The sun rose early the next morning over Everlynh, Hilan, and the two Furies. With it, though, came a fierce thunderstorm, hindering their plans to continue, and forcing them to postpone them for the following day.
Everlynh kept quiet about her annoyance as rain pounded down around them, mainly since it couldn't be helped. Thunder rolled. At the sound of it, Speckle's head shot up, her ear flaps standing on end. It was a sound she'd never heard before. She started to whimper as the sound came again, but Starflinger nuzzled her, and she eventually calmed down, and lay down her head once more.
0.o.0.o.0.o.0.o.0.o.0.o.0
"There now, you idiot," Blackfyre said to himself. "It's been a day. Now why do you miss so much?"
His muddled emotions refused to answer him, and the Night Fury let out a sigh, looking down as he closed his eyes. He missed Speckle a bucket load, but that wasn't what he'd been scolding himself about - he missed Starflinger too, and more than he cared to admit. Why - why - didn't you just GO with them? He asked himself desperately. Speck was going, and there's no point in staying here alone - it's impossible to return to that way of life.
Blackfyre unfurled his wings, and fixed his eyes on the distant horizon, into whence his friend and acquaintance had gone. Here goes nothing.
0.o.0.o.0.o.0.o.0.o.0.o.0
Honest landed easily on the ground on Berserker Island, and Pheda slid off her back. "Excuse me Turkis, but would you mind getting this to the Queen for me?"
She passed a rolled-up piece of paper to the grumpy sentry before he could protest, then climbed back onto the Night Light's back again. "Thanks!"
"But I didn't say-"
She took off.
"Oh great. Fine," Turkis growled, turning around to do the New-Berkian's bidding.
Pheda and Honest flew on, heading back to New Berk. They would get there before their allies, that much was certain, but they would need time to prepare for the almost-certain invasion on the part of General Arvelon, i. e., setting up sentry stations, placing catapults, and other such things that must be done when upgrading defenses.
The two flew in relative silence, and for a while, neither spoke.
At last, Honest broke the mental silence. 'Pheda, do you think we'll win?'
Pheda sighed. I don't know, Honest. I certainly hope so.
Honest was silent again for a moment. 'When do you think General Arvelon'll arrive?'
I don't know. I hope we'll have enough time to get everything done.
'Something seems. . . I don't know. . . fishy about all of this. He could have completely destroyed New Berk when he attacked the first time, but he didn't.'
Wasn't he just trying to lure the dragons out of the Hidden World? You know, to make sure that they were still there? Pheda pointed out.
'Maybe. It seems to me like he had an elaborate plan for it all, and I can't imagine why he would lure us out into the open, rather than going down inside the Hidden World himself, especially since he's a Lycanwing.'
That is a little odd, Pheda admitted, but it could be nothing. It's not out-of-place enough to make me care much, though. It's probably nothing.
'Maybe. . .' Honest said after a moment, 'maybe you're right. Maybe it is nothing. I still wish there was a way I could investigate it, though, and since I know there isn't, it's starting to bug me.'
Then stop thinking about it, Pheda suggested. That might help.
'I'll try.'
The two flew on.