Guess what, it's 2020 and a certain virus has made a bunch of things close down. But worst of all: let's suppose you want to talk with humans about something that is not the disease. Well, good luck, 'cause you're gonna need it. (yeah, there's also many people that die, economy crash, awful, here's a chapter)
Starting from when I joined the nest four years ago, my popularity was always on the low side. I passed my time with Toothless and Armpit and didn't really know anyone else well. Then came that raid, and in a few minutes they were gone. When finally I met Toothless again, after two agonizing days, he had basically given up. Fueled by rage, I found myself in the front lines of the raids, protecting fellow dragons. And with Toothless gone, I became the nest's best asset. And guess what happened with dragons that wouldn't blink for me a week earlier? Suddently everyone wanted to know me.
So when I told them we should befriend the vikings, they didn't laugh in my face. Or at least, not after I told them about Toothless. It was hard, but eventually I managed to get them to agree to try. And now, when the number of dragon flying back was to the nest was so much lower than when we left, I couldn't help wishing that I'd failed instead.
- "Let's not fire on them", great idea, butcher.
- Why did we trust you?! It was obvious something like that was gonna fail!
These words came from a zippleback called Barf n' Belch. Normally, his two heads fought over just about anything. But for now, they were united together with one purpose: telling me what an horrible creature I was.
- I'm sorry guys! I really thought this could work!
- How the hell could that work?! Even with Toothless! They don't kill him just because he's useful!
A shiver went down my spine at the thought of Toothelss. Was he really doomed to fight for the vermin? The zippleback flew away and a nightmare closed in. I had learned to know Hookfang while fighitng besides him. The old dragon was the closest thing to a friend I had left.
- You should run. If you get in the nest, it's a death sentence.
Man, he sure knew how to cheer me up.
- What do you mean?
- Look around. Have we got enough food?
We had some sheeps, a basket of saumon and few other bits and pieces. But nowhere near enough. We'd've been at about half the normal load if we had managed the exit from the pantry perfectly. But Toothless' fires meant that many dragons dropped their payload.
- No.
- And what do you think other dragons will do when the queen threatens their life?
A shiver went down my spine from the realization.
- They'll blame me.
- They'll say things "It's Scarnose's fault! He told us not to fire at the humans!". And then the queen eats you instead. So you escape now and hope the queen doesn't find you. It's your best shot. I'll tell her you've been killed.
I looked around at the pack. They were few, malnourished, and covered with wounds. And though Barf n' Belch was straight up mad at me, this wasn't the case for all of them. After all, they had seen Toothless and those other two dragons and how humans didn't kill them. Most of them had just accepted that I misjudged. And that my misdjudgement had killed seven of them.
- It is my fault Hookfang! If we had just done a normal raid, we'd been so much better off!
- And so what? It's not like you'd help much if you die.
Then and there, I was close to turning around and flying away. I'd leave this whole part of my life behind, and hope that the queen never found me. But it wasn't fair. Lead the nest to it's doom and bail out? No. I had long thought of something, a way that the nest could become much better with basically no effort. And if I played my cards just right, maybe I could turn this day around.
- I'm not leaving. I have an idea.
Hookfang's eyes went wide in fear when I said the word "idea".
- You really want to kill everybody or what?
I rolled my eyes.
- Yeah, my last plan left far too many of us alive, I want to change that.
- Good old Scarnose... so what's your idea?
- There is something this nest had from the very beginning, but that just we kept around gathering dust. Maybe it's time to put it to use, don't you think?
Convincing the other dragons not to blame everything on me was hard, but eventually, with the help of Hookfang, we had got to something. As long as nobody was about to get killed, noone would tell the queen it was my fault. And so, the pack of dragons flew into the volcano, and dropped what little food it had into the Red Death's mouth. But there was no hiding the fact that something was very wrong.
- Where's the rest of you? What happened?
- Dragons are fighting on their side, against us. They got seven of us.
For a moment, the queen actually looked worried. After all, didn't she always tell she was taking care of us? And when it came to keeping vikings away fram the mountain, she was right. But raids? Then she didn't care about how many came back.
- Bullshit. The vermin kill every dragon they see, withouth exception.
- Sure, you don't have to believe that. Just leave us in peace.
But she wasn't gonna to. Something she definitely cared about was food, and she hadn't gotten enough.
- Scarnose, Windshear, Hookfang, Barf n' Belch, the game.
She couldn't just tell someone to fly in front of her to get eaten. In that situation, even a terror would've had enough brain cells to run. And chasing something that's fighting for its life takes a lot of time and energy, even for The Red Death. The solution? Call four dragons and only eat one. Three quarters chance to live if you comply, basically zero if you run. Someone had once said that this gamble was basically a game, and "the game" stuck. And now she had called me for one.
