This didn't make any sense.

Wanderer absently ground his claws on the rock, though they were beyond sharp and were now just wearing down. He was staring at Storm-Fly, settled down to sleep with a head under her wing.

She wasn't a bad dam, had proven herself capable and caring in the pawful of nights they had all spend in this nest, and before that as well, and that to fledglings who weren't even her own.

So why was it, that when it came to her own fledglings, she abandoned them here and then returned to the Long-Paw nest?

And it wasn't just her, he realised – all the nest-kin who travelled to the egg-nest returned without fledglings. Did they all drop them here? Was this a problem limited to the kin of the Long-Paw nest?

He had seen plenty of fledglings here with their sire and dam, that was the same as always. What was different? That they were part of a Long-Paw nest, or were just leaving the nest? Or something else?

So much needed answering.

Dreamer reached out and pressed Wanderer's paw to the rock, halting his mindless grinding. "What eating your tail?" he asked, shifting to look at him through lidded eyes.

"Fledglings we play with," Wanderer replied, pulling his paw back to tuck under himself.

"You not like them? I thought you had fun."

"Not that." He tilted his head at the Spine-Tail slumbering nearby. "Storm-Fly in Long-Paw nest for three cold-seasons. Where her fledglings?"

Dreamer's frills twitched and flexed as he thought. "I not know what normal for Spine-Tails, other scale-wing-hunters." He paused for a moment, ears and frills drooping. "I not know what normal for anything…"

Wanderer turned back to Storm-Fly to hide his bared teeth; that was a real example of negligence. "Fledglings fly here when cold-season ends, but still need shelter, teaching, family, until first cooling-season."

"Maybe Storm-Fly not have hatchlings?"

"We played with Storm-Fly's fledglings this light."

Dreamer chirped in surprise, then tilted his head. "We ask Storm-Fly then?"

"Yes, but after we talk with fledglings," Wanderer warbled thoughtfully. "I want know more when ask her." There was little sense in asking Storm-Fly why she'd done what she had when he didn't even really know what she'd done.

Dreamer rumbled in amusement. "We not can do that until next light?" Wanderer groaned, knowing where he was going with this. "You thinking about thing you not can fix," he continued smugly.

"Yes," Wanderer grumbled at him; he regularly swatted Dreamer for doing the same thing.

"Then it good I know what you need," Dreamer said with a toothy grin.

Wanderer slumped with another groan, resigned to the swatting he probably deserved – then sighed as a tongue assaulted his shoulders. "Stupid," Dreamer muttered happily as he worked. Grrr, steal his catch and eat it in front of him…

Now that he was looking, Wanderer saw other things wrong with the nest.

The fledglings had been difficult to talk to, they had simple words even for Spine-Tails and were unwilling to talk on the matter – or at all really, being energetic and unruly – but as far as he could work out there were many nest-kin who left their fledglings here and flew away, and it wasn't limited to those at Dreamer's nest.

While flying around to think on that, he discovered a similar group of Rock-Scales, also being looked after by the survivors of the oldest abandoned generation. Though they typically grew to be slow and lethargic, Rock-Scale fledglings were quite energetic and loved a quick tussle with the Nightstrikers while he discreetly scented them, finding some from Fish-Legs' Rock-Scale but maybe one or two clutches who weren't.

He went searching for the Two-Heads and Fire-Scales, but there didn't seem to be a group of either. Two-Heads were more independent, and once he realised that he spotted one here and there who could possibly have been abandoned, but there was scarcely a scent of Fire-Scales. They could only have one egg per cold-season and so weren't the most prevalent nest-kin, but the few fledglings he saw were being watched over by a doting dam, and in most cases a protective sire as well.

And then, while looking in the warmer depths of the nest, he discovered a grim sight.

Pawfuls of nest-kin, at the bottom of the nest, all dead. Little more than dry husks now, curled up and covered in dust so that they appeared to be rocks until one looked closely. Even then, as Dreamer landed next to him, glanced at the nearest mound and scrabbled back from the Fire-Scale jaws with a yip. "What… happen here?" he asked as he crept forward again.

Wanderer dipped his head. "I think they die from many season-cycles. Not can hatch again like Nightstrikers."

"Why here? They not fall here." Indeed, all the corpses were curled up, peaceful and content, rather than splayed out and broken as if they had fallen or been pushed from a ledge; they would have been much more noticeable that way. Dreamer turned from the body and sat facing Wanderer, curling his tail to his side. "How… nest-kin… fly from this life before?"

"When I grow weak, I fly to bottom of nest," Wanderer said without thinking.

Dreamer stood and slowly walked forward, watching him with narrow eyes. "You?"

"…Yes?" Wanderer said uncomfortably.

"You Nightstriker. When you grow weak, you hatch again." He looked around. "I not think this good place for hatchling."

Wanderer stared back at him. "I…" An itching feeling crept down his neck, and he shook his head vigorously. "Survival hard for fledgling Nightstriker. I… ask Spine-Tail for shelter, like Storm-Fly." That didn't feel right either…

Speaking of Storm-Fly, her summons pricked their ears and they looked up to see her circling above.

"I not like here," Dreamer grumbled as he spread his wings to leap up towards her. Wanderer glanced around one last time before following him up.

"We get water," Stormfly chittered, then coasted on the hot air to lead them to the exit.

The feeling of passing from warm turbulent air to cold and consistently lateral air was still quite unfamiliar, though Wanderer still adjusted to it automatically. He followed through the dense fog, swerving around the tall rocks with his thoughts flying the same winds over and over.

The thought just didn't make sense. He growled at himself and shook his head. What was there at the bottom of the nest?

His wings seized and he nearly fell out of the air. The answer to that now was of course 'nothing', but when he had lived here before? A hungry and tyrannical behemoth that ate anything and everything that got near it, and that could put thoughts into the minds of its nest-kin.

Could put thoughts into the minds of its nest-kin.

He did fall out of the air then, clipping the top of a rock and tumbling to a halt on top of it. He lay there stiffly, body refusing to respond and feeling like eels were writhing in his core.

