form, Haku dropping to his knees next to her. Oh, no.
In seconds he was at his rider's side, looking down at Maara's tear-stained face. A red slash crossed her torso, blood saturating her dress.
Haku was shouting, "Hang on, Maara, just hang on. I'm here, Rádgatá is here… Look at me!" She obliged, her body shuddering with each breath, and Shade's heart nearly broke.
Aeri turned to him, her eyes betraying her fear. "Can you stop this?"
Shade looked to the sky, swarming with dragons, then back to his rider. Something welled up in him, seeing Maara clinging to Aeri and Haku's hands. Nodding once, he quickly backed up and shot a plasma blast straight into the center of the swirling mass of reptiles, hearing the shrieks of confusion, before leaping skyward.
His entire body seemed to be pulsing with energy as he flew in circles, faster and faster, shooting occasional blasts to contain the confused dragons to one part of the village. The villagers in the catapults launched large rocks at the flock of dragons, hitting a few, unknowingly assisting him in his efforts.
As he hurtled through the night sky, the telltale whistle of his kind echoing through the streets, the wild dragons desperately searched for some sight of him, but could not catch a solid glimpse of his form as he wove through the smoke. When they were all contained, he began to fire again, shooting plasma blasts to drive them all away from the village, not allowing any to escape from the sides. Just like herding sheep.
It took a while, but Shade finally managed to send them off, making sure that he wasn't seen. He wanted them to be confused and even afraid, if that's what it took to get them away.
When he was certain the flock of dragons wasn't going to turn back, he returned to the village, looking for some sign of Aeri amidst the smoke and debris. She, Haku, and Maara weren't where he had left them, so he began sniffing the air at the spot, filtering out the smells of fire and dragons to pick up her trail. He passed by villagers struggling to contain what he assumed to be a Flashfang, and paused, unsure of whether or not he should interfere.
It caught sight of him, and hissed loudly, causing the humans to leap back in alarm, though they didn't let go of the ropes binding the green dragon.
"What are you?" it asked angrily. "Why do you help these insignificant pests?"
"I'm not from here," he said simply. "But it's either helping them or helping your Queen, and that's not something I'm interested in doing."
"So you'd turn away from your own kind?" it snarled.
"Never! Do you really think you're better off under the Queen's tyranny? Do you really want to spend your entire life in servitude? I'm looking for a way to stop her, and I'm going to need help."
"Look somewhere else! Do you see what these humans are doing to me? My wing is broken!" Growling, it tried to get to its feet, thrashing around and lifting its tail to fire spikes at the villagers.
"Stop."
It stopped, tail raised, and turned to look at him. "What are you?" it asked again.
"I'm a friend. You have to trust me. The humans won't hurt you. They'll even help with your wing."
"How do I know you're telling the truth?" its voice cracked with desperation, and Shade took pity on it. Walking forward, he gestured to the humans to let go of the ropes.
"You want us to let it go?" they asked incredulously.
He nodded.
"Do it," a familiar voice called out from behind Shade, and he turned with relief to see Aeri striding towards them. Her face was grim, and her clothes were bloodstained, but she didn't seem distressed, which Shade hoped meant that Maara was going to be okay.
"Missti Einn, are you sure? You said to capture them," one man argued.
"I did. But where is this dragon going to go? Look at her wing." Sighing, the villagers obliged, looking at the Flashfang's broken wing, before tossing the ropes to the ground. Immediately the dragon leapt to its feet, snarling, but Shade stepped forward.
"They let you go," he said.
"And what am I supposed to do now? I'm stuck here!"
"I guess you'll just have to stay with me."
"That's the last thing I want to do!"
"What's the first?"
"I… I want to see my mate."
"Your mate?"
"Yes, my mate. He was here tonight, and he probably thinks I'm dead now, thanks to you."
"Then I guess we better get you back into flying shape as soon as possible."
"You— wait, what?"
"I said, we better get your wing fixed so you can get back sooner."
The Flashfang didn't know what to say. "Let me help you with those ropes," he continued. "May I?"
She nodded slowly, and he came around next to her, gently cutting the ropes with his claws until she finally shook the last one off her shoulder and stepped out of the pile around her feet.
"Do you have a name?" Shade asked.
"I… no."
