AN: Ha! Bet I got all of you reeling. That's right, an update within eight days and 10K to boot. Me and LEPShot had fun with this one, so I hope you enjoy reading it as much as we did writing it. I'd really appreciate some feedback with your thoughts about this particular chapter and its contents. The poll is still open for those who'd like to respond. Also, another huge thank you to anhedral for his magnificent feedback on 30. Happy reading!
Chapter 31
Toothless
The water was icy. Tendrils of cold played over scales that insulated and protected from the crushing temperature. Within his scale armor, Toothless' flesh was warm and rested. He knew that this would be the time when his Wing truly started to judge him. Now, he was going out into the world under his own power for the first time since Hiccup had shot him down. He counted slowly to ten in his head, then felt it; a rush of warm water that pushed against his underside, and opening his wings wide, he caught the current and shot forward.
The mind's of Sycle and Skuru in front of him acted as glowing beacons in the darkness. Behind him, he sensed Ryshkaa and Kale following closely. Then, the water changed again. The current died, and the icy temperature once more battered his scales. He saw Sycle turn upwards ahead of him, and he immediately turned his tail fin and opened it half-way. With a beat of his wings and an undulation of his core, he shot upwards toward the surface.
Sycle had insisted on taking a half hour that morning to run through Toothless' skills in swimming. Unfortunately, Toothless had barely ever touched the water whilst he was with the Hive, and after he met Hiccup, he'd only ever snatched fish away from the surface. The entire Wing had dived into his mind and started reliving their experiences of underwater flight, for where Shades were concerned, that's exactly what it was. Each of the three wing pairs had a function, and his legs and midriff had to move in very precise manners.
The onslaught of insight was rather like sticking his head into a waterfall and attempting to perceive each drop of water as it impacted him and continued on its way. Toothless had thought the task was impossible, until Sycle had whispered in his head.
"We're not trying to teach you to swim. We're trying to make swimming a part of your thoughts. The idea is that you won't panic and drown when you first leap in. You will only truly learn with practice."
So, Toothless had waited through the shower of memory, and now that he was in the water, he found that bits and pieces of his newly gained knowledge slowly surfaced as they became relevant, and with them, he managed to direct his course.
One of the first things he noticed, however, was that the false tailfin that Hiccup had modified, while clever, and certainly an improvement if Hiccup were not with him, was limited. Because it could only open and close to the same degree as its twin, complex maneuvers that could simplify flight were beyond him. He found that as he rose to the surface and tried to steer, his movements and their corresponding results in his course were sluggish and rather clumsy. He felt misgivings begin to bubble in his chest. Would he even be able to fly with this thing?
His negative thoughts were cut off as he broke the water's surface and felt air rush into his nostrils, while the old air in his lungs was expelled through his mouth. Ahead of him, he glimpsed Sycle and Skuru clambering out of the water and onto a large chunk of ice that was floating a few meters away. In a few minutes, the entire Wing, Toothless included, was assembled on the slightly rocking white mass.
"Ryshkaa, Skuru. You're turn to catch breakfast. We need to see if that contraption is actually going to work."
Only then did Toothless remember that the Wing was privy to his misgivings. Now that he was paying attention, he felt that Ryshkaa was slightly disappointed at being sent off, as she'd wanted to see his attempt at flight in person, and Skuru was just thinking about food. His stomach was empty and he was eager to fill it.
With a tensing and release in their legs and a sharp downward flap, both Skuru and Ryshkaa shot off the ice island almost horizontally, sending water misting out to either side. After about thirty seconds of gliding, they both disappeared below the water's surface.
"Alright, now then..." Without saying another word Sycle fell to thinking, with ideas and plans whipping through his mind so fast that Toothless was left ignorant.
Kale's deep, resonant thoughts interrupted. "He is new to flight in the North, Sycle. We should carry him to altitude, then let him test the fin, before we teach him particulars of ice and water flight."
Sycle turned his head, acknowledging the younger male's words, then after a moment of consideration, he nodded. Kale turned without another sound and leapt off the ice just as Ryshkaa and Skuru had, but instead of gliding, he pumped his wings and quickly gained altitude.
"Alright Toothless, this is going to be a trust exercise as much as anything else. When Kale circles around, he's going to fly low over the water. I want you to jump as high as you can in the air and gain as much altitude as you can, then close your wings and let Kale catch you."
Toothless considered the actions that had just been described. It seemed like a very strange and slightly unnecessary way to take off.
"And why am I doing this exactly?"
Sycle snorted, slightly annoyed. "You haven't flown over this water before. There are certain pitfalls that could befall you and we don't want to damage your... prosthetic with your inexperience. Also, partner flying is a practiced exercise among the Wings, so you might as well get used to it. Now get ready, here he comes." Without looking up, Toothless looked through Kale's eyes and saw the ice island fast approaching.
The island wasn't very wide at all; Toothless could cross it in three bounds. As he saw the island rushing up in Kale's vision, that's exactly what he did. With two jumps he was at the far edge, and with the third he propelled himself into the air. Kale drew closer. Toothless pumped his wings thrice, folding them just in time for Kale's muscular limbs to wrap around him beneath his forelegs and in front of his hindlegs. Then Kale grunted, and shoved downwards with his wings.
Toothless felt enormous amounts of muscle working at his back. This Shade truly was formidable in physical standing. He was even more powerful than Toothless had originally given him credit for. With only slightly labored breathing, he lifted another Shade along with himself into the air as Hiccup might lift a snowball.
"Your choice of mate is slightly less unusual now that I hear these thoughts." Ryshkaa's voice was quiet and saturated with barely contained laughter. Skuru snickered.
"Shut up, the both of you." Kale rumbled. "You're going to make him uncomfortable."
Very rapidly, so rapidly that Toothless was optimistic that they might be missed, a set of images ran through his head. Images of Kale. He then shook his head violently and snarled at Ryshkaa.
"I will hurt you."
Ryshkaa burst out laughing within her head, even as she sank her teeth into the heavily muscled side of a Kahda.
Sycle, who'd followed them into the air growled quietly at both of them, but he left it at that. After all, lighthearted banter is a healthy part of any family.
Kale was putting his mammoth strength to good use. Toothless saw that the sea had dropped far below them and now the clouds were started to rush past. Only then, as he considered the sky above, did Toothless realize that his first flight on his own in so many weeks would take place beneath the billions of jewels that graced the night sky.