How many other thoughts weren't his? How many had he not recognised and allowed to slip through? How would he even know!?

Wingbeats preceded Dreamer and Storm-Fly alighting on the rock, and his eyes flicked up to look at them. Dreamer scented his nose and mouth, humming worry, confusion, then chirped enquiringly, and Storm-Fly just scented all of him at once. He tried to croon placatingly and get up, knowing there wasn't anything physically wrong with him, but the sound became strangled and he just couldn't make his body move as he wanted to.

Storm-Fly warbled worriedly, and then her mouth gently closed down around his midsection. Whether by instinct or not, he hung limply as she stepped off the rock and soared back into the air.

The next thing he knew was something cold on his face, and Dreamer quietly barking worried, hopeful, prompting. He opened his eyes again to find the familiar pool of clear water at his nose.

Water. He would die if he did not drink water, that was a fact of every living thing. His neck stretched out to dip his jaw into it, to allow it to flow into his mouth, and he gulped it down.

Dreamer… He was sat on his haunches by the edge of the pool, head low and wide eyes staring pleadingly at him, clearly having difficulty holding himself back. The queen hadn't even known of him, and he became a Nightstriker after her demise. "Not worry," Wanderer croaked.

Dreamer grunted in complete disbelief and scurried forward, scenting and nuzzling apparently randomly.

"I not sick," Wanderer continued, pulling himself back to his paws, though he was shaky and very weak.

"You not smell sick," Dreamer grumbled, pulling himself back again. "But you not good. What wrong?"

"I…" He growled at himself, willing his body to start working properly again. "I realise… bad thought… not mine…"

"I not understand," Dreamer whined. "How I can help you?"

Wanderer weakly shook his head. "I need rest…"

He lapped a bit more at the water while Dreamer bounded over to Storm-Fly, though it didn't sound like it went over well. Storm-Fly plodded over to him and leaned in close. "You can fly?" she asked. He extended his wings and flapped a few times, though it lacked the power and coordination required for flight.

She took that as a no, and picked him up in her teeth again to take to the air.

This place was very foreign.

It wasn't just the way it was made of a dark rock that was always warm, or that the air was heavy and stuffy but not quite unpleasantly so, or even that it was built more vertically than Berk.

There was a lot that made it strange, perhaps the most prominent being that all its residents could fly. Dreamer could fly, of course, but it was strange that literally everyone else could too.

There was also something about the mood. Vikings were busy people, always doing something, preparing for trade in the spring and summer and preparing for winter during autumn. Even in winter they spent time repairing, making fabric and clothes, learning, and doing whatever they could. The dragons here, on the other paw, were just so… placid. When they were hungry, they fished. When they were bored, they played.

And when a Nightstriker became bored and began swooping up and down the nest, they followed him because it was apparently more interesting than whatever they had been doing before.

So that was how Dreamer found himself at the head of a flight of dozens of dragons, mostly adolescent but including many older ones too as far as he could tell. They flocked after him in a huge column, to the point he could turn and weave around it, creating incredible patterns of flying dragons.

Until he threaded them into a knot, just to see what would happen, and the procession collapsed into chaos before flying after him again.

He flew over his ledge and checked in on Storm-Fly, to check she wasn't doing anything… personal with Kingstail anymore, and descended to land. The plethora of dragons continued down past the shelf – he had been a little concerned they'd all try to land around him – and in a few moments were all out of sight.

After trilling a greeting at the pair of Spine-Tails, now laying against each other, he padded over to Wanderer.

He wasn't as deeply in sleep as he'd been since they'd returned around noon the previous day, which was a good sign, but he was still asleep. Stormfly appeared next to him, scenting the prone Nightstriker and then nudging Dreamer reassuringly before plodding off again. Dreamer felt his ears burning, given how much of Kingstail he could smell on her.

Not that he hadn't been able to hear and smell it on the Vikings, but at least they weren't like that out in the open.

He settled down next to his friend, heart skipping as Wanderer stirred, though it was some time later that he finally woke. A weary groan was the first thing he had to say, before pawing lethargically at his head. Dreamer offered a rumbling purr and a lick to let him know he was there.

"I hungry," was the second thing he said, in groggy confusion.

Dreamer chuffed and swatted his paw. "You sleep for nearly sky-fire-cycle. You not eat since last light."

Wanderer groaned again at that, then rolled onto his paws to stretch. Dreamer watched, waiting patiently.

The Nightstriker glanced over at him, then lowered his eyes to the ground. He was acting like this was his fault somehow… Dreamer rolled his eyes. "Stupid," he said, swatting at him again.

But Wanderer just took the battering to the head with only a mild flinch, then met his eyes-

Dreamer's breath left him, and he lowered his paw back to the ground. He stared into his friend's eyes, enormous green eyes full of confusion, uncertainty, and pain. "What?" he asked gently, stepping forward to wrap him in wings. He was trembling; Dreamer didn't even know what to think of that.

"I not know I me," he said shakily as they sat next to each other. "I not know… how much I me, how much I… something else."

A confused growl could not be restrained. "I not understand," Dreamer said with a nuzzle.

Wanderer shook him off and stalked to the edge of the shelf, staring down. "What at bottom of this nest?"

"…Dead nest-kin?"

"Yes. You remember what was at bottom of this nest?"

What was there? How would he know? He'd only been here once before, when-… Well, that explained why there were so relatively few bodies down there.

Wanderer nodded, seeing his understanding. "She give us thought to fly to her when we old, when we not can feed her prey. Feed her our body instead."

There was silence while the horror of that revelation sank in. A lifetime of service and loyalty, forced or otherwise, for the only reward to be a quick death. Hopefully.

"I not know… what else… she…" Wanderer was looking back at him now, racked with fear and uncertainty.

"She dead," Dreamer asserted. They had flown by the corpse several times, she was definitely dead.

"Yes. But I still had bad thought, for fly to bottom of nest." He whined and sat back to paw desperately at his head. "What other thoughts not mine? What she do!?"

