It was now the day after her 'interrogation', and Shadow stood on the edge of a cliff overlooking the vast ocean. She had been discovered by the entire village, transformed in front of them, killed an army of Outcasts and watered the ground with their blood. She had been fatally injured and as a result, almost died even while in her stronger form, and now she was subjected to being in a hybrid form. Her human body coupled with her strong draconic wings and tail, and the majesty of her deadly teeth, claws and horns.
She knew deep down in her heart that she would never fit in anywhere, even if the good people of Berk could look past her deformities, she would still never belong. She was both fire and ice, yet neither at the same time. It was such a lonely concept. To be surrounded by people, and feel so disconnected from them.
She wondered, as she watched the sun bloom above the horizon, would she feel less lonely back on the run? If she wasn't surrounded by people who looked nothing like her, would it hurt less?
Be surrounded by beings who she cannot belong, or alone in the woods, forever running and forever alone from the condescending thoughts of mortals?
She sighed heavily. The morning sun did nothing to brighten her spirits. The birds that flew overhead seemed to mock her with their wings. Even if she decided to leave once and for all, she doubted she could fly. Her wings, despite their potential strength, were far too weak to carry her on air currents. Would her humanoid form even be able to sustain flight?
The sea crashed far below her and the morning breeze tousled her hair. For a long time she stood there, feeling the wind on her wings and horns and the sun on her face. After some time, she sensed Hiccup and Toothless approaching. The Night Fury came and sat on her left, while Hiccup stood on her right, and for a while, the three of them just stood there and absorbed the beauty of morning.
Toothless could easily tell what she was upset about, simply by watching her envy at the flying birds told him. He crooned at her sadly, but told her that she could gain the use of her wings back, if she only tried.
Hiccup listened to Toothless' croons and warbles, and realised exactly why Shadow was so solemn, she wanted to fly.
He smirked as he came up with a plan, and grasped her clawed and scaled hand with his own. He began leading her away from the cliffs with a smile on his face.
Hiccup ignored the questioning looks she gave him and lead her all the way over to the academy.
"I am going to help you fly again." He boldly declared. Her eyes widened.
"I don't know if I can Hiccup. This form may not be physically able to fly. I don't think I can." She said. Her eyes stung as she retreated into herself. Hiccup immediately saw her emotional reaction and stomped over to her.
Even in the face of a dangerous creature, he showed no fear, and got right into her face and held onto her. She was shocked at his boldness and didn't know how to react to him being forceful.
"We will get you flying again. I don't want to hear you say you can't. I managed to give Toothless the ability to fly after he lost his tailfin. I can help you fly too. We are going to do this." He said, smiling at her.
She smiled warmly back at him and nodded. She still didn't know if it was possible, but she would try to fly. For Hiccup.
All throughout the day the two of them worked to strengthen her wings. As the sun continued to rise above the ocean, Hiccup massaged her wing joints to get them used to moving. For hours, Shadow stretched her wings to their fullest extent and back again, working the muscles and making them stronger. By lunch she was flapping her gigantic wings and slowly lifting off the ground. They had to take a few brakes to rest, but the longer they worked, the longer she could stay in the air for.
Toothless even did his best to help his new dragon-like friend. He shared his huge pile of fish to help give her the strength she needed, all the while giving her his biggest gummy smile. By the afternoon, Shadow believed she was ready to try flying for real. Her wings were getting sore from use, but adrenaline pumped through her system with heat like fire.
Hiccup mounted Toothless and they set off for the perfect spot. They went back to the cliffs they stood at that very morning, with the warm sun now behind them, warming their backs. There was a hundred meters in front of Shadow as she prepared herself. A hundred meters ahead, and a few hundred below ere the strong and stormy seas. And endless miles of open air, inviting her to trust her wings and sail on the air currents.
It was now or never. The moment were she would find out if she could fly again. Shadow took long deep breaths to calm her nerves and checked over herself. Her wings were fully functioning, able to extend out to the full wingspan of twenty feet without strain. Her four foot long tail twitched excitedly, completely in her control to help with steering. There would be no failing wings or deadweight tails to hinder her this time.
Shadow closed her eyes and calmed her breathing, mentally preparing herself for what was to come, her body shaking with pure anticipation and adrenaline. Her heartbeat slowed and evened out, as did her breath. She opened her eyes, and started running.
Her blood began to race through her veins as she sped on, the weight of her wings and tail not slowing her in the slightest. With every step of her galloping gate, she got faster and faster, the cliff edge drawing ever nearer. After fifty meters, she was running full pelt towards the cliff, and with a massive lunge like a predator pouncing on prey, her claws hit the ground and sprung her forward.
