Hey everyone!
Welcome back to the latest instalment in the 'Snatching Victory' mini-arc!
Sorry to leave the whole Dathomir / Toothless face off thing hanging after the last chapter but I had other stops to make and the follow on from it deserved its own chapter seeing it's a bit long and it gets quite in-depth on certain topics as well as revealing another fascinating bit of Dragon lore which may have you going "WOW!" or more likely "I'm sorry, but WHUUUUUT?!"
Either way I hope you enjoy it!
The Return of The Nightfuries
Chapter 42
Snatching Victory Pt 3
Previously on ROTNF….
In the aftermath of the raid Stoick made some difficult decisions
Fishlegs made an interesting discovery.
And Dathomir made a powerful accusation.
How will the Nightfury Prince react?
Read on and find out!
(Meanwhile, same time, more or less, on the Isle of Munn)
Knowledge is power.
A phrase applied equally to humans and Dragons alike.
Yet knowledge comes in so many forms. Certainties gleamed from first-hand experience, mystical revelations divined from the ever changing winds of magic and then what is pieced together from different sources like a puzzle, until a complete, undeniable picture has been created.
Yes indeed, knowledge was power and right now that power coursed through the mind and body of Dathomir of Samaria, the former human cursed to be a Nightfury hybrid, light-weaver, secret keeper for an entire Island of dragons and holder of knowledge that had the power to send them all plunging into a blinding whirlwind of destruction.
" ….. So Shadow ….. " Dathomir crooned, his gaze steely and unflinching, "…. care to tell us why you are still under the control of a Red Death?"
The silence in the clearing was deafening, it felt as if the slightest whisper would shatter the world itself. The first thing that got anyone's attention was Omen pulling his wings fully around Hiccup to keep him asleep, deaf and blind to what he was sure was going to become a very highly charged confrontation. The last thing anyone wanted was for him to be awoken and be privy to whatever was going to come out, lest it shatter his brilliant yet fragile mind. Omen noted with satisfaction that the movement simply made the boy snuggle even tighter into his body, thus assuring his ignorance of what was about to transpire.
All eyes in the clearing were either locked on Toothless to gauge his response to the light-weaver's accusation, (he had made none which was worrisome in itself) or on Dathomir as he stood towering over the assembled Nightfuries from both his physical and seemingly moral high-ground.
When he did speak, the hybrid's voice was still a little more than a murmur, but the power and certainty with which he spoke was undeniable.
"At first I wasn't sure what about I was hearing. For the longest time the call of that other Alpha was too weak to make out, especially with 'the veil' and Deathwing's presence shielding us."
Dathomir paused for a moment and then resumed speaking, only this time the voice came from one of his self-projections that stepped from the shadows on the other side of the clearing drawing everyone's attention.
"But then you finally came back Shadow and weakened that barrier, making her siren song all the clearer to one as sensitive as me. Red Deaths have a very distinct song, one I remember hearing but ignored when I first made the journey to the Isle of Night all those years ago! And now that we are here, beyond 'The Veil's' wards, I know for certain her magical hold upon you is still in effect, albeit diminished seeing you broke away from her.
Letting the information sink in Dathomir took the opportunity to look at every Nightfury present in the eye to see if they doubted his words. He inwardly smiled when he realised they all believed he was telling the truth. Even the nervous twitch in Toothless' tail was surely giving him away, something he knew both Moonchaser and Twilight would have also noticed. It was this little gap in proceedings that Toothless chose to defend himself.
"What are you talking about Dathomir? There is no other Alpha's call. If there was I am sure my father would have heard it and put a stop to it. I serve no-one but the Isle of Night!" he intoned quietly.
"Urgh! Such ignorance! Such denial! Here is a little knowledge only a Hybrid like myself would know!" Dathomir rumbled as yet another projection appeared with an evil smirk on his face. "Deathwing, being an Alpha class dragon himself, is completely unaware of the signals other Alpha's send out because he is too busy sending out his own. Such is the same of all the other Alpha's I have heard … The Red Death ….. the Bewilderbeast … The Foreverwing …. I have listened to them all and never once have they reached out and acknowledged each other! If they did then I suspect the great dragon wars of old would re-ignite in a battle for dominance and so, like I said, they all exist in a state of ignorance and denial, though I would say you are more living in denial First-born!"
"I do not deny anything …" Toothless hissed back, his nerves and anger starting to rise at the walls Dathomir was building with his argument to trap him, the mocking laughter of the Red Death beginning to echo in his mind "… I am … my own dragon!"
"Don't mistake us all for fools when the answer is right of us!" the second Dathomir murmured back, "Your actions since your return have been increasingly erratic. You nearly killed Nightbreaker in your duel, declaring it was 'for the queen', but not lady Silverwing obviously…."
Toothless could feel his body shivering and felt his heart sink as Moonchaser shifted slightly to look at him better, opening a sliver of a gap between their bodies, a gap that could have been a hundred leagues wide such was the isolation Toothless now felt. The first Dathomir then picked up the story.
"… Then you struggled with yourself at the hot springs, losing your anger in a way ….. only a conflicted slave at war with himself could … you declared to an unseen force that you didn't need her! …"
Twilight now visibly twitched, giving away that she knew of what Dathomir was taking about, drawing everyone's attention. With no way out she reluctantly gave a slow nod to confirm Dathomir's statement. The third copy of the light-weaver then spoke gravely.