Dreamer stepped forward to embrace him again, but he shied away. With a growl, Dreamer pounced and pinned him; it was ridiculously easy, Wanderer definitely wasn't in his right mind, as if sleeping for near a full day wasn't enough to suggest that. "Hey," Dreamer barked at his panicking friend, then resorted to licking him up the face to get his attention. "This nest do you bad," he growled, staring into his narrowed eyes. "Like my nest do me bad."

He had Wanderer's full attention now. Good. "My nest-kin do me bad," he continued, settling so they would be more comfortable. "But that bad is part of me. If I not was given bad instincts… If I could fight, kill…" He whined in sheer grief, looking away for a brief moment. "I might kill grounded Nightstriker I find…" He nuzzled his friend with a choked whimper. "That why I forgive. Everything I live, bad things too, led me here. With you. I never want things different."

"But… how you know I me…?" Wanderer asked with a piteous whine.

"What is you?" Dreamer asked more gently with a wry chuckle. "I not know what is me, what is you. I know I Dreamer, you Wanderer." He stepped off and settled next to him with a hearty purr. "We best-friends, fly together always. I not need know more."

Wanderer whimpered and nuzzled into his chest, not so much a miserable whimper as it was the 'letting everything out' kind. Dreamer was familiar with it, and continued to purr as he held him close. "Maybe you have some bad thoughts," he added, "but I here for you. I tell you if I think your thinking is bad. I do anyway, like you do for me."

"But w-what if protecting nest-kin n-not my thought? What i-if that her thought?"

"Then take that thought, make it yours. It good thought, not matter how you got it."

Wanderer buried his head back into Dreamer's chest, and Dreamer curled up around him and covered him with a wing, purring into his ears. I'm here for you, friend.

Everything appeared fine on the surface. Light filtered down through the rain falling into the top of the nest, colouring the walls paler and brighter than usual, and the various nest-kin went about their business of sleeping, playing, courting, caring for fledglings, and so on.

But there were definitely things that were out of place. And now that Wanderer had taken some time to calm his turbulent mind, he was determined to do something about it.

Because Dreamer had been right… Maybe he hadn't been the type of Nightstriker to care about other nest-kin, but Dreamer was, and Wanderer wanted to be too. Regardless of if the thought was given to him or not, it was his now.

He gave his head a shake to dislodge the creeping doubts and tucked in his wings to dive down past the rim of the nest, angling himself out of the column of rain and towards their ledge. His heart was warmed to find Alpha-Tail playing with Dreamer, almost like a sire would. The Spine-Tail was big and imposing, but he moved with care and grace as he bowled Dreamer over and rubbed his snout over his front to wild squeaking and growling.

But Wanderer wasn't feeling playful himself, still sober from discovering the violation of his thoughts even a pawful of nights later. It was good that Dreamer was having fun though; fledglings needed to stay active and doing things, but Dreamer in particular seemed to eat up experience like a whole clutch of hungry hatchlings.

Storm-Fly trilled at him and plodded over, scented him, then began scratching at his back with her beak. He groaned, struggling to stand between the downward pressure and suddenly unsteady legs, but waved her off with his wings and slipped out from under her.

He'd had time to consider how to approach this. He didn't want to accuse Storm-Fly in any way, because most likely she had bad thinking forced on her, like he had. In fact, he'd been able to identify that one in his own head after thinking about it for a while. Envisioning his future, siring eggs and then hatchlings, he was certain to bring them here once their flying was strong. Was certain. Once he recognised the bad thought, he was able to attack and defeat it with logic and better alternatives.

Hopefully, he'd be able to do the same with Storm-Fly, who was staring at him inquisitively. "I played with your fledglings," he offered with a purr. "They strong, healthy."

Storm-Fly warbled proudly at that, ruffling her wings and holding her head high. "They fly well, their sire fed us much."

Wanderer hummed appreciatively, glancing over at Alpha-Tail as he fled from Dreamer nipping at his tail. "He good sire." Dreamer bounced off the ground, then scrabbled over himself trying to turn tail and flee from Alpha-Tail who had suddenly turned with his wings flared and a playful but loud squawk. "You go back to Long-Paw nest?"

There was a rattling sound as Storm-Fly's quills stood up, and she tilted her head to regard him. "Long-Paw nest good. Much food, not bored." She then lowered her head a little and hissed deep in her throat. "Long-Paws bad. Danger."

"Danger for Nightstrikers," Wanderer said with a mild growl. "They learning. I think maybe good place for fledglings soon."

"Bring fledglings here," Stormfly replied, staring at him as if he'd suggested flying to the sky-fire.

Wanderer looked around them, at the crowded ledges. "It good nest. But many nest-kin here. Maybe too many next warming-season. I not want stay here then, need space for play, explore. Long-Paw nest fun." He sighed with a growl. "When they not think us prey, it good nest."

Storm-Fly chirped mildly, going back to watching Alpha-Tail and Dreamer. Wanderer got the feeling she wasn't convinced. "When I have fledglings, I bring them here?" he asked.

"Yes," she replied to his dismay.

"Why?"

She didn't reply to that, and after a short time she shuffled slightly to put her shoulder to him, ending the conversation.

Wanderer sighed and relaxed onto his side, covering his face with his tail fins. He hadn't convinced her, but maybe he'd said enough that she would think about it…

Where was the alpha in all this? Depending on how things played out he could be forgiven for the first abandoned fledglings, but he should have been wary for the season-cycles after that. It wasn't Wanderer's place to get involved with him, not now as a fledgling, but what else was there to do? Nobody else was going to help, they were all affected by the bad thoughts given to them.

No… Not everyone, he realised, lifting his head from behind his tail, then trotted to the edge and dropped into open air.

Finding the Spine-Tail he was looking for among the many, many nest-kin would be impossible, he wouldn't even recognise her if he saw her. However, finding the group of fledglings was a lot simpler, and if she was not with them then they would be able to lead him to her.

In a nest this size there were a pawful of groups of Spine-Tail fledglings, but he located the specific one he was looking for without too much difficulty. They were a particularly rowdy lot, sweeping through some of the more vacant ledges to disturb and chase off the few occupants who were lazing there. Wanderer watched them for a short time, waited for the last occupant of their current ledge to depart in a grumpy huff, then descended into their midst.

