Disclaimer: Dream Works and Cressida Cowell own the How to Train Your Dragon franchise.
Everything was too bright, bright enough to pierce an infinite void.
My eyes were forced open by the stinging bright light of the morning sun, the kind that refused allowing anyone to remain sleeping. But I wasn't my useless brother, I was going to be up and about. I just wanted the sun to go away first.
I raised my wing to block the light, hoping to buy my eyes some precious time to adjust before beginning the day proper. But my wings were… failing at their job. The light pierced through them easily, almost as if it completely bypassed my thick leathery membranes like they weren't even there. Shouldn't they have offered a little reprieve?
I brought my wing closer to my snout, hoping that would solve the problem. It didn't.
Strange, my wings seemed a little off. My membranes were missing and… why were they so...
I screamed, realizing just what was wrong. My wings they were… they were too pink, too stick like. I had these strange paws that pulsed and moved in strange and alien fashions. Each little end acted on its own accord, wildly shaking without paying much mind to its brethren. These paws were maddeningly disturbing!
But that wasn't all that was wrong with me. The rest of me was just as pale, without a single trace of my reddened coat. I couldn't see my snout anymore and what little I could was just barely into view. My mouth was too short, ugly and full of dull teeth. There was this overgrown canopy of furs that sprang from my top that went down past my new, overly shortened neck. My legs were far too long, almost like sticks, overly slim. My chest meanwhile seems to have grown disproportionately in contrast to everything else. I must have been so disgusting, so out of shape. Even the dull aches that I got from blunt injury and strenuous activity seemed pale in comparison.
And for even more insult to injury, I was covered in these furs that I had no clue on how to undo. They were not some blanket, but rather those coverings the Herd was so obsessed with during the outside. With my awkwardly moving paws, I could tell there was this… cold thing around my neck, some sort of plant with a hard stone of some sort attached to it. I bet I was practically indistinguishable from one of them, those lowly animals.
I growled in frustration.
And just when I thought I was done dealing with these sorts of things. A few months ago, if anyone told me about Kin turning into Herd or the other way around, I would have laughed them off and asked grandfather to fly to offender to some sort of mad voyage.
When my King demonstrated the Herd female turning into a Nadder during what I had hoped to be the first step of a long and prosperous life, I simply thought it was an idle curiosity. After all, if my King could grant all sorts of power to my Kin if they proved their worth, simply turning Herd into Kin seemed like a similar boon for a different, lower caste. And then just after that, I saw the infamous Flight Commander Dead Wings turning into one of the Herd.
At first I thought it was some sort of boon, but then, I really didn't see how that could have been an advantage. I mean, Herd were so weak without their things after all. Slowly, I began to realize that the Flight Commander was like the Nadder… and she was forsaking her boons. That was so unreal to me, how could anyone choose to undo what makes them so much better? I ran, not wanting to be lured into the that mess. I asked my Lord for answer about that night, but he simply told me that it was a temporary arrangement.
Sure enough, he was right, as when the ice melted, the Flight Commander was back in duty and once again leading our King's Flights to glory. Although, I don't really understand what went on a few weeks back, other than Dead Wings returned and brought along this incredibly strong, yet aged Monstrous Nightmare. But a part of me is wondering if he was anything like the other Flight Commander, they seemed to know each other well, almost too well.
Either way, I decided to put all that… madness behind me. The King had broken free from the Nest sometime during then and he has made known his intentions to start what he deemed a "Golden Age". As part of that plan, I was to be enlisted as a Squire to the newest Flight. It was easy to forget about anything else when my dreams were slowly becoming a reality. I would have made myself a great Knight and then a Flight Commander if I was given the time for it.
And then the madness found me. On my first major outing after just being freshly minted and assigned for duty, I find myself thrown into a Herd nest by some sort of freak of Herd and then I met another pair determined to antagonize me. Except that that one of them happened to be my aloof and lazy brother and I was sure the other was his undeserving Liege. It was bad enough I had to meet them, but no, they had to do something even worse and infinitely more shameful!
I groaned and kept my head to the floor. It hurt; when they forced me into this pitiful body, I didn't notice what they had did until I hit my head against the ground because I lacked the wings to stay afloat. I hope none of my Kin knew about what happened, I had appearances to upkeep after all. In fact, I better find a way to escape this mess and undo this curse before anyone I knew noticed me.