"Well, we can worry about that later. This is my human, Aeri. She can help with your wing."
Aeri was thanking the villagers, and as they walked away shaking their heads she approached the two dragons.
"Hey, bud," she said, and Shade went to her, allowing her to press her forehead against his. He sensed she needed strength. Finally they parted, both looking back to the stunned Flashfang.
"Your human, you said?"
Shade nodded as Aeri lifted a hand and stepped closer. "Hey there, girl. Looks like your wing is a little busted up. You think you could let me take a closer look at it?"
"I guess I have no choice," the Flashfang said, and he nodded again.
"Glad you're catching on."
Slowly, Aeri came up next to the dragon and softly rested her hand against her hide, before sliding it up to the base of her wing.
"Can you extend it at all?"
Surprised, the Flashfang did as she asked, her curiosity growing.
Finally, Aeri stepped back. "It's just a fracture, looks a lot worse than it is. If you come with me, I can put a splint on it so that it heals properly, and you'll be able to fly again before you know it."
"Is she really going to help me?"
"Why would she lie?"
"Humans can't be trusted."
"Can you trust me?"
"I shouldn't. You're basically one of them."
"That could be considered insulting. Fortunately for you, I don't mind humans, so I won't take offense."
"I can't tell if you're trustworthy or just crazy."
"Maybe both?"
"Is she going to follow us, bud?" Aeri interjected, and Shade nodded at her.
"Well then! Let's go to the forge, it's not far."
As the three of them walked, they passed by humans running back and forth, putting out fires, all of them turning to stare at the woman flanked by two dragons.
"I feel like they want to kill me," the Flashfang admitted, looking around warily.
"They're just not used to seeing dragons in their midst."
"What about you?"
"I'm the only one of my kind around here, so I'm a little different." The only one of my kind. For the first time, Shade had some inkling of how his father must have felt for years, unsure of whether or not he would ever see another Night Fury again. He resisted the sadness that threatened him, forcing himself to focus on the present as the Flashfang responded.
"Different. That sums it up." This dragon and Mika would probably get along very well.
Once at the forge, Aeri quickly got to work constructing a wooden frame. A she labored, she told Shade that Haku had carried Maara back to their home while she had gone in search of Vahna and the twins. They were all in the old chief's house now, and Aeri hadn't wanted to intrude, so she had quietly left to return to the fighting and fixing.
Finally she stood back, wiping her forearm across her brow. Her clothes were filthy and torn, but she was just thankful to be unharmed. Unlike Maara… Shaking her head, Aeri looked over her work. The splint had a rudimentary hinge so that it could bend naturally with the wing it was attached to, with a wide strap around the dragon's belly to hold it in place.
"Using all my supplies to build accessories for dragons?"
"Hello, Vasara."
The short smith and the Flashfang were eyeing each other warily.
"Never imagined I'd see the day when two dragons would be sitting in my stall, with me."
"I like to think of myself as a visionary," Aeri joked, and Vasara cracked a tired smile.
"Haku was looking for you."
"How's Maara?"
"She'll be alright, thanks to you. She's mostly just shaken up, but I think you've gotten to her. Vahna said she had to stay in bed but as soon as we got her chest patched up she wanted to come right back out and keep doing… whatever she thought she was doing."
"I've gotten to her?"
"I never knew she was a fighter. Lively, yes, but gutsy? I honestly always thought she was a bit lightheaded, in the best possible way, but she proved me wrong tonight. You both did." Vasara shrugged, and Aeri noticed that the other woman's clothes were also essentially ruined, a large hammer belted at her hip. Noticing her scrutiny, the smith shrugged again. "Putting out fires and fending off dragons isn't the best for the health of one's wardrobe."
Aeri laughed, and Vasara joined in, before gesturing towards the still-wary Flashfang.
"What are you going to do with this one?"
"I think I might have a plan, but it'll take me a few days to work out the details."
"Well, let me know if there's anything else I can do."
"I definitely will."
"I'll go find Haku and tell him you're here."
"Oh… alright."
Vasara gave her a funny look, before waving and walking away.
Sighing, Aeri turned back to the dragons. "Well, now what should we do?"
Shade looked over at the Flashfang. "You need someplace to stay while your wing heals, and I don't imagine you'll be wanting to spend your time in the village."
"Did you have someplace in mind?" the dragon asked him.