Their bratty squawking became surprised and pleased as they danced around him. Wanderer wanted to discipline them for their disruptive behaviour, but there was little he could do with so many, particularly without his fire. Hrrr, maybe he could set a good example though.

He sat down slowly and tucked his tail neatly around his paws, holding his head high and staring down the unruly Spine-Tails. "I think that Fire-Scale not like that," he said, gesturing to the female as she crawled up the wall to a higher ledge.

"Not like! Not like!" they chanted, completely oblivious to what he was trying to tell them.

Wanderer sighed; this wouldn't be so easy to fix. "Where your dam?"

"No Dam!"

They bounced and flapped excitedly, and Wanderer had to bark to get their attention again. "You show me thing," he said to one of the more placid females before turning to the group again. "Then we play?"

"Play! Play! Play!" The one he'd spoken to hopped forward and nipped at him.

"You show me who feed you?" he asked, holding his wing back from the bitey fledgling.

"Feed? Yes. Show."

Quite a way up the nest, not much further down than Wanderer's own ledge, they alighted on a narrow ledge sporting some Spine-Tails and fledglings. He gave the fledgling who'd led him there a grateful glance, then walked forward and warbled a greeting.

The Spine-Tail he addressed warbled back, though she was doing her best to calm her own squawking fledgling. Wanderer tilted his head at him then shot her an enquiring look, to which she chirped agreeably.

Wanderer walked right up to the demanding fledgling and snarled in his face, instantly silencing him. "You hungry?" he asked calmly, but the fledgling fidgeted and shied back. "You want play?" That earned a hopeful chirp. "I talk with your dam, then play," he offered, gesturing to the fledgling behind him.

"Now! Play!" The fledgling then screeched demandingly, but went silent as Wanderer snarled at him again.

Wanderer huffed agreeably at the quietened fledgling, then turned to his dam. "Your dam leave you here?"

"Yes. I here. Dam leave."

He winced at her basic grasp of language. And she only had one fledgling… Spine-Tails usually hatched in clutches of four or five. "Alpha not help?"

"…Help?"

"He… not do thing for you?"

"Alpha scare us." She gnashed her teeth a few times, shying and shuffling back.

Wanderer turned to the side to growl. He could fault the Long-Paw nest all he wanted, but at least their alpha actually worked for the good of the nest. This one seemed unbothered by the wrong things going on around him.

And an alpha like that… Best he not approach, not without his fire at least.

He tossed his head and offered a consoling croon. There was no way he was leaving this Spine-Tail to fend for herself, she had absolutely no idea what she was doing and nobody to help her. That was changing, now. "Come, we help you." He turned to the fledgling, who was glaring sulkily at him. "Come, we play."

"Not play you," he grumbled back petulantly.

Wanderer held back a groan, then gestured to the fledgling, but his dam just stared back at him.

After several failed attempts to communicate, and some muted hissing in frustration at his small size, Wanderer gave up and called for Storm-Fly. He was counting on her help anyway, and this was her daughter. There was a level of responsibility she had to take, even if it wasn't strictly her fault.

Though, it would be interesting to see how this played out. Storm-Fly didn't think she was doing anything wrong in her altered thinking, and this Spine-Tail had ignored Storm-Fly when collecting the fledglings a pawful of nights ago.

She stared furtively at Storm-Fly as she descended and landed, and Wanderer just gestured and moved out of the way.

How would he treat a dam who abandoned him at a young age and then turned up out of nowhere like nothing was wrong? Wrrr, he would want to know why, and it would then depend on the reasons. Spine-Tails were simpler creatures, however, living more in the moment.

Storm-Fly's daughter moved in front of her fledgling, but remained low to the ground. He started acting up again, squawking and trying to get around her and thus dividing her attention between him and the perceived threat.

"She need help," Wanderer said, walking up next to Storm-Fly. "She your fledgling." It felt weird to be telling her what to do, but he could only fly on the winds that blew.

Storm-Fly stared at the scene for many long moments, but seemed spurred into action when the fledgling flamed his dam. She hopped forward and leaned against her daughter reassuringly, though she did not seem reassured, then expertly grabbed the fledgling in her mouth.

He instantly went limp, legs and a wing hanging limply from her jaw, though he squeaked unhappily. His Dam watched with wide eyes, then sagged and followed them into the air.

She was so submissive, even to her own fledgling, completely lacking confidence. It was not good to grow up without a dam.

Wanderer watched them go, then abruptly remembered his promise to the other fledglings. The one who had shown him here had apparently got bored at some point and left, so the others were almost certainly off causing trouble again. He sighed and set off to find them.

Dreamer hopped aside from another clumsy lunge, sighing in agitation. It had started fun, but this fledgling was trying his patience. And for some reason Storm-Fly and the new Spine-Tail who had joined them were content to just watch, regardless of Dreamer's grumbles.

He darted around the fledgling again, easily dodging his hooked wing-wrists and teeth, then dropped to the stone with his face hidden behind his tail. That, if anything, should signal he didn't want to play anymore.

But the fledgling persisted, charging up to him and forcing him to his paws again. He was now more convinced that this fledgling was not trying to be playful, but he still had no idea what was going on.

Flaring his wings, he turned to the open air… but, as with last time he'd got fed up, something stopped him. Some deep instinct, some sense of loss for if he flew away. He furled his wings and turned to the Spine-Tail fledgling, not able to stop himself shying back as he once again charged with an angry screech.

Well… he was trying to subvert these rotten instincts, and this seemed a decent opportunity. He shut out the anger directed at him, focusing on the Spine-Tail himself. It was a simple matter to hop out of the way again, lash out with his tail, then leap over to pin him by the flank and neck.

There, happy? Dreamer growled at him as he struggled, blocking the thrashing tail with a wing, but it didn't seem to help. He let the fledgling up, only to be attacked again. What was wrong with this Spine-Tail?

Finally, Wanderer alighted on the ledge and sat on his haunches, also apparently content to just watch. Dreamer was definitely missing something here.