Kale did not bother to warn him. He simply let go. For about five seconds, Toothless fell with wings folded and eyes focused on the sky above him. With a deep breath, his thoughts turned to Hiccup, and he desperately wished that his mate was here to see this. A single drop of moisture escaped his right eye. Then, with a challenging snarl, he threw his wings open and denied gravity its wish.
It was just as he'd feared; as he attempted to turn and correct his course so that he was flying level towards the mountain, the response was slow and arthritic, like that of an elder. Certainly, he could stay aloft and fly in a straight line, but to make any sort of deviation ment wasting precious time.
He felt Ryshkaa's thoughts brush warmly across his, as though trying to comfort.
A single tear escaped from his left eye.
XXX
Hiccup
This hall was built as a tribute to the mighty race known as Shades. Here, we stored all of the knowledge that we could. We left no detail of our race or our history out. The first room contains the knowledge, while the second contains the history. The second chamber is for the use of Elders, and those under their supervision. If you wish to gain access to history, you must first master the present. With both present and past at your command, the future is but a slate for you to write freely upon.
The voice was disembodied. No teacher with aged body and air of command stood before him. In fact, there was nothing at all - just a hollow voice echoing through endless darkness. When Hiccup was sure that nothing would follow, he pulled his hand away from the pillar, extinguishing the flames that had wreathed his limb moments before. The scales that covered his left hand and a good portion of his left and right forearms tingled as the fire dissipated.
The boy turned to Alda, who sat reclined against the pillar. They both stood on the elevating disc which was raised high above the floor.
"That was a very strange Rune." In fact, the symbol itself was strange beyond what it contained. It occupied a section of the wall all by itself with no other Runes around it, in the dead center of the pillar's length between floor and ceiling.
"Indeed it is. I have yet to discover if it possesses any deeper meaning, and I have yet been unable to locate this 'second chamber'."
"Wait, haven't you been here for... a long time?"
"A few centuries, give or take."
"And you can't find it? I thought you knew everything about this place. I saw all the Runes in your head."
"Funny you should say that. Not all of this chamber's knowledge is contained in my aged and battered head, youngling. But that is a topic for another time. For now, we must move on, and continue memorization."
Slowly, the Rise Rune that had glowed softly on the disc's surface faded, and Hiccup and Alda began a slow descent to the floor. Hiccup immediately fell to his knees, while Alda started sketching on the floor. One by one, Hiccup touched, felt, and learned each Rune, storing their shape and warmth in his mind for future reference.
Ice, Soft, Water, Hard. As each Rune flowed past, Hiccup found that while he was focused on the task at hand, his thoughts were wandering as they had yesterday. Searching and combing for Toothless' mind. Desperate to feel the slightest touch of his mate. But, as before, Alda kept all of his thoughts sealed within the confines of the Hall, unable to range beyond and interact. Earth, Sand, Glass, Shape.
Hiccup realized something - he'd spent the entirety of the previous night and most of this one learning of Shade behavior and the ways in which they interacted. What he'd discovered was that most of the interaction a Shade normally ever has with others of his kind, mostly involved violent confrontations and establishments of rank. When one Shade contested with another, they fought until one submitted and became deferential to his superior. Hiccup could not help but think, I am, completely defenseless. Certainly, I have Toothless, but he's only just learning to fight as well. Hiccup could not interact with other Shade's properly if he could not fight them.
"Come now. You're certainly not completely defenseless. You could put any Shade to sleep with a brush of your fingers."
"Maybe so," Hiccup responded, slightly embarrassed to discover that he'd been broadcasting his worries, "but such a victory would gain me no standing. No respect. Other's must know that I'm capable of physically harming them." This he knew. He'd seen it in the memories of his teachers.
Alda stared down at him for a moment. Then sighed.
"You're not going to be able to concentrate tonight on anything else, are you?"
"My guess would be a solid 'no'."
Alda heaved a sigh, then turned and made his slow and arthritic way over to one of the far outer walls of the hall, signalling with his tail for Hiccup to follow. When they reached the wall, Hiccup was confronted with rows of unfamiliar symbols that he had not yet perused. Alda stopped and and drew two new Runes on the floor, one that looked like a ring twisted in upon itself with a curving line branching away from one side, and another that was simply a straight horizontal line with an upward sweep on the left, and a series of dashes above and below. Hiccup touched, felt, and learned each of them in turn - Allow, and Shift.
Hiccup looked curiously up at Alda, but the old Shade was not looking at him. The dragon stared sadly at his own left forepaw, and after a moment, it burst into violet flame.
Entranced, Hiccup watched Alda place the paw against the wall, and his interest intensified when all of the Runes that covered the wall shifted away from the dragon's flaming touch.
Once the Runes had cleared a small space around Alda's paw, he pulled it away and extended one claw. He quickly sketched the twisted ring of Allow into the wall and then stepped away.
As Hiccup watched, he saw a soft golden light appear in the darkness beyond the tiers of seemingly floating symbols. This light had no source. It was simply there to illuminate two identical objects that were floating in empty space.
"Go."
Hiccup felt very confused, but he trusted his mentor. He stepped forward and watched as the Runes shifted again and formed an empty rectangle of space about the size of a door. Hiccup stretched out his hands and stepped forward. Where his hands should have met the cold, hard, smooth black surface of the wall, they touched nothing but empty air. At first, he had taken the golden light and the floating objects to be an image on the surface of the black smooth stone that surrounded him, but as he walked forward, he found that it must be something physical, floating in the distance.
When he stretched his hands out to either side, they brushed against the cold, hard, frictionless surface of the walls, that now seemed to have formed a corridor. Before he could think of anything else, he was standing before the light. And the floating objects.
Two shining, black blades hung suspended with the golden light shimmering and reflecting off of their luminescent surfaces. There were no handles. These blades seemed to be fashioned as part of something else, without which they were incomplete. One was about the length between his elbow and wrist, while the other was shorter, about two thirds of it's companion.
Hiccup lifted a hand, and carefully grasped one between his thumb and forefinger, holding the flat of the blade. As soon as he touched it, there was a brief flicker of light and the blade dropped from its suspension, held between Hiccup's fingers. He took the other as well, then as he turned back the way he'd come, the golden light faded to darkness.