Her flexible spine arched as she ran on all fours, like the Night Fury beside her. Shadow's shoulders and hips rolled back and forth with incredible speed, she was like a blur. Twenty meters to go, she spread her wings out into first position, her tail steeling into the correct angle to lift her off the ground. Her wingtips spread even further as the runway became ten meters. Her lunging gaits lengthened, now she was gliding those last few meters to the very edge, with nothing but the weight of her wings supporting her.
Everything around her became white noise, the sound of her own racing heartbeat echoing throughout her skull. Her hands made contact with the ground for the last time, her feet not far behind them. For a mere millisecond she stood perched on the edge of the precipice, frozen in that half second a frozen statue of a demon ready to pounce, or a Valkyrie watching her favourite warrior on the battlefield.
Time sped up. She lunged off the cliff, arms outstretched, legs springing her off the ground, wings stretched to catch the wind like the sail of a ship. She looked like a winged lion jumping towards its prey.
She fell…
Then she flapped.
Like a resonating thunderclap, the sound of clashing air currents bellowed around her, and she shot up into the air. Another flap, another bang like thunder. She was flying.
Shadow cried in absolute glee at the feeling of wind rushing around her. The cold air blowing over her wings, though her horns, on her face. Gods, she missed it so much!
She roared in absolute triumph as she flew higher into the sky. She could fly! She could fly!
Hiccup whooped loudly as he rode his Night Fury next to her. And the two of them laughed as they twisted and twirled amongst the clouds. Shadow had never felt this happy before in her life, and to think, it was all because Hiccup had stayed by her side the entire time and helped her along the way. He was truly amazing.
Shadow's heart was filled with such light and happiness as she glided mere feet over the ocean. She was filled with delight, exhilaration and ecstasy. Shadow couldn't even help herself as she began to sing with joy.
"When the cold wind is a'calling, and the sky is clear and bright. Misty mountains sing and beckon, lead me out into the light. I will ride, I will fly, chase the wind and touch the sky. I will fly, chase the wind and touch the sky!"
Hiccup watched, completely entranced by her siren-like voice, as she spun and twirled through the air, like dancing on the wind. His heart and soul warmed at seeing her face, expressions of pure pleasure and happiness on her angular features.
"Where dark woods hide secrets, and mountains are fierce and bold. Deep waters hold reflections, of times lost long ago. I will hear their every story, take hold of my own dream. Be as strong as the seas are stormy, and proud as an eagles' scream! I will ride, I will fly, chase the wind and touch the sky. I will fly, chase the wind and touch the sky!"
Hiccup couldn't help himself, he whooped and yelled in absolute glee alongside her. He marvelled at just how beautiful, amazing and unique she was, and a smile like that made her look more like a Valkyrie than the demon she was.
In turn Shadow stared back at him, thinking of just how mucked up and crazy the last month or so of her life had been. What on earth did she do to get stuck with someone as dedicated, passionate and talented as Hiccup? How much had Berk made her see things different? How much had Hiccup made her feel like she belonged somewhere?
The two males urged her on in a race, to see just how fast a Black Moon can fly, and she eagerly accepted the challenge. Her wing beats created miniature sonic booms every time she added a boost of speed. The inhabitants of Berk watched in awe as she flew over them.
'This is Berk, a giant pile of rock smack bam in the middle of the Northern most waters of the world. The people that live here would laugh at you for tripping over your own feet, but would still help you stand back up and move on as you laugh along with them. It doesn't matter who you are or where you come from, if you treat them like friends, they will treat you like family… even the dragons.'
WOOOOOOOOHOOOOOOOOOO! I HAVE FINALLY FINISHED THIS FANFICTION! A big thank you to every single one of you fantastic readers who have been with me all this time and reviewed my story. Your support has been amazing with helping me continue my story to the point we are at now. It is official, this is the epilogue of 'The Black Moon Dragon', meaning that the story is now ended. Please dont be sad, because I am working on the second installment of this saga and will be back with more within a month. I will add one more chapter to this story to remind all you great people who have added me to your subscriptions of when the Sequel is up and running. When I do, I will give you the official name of my next fanfic, as well as a sneak peak of what will happen, and a detailed summary.
once again, THANK YOU SOOOOO MUCH! It has been wonderful. :D
Keep your eyes and ears open for the next step forward in the life of Shadow Void-Wing, the Black Moon dragon!