The three dragons threw me sharp glances, though Hookfang kinda looked encouraging. "Here goes nothing", I mumbled to myself. I stepped on the edge of the stone platform, well in sight of everybody, and filled my lungs.
- NO. You're not eating ANYONE today.
If the queen was surprised, she didn't show it. However, I had managed to be her attention.
- You mean anyone except for you? Sure. Scarnose, get down here.
- We were nineteen an hour ago. Now we're TWELVE. And the vikings have a new weapon, dragons. Is this really a good time to eat us?! Something has to change!
I was quite far from the queen, too far for her to snap at me. If I tried to escape... maybe I could reach the exit of the volcano... but then what? Tens of kilometers of open ocean, with nowhere to hide. And the queen was fast. There was once a nightmare that had tried to escape from the game. And when the queen had jumped in pursuit of the dragon, she had been faster than anything I had ever seen, even faster than Toothless. She wasn't nearly as sleek as a night fury. But thousands of times more muscle mass compensated for that. In other words, no escape. I'd just hope she didn't try to eat me.
- Dragons like you who don't bring food are a cost that we can't afford right now. Now you get down here and do the ga
- LET'S GET ONE THING CLEAR. You need me. And you need every other single damn dragon in here! So you're not gonna eat anyone!
The queen was visibly angry now, and my heart picked up more than I knew was possible. But it wasn't just fear. The queen forced us to raid for her or be killed. So even though going against her was close to a death sentence, it sure as hell felt great.
- I stand in the frontline of the raids, stopping the human warriors so that the rest of the nest can get the food safely. Hookfang can carry more food than anyone else in this hole, and only seeing Windshear's scales makes a bunch of vikings run away. Every single dragon is important, and eating us is the best way for you to starve.
For the first time since the raid, the dragons didn't seemed to hate me, they actually seemed thankful. Well, except for the Red Death of course. Too bad she was the only dragon I needed not to hate me.
- I'll recruit new dragons. Dragons that don't rebel against the queen that gives them somewhere where they're safe.
Recruit. What a good way to say threatening to death. You were told "raid for me or I kill you" and suddently your life was turned upside down. And guess who it was up to to make sure the newcomers didn't get killed? Not the queen, to be sure.
- Yeah. New depressed dragons that have never seen a viking in their life. And now we've lost Snare too. They will be shattered and they won't get better anytime soon. And they're going up against a village that just downed seven of our bes
- ENOUGH! DO THE GAME NOW OR YOU DIE RIGHT THERE!
Toothless could've fired at the humans during the raid. It would've taken them by surprise and helped us a lot. However, since he couldn't fly away without that human's help, that would've meant getting killed. He would've sacrificed himself for the rest of us. But he had chosen life instead. So maybe... "I'm sorry Tooth".
- Toothless' alive.
It was far too quiet. The mountain felt claustrophobic. Lastly, just about every dragon in it was immobile and staring at me. And the queen seemed shocked. I had called Toothelss a traitor, but that name would've fit better with me.
- Toothless' alive and he's one of the dragons fighting with the vikings. No matter how hard we try, we won't manage to win. Not against a night fury.
- Toothless. Died almost a month ago.
- He was grounded and that's why he didn't came back. But the vikings didn't kill him.
- If he's grounded... then he's not such a big threat.
- The humans built a prosthetic tail for him that allows him to fly. But it requires one of them on his back to work. That's why he couldn't fly back.
- What a load of bullshit! I've had enough of your games.
And then she leapt up at me. A split second later, I did the same, but towards the exit. I didn't have the time too look back. I could make it. And when I got out of the volcano? I'd...
- HE'S RIGHT!
The rumble of the Red Death flying stopped. I landed on the crater's edge and looked back at the scene. Hookfang was looking at the queen face to face.
- I saw Toothless too, with a human on his back. Heck, everyone saw him! Just ask! And he was fighting with them. You can't kill Scarnose just because he's stating the fucking obvious!
- And what's that?
- That if nothing changes, we die and you starve.
"Thank you Hookfang" was all I could think. Then the huge dragon turned towards me. It was a pleasure to look down on her. At the end of the day, she was nothing but a large fast beast. And she was just as susceptible to starvation as everyone else.
- So something has to change. Have you got any ideas?
- Yes. But let me tell you something: it's almost impossible to get things into your head.
What might Scarnose's plan be? There are a few hints in this chapter. So if you're in quarantine and bored out of your mind... it's something. Till next time: bye-bye