"And now ….. tonight …. you bring utter chaos to the nest and threaten to break all bonds of fellowship with your loving kin …. spurned ever higher by an outside force whispering to increase your and the other Nightfuries' rage …." The first Dathomir now stepped forward and leaned so he was close to Toothless and Moonchaser, the pair frozen in fear at what the truth might mean for them "….. Even from my mountain, I could hear her venom seep into the hearts and minds of all those around you… none of this could be possible …. Unless you were under the influence of an Alpha beyond this nest …"
The other 'Dathomirs' now returned to their original creator and swirled together into a perfect clone of Hiccup that stood before Toothless much to the chagrin of the Nightfury prince. The clone simply smiled and ran his hand through his thick wavy hair, a perfect recreation, yet fragile and hollow as Dathomir swiped his claws through it causing it flicker away into nothingness, making Toothless twitch involuntarily again.
"It was the taking of Hiccup and seeing what effect it had on you ….. all the pieces came together ….. leaving me an answer that was all too obvious ….. " Dathomir pulled back to is full height "….. Though you have finally returned, you are still under the thrall of a Red Death ….." Toothless silently prayed to both the mother and father spirits and the stars of Draco that Dathomir wouldn't finish his sentence "…. and it is through you she seeks to enslave all of the Nightfuries! Even right now she prods you to do her will!"
In Toothless' mind he could now hear the Red Death screaming at him to kill Dathomir for bringing such truth to light. For now his status had been revealed in the presence of his loyal siblings, both the Alpha and Toothless feared this would mean the end of their respective plans. Without him even realising it, Toothless' claws had extended out, at first keeping him pinned to the ground or, if the voices in his head were to be followed, to lash out and sever Dathomir's damned tongue.
"Why do you say such treasonous things? …." Toothless wanted to stop there but the Red Death pushed him further "…. When you know I could kill you for it?
At this Dathomir chuckled quietly making the ground before him vibrate "Oh please!" he snorted "In your current state you could not kill me … regardless of the whispers in your ears! I have sparred many times with Nightbreaker, Scythe and even King Deathwing himself. I have bested them all and that is not even counting on my human knowledge of dragons. You would be a worthy challenge but not enough to best me!"
"We shall see!" Toothless snarled, his voice rising in anger and his claws unlatching from the ground to take up a fighting stance. He would have even issued a challenge, had not Moonchaser come in front of him and Nightbreaker stepped defensively in front of Dathomir, bringing the two dragons to halt.
"Stop this now!" Moonchaser urged in a whispered shout, reminding them of the still slumbering Hiccup only a few feet away.
"Why do you break such harmful words?" Nightbreaker asked Dathomir sternly, his red eyes aflame with worry and anger.
"Because, though I am the keeper of secrets …." Dathomir intoned, his own claws extended and ready to fight, " … this is one secret that threatens the lives of all you hold dear Toothless! ….." the light-weaver urged, using the Nightfury prince's new name to emphasize his point, "you would have me keep my silence while ruin befalls your mother, your father, your siblings, all of your kind … even your human!"
"His name is Hiccup!" Toothless shot back, irked by Dathomir playing with his and his boy's names.
"Oh I know his name well ….." Dathomir crooned smugly "… and he and I will find a safe haven from the corruption you carry when we are banished together."
"No! Hiccup cannot, will not be yours! Why do you pursue him so?" Toothless rasped harshly as he made a slight lunge forward, only to be halted by Moonchaser pressing into his chest from the front and Twilight pulling from the back, gripping his tail lightly in her gummy mouth. The desperation with which Toothless spoke made his mate-to-be and sibling nearly weep for they felt his heart tearing at the thought of losing his boy. Dathomir however was seemingly unmoved.
"Why do you possess him so?" the large light-weaver shot back "….. I stand as the only one immune to an Alpha's order. I was a human once so I can relate to him in a way you never will. I can carry him far away from all the creatures that have hurt and lied to him! ..." Dathomir's harsh expression softened slightly as he went on " … and I can be a true companion. I will feed his remarkable mind and show him things he had never even dreamed possible. I wish to spare him pain as you do. Now that you are next in line to the throne, do you really think you will be able to provide such kinship?"
Toothless believed himself ready to answer this question. He wanted to tell of how he planned to have Hiccup as part of his court, as the first true bridge between the Nightfuries and the humans and even other dragon species. He would succeed where his father had failed with 'the fallen one'. Hiccup would have a destiny with the Nightfuries. He was sure of it. But Dathomir would not relent in his case as he leaned over Nightbreaker to gaze firmly back at Toothless, his yellow eyes afire.
"Hiccup is not happy here!" Dathomir almost pleaded, "you know this! … but you lie to yourself thinking that if you can just survive long enough ….. your father will give in and grant him asylum out of your attrition and his boredom. Ha! Such foolishness!" the big dragon scoffed.
"I am Hiccup's protector, he will be accepted, I will make sure of that!" Toothless stated resolutely.
"Hiccup will not appreciate your constant coddling First-born! He will grow to resent the fact the only friends he has are dragons, when he needs to be amongst his own kind. Trust me when I say I know how humans behave! … " Dathomir snarked sarcastically before his gaze turned cold and accusatory "….. You would selfishly trap him in your cave until he is old and dies to satisfy your own needs. Hiccup already knows that human souls cannot pass to the Stars of Draco. He knows your separation is inevitable! …. And nothing you do will ever be enough to fill the gaping chasm that grows in his heart!"
