Chapter Twenty- Six – Unexpected Guests
Part One: Strange Creatures
Three months after Eragon and Saphira's departure…
It had been three months and four days, since Eragon and Saphira had left Berk, to begin the long journey back to the Southern Stronghold of The Riders.
During that time, Hiccup, Astrid, Fishlegs, and their dragons had continued to instruct the first of their students: Damian and his Monstrous Nightmare, Solaris; Amara and her Deadly Nadder, Spike; Gren and his Gronkle, Grog; Kyra and her Monstrous Nightmare, Skyblaze – 'Sky', for short; and Edric and his Thunderdrum, Thorin.
Because of how hard they'd been working, Hiccup had suggested that they finish a few hours early, that day. He also offered to show the new Riders and their Dragons the clearing where Eragon had stayed, and where Saphira had trained their dragons; once they'd returned to Berk. … It wasn't exactly 'on their way,' but the weather was perfect for flying. The others had agreed immediately.
After they'd been in the air for a time, Gren said, "I've been thinking about that 'creature' that that farmer said he saw, the other day… Any idea what it might've been?"
Hiccup shook his head, he'd been thinking about that two; "No… Nothing like that has ever been seen here, before."
Flashback…
The first 'sighting' had been a few days previously, or rather: evenings previously. A farmer had been doing a final- check of his tool- shed; to be sure that he hadn't left anything in his field, or had otherwise 'wandered off'. Suddenly, he'd seen movement out of the corner of his eye. Turning in that direction, he'd caught a brief glimpse of … something: the gleam of a pair of eyes, looking back at him. Than the creature, whatever it was, had hissed at him, and darted away.
The tale had spread, of course, but – fortunately, Vikings had a tendency to be sceptical, when told tales of that sort. Still: after the recent 'business' regarding the Ra-Zac… It had sent a shiver of unease down the spines of all who'd heard it.
A few hours later…
The sun was nearing the horizon, when their dragons landed near the outskirts of Berk; and their Riders began to dismount. They were about to set off towards the Great Hall, where the villagers would be gathering for supper, when they heard the barking.
Hiccup sighed, "Great; What is it this time?"
The others reacted in differing ways: Astrid sighed, rolled her eyes, and shook her head; Fishlegs shook his head; and their dragons simply snorted. Their students, both human and dragon, were clearly trying not to laugh.
A few minutes later, a figure came into view; an elderly man, clutching a walking stick in one hand: Mildew. He spotted them, and hurried towards them; "RUFF! … RUFF! … RUFF! … HA-WHOOO!" By the time he'd reached them, though, the laughter had died: Mildew face was as white as snow, and he was shaking with fear.
Hiccup spoke several lines in the Ancient- Language; removing the spell he'd placed on Mildew the previous morning. Then, switching back to their native tongue, he asked; "What happened?"
"I… I've never seen anything like it," Mildew rasped. "Some kind of animal; it was 'bout this tall; on all- fours..." As he spoke, Mildew angled his staff, so that the end hovered about three feet off the ground. "Dark fur; claws... It was lying curled up on a rock, couldn't tell what it was, so I went for a closer look. Thing leapt to its feet … Looked like it was about to pounce; but instead it… It hissed at me; then it shook itself, and ran off!"
"That… That sounds like what that farmer saw, the other night!" Amara commented, a touch of unease in her voice.
Hiccup and Astrid exchanged a look, then Hiccup turned to the others; "We need to tell the others about this: Once can be a coincidence: especially when it happened after nightfall; Twice, and this time in broad daylight… There's something out there."
Ten minutes later, in the Great Hall…
Their timing, as it turned out, couldn't have been much better: Stoick, Gobber, and five other men were seated at a table, near the head of the hall. When Stoick saw his son, he held up a hand, halting the conversation, and gestured for Hiccup and those with him to come forward.
Hiccup didn't waste words, "There's been… a new development; in connection to the 'sighting', from the other night." Turning to Mildew, he added; "Tell them what you told us."
Mildew looked a little surprised, but he did as Hiccup asked, sharing both the details of the encounter itself, and the description of the creature that seemed to match the account they'd already heard, from the farmer. When he finished, the silence stretched for several minutes. Hiccup could tell that this second encounter made a far more significant impression on them than had the first; the same was true with him, when he'd heard it. (The second one had been in daylight.)
After a brief pause, Hiccup continued; "Judging from the first two encounters, I don't think they're hostile; but we still need to know why they're here."
Gobber raised an eyebrow, "And let me guess: you've already got a plan on how to do that."
Hiccup smiled, "There's only one way to know for sure: We need to find one." He gestured at the other Riders and Dragons, "Tomorrow, we'll make a circuit of the island; see what we can find."
The silence that followed lasted for several minutes. Finally, Kyra spoke up, "Uh… Are you sure about this, Hic- I mean, Ebrithiln? … I mean: we've got no idea what these things are, and…"
"Scared?" Gren asked, a small smirk on his face.
Kyra whirled to face him; "I'm not scared, I'm…"
"… Being cautious," Hiccup finished, turning to face them as he spoke. Hiccup turned to Gren, and continued; "Abandon caution, and you will almost surely fall prey to anyone stronger, faster, or better- prepared than yourselves…" Hiccup shifted his gaze to Kyra; "But if we never make use of those secrets entrusted to us, we might just as well never have learned them." By the time he finished, Hiccup was again facing his father, as though he'd never turned away.