Looking back, the Hall was defined by the lines upon lines of Runes that ran along its invisible walls. It was very disturbing to see Alda standing in that confirmed space, while he was outside, standing in blackness that was infinitely black and extended infinitely in all directions.
When he passed the wall of Runes, he turned and watched them flow together, and it was as if the opening had never existed.
"Alda, what are these?" His voice was quiet and slightly reverent. The blades were wrapped in a veil of intense cold, and their flawless, pitch surface held his gaze. They almost blended with the floor below in the places that they extended over his palms.
"These are two Weh blades. They were once part of a Shade's paw weapon. The idea was to create synthetic claws that were longer, sharper and more deadly than natural claws. The blades were set in a brace that fit over the Shades paw. I've never seen an actual Weh intact before. These blades are all that are left."
"Wait, when were these, Weh used?"
"You will use the Shape Rune to make the blades usable, and then you shall have a weapon that you can use against foes."
"Alda? When were they used?"
Alda sighed.
"The Weh are from a long-dead time. Many centuries ago. If you have the patience, you'll learn all about it in a few weeks."
"Please?" That one word was barely audible, but in the silent hall formed of knowledge, it echoed like an earthquake.
"They were used in the Silver Age. When Shades roamed the earth and were unafraid of each other. When they traded knowledge like family and learning abounded. The Weh are from the time, when young heads became frightened, and our race was destroyed."
XXX
Astrid
The next day, after calming down at least a little, Astrid told the Twins about her experience. Ruffnut stood watch in the boughs of the tree above, while Tuffnut sharpened a fallen branch into a spear with his knife, and Astrid stood between them, at the center of the tangle of branches.
"Wait, how could you tell that it wasn't Hiccup's dragon?" Ruffnut posed this question, demonstrating her greater share of the intelligence split between the two.
"The shape and frame were completely different. It was either a different age, or perhaps a different gender. Or both."
"So why aren't we hunting?" That, of course, was Tuffnut. Displaying his lesser portion of intelligence. His sister snapped down at him without taking her eyes off the trees and rocks around them.
"Duh, because its a Night Fury, and Hiccup is the only one that's ever gotten close to one without dying. Of course, he probably seduced it, but..."
"Shut up. I swear to the gods, shut, Up."
Well, she's kind of right you know. Astrid squeezed her eyes shut and thought as hard as she could, so hard, in fact, that her temple started to ache.
That 'shut up' was just as much for you as it was for them.
Look at you! Aren't you cute. You can actually think. Bravo.
Astrid snarled under her breath. The Terror sitting on her shoulder raised it's head from it's nap against her neck and gave a yawn. Astrid leaned as far from its dragon breath as she could; the rotting fish smell was a little too pungent for her. When the little beast finally closed its mouth, she poked it in the chest with her finger. The tiny dragon gave a small 'hic' sound and then jumped onto her head.
Out of the corner of her eye, Astrid saw Tuffnut staring at her with a slightly disgusted look on his face, tapping the sharpened stake against his shin.
"I've already made this clear, Tuff. The pint-sized lizard is off limits. No beheading, eviscerating, or impaling. Unless of course you'd like me to behead, eviscerate, or impale, you."
Tuff jumped, then forcefully rearranged his features.
The Terror jumped back to Astrid's shoulder, and without even realizing what she was doing, her hand lifted and rubbed down the Terror's length. The creature emitted a small and high pitched peep that sounded extremely content.
The peep was cut off, however, by a much deeper, resonant sound. A pulsing hum that came from above and away on the other side of the clearing.
Her gaze was met by those same aquamarine pools, slashed with darkness. When she looked closer, she could make out the outline of the dragon. It was sitting in a tree across the clearing, just staring down at her. The Terror on her shoulder curled into a tiny ball and almost fell, but once again, without thinking about it, Astrid lifted a hand and steadied it. The Night Fury's head tilted to the side slightly, and another, louder hum pulsed in its throat. There was a loud curse from Tuff, too loud in Astrid's opinion, and he leapt to his feet. Above, Ruff gasped and pulled her knife from her belt.
I don't know about you, but I think that is one of the most attractive creatures I've ever seen.
Hiccup, I swear. If you say anything that disturbing again, I will kill myself. And take you with me.
Jeez, I miss the times back when you weren't this dramatic.
"Both of you, stay absolutely still. I doubt you could put a scratch on it if you wasted the limbs to try."
The Terror was now wrapping itself around her neck, and hiding as much as possible behind her hair. She could feel the quivering and twitching that she was sure was, to use a pun, pure terror.
Astrid dropped from her place in the branches to the trunk of the toppled tree. She then proceeded to walk slowly forward toward the dragon.
Weapons. Throw down your weapons.
Astrid did not argue this time. She removed her knives and tossed her sword after them beside the tree. The Night Fury hummed again, and silently, as if it truly were a shadow, it dropped to the ground before her.
When she reached the severed stump of the tree's base, she stepped down and stopped. She never shifted out of a position where she was ready to dodge or otherwise move.
About twenty feet separated her from the Night Fury, but just before Astrid was about to speak, the Terror suddenly slackened its hold on her neck and fell to the ground. It landed and ran skittering to the Night Fury, and came sliding to a stop about a foot in front of it. There, the Terror stopped and became rigid, staring up at the dragon's face.
The wide, spade shaped face tilted as it looked down at the Terror, and Astrid could have sworn that there was something in the eyes that spoke of amusement. The Terror twitched once. A shuddering jolt that passed from the tip of its tail to its snout, then it leapt, bumped it's nose against the Night Fury's and turned. It ran all the way back, up Astrid's leg, and settled once again on her shoulder, though it was far more relaxed than it had been a moment before. It crooned and pushed itself against Astrid's throat, nuzzling up under her chin.
A warm, tingling feeling ran from Astrid's chin down to her toes.
A snort came from the Night Fury, followed by a long, drawn out thrumming hum that resonated in Astrid's chest. Then, so quickly that she had to take a moment to figure out what happened, the Fury bounded past her, up the length of the tree trunk and sent Ruffnut flying with a sweep of it's tail. She gave a brief yell, and tumbled downwards, landing on her brother, who grunted and both teens subsided into a kicking, punching, biting, snarling dust cloud. The Night Fury however simply found a spot in the branches, wrapped it's wings about itself and moved no more.
