Author's Note – Hireath is a Welsh word that has no good translation in English. It more or less means a combination of homesickness, nostalgia, regret, transience, and unrequited longing.
A rast is an old Norwegian unit of measurement. One rast is approximately nine kilometers or about five and a half miles.
Hireath
Aurora glided higher up the massive cave, the wall of which glowed faint green from the moss. There was a very faint wind blowing from behind her and helping to push her higher, and there was a faint light up ahead.
Almost there! Great sky-breath, let me out!
She raced forward and gave a joyful roar as she burst out of the cave into the open, night sky. Safe in the darkness, there was no reason for her not to fly high and with joy to let the wind tickle her fins and wings, so she did!
This was her time to be the watcher in the above for seven sun-cycles. Seven sun-cycles without her annoying, gnawing, tail-twisting, dear nestmates. Seven sun-cycles without Alvor or any of the ground-kin.
This was time for her!
Time to watch, time to hunt, time to fly high in the sky in which the sky-light-breath, the aurora for which she was named, was soaring and glowing. She stared long at it, feeling as her life-fire burned warmer in her liver. Yes, that sky-breath was like her: beautiful, free-flying, and wild!
She, her nestmates, and their sires all complained about this duty, but she secretly liked it, not that she would ever admit that to them. Time away from the busyness and the always-working in the New-Haven-range was a good relief.
She flew long in the open sky, spinning up around the clouds, falling freely with her back to the ground, gliding low over the water so her paws touched the waves, and then gently gliding around the central mountain once she was weary. She gently touched down on the top peak and perched there, settling into the beginning of her duty.
Watching, while boring, gave her much time to think in peace.
Previous flights that she and her nestmates had flown and talked with each other about had confirmed that there were no other islands anywhere near this one. At least, there were none large enough to support ground-kin... no, two-legs... living on them. There were no ground-kin up here.
Were two-legs bad, were they ignorant, or were they possible ground-kin? She did not know or really care. The ground-kin now in hiding in the hidden world were who she cared for, even if having to provide for them was... tail-twisting and very tiring.
Tired from her long flight through the hidden ranges, up through the cave, and through these warmer skies, she curled up where she perched.
Her sleep-visions were flighty and darting and hard to pin under her paws. But they were warm sleep-visions. Being under the open sky instead of under the ground helped much with that.
Aurora glided just offshore, staring down at the water while searching for fish. The island was very rocky and had very few trees on one side of the island, although there were more thin-leaf-needle trees on the far side of the island from where the cave was hidden. There were no ground-prey on the island, but there was good fishing in the waters. The cliffs around most of the island were not bigger than those on the shore of the Haven-range, maybe three or four of her full-stretch nose to tail lengths. However, boats could land on the sands below the cliff, though none ever went in these waters.
A flash of fire dove into the water, and the dead fish floated to the surface. Satisfied with the meal, she glided up above the crashing waters and touched down on the swaying grass.
She sighed and purred with warmth at the sound of silence and peace. There was still some sound from the crashing waves and the wind, but there was no sound of activity. No echoing roar from a far-away fight, no crashing waterfalls, and no ground-kin shouting at each other for the sky-breath only knew what reason.
Everyone else could be so frustrating! Sometimes. Usually. No, almost all the time.
She spun away from staring out at the waves, and she started on paw toward... anywhere. Just acting and going... somewhere was important. Sitting on her waste-end and not doing anything was too boring.
Even in the below in the New-Haven-range, she had work that she did for all. Helping carrying downed mushroom-trees, carving softer rocks with her claws, hunting fish and other prey for all to eat, and playing with the ground-kin young were the types of work she had usually done the most of. There were not many ground-kin hatchlings or fledglings.
Wait. They are not hatchlings because they have no egg. Should we name them birthlings? Maybe we should.
Being around the young ones of both kinds, her nestmate younger brothers and sister maybe included if she was feeling warm to them on that waking-cycle, sparked a warm glow in her liver, not that she would admit that to anyone else. It felt warming to play with young ones in games of hunter and prey or tail-tagging.
At least, it was warming to do that with the ground-kin fledglings. The true young ones that could not speak, of which were not even a pawful, sometimes fouled their waste-end-furs, which made them smell... foul and like waste!
But even her hatchling nestmates had done that in the family-pack-den and the shared-ledge before they learned to control themselves. How her dam-mother endured being a dam-mother was too hard to think about.
The sun flew out from behind a cloud. The warm light flew down to her, so she flared her wings wide to eat as much sunlight warmth as she could. This was good and wing-warming.
But there was worse than the scale-burrowing and tail-biting annoyances of hatchlings and birthlings!