I looked around. I was in one of those Herd dwellings that were made of harvested trees. Their nests were all sorts of breakable, and far too burnable for any of my Kin, but unfortunately, I didn't have that did I? The ports in the walls the sunlight filtered through were all rather small, with little slabs of barring me from using them to make my escape. I scowled to myself. If I couldn't get out the easy way, there should still be a way for me to leave. How did Herd leave their own dwellings?
I looked around some more and found this differently colored slab of wood different from the walls. I think Herd used these, based on the small amount of things I seen them do during last night's siege.
I went on all fours and crawled over to the the entrance. It felt so awkward doing that, my lower legs didn't bend the right way and were far too long for moving. I know the Herd used only their lower legs to move, but I was protesting my current state of affairs.
Once I was right in front of the wooden panel I began trying to pound my way through it. I know Herd opened this thing via some strange power, but how?
After slamming my body several times against the wood, I realized I was making no progress and looked for an alternate rout. I searched the wooden panel, finding this strange… bulb jutting from the left side. Was this what I was searching for?
I moved my jaw over to the strange bulb and tried biting it, but my jaws were too small. Stupid beasts and their overly complex designs. Why not just have the entrances to their dens be like any other sane persons, open?
I struggled against the bulb, knowing my freedom was just an action away from me opening the obstruction. I pawed at it several times and wiggled and responded. I knew what I needed to do. And then after enough pawing, I found the wooden panel open and slide outward.
My heart leapt, my moment of triumph was here!
And then I saw the paw on the bulb on the other side and the group it belonged to.
"You're awake!" said one golden furred Herd in what I thought to be surprise. It was not an adult, but it seemed large enough to pass on for one. They were certainly… bigger than me. It was so strange, I had gotten so used to being bigger than most other Kins save my Lord and now these creatures were so much larger. It was even worse as I was so close to the ground.
"You feeling okay?" said another Herd, it having brownish fur.
I blinked several times, trying to process it. Was I hearing… Herd speak to me? That was unreal. Animals did not talk… Then again, were they also to become Kin. So confusing.
The brown furred one seemed to notice it and seemed to frown. "Oh, right, you don't recognize us."
I blinked again. Was I supposed to?
My thoughts became interrupted as four golden furred Herd jumped into view, pushing themselves and each other against each other in a big tangled ball of violence and laughter. Two of them were exactly identical, while the other pair seemed to have slight differences but plenty of similarities. The two larger Herd stepped out of the way and let out sighs. I got the vague feeling that this happened often.
"Don't mind them, they've been like that since forever…" said the larger blonde.
I simply nodded, unsure of how to react to anything.
Then the two identical blondes broke from the tangle and stood in front of me, wild looks in their eyes and their jaws open to show teeth.
"Hey there!" one spoke.
"Nightmare!" said the other.
"You-"
"-remember-"
"us?"
The two spoke, completing eachothers sentences without skipping a beat, almost as if they had a lifetime's worth of practice at perfecting it. It reminded me of the way some Zipplebacks spoke, with each head acting perfectly in sync with the other. Almost as alarming was the fact that they knew what I truly was. How?
"Who…" I began to speak for the first time. My voice sounded so… squeaky, almost like one of those Terrible Terrors with their tiny voices. This was so humiliating. But I continued to speak anyways, after all, these Herd couldn't have been people I knew.
The two identical blondes and the brown furred one shown their teeth, but I think the brown furred one was being nervous about it.
The brown furred one gave what reminded me of a grimace. "Uh…" it seemed to struggle finding the words. "Nightmare… we served under Flight Commander One-Eye, your grandfather."
My eyes opened wide and I suddenly found myself falling to my rear as the sudden realization hit me. No, it couldn't be them were they? I mean, it was bad enough that my own brother decided to partake in this stupidity, but to think that some of the other Squires under my departed grandfather would stoop so low, that was unthinkable.
The larger Herd approached me and I backed away, hissing. "Who… which are you?" I said. I wanted answers, solutions. Or at the very least, awareness of who exactly I was dealing with. I couldn't trust total strangers and just as well, I might as well know who the traitors were.
The brown furred Herd gave an answer, its voice all sorts of nervous. It had right to be. "I was the Gronckle, you know, the bard…"
I tried to recall that. Yes, that bard. She was considered lucky to be a Squire, having gained the prestige and connections midway into her training in a different field. Our King let her join anyways, I think as a way to show that even those devoted to remembering the part could prove to be fierce warriors… "And you… did this by way of thanks?"
The former Gronckle backed away. She was ashamed, as she should be.
The expressions of the two identical blonde furred ones soured, realizing I was not in a good mood. Oh, I was just getting started.