Before she could contain it, Astrid burst out laughing.
XXX
Toothless
Toothless ducked. The paw flew over his head, but the snow and wind that followed managed to strike him in the eye, and he jerked back without exploiting the opening the Ryshkaa left after her strike. She had time to reset, and she struck again, this time from the other side. Instead of ducking away, Toothless caught the paw and batted it aside with his own.
Without even pausing, Ryshkaa turned and whipped Toothless across the face with her tail. A sharp jab under the chin and another to the side of the head and Toothless found himself sprawled out in the snow. When he opened his eyes and world ceased spinning, Ryshkaa's upside down head loomed over him, with a smiling crinkle to the eyes.
"Well doesn't this look familiar. Though I think I might have been in your place. Now get up. We need to get you in shape for the season." Toothless rolled with the aid of his wings and got back on his feet. "You're looking at this in far too static a manner. You need to stop thinking so much about your own body. There are two bodies involved. There could be more in a real fight. The movements I make are part of the..." She paused and searched through some of the Toothless' thoughts relating to humans, "...dance that we're doing. React only when necessary and take every advantage."
Toothless took a deep breath, then stretched his neck and tail as far as they physically could. There was a satisfying crack, and Toothless shifted into a ready position. Sycle's Wing all stood at the edge of the great ice shelf, with Skuru, Kale and Sycle all fighting each other, and Ryshkaa giving Toothless personal instruction.
Ryshkaa did not wait to attack as she usually did, instead leaping and opening her wings, making herself momentarily appear much bigger than she was. She beat her wings once and a flurry of snow lifted from the ground, but Toothless had been expecting it. He released a jet of flame from his maw and melted every fleck before him in the air.
Toothless darted forward, aiming a paw jab at her stomach. As she came back down onto all fours, she swiped the jab away and sent her wide open jaw flying forward. Rather than duck as many would, he reared back and and made another swipe at her face. Ryshkaa took his extended paw in her mouth, twisting her neck in such a way as to force the male to walk right up to her chest in order to retain his leg, and Toothless could feel her mental smirk as she grabbed his neck in her forelegs and brought him down with a yank. One of his paws being caught in her mouth, Toothless had no way of keeping his balance, and the icy ground met his snout with some force.
"Yield." She commanded, grabbing the base of his right wing between her teeth. She had stepped over his prone body, her chest over the spot where Hiccup's saddle would rest. When Toothless tried slowly moving a paw to one of her forelegs' pressure points, she applied enough pressure with her jaws to make him whine slightly. "Yield." The repeated word held no gloating triumph or even consternation; it was merely a simple, inevitable statement.
Just as he was about to submit and give this spar up, Toothless noticed something about Ryshkaa's stance; her hind left paw was dangerously close to the edge of the ledge they were atop, and her tail was swishing back and forth in a rhythmic fashion. With the female's mouth on his right wing, she would have a very unclear view of his left.
Toothless gave another high-pitched whine, broadcasting thoughts of pain to the dominant Shade above him. He tried lightly shifting his trapped wing, signalling that Ryshkaa was biting down a little too hard, and she seemed to get the point, as her jaw relaxed slightly a second later.
"In a real fight, doing something like showing pain would only make them clamp down on you har-AH!" In the middle of her thoughts, when she was slightly preoccupied, Toothless had shot his left foreleg out and struck Ryshkaa's paw, sending it over the edge and making her stumble. He moved with her as she slid back towards the cliff face very quickly, knowing she would instinctively try to use his wing to steady herself, and as her tail whipped down towards the rocky slope to try and grab something in case she fell, the male slammed his paw down on it, making her yelp and release his wing.
Toothless pushed himself upwards as hard as he could, catching the smaller Shade in the stomach with his back and flipping her mid-air, sending her sprawling into the snow on her back. While she was down, he tried to get at a wing, as she had, but the female Shade had already put her guard up, using her hind legs to kick out and slash at him while she occasionally shot flames to deter him. After a minute of dancing around her, trying to find an opening, Toothless borrowed a move she had used twice this match and sent a flurry of snow into the air with his wings.
Under the screen of the white flakes, Toothless darted to the right, trying to get on Ryshkaa's side, where she would have the most difficulty fending him off from. Melting the snow with another blast of flames, Toothless immediately pounced forward, but his jaws, which should have found Ryshkaa's flesh, found nothing but air.
The male Shade didn't even have time to reopen his mouth before Ryshkaa dropped from the sky onto his back, and she didn't waste time with a wing after getting him on his stomach.
"If you don't say 'yield' right now, you're losing these." She snarled, grabbing two of his ear plates between her front teeth and biting hard enough to almost break the scales. It didn't really matter what she did with any of her limbs now that she had established this position; even though Toothless could overpower her, any movement on his part would cost him vital limbs that kept him in the air during flight.
He snorted, sending puffs of snow into the air in front of him. "I yield."
At the exact moment the thoughts left his mind, piercing whistles sounded from the south and Toothless whipped around to gaze into the night sky. Among the stars, weaving between the patches of light and darkness, were many silhouettes of diving Shades. Toothless counted at least twenty before the shrieks cut off and they started to land on the shelf one after another in a wide scattering.
In total, Toothless counted twenty one Shades, and as they grouped themselves into their Wing's and Toothless could hear faint whispers, as though the other Shade's conversations were not quite concealed from him.
Then he saw Ito. His Wing had landed closest to Sycle's, and the battle-scarred quintet arranged themselves into a line with Ito at the center, starting their slow advance toward Sycle's Wing.
Immediately, Sycle pulled his mind in, and he found himself standing together with Skuru, Kale and Ryshkaa, as they had also formed a line and threw up mental defenses that certainly mirrored Ito's. Now, Toothless got his first clear look at Ito.
The bulky Shade looked to be about Sycle's age now that Toothless could see him clearly. Milky-white scars of discolored scale crisscrossed his hide and the prominently absent section of his left ear. The ragged edge was laced with more milky scar scales.
All four of Ito's companions were bedecked in similar scars, though none were actually missing body parts. They stood with backs arched and wings half unfolded. Toothless found his own spine curving, but he did his best to control his wings, keeping them furled tight. Both Sycle and Ito were standing in positions so relaxed that Toothless would have believed them totally unconcerned if he were not privy to Sycle's mood. The show of aloofness was a facade on both parts.