"No!" Toothless whined as he felt his legs shake and buckle slightly. He had thought he understood that Dathomir bore a heavy burden in the weight of the truths he carried, but he had yet to fully aknowledge just how heavy they were until the light-weaver dropped them harshly on his shoulders. Combined with his own knowledge and personal secrets, it was nearly too much. The urge to rip Omen's wings open and grab hold of Hiccup was nearly overpowering.
"That's enough Blight-spawn!" Nightbreaker hissed angrily
"You have made you point Dathomir, please enough!" Twilight cooed in agreement, pleading for mercy with her sparkling silvery orbs. For a moment it looked as if her plea had made an impact, for the larger Nightfury seemed to falter. But with a slight shake of his head he crooned sadly in reply.
"The truth must be set free, no matter how painful! I seek only to remove your burdens … that you might both be free." Those words earned a distressed groan from all those assembled as Dathomir once again focused his attentions on Toothless, holding his green eyes in his sights. To Toothless, Dathomir seemed genuinely distressed now as he breathing hitched "I now set myself free this night" he murmured almost in pain "I have been … without human company for …. So … so long … and I desire a companion once more ….. you all know by your interactions with this boy how amazing and fulfilling it can be …how amazing he is … If you and Hiccup are too dangerous to stay together Shadow …. then I shall step in to provide both of you with the freedom you need to survive … and share my lonesome existence with someone would make me feel worthwhile … I do not seek to steal Hiccup from you ….. But I know if given the choice ….. you fear … that Hiccup would choose me over you!"
"If you seek a human, trickster, go and seek another, though I doubt you would have much luck, seeing how they cast you out in the first place!" Toothless snarled his back fins raised in barely supressed rage, "Hiccup will never be yours Dathomir, and I take pleasure in saying, you will never share a bond with him the way I do!"
Dathomir recoiled at the ferocity of Toothless words, hurt by their bluntness and complete lack of compassion in the face of his personal revelation. The light-weaver was unsure how much of Toothless' outburst was due to the Red Death's whispers or the first-borns own anger. Either way the message had been made clear. Schooling his features Dathomir pulled his head up and looked down his nose at the heir of the Nightfury throne, his hurt now hidden under a mask of indifference.
"We shall seeeeeeee" the Nightfury warbled playfully, his switching of tactic and tone driving them all to near a frenzy of madness, "But you know … Toothless … Hiccup is not yours either and one day soon he will tell you as such!" Dathomir crooned in a singsong way as he began to pace about the edge of the clearing, "I know you have not told Hiccup everything of your past. If he truly knew what you have done, I would see the truth in his eyes and hear the tone of his voice like no other Nightfury here!" Dathomir grinned as he paused his pacing to snatch a glance and knew by Toothless' fearful expression his suspicions were confirmed, "When he learns of your past and what you have deliberately not told him, He will not stand for such lies or omissions of truth … and when that happens ….. he will not live with such betrayal!"
"And I suppose when you are done here, you will wake Hiccup and tell every sordid secret you know about me then?" Toothless replied angrily, "You will drive the wedge home yourself and destroy two lives with your selfishness!? When will you tell him?!"
Keeping up his pacing around the clearing, tearing up tuffs of grass and bark, Dathomir didn't even grace Toothless with a glance in return. He looked anywhere but at Toothless to show his aloofness. "Well at least I have been honest about my selfishness, you hide behind veiled promises and secrets in return for favours!" by now Dathomir had returned to his original place near Omen and he looked down, not at the Nightfury but rather at where everyone knew Hiccup was sleeping "Me? Unveil you to Hiccup? Oh no, tis not my place! It is yours as you so often claim! That will be your burden to place on his shoulders and we will all be interested if they strong enough to carry the weight. For if they are not or you leave it too long, your human will have only one …!"
"… Hiccup will not leave me!" Toothless barked in interruption, cringing slightly for raising his voice and holding his place until he heard the uninterrupted peaceful breathing of Hiccup. When all was still silent he looked at Dathomir for his response.
"Hiccup will do what he believes is right whether you wish it or not!" the light-weaver intoned, "I have heard enough of him to know that. He has a pure yet damaged soul. He puts the lives of all those around him above the value of his own. It is all he has ever been told. That everyone matters more than him, only lashing back when pushed beyond the brink. And if he comes to believe he has to give you up for the greater good ….. then he will do it out of his own choosing. You know this be true!"
Despite wanting to shut out all Dathomir had said, Toothless knew Hiccup was indeed a selfless creature. If there was someone with a need of any kind he would gladly sacrifice whatever it took to fill that need.
He had given so much to get him back in the air after all.
Half of that beautiful outlook was Hiccup's own generous, compassionate nature and the other was the exploitation his fellow humans had beaten into him for most of his life. Hiccup had been nurtured into giving up everything he wanted without any consideration for the consequences to himself. During those months they had spent together in the cove Toothless had come to realize Hiccup had given and given and given to his own kind but received next to nothing in return.
And when Hiccup had finally taken what he wanted. His freedom and his life, It resulted in him becoming a black aura of cold vengeance that nearly cost the life of one of his own kind. An act of cruelty that seemed to haunt the boy more and more as the weeks had gone by, regardless of how willing Toothless had been to help of his own volition.
"Yes ….. I know Hiccup would sacrifice anything for me …. I mean others …. To be happy." Toothless replied sorrowfully.
