Chapter Twenty Five

She spent the following day walking among the dragons.

They were suspicious of her presence at first, but soon began to realize that she wasn't a threat. The fact that she could speak with them had helped. Some of them had even told her of all the great things 'Lady' Valka had done for them. A few had found the Sanctuary by accident and were taken in by the King, the Alpha.

And that was where Aniu found herself later that morning. Her eyes were trained on the mighty Alpha as he slept through most of her time wandering. But he managed to keep one eye on her when a Monstrous Nightmare got particularly close.

"I was not expecting to see you again," said the Monstrous Nightmare as he flew down to greet her. "Nina told me that you were here."

"Thorn, how did you end up here?" Aniu asked in amazement when she realized he happened to be the same Monstrous Nightmare who lived in the Nest.

"Well, when Nina betrayed us to the Queen all those months ago, I wasn't expecting to find peace in the world," he explained while shooting said Deadly Nadder a hostile look. Nina had peered over the ledge to watch them, only to duck under his stern look. "I almost passed out during my flight when Lady Valka found me and took me in. I've been living here since then."

"It's amazing you were able to survive at all," Aniu said with the slightest smiles. She pressed her hand against his snout, grateful to find one familiar face among the thousands of dragons who lived here.

"So, where is Cybele? I'm surprised not see her with you. The two of you were inseparable," Thorn growled after noticing that she was alone. Aniu flinched at that question.

I left her behind, all because I was afraid of what Zena would do, she thought bitterly. And if I go back now, they'll see me as a coward.

"We finally went our separate ways," she replied, trying to keep her voice from sounding shaken. Thorn raised his head and looked at her in disbelief before shaking it.

"Well, it's probably better that way. I know that my life has been better since I left the Nest," he told her.

She knew that wasn't true. Her life should have gotten better. Yet she felt miserable without Cybele, and hopelessly lost. She wasn't even sure if she could consider herself as human or dragon now. She hardly trusted who she met, and that only made things worse.

Once she was finished speaking with Thorn, she made her way back to where Valka had left her the night before. That familiar sense of dread washed over her when she saw that Valka wasn't back. Wherever she had gone, Aniu was alone, once again.

She leaned against the rock until hearing the familiar wing-beats of Cloudjumper. Aniu rose an eyebrow as Valka jumped off and stared at her in surprise.

"I would have thought you left already," she admitted, almost sounding guilty. Aniu only shook her head and glanced over her shoulder warily.

"Look, staying in one place has never been easy for me," she started, trying to keep her voice from sounding shaken. "No one has ever given it much thought as to what I wanted in my life. So hearing someone offer a place to stay is kind of… new. Especially when I don't know whether I could trust you or not."

"I am not forcing you to stay here," Valka reminded her. "You are welcome to leave anytime."

Aniu nodded at that, feeling slightly relieved that Valka was giving her free reigns. She couldn't shake off the sense that traveling would end well. Nina wasn't good at flying long distances, especially when there were storms in the area.

And so she had decided to stay, for now at least.

...

It wasn't long before she and Valka became fast friends. Yes they had their differences, but Valka understood what Aniu was going through and had helped her through those difficult times. Soon Aniu had begun to push aside the past. Nina was the one dragon she relied on to fly and free dragons from trappers or pirates. Aniu had become almost as skilled as Valka when it came to breaking them free.

To Aniu, Valka had become like a mother. And to Valka, Aniu her daughter. Life for either of them couldn't be any better.

That was what led to Aniu sitting on the outside cliff of the ice caves. Nina stood protectively beside her, preening her wings as if that was the last thought on her mind. Aniu had learned that Deadly Nadders loved to clean themselves, and were full of pride. Seeing Nina now made her realize just how right she was.

"Do you often think of going back to that life?" Nina suddenly asked. Aniu looked at her in surprise before giving it some thought.

They probably think I'm dead, she thought sadly. Imagine what they would say if I suddenly returned with Nina.

"Yes." Aniu wrapped her arms around her legs and watched a flock of Sea Shockers jump in and out of the waves down below. "Though I don't regret leaving. Cybele needs to be with her own kind, and I couldn't force her to leave Toothless." Nina tilted her head to one side in surprise.

"You suggest that Cybele needs to be with her own kind, yet you are not," she growled curiously. "Just who is it you are trying to convince?"

Aniu shook her head and decided that now was the time to head back. Arguing over foolish notions wasn't going to get them anywhere. Over the last couple of months she had been teaching Valka how to speak with dragons. It was a difficult process, since Dragonese came so easily to her. But Valka was learning quickly, and patient.

That was one thing Aniu had noticed the most about Valka. Her patience almost matched Hiccup's. Her love for dragons and the need to protect them was just as strong as his. Not to mention she always seemed to find trouble where she least expected.

Nina let out a sigh before taking off to the cave where Valka was waiting. Sure enough said Rider was perched on a rocky post with Cloudjumper dangling from the ceiling. His keen eyes spotted them first, and he let out a warning growl that made Valka watch them curiously. Valka was holding something that Aniu spotted, and rose an eyebrow at the object covered in a strange material.

"Did something happen?" she asked warily as Valka approached her, with Cloudjumper close behind.

"No, but I wanted to give you something," Valka replied with the slightest smiles. "It seemed like a good time." Aniu cocked her head to one side curiously when Valka handed her the object in question. Hesitantly she unraveled the cloth-like material, and her eyes widened at what lay in her hands. "I was able to find it while scouring the ocean with Cloudjumper," she explained. "Luckily it wasn't damaged during the storm."

She hadn't realized until now that her hands were trembling with shock. The bow she had lost during that storm. Valka had found it. And to her surprise, it was still in good enough shape that she could use it. Aniu stared at Valka in disbelief before grabbing one of the arrows she had made during her free time.

She fired without a second thought, the arrow landing on her intended target. Despite not having her archery set, she set up target rings and practiced by throwing rocks when she could. And her skill had not diminished since losing her bow. In fact, it seemed to improve as the arrow hit the bull's-eye without any trouble.

"Thank you," she whispered, truly thankful that Valka had gone out of her way to find her favorite weapon. "I didn't do anything to deserve such kindness."

"Everyone deserves a little kindness in their life," Valka reassured her.

Aniu couldn't help but grin as she realized what that meant. Someone actually cared enough to show it. And she couldn't be happier with her decision to stay.

AN: Sorry it's taken so long for me to post this. I actually have the chapters all typed up, but the problem is, FF isn't accepting any of my Word documents from the flash drive I have them saved on. Either something's wrong with the site, or my flash drive somehow got corrupted. Either way, it's frustrating.

MMM - I hope this answers your question :)

dracologistmaster - Thanks!