"A friendly sparring match. How nice." The voice was perfectly amiable and didn't seem the least bit threatening, but the thoughts that swirled around Toothless' mind seemed to pick out an undercurrent of hostility that he could not sense on his own. "How fares the Newcomer? Perhaps we could join you and make this a little more... interesting."
Toothless was aware of the attention of the others. Though they pretended otherwise, the members of the three other Wings were all focussed on the confrontation playing out.
To his intense surprise, rather than responding with anger, Sycle's Wing remained completely silent. Instead, Ryshkaa stepped forward into the space between the two parties, and just like that, Myza, Zonni, Pyke, and Crawn extended their teeth and snarled in tandem. Toothless saw Ito take an involuntary step back, and his wings rose ever so slightly, an angry twitch passing across his snout.
"Really now, Ito? You want to join us in a match? Surely you can't mean that. After all, I'm still a part of this Wing, am I not? You don't want to be anywhere near me."
For a full minute, absolute silence reigned. No one moved, and breathing was light and shallow.
Then Ito turned and faced him directly, and Toothless heard words that echoed with a strange pang of unhappiness.
"Rumor has it that your human has a mating scar. Quite frankly, I find that possibility disgusting. If I find that you have indeed bound that creature to yourself, then I shall act to set the world's order back in place. Train well, Newcomer. You only have a few days left until the season."
As one, Ito's wing turned and bounded together over the edge of the shelf.
Sycle's Wing all relaxed in a great huff as their minds slowly separated and they became distinct entities again, dropping their combined mental shields. Toothless stared at Ryshkaa, and without considering whatever social strictures of The Three that he was violating, he spoke privately to her.
"Alright, you are going to explain what just happened, right now, or I'm making a straight path to the Hall of Knowledge."
After a silent pause, a flurry of thoughts passed between Ryshkaa, Sycle, and Skuru at speed that defied Toothless' attempts to hear them. After a brief moment, Sycle nodded. Ryshkaa turned, and the only words she spoke were, "Follow." She leaped over the shelf edge with Skuru close on her tail.
XXX
Hiccup
The idea was simple enough; hold an image of the end result in your mind, and let the Shape Rune mold the material. Unfortunately, Hiccup had never made a knife before from one seamless piece of metal. It was always multiple pieces that were folded and melded together amid the heat of a forge and the hammer of steel.
He sat on the floor and stared at the two black needles. He'd need a secure hold, and it would have to be smooth enough to switch between hands easily. Other than that, he supposed the handles could look like... whatever. So, with the hopes of a simple plan and a decent amount of determination, he lifted the first blade, the shorter one. He closed the end that was not pointed in the fingers of his right hand, and with his left finger, he called upon his Fire.
As he pressed the finger against the blade, blue light flared to life and he carefully sketched Shape into the blade's center. This was not as easy as it could have been, given that the blade was only about a finger width and a half wide. Once the Rune was complete, however, Hiccup felt a jarring, pulling sensation in his chest, as though his heart was being tugged sharply backwards.
The blade in his hand began to shift and writhe. The upper pointed end remained still, while the half which Hiccup held in his hand began to mold and flow around his fingers. He kept a loose but firm grip; the same way he would casually hold any knife. After but a moment, the blade became still and the Rune faded.
Hiccup held his handiwork up to the glow of the Runes on the wall behind him and admired the result. The new handle had indents that were perfect places for his fingers to rest, but shallow enough to allow for free and easy handling. The top of the handle broadened and widened to form a small sort of guard between his hand and the object engaged with the blade, while the bottom tapered and sharpened into a point with a slightly curled protrusion near its tip.
As he registered the changes and was about to smile, a dull ache washed over his chest and he found himself breathing deeply and sweating. It felt as though Ryshkaa had jabbed him in the ribs. With a gasp, he doubled over and curled in on himself, dropping the blade beside him.
"Well. It would seem as though you do have a capacity. I don't think you've used so strenuous a Rune yet, have you?"
Hiccup's response came out in gasps.
"And exactly... What... Caused... The high cost?
"Stars above Hiccup, you just used your power to reform metal without exerting physical force. Of course it's strenuous! And the longer blade might take even more energy."
After a few minutes, Hiccup was able to sit up again, though he still breathed heavily. Despite his weakened state, he was able to fire off a question.
"Can I increase the amount of Heart's Fire my body produces?"
"In this, the heart is like any other muscle. Force it to produce, and it will alter to become more efficient in its production. In short, yes, the more energy you expend the more powerful your heart will become, and the more fire it will produce."
Hiccup was slowly regaining his breath, and he posed yet another question.
"How much of the Heart's Fire does your body produce?"
Alda stared at him for a moment, then a choking and gurgling laugh bubbled it's way out of the Shade's throat.
"Are you asking for a demonstration, hatchling?!" The old dragon's chuckles were infectious, and Hiccup found himself smiling.
"If its not too much to ask, elder."
Alda grunted and reared back onto his hind legs and for the first time since Hiccup had met him, spreading his wings wide with a snap. On the underside, of the slightly sagging wings glowing Rise Runes flickered and pulsed. Runes that Hiccup did not yet recognise spread over the scales of Alda's sides and stomach as he rose into the air. A blast of wind smacked into Hiccup's face and he was tossed onto his back, and just as Hiccup thought the show was over, enormous tongues of violet flame ignited along Alda's tail and consumed his entire body, creating an extremely bright silhouette of the old Shade and illuminating the shining floor beneath him.
"Theatrics, mostly, though I will tell you that I'm in no way fatigued. I have plenty of energy remaining in my blood."
Hiccup swore quietly under his breath. As he did, Alda closed his flaming wings and dropped back to the floor. As he hit it, Runes that Hiccup had yet not been able to see flickered to life on the reflective surface, and nine pillars, all the same size as the central column, began to rise, forming a ring around the central spire. The stone protrusions were enormous, and certainly it would have taken hundreds of humans merely to shift one. Alda lifted nine from their resting places in the floor with a single paw.
"Alright! Alright! I get it! I won't be making an enemy of you any time soon!"
The flames that wreathed Alda's body vanished in a rush of air. Alda walked back over to Hiccup and lay on his side, and the boy turned and reclined against the old scales of his teacher's stomach.