The Spine-Tail fledgling turned to the new arrival, then screeched and charged at him instead. Dreamer slumped to the ground, exhausted; he had no idea how this fledgling could still be so energetic.

Wanderer smirked as the fledgling charged, then halted him by putting a paw to his head and slamming his chin into the ground. Hmph, Dreamer had already tried fighting, and it didn't work.

Sure enough, the fledgling hopped back to his paws with an angry hiss, then tried to head-butt Wanderer, but was just slapped aside and stumbled to a halt. Over and over Wanderer slammed him aside or into the ground without as much as moving, then finally, with a languid yawn, stood and turned to strike him with his tail.

Dreamer gawked as the fledgling tumbled several body-lengths away, he knew their tails were strong but that was ridiculous.

With a coolly casual demeanour, Wanderer strolled over to the fledgling and looked down on him, flaring his wings for emphasis. The fledgling hunched, staring wide-eyed up at the Nightstriker.

And then Dreamer's wings hit the ground as Wanderer crooned happily and nuzzled the fledgling, who chirped back with a flutter of wings and nibbled at Wanderer's shoulder.

…What in Thor's name just happened?

Wanderer caught his expression, and a shocked understanding flickered across his face. He put a wing in front of the fledgling and walked up to Dreamer, with a glance to Stormfly and the new Spine-Tail with her. "I not explain, sorry," he said; though his eyes were sincere, the apology was barely a nod. "Family has hierarchy, we fight for it."

"Hier-archy?" Dreamer warbled in confusion.

"Wrrr, like your nest… Your sire alpha, next rock-head's sire, next tree-paw, next… you understand. Hierarchy say who eat first, who get best sleeping-place."

"Who eat first? So if there not enough food…"

Wanderer shrugged. "Weak kin starve."

Dreamer grimaced, applying the structure to the teens of his generation. Astrid was definitely at the top, followed by Snotlout, the twins, Fishlegs, and then… himself. If he'd had to rely on the rest of them leaving him food, he wouldn't have survived long. "I happy we not need fight for hierarchy," he grumbled.

"Yes," Wanderer chirped happily. "Storm-Fly, next me, next you."

A growl escaped Dreamer's mouth before he realised what he was doing. He quickly bit it off and pressed the back of his paw to his snout, staring at his friend with wide eyes.

Wanderer stared back at him… then burst out laughing. "Yes, best-friend, I eat before you," he wheezed out when he'd calmed a bit. "Not feel bad. Maybe one night, you fight me for it?" He grinned toothily, still sniggering.

Dreamer grumbled at him. "I already fight this fledgling. He still attack."

"Hrrr, need show him you stronger. You maybe win one fight, but you need win many. Until he know he lose if he fight you."

Which meant fighting, repeatedly. Fine. It would be good practise.

He gave himself a thorough shake, then prowled up to the Spine-Tail fledgling with a growl and met the expected charge with his shoulder, taking the hard horn with ease. This Spine-Tail was very light in comparison to the Nightstrikers, there was no weight behind the charge. What was he afraid of?

Dreamer swiped at him – but might as well have been patting him, having completely failed to put any force into the strike whatsoever. The Spine-Tail chirped in confusion, and then Dreamer was darting back from snapping teeth.

Grah, what had happened? Of course, he'd pulled his strike. He forced his shaking body to still, to calm, then dodged the next charge and closed his eyes a moment to get himself in the right mindset.

He had the right instincts, clearly, but how to tap into them? He looked up and stared at the fledgling, who came to a stop, turned, and screeched in frustration. Were this fledgling Snotlout-

No, that was a bad way to think apparently, if his suddenly overwhelming desire to cower was anything to go by. Not Snotlout, just what he appeared to be. Dreamer stood tall and stepped aside from the next charge.

He hadn't wanted to fly away. Why not? Obviously he didn't want to submit to this… petulant child. Yes, he was ahead of him in the hierarchy, and would eat first-

That was the thought he needed. Dreamer immersed himself in it, with the thought that if he lost then he would grow hungry while this fledgling grew fat. Strike hard, win fast. A snarl tore through his teeth and he rocketed forward, bodily pouncing the fledgling and rolling them over to pin him to the ground. He held his head over the fledgling's, still snarling-

The snarl became a squeak as he was picked up by something closing around his flanks, and his paws and wings flailed helplessly in the air until he was dropped back to the ground. He twisted to land upright, but was then flattened by something big and heavy. By Stormfly, whose head appeared in front of him to squawk before disappearing again.

What!? He was only doing…

The fledgling shakily got to his feet and glanced over, and Dreamer recoiled at the fear in his expression.

"You maybe fight too much," Wanderer mumbled as he approached, then hummed in amusement. "I never think I would say that."

Dreamer groaned and let his chin drop to the rock. "This hard for me," he said with a whine.

"You not do bad," Wanderer said reassuringly. "Wrrr, maybe small bad. Storm-Fly just reminding you she eat first."

That made him feel a little better… and then a whole lot worse, remembering all the times Wanderer had been told off on Berk, for taking from the food table, jumping in the fire, chewing furniture… How was he supposed to know?

But that was part of learning… He'd just been told off for it and had remembered. Most of the time. Some things, like rolling in the fire, he seemed to think worth being chastised.

"Maybe it good anyway, that fledgling not fight you now," Wanderer said with a laugh, then trotted to their usual spot and flopped onto his back.

Well, that was one positive at least. It was better to learn and fight his wrongness with Wanderer, not some random Spine-Tail fledgling, barely-…

How old was this fledgling anyway? He was slightly smaller than Dreamer, like all the other Spine-Tail fledglings, but Dreamer was over two years old; in body, at least. Assuming equal growths, there should be two more generations of Spine-Tails in the nest, but there weren't any much smaller than this one. Could he really have grown so much so quickly?

The weight on Dreamer's back relented and he hopped forward, relieved to be free-

Jaws closed down around his flanks, and his paws scrabbled at the air as he was lifted again and dropped back in front of Stormfly. She looked at him with an unreadable expression, but didn't make any move to pin him again. Okay…? He trotted forward, only for her to drag him back again.