"Bud, do you think we should take her to stay with Mika?" Aeri interjected, and Shade nodded.
"Who is Mika?"
"She's a young Grimler. She also came from your nest, and she also cannot leave."
"What's wrong with her?"
"Besides her attitude?"
"I guess I'll find out for myself, then."
"That you will. Don't worry, you'll probably get along in your distaste for me," Shade laughed.
"Alright, if that's settled between you two, maybe you should walk her over there, Shade," Aeri suggested. "I should probably stay in the village to help out, so if you spend the night over there that's fine."
Shade rumbled and came forward to nuzzle her hair, and she smiled tiredly and wrapped her arms around his neck, holding on tightly for a moment, then letting him go. "I'll see you soon."
The two dragons left the forge and walked through the streets, alarming a few exhausted humans. It was still dark out, especially once they had left the lights and fires of the village behind. They spoke little, as Shade sensed how overwhelmed and afraid the Flashfang was by the events of the night. After a few hours at a fairly brisk pace, they neared the clearing where Mika stayed, and Shade called out to announce their arrival.
"Mika? It's Shade. I've brought another dragon, she needs a place to stay."
"Took you long enough to get here," her voice filtered through the bushes. "I've been listening to you stomping through the forest for ages now, wondering if you were actually going to end up here or just bother me with your excessive racket all night."
Shade and the Flashfang pushed their way into the clearing as she finished her tirade, to see her lounging in the center of the space, yawning.
"You're such a grumpy old dragon," Shade teased her, and she stuck her tongue out.
"Who's this?"
"She doesn't actually have a name, but—"
"Are you from the nest?!" Immediately the Grimler was sitting upright, wide awake, and the Flashfang paused.
"Yes?"
"How did you end up here? And what happened to your wing? And how did you meet Shade?"
Oh boy, thought Shade. This could take all night.
Back in the village, Haku walked away slowly from his house. He felt like he had aged a lifetime waiting for Vahna and the twins to patch up Maara, waiting to hear whether or not she was going to be okay.
He didn't think he could handle losing another sister, to another dragon. It would be too much to bear.
But he wasn't going to lose her. Not tonight. He hated to think what would have happened if Rádgatá and Dreki hadn't come along when they had. Maara would almost certainly have been killed if not for their interference. He owed them his thanks, if not everything.
"Haku!"
Pulled from his thoughts, he turned tiredly to face Ajaa, who had appeared from gods-knew-where to test his patience.
"I've been looking everywhere for you, I couldn't find you after the dance so…"
Once certain that nothing of importance was going to come out of her mouth, Haku allowed his mind to wander again, remembering the events of the previous evening. It seemed like a lifetime had passed between now and the dance, yet it had only been a few hours. Again the excitement rose in his chest at the thought of dancing with her, her green eyes sparkling with laughter. The woman who had been haunting his thoughts. He couldn't even escape her in his dreams.
"Haku."
Blinking, he glanced down, to see Ajaa pouting at him.
"What?"
"You're not paying attention to me."
"Sorry, Ajaa, it's been a long night. Maybe we can catch up some other—"
"Haku!"
What now? But when he turned, it was only Vasara, and he couldn't disguise the relief on his face. She noticed it immediately, glancing between him and Ajaa, one eyebrow slightly raised. Coming up next to him, she placed a hand on his shoulder.
"You—"
"Hello, Vasara," Ajaa cut in, clearly not wanting to be ignored for a single moment.
"Hello, Ajaa," Vasara barely stopped herself from rolling her eyes, before continuing to speak to Haku as though the other woman wasn't even there. "You should get some rest, Haku. You're going to fall asleep on your feet, and we're going to need you tomorrow for cleanup." She gave him a small smile, and he returned it.
"I will, soon, I just need to find—"
"She's in the shop."
"She— oh." He thanked her, then wrapped her in a hug. "Head home and sleep some, 'Sara."
"I will." He waved a hasty farewell to Ajaa, who looked like she wanted to protest, but he didn't give her the chance, leaving her with Vasara, who looked exhausted, but content.
"Who's in the shop, Vasara?"
At Ajaa's sharp tone, Vasara's eyebrow lifted again and she lazily replied, "Who do you think, Ajaa?"
"Hmmph."
