Cue "New Tail" playing in your head ;P
Entry 71
I think I've done it. It took all night, but it just might work. Now, I just have to get it to Toothless.
The leather's a bit flimsy, as I could only get the Eriksons to give me scraps, but I'm confident in my metalwork. (And I'm 99 percent sure I gave it the right amount of ribs to match his real tailfin…) Time to test it; I'll write more when I get back.
…
IT WORKS! OH MY GODS, IT WORKS!
I can't even explain it all, it's so surreal… I flew! I really flew with Toothless! And it was the most… incredible thing I've ever experienced!
Augh, I need to slow down. There's more to talk about than just the flying…
First off, I learned something rather interesting: dragons do NOT like eels. I brought Toothless one along with his fish stash, and he went crazy, screeching and growling. He wouldn't calm down until I threw the eel aside. I wonder why he had such an adverse reaction to it… if he just doesn't like eel, I would have thought he'd eat around it. But the way he reacted, it was as if he was fearing for his life… I wonder if all dragons are like that. I'll test it later…
Anyway, while Toothless was eating, I worked on attaching the fake tailfin. The weight must have caught his attention, because a moment later, he took off. I grabbed onto his tail, wrapping my legs around it, and held on for dear life as we started climbing. I studied the fins, noting how spread out his natural fin was… only to feel us start to dip down and to the left, plummeting right toward the rocks. I pulled the prosthetic fin open, and as soon as I did, we soared up, clearing the Cove walls and flying into the sky. I've never felt anything like it… the wind, the exhilaration, the views; it was more amazing than I could've imagined. Toothless took a turn to the right, and I flipped the tailfin over, sending us into it. We dove back into the Cove, zipping over the water… when Toothless finally seemed to notice my presence. He whipped his tail, throwing me into the water. And then, a moment later, I heard him splash in as well.
I threw my hands up, cheering. It really worked! However, Toothless didn't seem to feel the same way… he pulled himself out of the water, running to his favorite tree and perching upside down. I could deal with that later. Right then, I was too excited to care.
But now that I'm back at home (waiting for Dragon Training to start), I don't feel quite as good.
My hunch was correct; Toothless can't fly without two tailfins. And based on how he crashed right after I was thrown off, just having the fake one on him isn't enough. It needs to be controlled in order for him to stay in the air.
...Could I control it?
I don't know. I think he's mad at me right now, so I'm not sure he'd even want my help. And how WOULD I help? Even though it worked, I don't think it's very safe for me to just hold onto his tail as we fly. If I didn't have such an adrenaline induced grip, I could have easily fallen to my death. No, I need to be able to control it from his back, somehow.
If he'll let me, of course. I don't want to do anything he's uncomfortable with… But somehow, I don't think he'll mind. The way he took off the moment he felt balance… that couldn't just be to escape, could it? Surely, he really loves flying. And if I can help him do that, I can't see him refusing my offer.
I'm going to get to work on a saddle. Well, after Training, that is. I have something else I need to test, anyway. I just hope it's worth the smell of eel in my vest…
Until next time…
-H