He gave her an affronted huff, then squeaked as her giant paw pressed him to the ground. "Gentle," she trilled, then lifted her paw and nudged him forward.

After recovering from the stumble, he grumbled and trotted over to the fledgling with a friendly croon. The young Spine-Tail watched him warily, then scented him as he neared. Dreamer scented him back, once again finding it difficult to make much out of the sheer unfamiliar detail his nose provided him with.

He didn't let it mar the moment though, and gave the fledgling a friendly nuzzle like Wanderer had done. This seemed to relax him somewhat, and he briefly returned the nuzzle before running back to his dam.

Dreamer sighed in relief, grateful all that was all over with, then wearily padded over to Wanderer and settled in next to him. It was only early afternoon, but he felt like he'd been awake for days…

Some time later, Dreamer blinked himself awake to a commotion, and yawned widely before turning to see what was going on.

Huh, Wanderer was over there, tussling with a Spine-Tail fledgling. One of… four, he realised after a quick count. Oh no, they're multiplying… Then Storm-Fly alighted on the ledge with a fifth fledgling and dropped him with the others.

Wanderer noticed him staring at in total confusion, and bounded over. "You awake!"

"…Maybe?"

He laughed. "These Storm-Fly's fledglings! We kill bad thought. Hrrr, maybe not, but she not leave this clutch now!" He bounced around in a circle, elated at the development.

Dreamer shook his head with a grin, not even a week in this new nest and already upheaving pack dynamics. Wrrr, just as long as they didn't need to kill its queen again.

The new fledglings seemed to realise he was awake and ran over, tails held high and lashing side to side to keep their balance, but kept a respectful distance from Wanderer as they rushed past him. They shoved their snouts in Dreamer's face, nostrils flaring as they eagerly scented him, and gave him an opportunity to scent each in turn.

He was starting to recognise the familial similarity… Sort of like how the taste of mutton differed from boar, but both were land-prey. Although, by the time he scented the third fledgling his nose was completely burned out to the subtler details, anything more than their unique scent and whether it was the sort of mellow warmth of the three females or sharp heat of the one new male.

One of the females growled at him, but was subsequently pounced by the male and then they were all tussling playfully.

Or… not so playfully, actually, and one familiar fledgling wasn't part of it. Dreamer slumped as he realised what was going on. "I need fight all new fledglings!?" he squeaked at Wanderer.

"Hrrr, maybe," his friend replied casually. "I did, but I wanted that. I think you only need fight new male, he fight much for hierarchy. These males eat before females, so beat them, females not challenge."

Well, that wasn't as bad as four more. Hopefully he didn't mess this up again.

Wanderer was feeling confident in his efforts, trying as they had sometimes been. Once Storm-Fly retrieved her fledglings, it wasn't difficult to convince the other female nest-kin of the Long-Paw nest to do the same. He didn't personally understand why they hadn't already done so on their own, given it didn't conflict with the bad thought, but he had learned long ago that their thinking was very different. Other nest-kin lived in the moment, not thinking forward or back other than how it would affect them presently.

For instance, the first fledgling Dreamer had fought for hierarchy was initially terrified of his smaller Nightstriker kin. So much so, he'd actually been very well behaved for a pawful of lights, until the other raucous fledglings coaxed him back to his stubbornness. But since that first fight Dreamer had been nothing but playful, and now he barely even remembered how terrifying his kin could be, often trying his patience and generally being demanding.

Aside from the abandoned fledglings there was also the grim sight at the bottom of the nest, but it was too hot down there and not a good place for nesting or anything so there wasn't any real harm in that bad thought. There might be if enough nest-kin perished there, but only those hatched before the queen's demise would be inclined to do so. It would solve itself in time, more or less.

What he didn't know what to do with was the not-nest-kin who had presumably nested here with the queen and since flown out into the world, but returned to obey that bad thought to bring their fledglings here. They weren't present to convince otherwise, and approaching the alpha himself was a bad idea.

A really bad idea, Wanderer realised as he watched the big Fire-Scale ascend through the nest.

He had never known any creature other than Nightstrikers to hatch again, they simply grew weaker until they perished. However, this alpha was clearly much older than what a Fire-Scale would normally grow to, and had somehow grown strong instead of weak, his scales bold and dark instead of dull and pale. When his gaze briefly fell on Wanderer on the way past, it held an intensity that froze him in place.

No, such a Fire-Scale would not entertain his presence, not now as a weak little fledgling with no fire. When he grew big and strong he would be capable of demanding something of such an alpha, even one as big and experienced as this one, but not soon enough. Not soon enough to help the next generation of fledglings.

Grrr, was this how Dreamer had felt about his own nest? All the time? Perceiving a wrong with the world that could not be corrected with respectful words or claws and fangs… It was stifling, and weighed on his back as much as his thoughts.

He glanced furtively at Storm-Fly, busy with her other fledglings, then briskly crept to the edge of the outcrop and dropped off it. He needed to stretch his wings and fly like a Nightstriker, fast and far.

Though it was tempting, it would be indecent to use his sound-sight within the nest, so he slowed his descent a little to shoot out of the lower crevice at only high speed. Once out of the nest, however, he angled up into the sky and pumped the air with his wings to climb, then let himself freefall back towards the misty water below. Here he could use his sound-sight, and he angled his sub-wings in just the right way to cut the air with a piercing shriek.

He pulled up just inside the mist, eyes practically blind at the speed he was travelling but easily dodging through the maze clearly visible all around him. All too soon however the rocks fell away behind, and then he emerged into clear skies.

A roar of freedom, triumph, rang out through the air, and then he angled himself down to skim just above the water, chasing his shadow cast by the sinking sky-fire toward the drinking pool.

For other nest-kin, particularly fledglings, it was a fair flight, and most preferred to regularly lick the damp rocks within the fog so that they did not need to come so far this often. For a Nighstriker, the journey was hardly inconvenient; the only nest-kin who could compete in speed were Spine-Tails, but they worked their wings hard to do so.

It was again over far too quickly when the tiny-land came into view, a speck of rock hardly big enough to run around on. Most of it was carved into a basin that trapped the water that regularly fell from the sky, more than enough to sustain even the inflated nest, particularly with the option of the damp rocks that was close to sustaining anyway.