"And he will need no prodding, after spending two suns amongst his own kind!" Dathomir pressed on evenly "he will be unable to resist living amongst them once more. As surely as birds of the same kind flock as one, Hiccup will not be able to resist the lure of having humans in his company. He needs it … craves it … as any of us ….. crave the company of each other …. when the nights are ….. cold ….. long and lonely … You dragons will never be enough!"
"I should have you banished for how you speak to me!" Toothless hissed, uncaring for the dragon that was nick-named Old Lonesome for no fault of his own or the hurt the great beast obviously felt at being an outcast dragon among a tribe of outcast dragons.
"Such is not the way of the first-born!" Dathomir crooned dejectedly, "Besides I think your siblings and intended would break words over this now. If you will not set yourself free to Hiccup, at least free yourself to them!"
Dathomir stepped back into the shadows of the forest, made starker by what appeared to be the onset of morning twilight in the far distance.
"Brother! Is it true?" Nightbreaker rumbled, his red eyes wide with uncertainty, "Did you forsake your loyalty to your nest and clan? Do you forsake it still?"
"What is it? Tell us!" Twilight begged as she came around to face him too.
"I will not speak a word of this to anyone First-born!" Omen whispered to calm Toothless who was looking from one Nightfury to the other skittishly.
"You need to tell them my love!" Moonchaser crooned as she looked at Toothless dead in the eye, her milky white orbs offering as much comfort as she could muster. She had already beheld many of Toothless' memories during their mind-share on the causeway back at the Isle of the Night only hours before. But now in the face of Dathomir's audacious verbal jabs, she had to hear the words from his own lips, see the look on his face and listen carefully to the tone of his own re-telling.
Moonchaser leaned forward, hoping her closeness would give Toothless confidence. However it seemed to have the opposite effect as her mate-to-be flinched and drew in on himself closing his eyes and visibly shivered as he wrestled with his daemons.
'It was all too much!
The looks, the voices, the attention!'
Toothless wanted them all to go away.
To shut up and not torment him so.
To stop demanding he reveal a part of himself he so loathed and despised. And all the while the Red Death's taunting voice was burning within him, urging him to either silence them with his will as an Alpha to be, to simply kill them or mentally strike down their defences so she could begin controlling them all herself. For a few brief moments his hearing cuts out altogether, replaced by a high-pitched whine that threatened to overwhelm him into some dead-willed state. He could see his siblings and mate whispering amongst themselves, casting worried and suspicious glances at him as dark static began to encroach on his vision.
He wanted to tell them.
He didn't want to tell them.
He wanted them to understand.
He knew they would never understand.
He was going to lose it all. The Red Death was going to take him again. He was going to k …
"…. be at peace, we are here ….. be at peace, we are here ….. be at peace, we are here!"
The three voices, all speaking in unison yet in a discordant harmony shattered through the haze in his mind. Again a screech of defeat echoed from a distant somewhere, but in a jarring sudden moment, Toothless found himself back in the real world and he saw the black scales of his three closest companions resting their foreheads against his own. Taking a step back he realised the voices he heard where those of Nightbreaker, Twilight and Moonchaser. Together they had freed him from his increasing fugue state and Toothless realised that despite how infuriating and divisive Dathomir was being, he was in one sense correct.
He had to set himself free ….. and only the truth would do that.
Sitting down fully, Toothless lowered his gaze, his voice barely above a whisper as the others also sat, their heads all still very close to touching.
"When I left the Isle of Night ….. " he began shakily, pawing at the ground in nervousness " … I flew as far the winds could carry me….. I saw ancestral lands not seen since the days of our parent's youth and the great cataclysm that befell our kind all those years ago…." All those present nodded in recognition of their once great home, either through memory or hearing of it in tales told by older Nightfuries, "…I wandered the ruins of our old homeland, I crossed mighty seas and sky breaking mountains in search of the missing piece of my heart. I thought I would find it on some distant shore, within some new experience or from a type of dragon that had gained knowledge beyond my ken and share with me the secrets they possessed, a Bewilderbeast maybe, perhaps even I dreamed of crossing paths with the Foreverwing himself …. that they might aid my life's journey and give me the guidance I sought! ….. "Toothless saw the hopeful expressions in his companion's faces, especially Moonchaser who he had argued with, yet still left behind, so driven was he to pursue his goal. He had regretted leaving her every day ….. that is … until his enslavement. All of their faces dropped however as Toothless looked away in shame " …. But there was no such revelation to found. Though I met many dragons of species not seen in ages past, I did not find my goal in the vast world. I believed ….. I had failed!" The morose tone of Toothless' voice made Moonchaser lean forward and give his face a quick nuzzle and a lick to urge him to continue his story and to remind him that at least he had to come back to reclaim what he had once left behind. Encouraged Toothless perked up and kept going "… It had not been a very long span of years, but my wings had taken me far. Yet it was never far enough ….. So with a heavy heart I turned back homeward, hoping to find solace and purpose once I reconnected with my love and kin….."
The other Nightfuries all smiled at the fact that Toothless had at least made that part of his plan come true, albeit a couple of decades overdue.
" … And yet…"
This was part of the story Toothless hated. The forever reminder that had haunted him in nights past, continued to plague him this very day and could very well destroy his future. The mocking voice of the Red Death was still there but no-where near as noticeable as it had been, still demanding him to shut his mouth. But no. Toothless would not listen. Not this time and so he ploughed ahead and would deal with the hurt and consequences later.