"Why weren't those Runes visible on your stomach or the floor? That's the first time I've seen that." His return to questions so soon after the powerful display drew an amused hiss of steam from Alda.
"When tied on the same surface to the proper concealing Rune, you can make invisible those symbols that are not active. For now, shape your second handle. I will assist."
Hiccup picked up the longer blade from it's place on the floor, holding it loosely at the base in his left hand. He took the image of a slightly ridged handle in his head, and sketched Shape. There was a tap on his head, and out of the corner of his eye, Hiccup glimpsed Alda curling over him. A blossom of heat centered at the tip and spread downwards through his body.
The blade swiftly began to remake itself and Hiccup felt the pull in his chest as his Fire was consumed through his left hand. When the shaping was completed, Hiccup collapsed again, falling against Alda and breathing heavily.
"Some... help... you were."
"Without that little burst of energy you would not have completed the handle. You would have run out of energy."
Hiccup looked down and started. He'd created the second handle upside down. When held in his closed hand, the blade pointed downwards and the tip had been changed; the edge on the side of his knuckles flared at the tip and created a greater slicing edge.
"I'm not exactly sure if this was supposed to turn out like this. I've never seen a knife like this."
"Hold them! Stand up! Give them a wave!"
Hiccup tried to stand, but his knees were shaking. He put a hand on Alda's side for support, and waited until the Shaking stopped. "Kale will be here with breakfast soon. You'll feel better when you've eaten."
Hiccup stood away from Alda, and once he was sure he wasn't going to fall over, he lifted both knives, with the one in his left facing downwards and the shorter in his right facing up. The left blade had it's sharper edge with the flared tip facing away from him, so he passed it in front of him as though there were an enemy. With the right blade he stabbed and slashed to the right, before turning back to Alda.
"I feel ridiculous."
"Well, I won't deny that you look slightly ridiculous. Have you ever even fought anything? Or anyone? Ever?"
"I'm much better with words."
"Well, keep the blades with you, I suppose. You'll need to find someone to tutor you in their use."
The only person Hiccup could think of that he knew could fight with only knives was Astrid.
"I doubt I'll find one of anyone anytime soon, giving that I'm living in a large tunnel network in a mountain.
"True, but keep them with you all the same."
"How? You wouldn't happen to have sheaths or anything?"
After a moment, Alda said, "I have a better idea."
XXX
Astrid
You know, I never would have thought you'd come this far in so little time, Astrid.
Astrid rolled her eyes and absentmindedly stroked the Terror's neck. It thrummed into her throat. The tickling sensation almost caused her to smile, but she kept her mouth still. She sat against the hill, next to the den that she'd taken as a base of sorts with the Twins, though the two teenagers were at this time standing on the opposite sides of the clearing, alternating their stares between Astrid with her scaly companion on her shoulder, and the Night Fury now reclined in the tree above her, looking for all the world like a cat, eyeing them with it's sea colored eyes.
"You two realize that the cover from attack is over here, yes?" She heard that gurgling sound from the Night Fury again. If she didn't know any better, she could have sworn it was laughter.
"Well I don't know if you've realized, Astrid, but there is a rather large dragon sitting in a tree, DIRECTLY ABOVE YOUR HEAD!"
Astrid used her left hand to massage her temples and took a deep breath, eyes closed. The Night Fury had not moved anywhere in the past few hours and she had no reason to believe that it was going to in the time to come. What she had noticed, however, was that it had taken its position, directly where Ruffnut had been keeping watch before. After a few brief words from 'Hiccup' she had decided to treat it as an ally until it proved to be a threat. It could have killed them all if that were its intention.
Wait. What if it was simply bringing the entire hive down on them?! It could be setting itself as a beacon to bring every other dragon around directly to them!
It's been here for over three hours. If it were bringing others here, it sure is taking a while. Especially for creatures with wings. Not only that, but it's killed two dragons that were trying to get at you already.
Astrid relaxed slightly at these words, but her brow furrowed. Two dragons? She'd only see it kill the Nightmare.
Don't you smell that?
And after a few deep intakes of breath she did catch a scent. A faint smell of decay and death.
"I'm getting tired of you telling me what I smell and feel before I realize it."
Not my fault you're slow.
She rose to her feet, bringing an annoyed buzz from the Terror's throat, and a grunt from the Night Fury that she was certain was questioning. She wove her way out of the tree branches and across the clearing, pushing past the twins, her Terror hissing at them on the way passed making Tuff jerk back and put up his hands.
"Hush."
The dragon immediately curled in and wrapped it's tail about her neck and pushed up under her chin, falling silent. This time, Astrid could not stop herself from smiling. The little beast was slightly adorable if she allowed it to be.
After only a few paces into the woods, she found the source of the smell, and she gasped. A Nadder lay in a pool of drying blood, a puncture in it's throat and deep gashes across its face. She turned and marched her way back to the tree, once again past the twins, and this time the Terror remained silent.
"Hey you!" And she could sense the concerned stares of the twins behind her. Understandable, given that she was talking to the Night Fury. "Did you kill that Nadder?" To her surprise, and the Twin's shock, the black dragon replied with a snort and the flick of an ear. "Well then you'd better get rid of it! That stench will act like a beacon!"
For a moment, there was silence. Then, the dragon gave a huff and leapt down to the ground, walked straight past Astrid and bumped her on its way. A moment later the trees were lit with fire, and a rushing sound came from the place where the Nadder had lay. Astrid kept walking to her place beneath the tree and sat down beneath it, lifting a hand to coax the Terror into a relaxed position on her lap. Then she looked up at the twins, their mouths hanging open.
"You two should sleep. Morning's not far off and I'll take this watch with our 'friends'."
Without a word, the twins jogged past her and into the den. As the did, the light in the trees faded, and the Night Fury came back into view, grunting once at Astrid, before leaping back to its place in the tree.
While the black dragon settled itself back in, Astrid lowered her voice to a murmur that the twins would not hear.
"You've been strangely quiet. You usually comment with gusto on events like that."
Perhaps I'm just waiting to see what happens. Much like our new friend. And the voice was silent once more.
Astrid sighed and settled in for the night, feeling the warmth of the Terror in her arms.
XXX
Toothless
To his surprise, Ryshkaa began to climb directly after takeoff. She pumped her wings powerfully and shot upwards towards the sky. Slowly, painfully, Toothless angled to follow. As they rose, more and more of the sea became visible until Toothless was able to make out the distant ice shore, glimmering in the light of the stars.