He flared his wings to slow himself, and alighted gently on the pale rock at the edge of the water. After slaking his thirst, as he might as well, he slipped into the fresh water and drifted around it for a little while, enjoying that it was cool but not as cold as the sea. After circling it a pawful of times, he emerged on the other side and began licking the water off himself before the mild sky-fire could dry him. The preening helped keep him relaxed…

But then, suddenly, the isolation struck him. He hadn't been on his own, or even just with Dreamer, since arriving in the nest. Storm-Fly or Alpha-Tail had always been watching… Wrrr, he could take care of himself.

…But… he felt… something. A building tension, an oppressive silence. Danger? He set his paw back on the ground and lowered into a nervous crouch, glancing around. Behind him, the water sloshed happily against the rock, the sounds startingly clear in his heightened awareness. His ears twitched, finding angles to listen around him without the wind humming into them. Movement in the water, but there could be no danger there. A shadow on the surface-

He desperately launched himself into the pool without another thought, tucking everything tightly to his body as claws as long as his tail shredded the water around him in an instant. He powered through the frothy haze and launched from the other side, then flung himself into the air and frantically worked his wings.

A daring glance back showed the Fire-Scale alpha completing a wide turn, stretching his giant wings in preparation. His eyes were on Wanderer, eyes of a hunter bearing down on its prey.

Him.

He straightened himself and flapped hard and fast, quickly building speed, but the alpha was an incredibly strong flier and the groaning of the air with his heavy wingbeats drew steadily closer. Wanderer was certainly faster, but he wasn't going to get a chance to reach that speed, not even close!

Angling up into the sky, his wings ate through air like a starved fledgling, and then he threw himself down to pick up speed. Some of his terror melted as his sound-sight picked out the Fire-Scale bearing down on him, still closing the distance even after using his dive for speed.

He focused on the blurry image of the alpha behind him, distorted with every wingbeat but growing clearer as he drew nearer. His pounding heart leapt as long talons extended above him, giving him ample warning to swerve out of the way, but seeing them that way was terrifying!

Again he angled back up into the sky, though now the fog was to his side, barred to him by the Fire-Scale creeping up next to him. Again he angled his wings to angle him back to the water, then in the same movement threw them back to power him down. Again the Fire-Scale got himself between him and the concealing fog, forcing him into another sharp bank that cost him speed.

But he was slowly approaching the fog wall; the alpha could accelerate more quickly, but Wanderer was faster and more nimble. Again he rose and used the height for speed, and then again, veering away from deadly teeth and claws all the while, before nipping within the alpha's wingspan to cut across into the fog-

And then heave himself to the side again as teeth snapped down on where he'd been. This fog was concealing, but only at a distance, and his pursuer was too close! He weaved between pillars, taking a highly convoluted path, but he just couldn't lose him!

Wet air heavy in his burning lungs, Wanderer weaved between a tightly grouped cluster of rocks and spun around one to grab onto the other side. He scampered up it, claws easily grabbing the layered stone, hoping-

The Fire-Scale's large head snaked out of the gloom above him, hissing triumphantly. Wanderer cried out fear, danger, panic, and pushed from the rock, madly flapping and squawking piteously for help – as if Storm-Fly could hear him, still far away and behind thick rock surrounded by noisy fledglings and a whole nest of sound, but he was desperate!

A thick gout of flame fell before him, though it wasn't an obstacle itself the sudden intense heat creating a billowing turbulence and momentarily obscured his vision. He turned hard from the pillar suddenly in front of him, slipping over the wake of the fire-

And then yelped as a line of agony cut shallowly down his back, from claws attached to the wing that covered his flank and pulled him down. He used it, twisting to swoop in the other direction and abuse the alpha's wide turning circle.

Even still, the alpha somehow turned and gained on him, and now his wing faltered on every upstroke. Fear, danger, desperate! he cried out, winded from exertion and quickly losing strength.

A Spine-Tail called out and he angled towards the sound, repeating his cry with everything he had left. He was close, so very close…

Alpha-Tail suddenly materialised in the gloom, swooping down over him and firing so closely that Wanderer felt the heat on his tail, the white-hot fire enough to give even a Fire-Scale pause.

Wanderer roared weakly in relief and gratitude, then fled swiftly and silently from the sounds of more fire behind him. Alpha-Tail would be okay, as long as Wanderer quickly removed himself so that there was nothing to need protecting anymore.

Even still, he let out a relieved croon as there was no bellow of triumph, no roar of dominance. There was no frustrated exclamation either, but this alpha did not seem one to lose his temper as Fire-Scales were prone to doing.

No… He had been very deliberate and calm the entire time. Wanderer shivered, despite having just ducked through the low crevasse into the balmy warm-nest; the alpha wanted to kill him, probably Dreamer too. But he couldn't leave, not while there was still wrongness in the nest.

Riding the rising air up the nest did not bring as much relief as he'd hoped, the regular flaring of pain down his back becoming a lesser but more constant burning as his wings stilled. He felt blood running down his right wing, tickling the sensitive edge where it met his side, then running along his sub-wing and tail. Wrrr, he was still flying, so it couldn't be all that bad however much it hurt.

Finally, he reached his ledge and dropped onto it, making two whole steps before collapsing with a groan. A familiar bark of alarm pricked his ears, and he managed to drag his gaze to Dreamer rushing for him.

Hurt, relief, weary, Wanderer groaned, then purred as Dreamer licked the hurt for him. He understood that explanations would come later, and Wanderer would remind him that he didn't need to stay here… but he would stay, for which Wanderer was grateful. As long as they stayed near their adoptive kin, Storm-Fly and Alpha-Tail, they would be reasonably safe. As safe as one could be, in life.

Storm-Fly was with him a moment later, warbling worriedly. Wanderer replied with a long regretful whine – a promise to not fly off on his own in future – and she hummed content before licking him over his head and down his neck and returning to her fledglings.