"As I sped home, I opened my mind fully to the call of my Alpha seeking its guidance to bring me home. I was tired and weak and still troubled at my lack of discovery. I knew our Alpha would always guide me home!" he said warmly finding the others nodding at the reassurance Deathwing's presence gave them, "… Finally I heard it! The voice, the Alpha's call, It called to me, the voice that was strong and warm and comforting, promising that once I came home all my questions would be answered, all my worries calmed and all my heartache neutralized." Toothless' eyes became troubled and his scaled brows furrowed as he kept going, now reliving the horrifying moments he literally walked into a trap he should have seen coming but had been too blind and selfish to realise "….. I flew into a nest forged by fire only to find that it was not the caverns carved by the great Wyrm Soulfire, but the inside of a volcano ruled by a horrid abomination. A ruinous, poisonous queen, seducing me with her beautiful siren call and limitless magicks. Even as I began to realize my mistake and tried to break free, she ploughed into my mind, blasting away what little defences I had left and claiming me wholly for herself. Upon that day, I became …. her slave … completely and utterly loyal to her and her endless desires!"
It took Toothless a few seconds to realise he had carved some nasty gashes in the ground with his claws as he recounted this part. Seeing the concerned looks of his mate and siblings, he reassured them with a look and retracted his claws.
"It was her own Alpha's core and foul magicks that kept me from Omen's and my father's sight hiding me away, always binding me close to ensure that I never harboured thoughts of escape or rebellion. … " Toothless explained earning a knowing look from Omen who was thankful for not failing in his duties for so many years, "…. And so it was that I never had any thoughts or desires to return home … for in my heart, mind and soul I believed I already was home ….. serving my rightful queen like all the others in her nest!" Each Nightfury looked distressed as Toothless described the source of their communal plight. Wishing to spare them some of the darker horrors he lifted his gaze over to Dathomir who was watching intently from the shadows, his camouflage perfect even against the shifting light of dawn, "…. It was a dark place full of dark things that I do not wish to speak of now …. If our resident 'truth-dragon' will allow it?!"
"By all means first-born" Dathomir crooned at Toothless' deeply sarcastic jibe. The Nightfury prince would have to thank Hiccup later for helping him master the art of sarcasm. Something distinctly lacking in a lot dragon interactions. The little bit of levity allowed Toothless to get to his most preferred part of the story.
" ….. And then one day … one fateful day …. Hiccup passed my way…."
The other dragons, picking up on his happier change in tone, perked up their ears and even wagged their tails gently seeing the attitude of their prince brighten in the coming glow of the dawn sun.
" …. It was him who freed me from the grip of the Red Death's control and returned my memory of you, my kin, to me. As we grew to trust one-another and our bond strengthened, I knew that he was unlike any other human I had encountered and thus deserving of my friendship, trust and loyalty. In such a short time I realised that this small yet sturdy human could have been the very thing I had been searching for my whole life! It made my dragon heart burn to know I had found such a valuable treasure!"
Toothless grinned as he heard Hiccup's heart still beating steady and strong, even encased in Omen's wings, always reminding him of Hiccup's lust for life and what he gone through to maintain it. It made Toothless very clear in his next statement.
"I also learned of Hiccup's deplorable life of cruelty, suffering at the hands of those who should rightfully call him 'first-born' and give him due respect and reverence. As this nest gives me! It was a sorry tale of escalation which, if left unchecked, could have cost him his very life and mine! I decided then that he would accompany me to the Isle of Night and find the comfort his birth home had been lacking. I've told you before. He saved me and now I must save him!"
The collective of dragons hummed in unison to show their support for Toothless' decision. Granted Hiccup was essential for Toothless to fly and so he was here. However it seemed that, had Toothless been fully capable of self-flight, he would have brought Hiccup anyway.
But the huge black-scaled fly in the ointment raised his head now in the form of Dathomir who came forward a few steps, now clearly visible in the morning light.
"But the Red Death still calls to you! And by extension Hiccup as well seeing he has shown himself to be susceptible to an Alpha's call!" the light-weaver muttered accusingly as Twilight's eyes widened in remembrance of such an incident when Hiccup drew her.
"Yes she does and I cannot stop her for much longer!" Toothless snarked back irritably as he heard distant laughing again, "As for Hiccup I may have … overpowered … the spell I used to let him understand Dragoneese …."
"That is why you want him to accepted into the clan of the Nightfuries!" Dathomir crooned in mock realisation "You have been drawing on his endless will! It helps defend your mind and if he is made one of us when your core is re-ignited, then you will be able to defend both Hiccup and yourself!"
At this statement Toothless nodded expecting to finally make headway with Dathomir, hoping that now he had revealed what his intentions and resources were, the keeper-of-secrets would cut him a break and actually help bring his dreams to reality for the betterment of everyone. However such a thing was not be as Dathomir only narrowed his eyes and hissed right into his face.
"You've been using him!" the yellow-eyed dragon spoke venomously, "finally you reveal yourself for the truly selfish salamander you are! The boy simply a tool for you!"
"No I have not been using him!" Toothless retorted snapping back up to face down his accuser "you insult me with such words! It is merely a mighty benefit to the bond we share!" the Nightfury prince declared as he stepped forward forcing Dathomir and the others to pull back "It has deepened to a level where we need each other to survive! As I need his help to fly and to remain myself, he needs my help to not hear the Red Death's call. So far it has worked and I have not detected her voice speaking to him!"
"It is why you cannot bear to part from him for long" Omen crooned,
"Why you care for him so!" Nightbreaker added,
"And are so protective of him" Twilight chimed in gaining an apologetic look from Toothless for punishing her with cruel words in the past.