"Ryshkaa? Why isn't the sea frozen near Home Cave? Winter is setting in, is it not?"
The female had attained the height she desired, and turned, beginning to circle.
"The mountain sits directly on a place of upheaval. The earth below the sea emits heat and the inside of the mountain is warm. Alda tells me that Shades in the past tunneled down to below the mountain's base once. They found an inferno of molten earth and poisonous gas. Some of the party died, and the tunnel was destroyed."
Hiccup would love to hear about this, but it held little interest for Toothless. He stored the information away so that he could tell his mate about it when they were together again.
"You know, Toothless, you're just about the most adorable fully grown Shade I know of."
"Shut up Skuru." It was Ryshkaa that snapped at him. "I'm allowing you to come along, so don't get on my nerves."
"You couldn't stop me if you tried."
Amused by the conversation, but eager to get to wherever it was they were going, Toothless interrupted before they could spiral into argument. "You know, you haven't even told me where it is we're going."
Skuru answered him in a laughing and unstable voice. "That's because it's a secret!"
Ryshkaa angled in towards the Ice Shelf and swatted Skuru across the face with her tail as she did.
"Both of you males shut up. This is going to be difficult enough without your antics." To Toothless' surprise, Skuru obeyed. He settled into place behind Ryshkaa and became silent and solemn of thought. So Toothless followed his lead, falling both into line and silent speculation.
Where could we possibly be going? I asked Ryshkaa so explain what happened and this was her response. Perhaps they're taking me to a place where something of importance happened? Something to do with Ito?
But no; he had asked more about why Ito had fled when he did. The scarred dragon had turned and retreated only when Ryshkaa had asserted herself. Before then, it was like she had not even been acknowledged. And now, Toothless remembered all the Shade's that they had passed in the tunnels - they had ignored Ryshkaa completely, as if she weren't there. Those that were in her way had scurried to remove themselves, as if they didn't want her to touch them.
Why in the world would a community of Shades treat one of their own as if she didn't exist? They looked at me, though they were wary. They treated me as I might treat any unknown creature I met, but Ryshkaa has been here for a long time, right? Why would they treat her so?
"Because ,Toothless, it is the only way they know how to act in my presence. You think of yourself as an unknown, but others' views of you pale in comparison to the enigma I present. I believe that you don't notice, because I was the first of your kind that you met after your years of isolation. But take a moment, and truly look at me."
Toothless focussed his attention. He felt her mind and he took note of its movements and its thinking. He saw nothing that the Dream Pool hadn't revealed to him before, so he took a look at Skuru's mind. Once again, he saw nothing of interest or differing thoughts or shape. Now, he took both minds, set them in his own mental gaze side by side, and immediately gave a sharp intake of breath.
Skuru's mind was still just as he'd expect; a bright and decently sized collection of thoughts, feelings, memories and all other things that a mind should contain. They drifted together, with the conscious thoughts moving more quickly and taking precedence over the darker and less pertinent thoughts below. It looked like a Shade's mind.
Now, Toothless considered Ryshkaa and her strange... otherness. There wasn't a way to describe it. Ryshkaa's mind was a dark, boiling mass. He could see a layer of bright and conscious thought, just like Skuru, but underneath it, there was a strange, rapidly shifting landscape of darkness. Toothless could not access the thoughts and feelings therein, but it was no fault of Ryshkaa's. She passively watched as Toothless threw his mental weight into the dark mass, but it rebuffed him, as though it were nothing more than a solid wall.
"Ryshkaa, what is all of that?"
Ryshkaa gave a heavy mental sigh. "I'm afraid that in order for me to tell you about it, we must reach a certain place. Just bear with me and I shall explain."
As they proceeded on, Toothless continued to ponder.
We're traveling inland, and a pretty fair distance at that. What could possibly be out here that Ryshkaa would want to talk about? Toothless tried to imagine what about Ryshkaa was unknown. He knew that she was a student of Alda, and he knew that Alda was an old and wise Shade that was responsible for forming this... community of Shades. He knew that she could use the power that so entranced Hiccup and she had left his mate to be taught by the old dragon. He also knew that there was history between her and Skuru despite their constant squabbling. In fact, perhaps the squabbling was a sign of affection. Skuru had been the first Shade to ever show her kindness and before him...
Now this was strange. His knowledge of Ryshkaa's past stopped there. Beyond the memory of Skuru finding her, and bringing her to Home Cave, there was nothing but a great dark...
A great dark mass of unknown thoughts. It was Ryshkaa's thoughts that had been removed and separate from the Dream Pool that day. And yesterday as well. So why are her thoughts untouchable? Why is she so strange?
"You have discovered much on your own, and quickly as well, Toothless. It will ease the story I suppose, not having to point it all out to you. But once again, I tell you that we can only address the story once we get to where we're going."
As it turned out, there was only about twenty more minutes of waiting, as Hiccup would judge it. Ryshkaa went down for a landing, seemingly in the middle of nowhere. On all sides there was nothing but rolling snow drifts and slight wisps of motion as the wind blew loose powder over the desolate landscape from drift to drift, rather like sea spray amongst waves.
Toothless cast into Skuru's mind to see if the other male knew where they were or what this meant, but he found the other Shade's thoughts barred against him.
Ryshkaa wasted no time and stepped over to a seemingly untouched patch of snow, releasing stream of flame from her open mouth. Slowly, the snow liquified and formed water, which was immediately turned to steam. In this way, she bored a hole downwards through the snow at least three feet. Then, she stepped back.
Timidly, Toothless stepped to the steaming hole. Down at the bottom of the snow pit, he could make out an angular shape shrouded in darkness. At once, Ryshkaa reached a claw down into the hole and made contact with the shape. The resulting light allowed Toothless to see a slab of black stone, shiny and reflective just like the floor of Alda's hall. It was shaped into a box and stood on its end so that the smaller faces were set in the snow, and protruding into the air.
The Rune at it's top glowed unwaveringly, casting light out of the hole in a beam that shot into the sky. Toothless tried to follow it upwards, but eventually, the beam became lost among the stars.
"Let me tell you a story, Toothless." And before he could say anything, Ryshkaa's mind enveloped his own.