She remembered clearly how Flies-With-Sun had flown into the big cave, found all her kin, and met her dear older nestmate brother. Flies-With-Sun was... sharp and biting with her words back then, which she respected, even though she would never admit that. Flies-With-Sun had strong thinking and was warm to her nestmates, Shadowwing's and Luna's kin, and the ground-kin. That was all good of her.
No, the tail-twistedness was in Dawn-Singer!
He and Flies-With-Sun had, for what had to be a moon-cycle after they became mates, been one so much! That they wanted to make an egg, and had made sure they got one was understandable and practical. She could not put foul-thought on them for that.
No, the twistedness continued beyond their egg-making. If he was not flying with her or resting with her, he was catching a fish or other prey for her, licking her, talking to her, or... grrrrr! She wrapped her paws around his liver and took it for herself!
And he liked it! He wanted to be enthralled by her, wrapped up in her limbs and wings, and...
Grrrrr!
She collapsed in the grass and let out her breath.
Is that what it meant to be a life-mate? To have so much of one's life-flight turned to another? To be the sun that gave life-warmth to another's flight?
It felt dangerous and... lessening, maybe? All sky-kin should be able to fly on their own and not have life-warmth totally given by another. That needing and dependency was... twisting and not what she wanted.
If a male, a strong and brave one, wanted to catch fish for her... fine, she would eat the fish, but she would not need him to get her fish to eat! That needing would be twisted. No male would ever wrap his paws around her liver and claim it for himself. Her liver was hers! Even the idea of a male climbing on her was... not... not at all what she... well... no... well, maybe it could be warming... if she set very clear rules and expectations for him first.
She hopped to her paws and started walking again while grumbling just because she could. Her thoughts were flying back to something that...
There was one time when she had been looking for her older nestmate brother and had accidentally seen Dawn-Singer and Flies-With-Sun... very together and busy making an egg. She had not stayed to look; rather, she had flown straight to the nearest water and dove in to wash herself and get the bad thought-picture out. That had not worked, but she had to try something!
She closed her eyes and shook her head, trying to get that thought-picture out even now. Nothing helped. Her right forepaw brushed against a small rock, so she kicked the rock away and flamed the rock. The rock exploded and fell apart in many much smaller rocks.
That did not get the thought-picture out either, but it felt good to do anyway.
Annoyed with herself, she took to the sky and flew very low over the ground and along the cliff. Down and low above the water, she turned for the nearest sea-stack-tower. She flew straight for the rock as if to crash it and ground herself. Then, at the last wingbeat, she turned aside and barely brushed the rock with her tail.
The almost-grounding herself into the rocks worked at getting her thoughts onto something other than... what she did not want to think about.
It was a part of life which she knew nothing about. She was over five season-cycles old and fully grown as an adult, even though she was not as big as her older nestmate brother... grrrrr... and would never be... grrrr. She had all her wing-color and shine that was apparently warming for males to look at, but she did not know or care about that. There were no males around to give her attention, and she wanted none, so there was no reason to think much about it.
At peace once again, she flew up over the cliff until she touched down on another plain of grass and rocks. It was a good place to perch because there was still grass but the wind also flew over these rocks without having the chill that the mountain's top had.
Glad to be back where she had rested many times before, she stood on her hind legs, stretched her wings wide to flutter in the wind, and looked around the island toward the horizon. As usual, there was nothing there except water and the horizon.
She lay down on her belly, curled her tailfins around under her chin, and stared aimlessly into the distance while her tail tapped in agitation. Thinking about her life-flight and the problems... no, not the problems, the annoyance and the... yes, the problems, was very tiring.
But what were the problems?
None of these thoughts had bothered her or nipped at her tail before... well, before Dawn-Singer found a warm life-mate. What had Flies-With-Sun said to her those two and a half season-cycles ago? She, Aurora, wanted that same warmth that Dawn-Singer enjoyed? That the wanting for a warm life-mate was there... very deep in her liver-thinking?
What had she said back to Flies-With-Sun? There were no others she could take as a mate, even if... and it was a very big if... that was what she wanted. Dawn-Singer's life-flight had been favored by the sky-beings or the sky-breath or... whatever. He had not needed to fly from the New-Haven-range to find his eventual life-mate. Flies-With-Sun flew and found him!
Was that what she had to do? Did she herself need to fly from the New-Haven-range and go searching in the many caves and ranges of the hidden world? It was possible that she needed to if getting a mate was something she wanted. There were not many options within the New-Haven-range itself. The only male Night Furies in the shared-range were completely bad-wrong as mates because they were her own nestmate brothers, sire-father, or second-sire-father. No. None of them.
Moon-Dancer?