Dreamer stayed with him while he caught his breath, but didn't ask, didn't fret, simply tended his wound until it stopped bleeding and then settled in next to him with a constant, comforting purr. During that time, Alpha-Tail returned to the ledge, the approaching wings gripping Wanderer's attention like prey in his jaws.

The big Spine-Tail now sported a shallow gash down his face, starting at his crown of quills and curving down to his jaw; the bigger scales on the top of his head had taken the brunt of the strike, though a pawful had been torn off. It seemed the only injury he'd sustained, as Storm-Fly licked it clean and gave him a hearty nuzzle.

He understood now. Storm-Fly, somehow knowing of the danger, must have sent Alpha-Tail after him. She'd allowed him to mark her two pawfuls of lights ago, a promise of mating in the next cooling-season, but he would still want to prove himself a good mate. Protecting one of her fledglings, even an adopted one, earned him significant favour.

But then, what he couldn't work out was why… hrrr… 'Very-Bent-Tooth', and the yet unnamed Two-Head had apparently followed after him as well, alighting on the ledge and each giving him a nuzzle and sympathetic, apologetic croon. They had no reason to do as Storm-Fly wanted.

Wrrr, it didn't matter. Wanderer nudged Dreamer with a grateful and prompting purr. "I… not stay where Storm-Fly can see me," he admitted sheepishly.

Dreamer swatted him. "I see that," he growled. "You find hungry Fire-Scale again?"

"No," Wanderer growled back after batting away Dreamer's paw. "Alpha find me."

"Alpha?" Dreamer chirped curiously.

"Yes. He try kill me."

There was silence for a long moment. "We safe here?" was the eventual, tentative response.

"If stay where Storm-Fly can see us, I think we safe. I need fix nest, but you not need stay-"

Dreamer cut him off by lightly wrapping teeth around his head and growling in his ear. Wanderer chuckled. "I know you not, I just say you can leave if want."

"I not want," Dreamer growled grumpily as he withdrew his teeth and ruffled his wings. "Why alpha attack you?"

"Not know. Not matter. If he find us alone, he kill us. Not go near him."

Dreamer huffed and mumbled something about fighting before shuffling closer, and Wanderer happily tucked his head between Dreamer's forelegs and neck to purr himself into a doze.

Much time later, long after the sky-fire burned out and the sky grew dark, sleep had still not taken him. That blurry, colourless image of talons extending above him was fixed in his mind, and his back itched in expectation of it springing to life and finishing the attack. He gave up, as the more he rested the less tired he was and the less likely he was to sleep, and gingerly stretched out.

His gaze drifted over his nest-kin, the ones who had been his nest-kin in the Long-Paw nest, and he purred gratefully. They had protected him, as he had once protected all them, though they seemed to think him his own son; they must be extremely grateful to pass that gratitude to his kin.

Alpha-tail opened an eye, then lazily rocked his head beckoningly. Wanderer padded over, purring loudly, and nuzzled his face before licking at the wound he'd taken in distracting the alpha. Alpha-Tail purred back at him, then lifted one of his wings a little.

Wanderer glanced at it, met his gaze hopefully, then crawled under the wing and snuggled up to his side, where his eyes finally allowed themselves to drift closed…

"I'm telling you, he's right there!" Tuffnut gestured dramatically to the courtyard, staring sternly at the young merchant. "He's going to get offended if you don't at least say hello, and you don't want to offend a dragon…"

"Uh… Okay… I think I hear my dad calling." The kid turned slowly and started walking away.

"Retribution will be swift! Retribution will be just! Thou shalst be setteth afire!" The both of them leapt into the air as the kid's trousers spontaneously caught fire, and then occupant of said trousers started moving a lot more quickly, running a short distance before tearing off the garment and stamping out the flames.

Tuffnut stared after him, then at his hands. "Wait, did I do that? Do I have magic powers!? Yes! My enemies will bow before me!" He pointed at his sister. "You! Foul creature! Your presence offends me, be goneth from thoust plane of existinence!" He noticed her expression and instantly deflated. "Oh, great. I should have known. Why, sister, why do you do this to me?"

Ruffnut beamed at him. "I think the better question, dear brother, is how I did this to you."

He stared at her. "…Touché."

"And him. But mostly you."

Tuffnut frowned, then inspected his trousers carefully. Finding nothing out of the ordinary, he sighed and kicked a rock into the crowd; maybe it would hit someone's ankle and start something interesting. "Man, it's just not the same."

"I'm so glad you noticed! I watered it down a bit more this time, then added-"

"No, I mean, this routine. I miss Belch."

"Oh no, you don't get to mope about that," she barked sternly, holding a finger to his face. "Not after all that talk about-"

"I know what I said," he shot back, slapping the hand away and head-butting her to glare right into her face. "Just because I happen to agree with something doesn't mean I have to be happy about it!"

She shoved her head back into his, pushing him back. "I respectfully disagree, especially when we had nothing to do with that!"

They glared at each other, gritting their teeth and grinding their helmets together, but then the fight sort of just bled out of them. They both glanced to the side, where there would normally be a Hideous Zippleback fighting with itself by now.

Twin sighs were lost to the crowd, and they slumped back against the wall of the forge.

Not long later, Fishlegs' distinctive voice could be heard over the murmur of the crowd. "See? What did I tell you. Just follow the fire and or screaming. Every time."

"Oh great," Tuffnut groaned, "it's you two."

"Good to see you too," Astrid, carrying two large sacks, drawled sarcastically, her voice grating on his already dour mood. "Maybe I don't want to bring you after all."

"We ain't goin' nowhere," Ruffnut shot back gloomily. "Wherever you're going it can wait until we can fly there, it's only been a few weeks."

"Forty-seven days, to be exact," Fishlegs supplied unnecessarily.

Astrid dropped one of the sacks into Tuffnut's arms. "Yeah well we're not waiting," she said before he could drop it unceremoniously, then strode towards the docks with a resolute determination befitting of Stoick himself. "We're going to get them back."

Tuffnut shared a long look with Ruffnut. A voyage with Astrid, but to the dragon nest, just like the bad old days? He slung the sack over his shoulder and marched after her. "Count us in."