"And I know who you are!" I said, looking back at them. I mean, the answer was so obvious. If it looks and talks like a Zippleback, it should be one, even if it was in the form of Herd.
The two males gave me nervous looks. Of course. They knew my beef with them already. Oh, such wastes, almost as bad as my brother for they were almost as lazy They hardly deserved the Squiredom and more worthy aspirants should have received their slot. I knew they goofed up so much, hardly really training and pulling all sorts of tricks on other Kin. I bet they sided with the Herd at the first sight of rain.
"Hey! Leave them alone!" said one of the other two smaller blonde Herd, the one with the longer fur. They stopped fighting, clearly displeased with my actions. That was fine by me, that feeling was mutual!
"Yeah, if there's anyone that's gonna pick on 'em, it's gonna be us!" said the shorter furred counterpart.
The Zippleback, well, the pieces of one, both turned nervous looks as their companions. "Now might not be-"
"-a good time!"
I snorted. I don't know who they are. Were they some other disgraced Squire that found life among the feeble?
The two Herd stepped forward, putting up their paws in what I assumed to be some sort of offensive gesture. I was fine with fighting them, I mean, how much harder it was going to be?
But before we could come to blows the large blonde one stepped in. "We don't want to start any trouble!" it said, its voice breaking with nervousness.
"She started it!"
"Yeah, for once my brother's right!"
"Hey!"
"Maybe, but well, she's been through a rough time, haven't you?" said the large one.
"Of course I have." I smirked. I had to give this large Herd some credit. At least it knew how to properly treat me. I think I knew of what to take advantage of. Now if only today could stop from being one rude awakening after another.
"Yeah," said the large Herd. His face was red for some reason, almost like the blood in his body was gathering up there. Was that a Herd thing?"So, uh, let me just say that I'm sorry for what I did last night..."
I blinked. "Wait, what did you do?" I mean, I was flattered, but what was so important this Herd chose to apologize to me when we first met?
The large Herd seemed to grow even more red so much so that that traitorous Gronckle seemed to grow concerned. "You don't have to say it, you know," she commented.
"I kind of have ta," said the Herd. It then turned to face me. "About… well, you probably wouldn't have crashed if it wasn't for me…"
My eyes immediately went wide as I suddenly remembered this Herd's face. It was him! That stupid Herd that… plowed through me and about a dozen other Kin as if we were a light breeze. I saw it last night thinking it was an easy way to earn some notoriety by besting a foe that took down so many commoners so easily, but I knew I bit off more than I could chew when a single hit ended up knocking me out. And that was when I was a nearly full-ground Nightmare, at least a dozen of times its size as a weakling Herd, I had no chance against that monster!
I shoved my way through going under group of Herd. I was not going to be in the same room as what might have been some sort of warrior prodigy. Not if I wanted to live at any rate.
I dashed through them, moving scurrying on all fours. My body ached and hurt from all of that awkward motion, but fear propelled me past all that and I went off. The juvenile Herd and those traitors didn't seem to follow and that was good, but a little sooner I realized in doing so, I might have set myself up for an even bigger fall.
There were Herd all over the place, all wandering every pathway and nook and cranny between their nests, all of them licking their wounds and restoring their nests into working order. And the vast majority of them seemed to be bigger and more savage than the group I left. They all noticed me, giving my odd and suspicious looks. Oh, I hope they don't realize what I really am and gut me while I am so vulnerable.
Oh, this was bad, I needed to escape somehow. There were no Kin in the sky, the battle having long since concluded. It was not my Kin's way to leave long lasting sieges and assaults, not when a quick and destructive raid was what was needed.
And then I saw something that caught my attention and my heart raced. I approached a pair of Nadders, a group of which somehow managed to avoid to detection from the nearby Herd. No one seemed to notice them as they drank from a nearby pool of water that was gathered in some sort of wooden… thing. It was ideal. All I had to do was ask them to take my back to our King!
I approached them, scurrying to their feet. My Kin did not notice me, simply too preoccupied with quenching their thirst. I didn't wait, I had something important that needed doing. "My Kin, I need you."
The two Nadders pulled their heads from the water and eyed me, their heads tilted in a slight daze.
I grinned. These commoners still could follow their betters. "Good, as soon as you are able I need you to…"
My Kin snarled at me, letting out ferocious cries. What happened? I was asking for their aid!
I scurried behind the nearest piece of cover, not wanting to get caught up in whatever it was that caused my Kin to be so slighted. Once I was safely away, I poked my head out, my fear having only just barely beaten out by my curiosity.