"Your fates are locked together, two broken circles of life, bound until you both can be made whole again!" Moonchaser surmised, earning a nuzzle from Toothless in response.
Dathomir scoffed a snort at Toothless' justification for his actions but the Nightfury prince was unfazed as he turned to those he hoped would help him.
"But it is getting harder and harder to fend off the Red Death now that she knows where I am!" Toothless whispered urgently, "I need this matter resolved and fast! We must be free of this Island and safely behind 'The Veil' again soon. And once home, only with your help can I convince the others of Hiccup's worth!"
"We cannot tell father!" Nightbreaker rumbled to a surprised Toothless who figured this would be the first thing they would tell Deathwing upon their return.
"No we cannot!" Twilight urged in agreement, "If he knows of what is going on, he may banish you for being the conduit that draws the Red Death's attentions.
"And that will place both of you at risk and, as I said, all of us in danger. This is a battle you cannot win Shadow!" Dathomir interjected soberly.
"Being made one of the clan would prevent any harm as Hiccup would be fully protected by our kind's magic as well as my own once my core is re-awakened once again!" Toothless spoke firmly "Father will see us both as a threat to the flock and send us away, leaving us to fall prey to that damned siren call and I would not have such a thing befall Hiccup or me!"
"Thoughts of loss spur you on brother!" Nightbreaker warbled.
"As they do us then! We will not lose either of you now that you are here!" Moonchaser added with a firm hopeful tone to her voice.
"Then we are agreed" Toothless warbled hopefully," We will keep our silence until such time that I can be made whole again and strong enough to keep all of you safe!"
"This is the shame that has weighed down your wings Shadow!" Twilight cooed in worry as she leaned against him shoulder-to-shoulder as she had done with Hiccup all those weeks ago, "Kept you smothered under its burden. Know that you will not bear this burden alone! Not anymore!"
"Thank-you, thank you all!" Toothless cooed warmly as he once again felt the embrace of his fellow Nightfuries nuzzling him closely. They halted their embrace when they realised they were still being watched by Dathomir who was now back baring the steely, suspicious look he wore at this confrontations beginning.
"Dathomir?" Toothless asked warily "Do you stand with us? Or against us?"
"I stand as I always have and always will" the light-weaver crowed bitterly "I stand apart from the lot of you! I stand on Hiccup's side. For him will I keep the secrets of this night! ….. " Toothless and the others heaved a collective sigh of relief before Dathomir kept talking, his demeanour still cold despite the warm sun now splitting the trees along with the morning chorus of birdsong, " … But ….. I will stand ready to spirit Hiccup away from the Isle of Night if he falls from favour, before Blacklight and his kin seek to move against him."
"That's the best I can ask for, I thank you as well!" Toothless replied as warmly as he could, even effecting a bow to the irksome dragon that landed him in this mess in the first place but somehow secured himself allies who now were fully loyal to his and Hiccup's cause.
'Unless that was what Dathomir had planned all along?'
'What? ….. No! ….. Wait ….. Maybe? ….. ugh my head hurts now!'Toothless shook the muddled thoughts in his head. The night had been a difficult ordeal and a deep yawn told him how much he needed rest. But first it was time to rouse his young human and set him on the path to the village. Trotting over to Omen, one look from Toothless was all it took for the black-eyed dragon to unfurl his wings and nudge Hiccup out into the open thus bringing him back to consciousness.
"Come on Hiccup! It's time to wake my boy!" Toothless cooed gently licking the tear marks from his cheeks. At once the bright green eyes Toothless had so long to see again, snapped open. Before he knew it Hiccup was up and hugging his dragon friend, arms stretched to breaking point around his wide scaly neck.
"Oh bud, I'm so happy!" Hiccup whimpered causing the black dragon to pull back in concern.
"What is it?!" Toothless asked
"Oh nothing," Hiccup replied as if he was just remembering something "I'm just really happy that we're here and now I get to see if Omen's sight-beyond-sight really works!"
"Did you sleep well?" Toothless queried, his true-sight already searching for a deeper answer from the human he knew who had become an expert in hiding his true feelings from those around him.
"Well yeah bud, I think so, I had a dream I was talking to … someone? ….. they were shouting …..urgh ….. it might have been my dad!. Then I heard your voice and I woke up!"
There didn't seem to be any lie in Hiccup's eyes and so Toothless chalked it up to it being another one if his memories of Berk. But the boy was awake, the dream was forgotten and all was right with the world.
"Well now that is done, it's time for you to go!" Moonchaser warbled as she came up and gave Hiccup a nuzzle of her own.
"Wow! can't wait to get rid of me, can you?!" Hiccup dead-panned sarcastically before leaning on Toothless casually like a good wingman should, "but then that would mean you get this big hunky dragon all to yourself then don't ya?! You my good lady dragon have excellent taste!"
The bewildered and slightly embarrassed look on Moonchaser's face was probably the biggest pay-off Hiccup had ever seen and the other Nightfuries present seem to agree as all of them burst out laughing, Nightbreaker and Twilight rolling on the ground in hysterics.
Despite being the punch line to his joke Moonchaser recovered with good grace and looked to Toothless for help. The bigger dragon simply jerked his head around and caught his sarcastic friend up the back of the head with one of his heavy ear flaps earning a laughed out yelp and having Hiccup diving for his travelling pack and hood.