-Toothless found himself floating above the sea of snow, and the lack of landmarks made it impossible to distinguish this place from wherever he'd been before, but now, Ryshkaa floated beside him.
"Shades are one of the most mentally developed species on the planet. They have formed communication that transcends language, and they are masters of their environment. But there is another species that lives here in the frozen north; a four legged mammal, lacking wings. Unlike Shades, they live social lives with others of their kind in broad and extensive families, and while they may not be able to fly, they are rulers of the ice."
Toothless saw now many dark shapes bounding through the snow sea. Before he could even ask, the vision dropped him and Ryshkaa toward the ground and he got a full look up close as they moved with the creatures.
The mammals were sleek and contoured, with strongly built frames made for endurance while remaining fluid and supple, all the better for bounding through the snow. Their ears and snouts were pointed and as they ran, their breath misted out before them in heavy clouds. Most had white coats, but here and there were those that were spotted with black or brown in seemingly random places. At the head ran the largest of the group, with an extremely distinctive black stripe running over his head, between his ears and down his back.
After a quick count, Toothless decided that there were about twenty five in all, five of which were obviously young and new to life. Their run had more of a rolling gait that spoke of an urge to stop and roll through the snow.
"The Astral Wolves had little to do with Shades and their kind. The two species rarely crossed paths. The dragons kept to their sea homes and ate their fish, while the Wolves hunted anything that walked on land. Unfortunately, this particular pack was affected by the hardships faced by some of the dragons, when a particularly cold winter froze the sea surface and barred the dragons from the bounty beneath. Shades were forced to hunt land creatures, and one Shade in particular killed a wolf named Iceflow and fed from his body, taking the rest for his gravid mate."
The scene below shifted subtly, and now night fell over the snow. A lone wolf ran across the surface, oblivious to the dark shape above it. The shape dropped and in a matter of moments, with no sound but the scuffing of snow, the wolf lay dead, and crimson blood darkened the otherwise pristine landscape.
Now that Toothless saw the wolf beside one of his own kind, he saw that the wolf was nearly as large as the Shade, if a few inches shorter. This comparison of size could not extend to the tail; while standing side by side, the tail's base would rest in the same place, the Shade's was nearly the length of its own body, while the wolf's was a mere foot and a half.
The Shade devoured a small portion of the kill, and then let a long, whistling wail rise from its throat into the air. After a few minutes, a female landed beside him with a strangely tender care in its step. The female ate the rest of the kill, leaving only red snow behind when the two took off into the night.
"Iceflow's pack was furious. Never before had a Shade taken the life of a fellow sentient being. After much discussion and debate the alpha, Blackstone, decided that the pair were to be hunted. And quite a hunt it was. It took a month of searching before the pack found traces of Shade scent, for a winged creature can range wide, But the Shade they found was very old and could not possibly be one of the pair. But the next scent they gained, was the correct one.
"The pack pinpointed the den when a lone mind, one completely unformed and juvenile, cast its way into the world. The entire pack felt her. After a small time of organization and distribution of the pack around the spot, they all began to dig. The pups, of course, were taken away, but one adolescent female had just recently grown into her prime and gained her name. She participated in the assault. Her blood was hot, and she yearned to prove herself a true wolf."
Toothless saw it all. The dark shapes ranged around a single point, all digging to ensure the Shade below would not burst out and fly away. As he watched, the snow at the center erupted and a female Shade burst forth. One by one each of the wolves leapt at her. She deflected some with her paws, burnt others, and one she actually managed to catch with her teeth. That wolf lost it's leg. But there were so many, she simply could not avoid all of them. But she did not fly away. For reasons unknown, she stayed and took the full force of their assault. Eventually, the teeth and claws began to leave marks. Not long after, the snow grew dark with blood.
"When the Shade finally started to flag, the young female was dissatisfied. Her role in bringing the prey down had not been prominent. So, she dug into the den, and when she scented other creatures, she followed the train into a small tunnel."
Toothless watched the small wolf disappear into the snow. The scene shifted slightly. A tiny Shade sat on a hill staring off toward the fight. Before Toothless could even think, the young shewolf burst from the snow and caught the little one around the neck. The Shade had time for a brief, piercing shriek before her neck snapped. And with that snap, the wolf froze.
"In the brief moment before the hatchling died, its mind surged out and bonded to the wolf. She felt it when the little life between her jaws was extinguished. A hatchling, something so young it had not had a chance to live, and yet, it was not prey. It thought for itself and it knew that it was dying. It's terror had been so potent that the shewolf was submerged in torrents of unthinkable grief."
The wolf below dropped the hatchling and threw back her head, letting a howl ring forth into the sky as she lamented her deed. Toothless felt a dropping sensation in his stomach. He turned to Ryshkaa in horror, but the other Shade had eyes only for the scene below.
"Allow me to fill you in on something else important. Like the Shades, the wolves have the power to reshape the world around them. But this power is not bound by a language like the Shades' Runes; their power is instinctual. If the need is dire, then their innermost selves will respond and reshape the world as a paw reshapes fresh snow. And in that moment, the shewolf wished for nothing more than to trade her life for that of the hatchling she'd killed.
"But life is a permanent thing. Once it is gone, it cannot be recreated in exactly the same way as before. Instead, the shewolf caused a very different alteration."
Below, Toothless was met with a sight that shocked him. From around the wolf's paws, indigo flames sprang and enveloped the mammal. Still howling, the shewolf was consumed by fire and at it's peak, the fire continued upwards and eventually formed a column of blue light that shot into the night, losing itself amongst the stars.-
Toothless shook his head violently, breaking free from the strange images and opened his eyes. He did so, because he felt heat beating against his physical body. The sight that met him was strange in that he seemed to still be seeing the vision. A column of blue light, shifting and flickering as flames at its base, was firing into the night sky. Then Ryshkaa's voice sounded again.
"The shewolf adopted a new body and forswore her newly acquired name, believing that she had shamed it with her crime. She adopted a new name, the name of the hatchling she'd killed, having learned it from her insight prior to the death.
The flames and light abruptly vanished. Where Ryshkaa had stood, a tall, white wolf with a glistening coat and gleaming fangs stood, gazing at Toothless with unimaginably sad, golden eyes.
"She became..."
The name escaped from Toothless before he could stop it, along with a stream of moisture from his eye.
"Ryshkaa."