The Nadders grimaced, turning their heads back at their drinks. One let out a sigh. "Stupid Herd. They won't stop bothering us."
"I'm sure it'll be fine," said the other.
The first Nadder scowled at his peer. "Not with our new Flight Commander."
"Maybe not…" admitted the other.
I ducked my head down once my curiosity was sated. There was a new Flight Commander? Here? And… why was it that my Kin were so hostile? I raised my paws and had my answer. It was so unfair. My Kin did not recognize me unless they were all privy to this madness! The rest simply treat me as they saw me, a beast. And I was so small and… fragile. It was like the worst parts of being a hatchling but without the Breath or the wings to run or defend myself.
I then suddenly jerked from my hiding spot and then collapsed to the ground. Something touched my shoulders and in that startled moment, I reacted with a jolt. I found myself on the floor, face up, looking at my attacker with a fearful jolt. And then I glared at him, my reflexive fear vanishing replaced by rage. "Brother!" I shouted. Oh, I was so angry at him. My brother was in that Herd body I saw the other night, that shameful guise that denied who he truly was."Sister, don't make a scene. People are looking." He sounded worried.
I turned my head around, looking at all the other Herd that took notice of us. I glared back at him. Brother might have been worried about these… beings around us, but I didn't care one bit about those animals. Besides, I couldn't get any lower if I tried. I was pitiful. "Just… leave me be. This was all your fault anyways!"
"No it wasn't!" another voice said, a somewhat shorter, yet brawnier Herd youth came from behind my brother. "It was me, not Hookfang that did well…" It was my brother's Liege, the one that he served and so willingly… forsaken himself for. When I met him, I thought he was simply a cut above a normal Nightmare, strong, bold, and a bunch of other things, but now I truly saw him for what he really was. At least he had the decency to take the blame for bestowing this… curse on me.
Then he should be the one to undo it. I just rolled my eyes. "Fine, I don't care who did it; I just want it undone."
Several of the other Herd noticed our conversation, it wasn't like I was trying to hide. Anyways.
My brother and his Liege seemed to grow nervous however. "Now might not be the best time for it…" said my brother.
"Yeah…" said his Liege. "Astrid's got enough problem as is…"
I sighed. "Then when is a good time for you to undo this?"
They both threw their paws up in the air in some sort of weird Herd gesture. "We don't know," said my brother.
I glared. Really, was I going to be forced to stay in this weak and humiliating form for any longer? They forced me into this and now they were insisting that I remain suffering a while longer? Gah! I hope undoing this curse was as simple as removing these strange furs I was covered in.
"Honest!" declared my brother.
My scowl darkened. He was just as useless as he always was, wasn't he?
"I'm sorry," he said again. "But come on Sister, you're gonna have to… adjust."
I almost felt like tearing my brother's head off for that. I had no intention of adopting Herd mannerisms for what I was determined to make a temporary state of affairs. As soon as I was in my true form again, what use would I have of walking like one of the Herd? Why should I just surrender my heritage?
My brother backed away, paws raised. "Okay, look, Sister, people are looking."
I shown my teeth and scowled at the Herd that surrounded me. Again, I wondered why I should care? "And that is important how?"
"Because…Uh..." he struggled to think of something. I smirked. He was probably going to come up with nothing. "Because, um, think about your reputation..." Okay, so maybe I was wrong this one time.
But that didn't change my feelings one bit. "What reputation?" I sneered. They didn't know me for one and secondly, these animals were beneath me and my Kin. Why should they matter?
"Because right now, you're looking all sorts of crazy…" he said.
I turned my head and glanced at the Herd around us. Each of them had their faces looked in a strange expression that a part of me wondered if maybe brother had a point. They all stood there silently judging me. While I was quite sure I was their superior, were the Herd going to believe that when all they saw was this weak body? It was one thing for my Peers and Kin to think of me as lesser; we were all beneath our Lord after all and he was the one who really made the judgements of worth. But to have the Herd consider me beneath them was something I despised; they should know I am above them.
As I thought and weighed my options my brother's Liege stepped forward and placed his paw just within spitting distance of my face. "Here, let me help you up?"
I looked at the paw, confused. What was I supposed to do with it? What did this gesture even mean?
My brother's liege seemed to be aware of my confusion. He bent down and brought his paw over to one of mine and… closed it. His paw felt firm against mine. Really, was that how these paws were supposed to be used?