"You can't have him."
"Excuse me?"
"You heard me." Vasara crossed her arms.
"I think that should be up to Haku to decide, don't you?" Ajaa said snidely, and Vasara resisted the urge to laugh.
"I'd say he's already decided, wouldn't you?"
"We'll just see about that." Ajaa stormed off, and Vasara vaguely wondered if she had pushed the other woman too far. After all, had her brother decided anything? Well, only one way to find out. Just wait and see.
Sticking her tongue out at Ajaa's retreating figure, Vasara yawned and began the walk home, intent on discussing the Ajaa situation with Maara in the morning.
Aeri was tidying up the last scraps of wood and fabric that she had left over when she got the sense that someone was watching her. Looking up, she saw a figure leaning against one of the posts supporting the roof of the stall, almost completely concealed by the shadows.
"Haku, you nearly gave me a heart attack."
"About time I returned the favor, don't you think?"
She grinned at him, and saw his white teeth flash in the gloom. Something, maybe her heart, skipped in her chest when he pushed off the post and came in, closer to the low light let off by the cooling forge. He came up beside her and in silence they finished cleaning off the workbench, tossing the scraps into a trough beneath the table.
Stifling a yawn, Aeri turned to face him, about to suggest that they both head to their respective beds, but something stopped her.
He was standing close, closer than he should be. His back was to the forge, so his face was completely cast in shadows. For once she couldn't tell what he was thinking, and it almost made her nervous. Tension built between them, until neither of them could stand it anymore.
"I—" they both started at the same time, and Aeri laughed sheepishly.
"You first."
"I… I owe you my thanks," Haku said, sounding a bit stiff.
"What for?"
"You and Dreki stopped another raid. But more importantly, you saved Maara's life. I don't know… I don't know what I would do if I lost her."
"Good thing you didn't, then," Aeri smiled, trying to lighten the mood, but apparently Haku wasn't having it.
"I mean it, Rádgatá," he said. "I owe you. Big time."
"Well, okay. You would do the same for me, right? So would Maara. And… I would die before I let something happen to her."
"And you nearly did!" His exclamation caught her off guard, and when he gestured at her, she looked down to see that her clothes were scorched, torn up, and just in general ruined. Suddenly feeling very self-conscious, she scowled and looked back up to where his face was in the shadows.
"That's a bit of an exaggeration, don't you—"
"No. You went up there with no armor, no weapon… you could have been killed. Easily."
"I think you underestimate me."
"Believe me, I don't. But dragons are dangerous, regardless of how well you manage with them under ideal circumstances."
Aeri was irked. "You think I don't know that? I was raised alongside them, Haku. I've seen just about everything that can go wrong between a human and a dragon."
"So you know how terrifying it was for me to watch you run out those doors with no backup, no protection, and no plan?"
"How terrifying— Well, I'm sorry I couldn't do better for you!"
"That's not what I meant! I meant that I was terrified for you, not that your actions were terrifying to me. You scared me when you took off like that. With no regard for your own safety."
"I'm always aware of what I get myself into, Haku."
"I know, I know… just humor me. Please."
She was still scowling, but she nodded. "Okay."
"Thank you."
Before she could say anything else, he reached out and pulled her into his arms. Aeri allowed him to, tilting her head and resting it over his heart, listening to the solid thump thump of it, her face turned towards his neck. He smelled of smoke, but also of Haku, a clean foresty scent that put her at ease. Her scowl faded, and she relaxed into his embrace, letting him hold her.
After a while she stepped back, gently pulling free of his arms. "I think it's time for us to head back to our respective homes. It's been quite a long night."
"Let me walk you back," Haku said, and Aeri was tempted to let him, but for some reason she wanted to keep her camp's location to herself, as though the illusion of her privacy would be destroyed if she allowed anyone near it.
"That's alright, I'll make it just fine. You go back and check on Maara, then get some rest. I don't want you to be more tired than you already are."
He looked like he wanted to argue, so she said, "Okay, you can walk me to the edge of the forest, but that's it."
By the time they reached the line of trees, Haku's eyes were continually blinking shut, and he forced himself to stay awake so he didn't fall on his face.
"Goodnight, Haku," Rádgatá said, patting him on the shoulder, and he gave her a tired smile.
"Goodnight, Rádgatá."