"OK Ok! I'll be back as soon as I can, you guys look after yourselves, see ya bud!" the boy said cheerily as he began exiting the clearing waving happily as he did so.
The journey to the road only took about ten minutes and was in the exact direction Omen's vision had shown him. Though he didn't need to look back, he knew one of them was following him. It was probably Dathomir. Hiccup figured out of all the black-scaled Nightfuries he could weave light around him to make himself invisible and thus protect him in the now fully risen sunlight. It was reassuring to know that at least some the dragons had his back.
Stopping to pick up a fallen branch as a walking stick, Hiccup began thinking back to the dream he had. It was one of those dreams that faded from memory as soon as you woke up, yet it must have been something important. Hiccup simply shrugged and let it fall from his thoughts as he found the road and began striding toward the southern town on the Isle of Munn.
Despite all that happened these past few days and especially the chaos that resulted in him begging Deathwing to let him come here, Hiccup felt surprisingly up-beat for being a stranger on a strange Island. He was going to be around new people today. People who may not judge him as others had done.
Yes, today was a new day, full of potential and nothing was going to change that.
Hiccup smiled as the settlement came into view.
'What had that dream been about it again?'
It probably didn't matter. Right?
(Hiccup's dream, that ended only a few minutes ago)
The air was filled with smoke.
It choked the lungs with its acrid smell. The burning flesh of humans mixed with the heavy aroma of once proud timber homes burned to charcoal and ash.
Hiccup looked around at the devastation of the burning village. He wasn't sure how it had happened but he was sure of one thing.
It was all his fault.
Staring at the corpses strewn about on the ground, he saw many were still alive but were writhing and screaming in constant pain as their skin had been burnt from their bones, revealing the bloodied muscle and sinews beneath.
The faces of the people were twisted into horror struck visages that all stared at him and condemned him with their wide blood shot eyes. They bore into him and he felt the weight of their oppressive accusatory gazes.
"You did this!" they victims all chanted as one, a terrified rasping choir of the damned, "YOU DID THIS!"
Hiccup had no defence to their claims. He knew he was responsible. He just didn't know why. All he could say was.
"I'm …. I'm sorry … I'm so sorry ….. What did I do? …. WHAT DID I DO?!"
The question was harrowing and desperate.
If he knew what he had done then maybe he could fix it somehow?
But everyone was dead, the village was destroyed. It was too late to be fixed
"TOO LATE! ….. TOO LATE! …. TOO LATE! ….. TOO LATE! …. TOO LATE! ….. TOO LATE! …."
The constant chanting made Hiccup's head hurt. He raised his hands to block his ears only to see two swords in his hands.
They were finely made from a silvery steel, but slick from hilt to tip with blood. Terrified, Hiccup tried to drop the swords but they seemed to be stuck to his hands and no matter how hard he struggled he could not let them go. Panicking he flailed his arms as strongly as he could, hyperventilating as his fingers remained locked around the handles, only to feel them stop as they hit something soft yet, solid and a gasp to cry out.
Before he knew it, a body slumped against him and he fell to the ground, his victim in his arms. To his utter stupefaction Hiccup realised that the woman he had just murdered was none other than Astrid Hofferson, her face scarred, her hair torn to shreds. She looked just like she did after Toothless had wrought his revenge on her, except now she had two swords sticking out of her chest.
"Oh gods! …. Astrid! ….. I'm sorry ….. I'm so so sorry!"
Tears now poured out of Hiccup's eyes as he beheld the girl that had at one point been his biggest crush and simultaneously his worst nightmare. With a strange sense of déjà vu, Hiccup realised he had dreamt this dream before. Only now everything was a hundred times more potent. His greatest sin was once again back to haunt him and it would never go away. This was the result of his own petty vengeance and once again there was nothing he could do stop it. The dying Astrid looked at him and smiled wickedly, her lips and voice joining in with the ghostly whispering chorus behind her.
"too late! ….. too late! …. too late! ….. too late! …. too late! ….. too late! …."
It was all too much and Hiccup jumped up and ran as the now dead Astrid stood and joined the death march of familiar Vikings that pursued Hiccup all through the village he now recognized as the charred ruins of Berk. His once and former home.
The spectres that chased him were moving inexorably slowly yet Hiccup found he could not outrun them, no matter how fast he moved. They were all there Astrid, Snotlout, Fishlegs, the twins, Stoick, Gobber, Spitelout, Phlegma, Bucket, Mulch, Hoark, Ack, Snorre, Dogsbreath, Dunbrain, the Hoffersons, the Ingermans, the Jorgensons, Gothi the elder, the Larsons, the Svensons, the Snotmen, Trader Johan and so on ….. and so on … and so on…
Literally every Viking that Hiccup had ever met was now chasing him, demanding his blood in recompense for theirs even though he already knew it was too late to do anything.
Every time he yelled "I'm sorry!" to the apparitions he was met with a reply of emotionless chanting of "too late! ….. too late!"
It was futile, it was unavoidable, it was useless.
He was useless
Always has been. Always will be.
Useless.
Hiccup snapped in a new direction desperately trying to outrun his ghastly entourage. He snatched a glance over his shoulder and was relived to find the spectres gone, only to trip on something he hadn't noticed before. Looking up from the ground he found himself lying amongst a pile of fresh corpses only to discover to his horror that they were not pink fleshy humans but black scaled Nightfuries!
Again the swords were glued to his hands!