It took them a moment to process what Hiccup had just done: Inside of a minute, he had subtly addressed any concerns his father might've voiced; praised and warned Kyra on the up and downsides of caution, if one allowed it to drift to either extreme; and given Gren a silent warning.
Astrid raised an eyebrow; "'Someone's' spent a lot of time talking to the Elves, when they were here."
Hiccup smiled and shrugged, "Elves have a real passion for riddles and philosophy… So; yeah: We got along great!"
Finally, Stoick nodded; "All right, then: See what you can find; but be careful, all of you."
Hiccup nodded, and turned to leave, followed by the other Riders and the Dragons, though 'a few' of them still appeared a little uneasy.
Part Two: The Werecat
The following afternoon...
They'd begun their search three hours before noon, checking the clearings and pathways that ran between Mildew's house, and Berk. It made sense, after all, to start near to the most recent sighting, and work out from there.
Midday came, and there was no sign of anything unusual. On an impulse, Hiccup suggested that they set- down in the cove, and eat their lunch there: bread, cheese for the humans, and fish; some for the Riders; but most of it for the dragons. Meatlug and Fishlegs stayed behind to cook the fish, and keep an eye for movement from their vantage point.
Meanwhile, Hiccup and the other Riders were making a circuit of the cove; to see if they could find what they were looking for. They'd gone almost a third of the way around the lake without finding anything.
Hiccup stepped around a stand of trees, and then pulled back. He turned to the others, and nodded, motioning for them to come forward. Almost hesitantly, they moved to join Hiccup, and peered out from behind the stand of trees.
The creature looked much as Mildew had described it. It lay, stretched out, across the top of a fair- sized boulder, basking in the warmth of the sun. At the base of the boulder, was a small mound of what appeared to be clothing.
Amara turned to Hiccup, wide- eyed, and whispered; "Do… do you think it… ate someone?"
"No," Hiccup said, with a certainty that surprised them. "If there were it had, there'd be blood on the…"
"… Clothes? Only one way to find out!" Then, before anyone could stop her, Kyra leapt out from behind the trees, and bolted forward; pausing just long enough to glare at Gren, as though to say 'Who's scared, now?'
Kyra's outstretched hand was three feet from the pile, when another presence reached out, touching each of the Riders' minds, and a voice said; 'And just what do you think you are doing?' Even as the words faded from their minds, the creature's eyes snapped open; and glowing golden eyes locked onto Kyra's. Kyra froze where she stood, not wanting to move forward, and not daring to move back.
After Kyra had leapt forward, the others knew there was little point in remaining hidden; though they approached much more cautiously. Once the creature had opened its eyes and spoken, Hiccup stepped forward; "Our apologies for the interruption…" An instant later, the creature's eyes were on him.
The creature took a moment to examine each of them in turn. Then it's attention returned to Hiccup, and the voice said; 'Ah, yesss… You would be Hiccup, then: The First Dragon- Rider of The North; the son of Berk's Chief; He Who Rides a Night- Fury; and Felled the Red Death… Yesss… Such a strong beginning to your story; a tale worth telling, and retelling; despite the fact that it has barely begun.'
Hiccup frowned; "How do you know so much about me?"
The creature leapt from the top of its boulder, clearing the top of Kyra's head by several feet. It landed seven feet to Hiccup's left, and let out a growl- like chuckle; 'You told your story to Eragon; and he relayed it to Arya… What we didn't hear from or through one, we heard from or through the other. Our kind has been friends of The Riders since the time of The First Order, and friends of the dragons for even longer.'
Hiccup eyes widened as the truth came to him: "A werecat… You're a werecat!"
The werecat smiled, and the air around him rippled. When it cleared, a dark- haired boy stood where the cat had been; a loincloth knotted around his waist. He was dark- haired, and a few inches shorter than Hiccup, though had a similar build. He smiled, "Very good, Hiccup. Yes, I am a werecat; one of the twelve who are now on Berk." He frowned, and shrugged; "At least; there were twelve of us here, when I last checked… The number changes from day to day; a few of us leave, others arrive."
Astrid was next to overcome her shock; "A werecat on Berk… Gods; didn't see that one coming!" She frowned, "Not to be rude, but… What are you doing here?" Almost as an afterthought, she added "And… Who are you?"
"Ah, right: Where are my manners? … Probably in one of my pockets!" He returned to the base of his boulder, and rummaged among the pile of clothes. Then pulled on a cotton shirt; a pair of pants, and, last of all, a leather vest; similar to the one Hiccup used to wear, before he'd been named Leader of The Riders of The North.
By the time he straightened, their dragons had re-joined them, and were waiting next to their Riders; save for Fishlegs. Only with the arrival of their dragons, did it dawn on Hiccup and the others that Fishlegs and Meatlug would be wondering what had happened to them.
Hiccup turned back to the werecat; "So… What do we call you?"
"Hmmm; Names can be tricky," the werecat mused. "Among my own kind, I am called…" He made a series of growls and yowls that no human vocal- cords could replicate. He smiled, a little, at the expressions on their faces; "I also have my share of nicknames, all werecats do; but, for the sake of convenience, you may call me 'Bryon'."
"Well, Bryon," Hiccup continued, "We were about to have lunch; care to join us?"
Bryon smiled; "Funny: I was about to doze- off, and dream of eating lunch; I like your idea better… And, as it happens, I've just gotten back to Berk from a 'little trip' of my own; and I've come across a few pieces that you may find 'interesting'… You in particular, Hiccup."
To be continued…