While that might have been handy information to know about, I really didn't want to have any part of whatever it was he was planning. "Hey!" I said and tried to pull my upper leg out from under his grip. It was no use though, the male was so much stronger than me. He smiled at me, giving me an awkward grin. He clearly knew that I disliked him doing whatever he was doing, yet he did it anyways.
Then he stood back up, pulling me up along with him all against my will. He then let go of me and stepped back a few steps, letting me go just when I suddenly realized I needed his firm hand to keep me standing.
My knees caved inwards, hitting each other and I wobbled unsteadily as a frightened reflex surged through me. I stood standing, but my balance was so unstable, so unsure. I… stood as the Herd did. I felt so weightless, like I could fall at just the slightest breeze if I didn't maintain my diligence. Yet, my back felt better in this new position, almost making up for the awkward feeling of falling I felt on my lower legs.
My brother's Liege then gave me an awkward little smile. "See, it's not so bad is it?"
I frowned. "It is as that bad!" I almost screamed or I would have if I didn't lock my face in a nervous grin. I wondered how long I was going to have to do this. I dared not move, not even my face.
The other Herd around us seemed to slowly lose interest in us, apparently having come up with their own conclusions, their own reasonings over what had transpired in front of them. Little by little, they left, having grown bored of the female stuck imitating a stone. I wonder how many of them would make the correct guess, realize what I was. Probably none. I mean, they had to have inferior abilities to my Kin.
My brother's Liege again approached me and grabbed my paw with his much stronger arms. He pulled me not up, but this time away.
I panicked with startled fear, but thankfully I was able to follow. I might not have realized it, but my lower legs seemed to know the right steps to keep myself moving forward. Now I just wished that my brother's Liege could slow down.
The male took me further a few more paces and stopped me by a large stone, probably the leftovers of last night's attack. He let go as we approached.
I took my first steps independent of anyone else, seeking the stone. I placed a paw on the stone and tried to push against it, using the large rock to act as a wall to stand up against. It worked and I had some balance, some stability. I let out a relieved sigh. "... Don't do that again."
My brother's Liege smiled. "Well, I won't need to."
Brother approached me again and I felt my fears vanish as something above mild irritation set in.
He said nothing, but I had some things I wanted to ask him. "Why are you called "Hookfang"? Are you telling me you have a name?" I mean, I recall my brother being referred to such by his Liege and the others with him during that challenge I partook in, but I couldn't ask about that at the time. Now that I finally had some stability, some time, and I was being forced into accepting Herd things, I might as well figure out something that's been bothering me.
Brother seemed to grow as red as that blood craven warrior earlier. Was that a human sign of aggression? He turned to his Liege, prompting me to do the same.
My brother's Liege simply raised his paws again. "He's got some really big teeth no matter what he is… and I needed to call him something."
"So you gave him a name?" I asked. I mean, last I checked, only my King had the right to bestow them.
He did that gesture again. "Everyone has a name."
I blinked a few times. Herd gave themselves names so easily? Were the standards so low? They clearly had no regard for the worth of a name setting apart those who were clearly tested and proven. I bet that if I asked them, they'd say that Herd birthing is wondrous enough to warrant naming.
"Which reminds me," said my brother. "We probably should call you something as well. I mean people are"
I audibly groaned. First they expect me to stand like a Herd, now they plan to name me as one as well. "If I must…" I said. "I'll go pick one myself." I mean, normally the King would be the one to allow names, but fine, I will adopt a temporary moniker just so that my brother and his Liege did not come up with something stupid like Meatylegs or something. Maybe something evocative of my natural affinities, I was Kin and I quite enjoyed fire… "Maybe 'Firewyrm'?" I asked aloud.
Both of the males with me looked at each other, both of them were clearly bewildered by my brilliance.
"Are you sure about that?" my brother asked.
I glared. I mean, first this Herd walking and now he had the gall to question my choice of name? "And what's wrong with it?
"It's a good name…" said my brother's Liege. "But it might be problematic. I mean, it kinda does refer to dragons… alot?"
I rolled my eyes. Well of course it would refer to my Kin, if I was right about what he meant by "dragon" anyhow. "I still don't see how that's too bad."
My brother let out a groan. "Alright, fine," he said. "There's no point arguing over it…"
His Liege sighed, having given up as well. "Okay, so, 'Firewrym' it is."
I smirked. So today might have been a bit of a rude awakening, but I think I managed to salvage a small victory over it. Besides, someone had to remind my brother and his Liege about the pecking order.