Not only that, it seemed his legs wouldn't work properly, forcing him to use the blades as walking sticks. But with every staggered and stumbling step he took, Hiccup fell, plunging his blades into the bodies of his draconic friends eliciting fresh screams of pain as he made his through this twisted nightmare land made of broken humans and distorted dragons.
Twilight was stabbed in the chest.
Nightbreaker was impaled through an eye.
Moonchaser lost a leg.
Searching for the only thing that brought him comfort, Hiccup looked for Toothless. His one shred of hope in this nightmarish existence.
He would not have that hope for long. Seeing the dishevelled body of his best friend, distinguished in all the chaos by his saddle and tailfin, Hiccup stumbled over to him, tears pouring in torrents from his eyes now. As with Astrid, when he finally held his best friend in his arms, he saw that the swords were now buried deep into Toothless' back, blood pouring everywhere.
" TOOTHLESS! ….. Oh gods! …. I'm sorry ….. I'm so so sorry! …. I'm sorry bud …..I'm sorry sorry sorry … bud please wake up! Say something!"
The heart rending cries of the boy finally had an effect and the Nightfury opened his eyes and looked right at him. Hiccup smiled at this sign of life.
"Thank the gods! …. Don't worry bud …I'll get you all fixed up! …. It will be ok!"
"Don't worry Hiccup ….." the black dragon crooned warmly "soon … I'll be dead and you won't have to worry about me anymore ….. you'll be all on your own ….. just like you wanted!"
"What?!"
"It's alright human" the Nightfury continued as the anger in his eyes continued to rise "don't feel bad that we all died because of you! As long as you get what you want, everything will be just fine!"
"Toothless no! … that's not what I want!... I didn't kill you! ….. I mean ….. did I?"
The doubt was now crippling in its pressure. Of all the things in this hellish world, the last thing Hiccup wanted to be responsible for was the death of his best friend. But here and now he knew what the Nightfury had said was absolutely true. Toothless' eyes became listless causing Hiccup to hold the dragons head and shout more desperately as he sobbed.
"No bud …. Stay with me ….. I'm sorry …. Don't go … say something please!"
The auburn haired boy leaned in as he heard Toothless struggle to say something, taking one final, ragged breath. Bringing his ear close to the dragon's mouth he begged with all his heart to hear some final words of comfort or solace from his dying friend.
"I….. I should have ….. killed you ….. when I had the chance …. Damned … human!"
With those horrible heart-breaking words Toothless died and disintegrated into millions of tiny pieces leaving Hiccup alone with a face of gut-retching pain on his face, the twin swords that were once impaled in Astrid and Toothless now both rammed through his own heart.
It was a desolate end to their existence. Hiccup felt he was going to drown in an ever rising tide of tears and blood as he came to the revelation that all around him died and he was the cause.
He had caused all this.
It didn't matter now. As long the ever-encroaching tide of darkness consumed him now, Hiccup figured his life ending was fair payment for the suffering he had caused. And still the morbid waters kept rising and rising around him.
The lake of death was up to his chin. Hiccup closed his eyes in acceptance ready for the end ….
But it was not the end ….
Suddenly, a bursting beam of light lanced out from the sky and struck Hiccup.
The force of the beam drove the all the blackness away leaving him exposed on a plateau of stone. The air was warm and a faint song danced through his ears. It was actually quite pleasant.
"H – H – H - Hello?" Hiccup called out quietly, hoping this was a sign the nightmare had ended and finally he had entered a peaceful happy dream.
"Come to me my child, let not the night's fury trouble you any longer" a beautiful female voice rang out. It spoke to Hiccup on every level. It was a beautiful motherly voice, like Silverwing's only much more melodic.
Even though he didn't know where he was going Hiccup began moving toward the voice as it continued to whisper to him.
"That's it, forget what has troubled your sleep, forget it all now. That's it, come this way, I will protect you! Forget it all!"
Hiccup's smile grew as knew the voice could be trusted, even more so when it began to sing again.
He would follow this voice, the harrowing images of his nightmares and fears already forgotten, his cares abandoned to the winds.
For what harm could this beautiful voice bring as it continuously sang to him soothingly, bathing him in warm comforting light?
"Hush little young-one, I'll take thee away, into my land of enchantment!"
"Rest now my child, deep in my embrace, here in my garden of magic!"
As the singing faded and the Viking boy pressed ahead, a new more masculine voice took over.
"Come on Hiccup! It's time to wake my boy!"
As the light grew in intensity and he heard Toothless' voice again, now more real than ever before, Hiccup raced toward the growing light and the feeling of a big slobbery tongue on his face, the sound of laughter still yet ringing in his deepest darkest subconscious.
It's not as if dreams could any real damage though right?
For Hiccup had re-joined his draconic friends in the land of the conscious and all was right with the world.
Yet unknown to all, the claws of a predator had finally slipped in undetected to steal a Nightfury prince's most priceless treasure.
No-one would ever see her coming and all would fall as she prepared to snatch back her victory to consume them all in her jaws of defeat.
There you are guys!
This marks the end of the snatching Victory arc!
There were lots of revels here and I really hoped I conveyed the scene well and what is driving some of these characters forward as there was lots of 'talking' going on as well as a pretty dark dream sequence which will be evolving in it's intensity as the chapters go by. I'm sure you may have questions so go ahead and ask and I'll certainly try and answer them. It really took a lot of 'humming and hah-ing' about stuff going on here and I'd really like to hear what you think.
Until next time
Be excellent to each other!
Razor95