He was not truly her life-water-kin. What did the ground-kin name him to her? A something-cousin? The ground-kin mate-taking ceremonies, from the little she knew of those life-ways after Alvor explained them following the mate-making ceremony, would not want such a pair. But those ceremonies would not hold wind for her.
Moon-Dancer was also not truly grown yet, not old enough to become a mate. She had even seen him as a new hatchling and had played with him. Could he be a good mate?
Maybe, if there was no other option, that might be a pair that, while a little twisted, could be. The problem with him was that his life-flame was not burning bright with confidence, self-trusting, and courage yet. Further, this was just thinking about maybes far away in the future.
She sighed heavily.
No, it was looking more like the only flight that had lift was to fly from the New-Haven-range and search for mates from other packs. That flight would be a dangerous one, from what she knew of the hidden world. It was not a place that a sky-kin would want to fly alone in. Being in a pack was much better. Maybe she and her nestmates could fly as a pack once they were grown enough to want to find mates. That might have more lift. They could all fly together to find mates in safety.
She could find other male Light Furies who could endure her biting words, had good thinking in his liver, and did not hate ground-kin, bring him back to the New-Haven-range, and, what, make an egg then after deciding he was the one for her? Settle down into dam-mother life because that is what everyone did? Because it was the normal way of life? Maybe so, even though that felt like... defeat or a small life.
She yawned widely. Her sleep-wanting was getting stronger because the sun was flying higher and warmer on her back. That was all good.
This would be a good watching-time. She would enjoy every sun-cycle, every fish, and the quiet. And when she was done with her time up here, she would fly back down into the hidden world to take her place on the shared-ledge with her nest-kin. That warming ledge had been a place of noise, peace, fights, foul smells, bonding, talking, and much of life. Despite all the small problems, that was where she could almost always find some of her kin.
Valka woke up and pulled away the thick curtains to let light into her hut. Hers was a small hut high on a slope, but she didn't need much space. Her only objects that mattered were a few old books she had salvaged, her armor and clothing, her staff, and a precious journal.
Hiccup's journal was the only link she had left to human Hiccup. He had written his thoughts and fears in it and had drawn many pictures of Toothless. The last thing Hiccup had written was that he hoped his father was proud of him.
Shadowwing, for that is who he answered to now, had found that journal in the ruins of the Haddock house on Berk after Drago's forces had swept over the island.
She tried to imagine what Hiccup must have looked like; she had many different dreams of him through the years. Gobber had explained many times what Hiccup had looked like and how much he took after her rather than Stoick.
She stepped outside into the ever-present glow, and she stretched. The loss of days as a concept was a strange one and had led to an odd situation in which every family settled into its own routine of being awake and sleep. That was fine as long as the work got done, which it always did.
She smiled, seeing a lone dragon calmly gliding above New Haven. Flight sounded good right now.
"Cloudjumper, are you ready to..."
The open space where the Stormcutter slept next to her tent was bare. He was not there. Her dear friend was flying on his own somewhere in the far reaches of the hidden world.
She was not afraid for him. Stormcutters were among the larger and stronger of dragons. No, it was the separation that hurt. She knew that she had to be stubborn and endure it since she had given most of the tribe that very same advice through the years.
But it was one matter to tell others, and another matter to live it herself.
Be strong Val...
Those words, whispered from her heart, sounded so like something that he would have said. He was always so stoic in the face of tragedy or suffering, at least on the outside.
She sighed, leaning on her staff as she looked out over New Haven. The visible huts, the fields with crops, the few buildings erected in the last couple years, the humans working at various tasks. Off in the distance, the few dragons, the glowing forest, the shining crystals, the rope bridges over chasms, and the waterfalls. Their strange and wondrous home for which she was now the Elder.
There was always the possibility of a dangerous dragon entering this cave despite the Furies standing guard. However, if there were to be any pain and grief, it would likely come from within the humans' own hearts. Impatience, despair, bad habits, and other such ailments of the soul would trouble them wherever they went, but could now show themselves due to the lack of other problems to keep people occupied.
And it was her duty as Elder to protect the tribe against spiritual diseases, which she didn't truly know how to do or feel adequate to be responsible for. Twenty plus years living among wild dragons after over a decade of failure getting people to change on Berk had left her with a low opinion of civilization. She preferred the company of dragons even if the conversations, with only one exception, had been very one-sided for over twenty years.
That was not the case now. Teaching the young Furies their human words, spoken and written, was one of her favorite tasks. Sharing that knowledge helped to ensure greater understanding between the kinds.
She strolled into New Haven, walking between the small homes and along the worn paths. As usual, there were people going about their tasks, such as rolling the leather, shaping clay into pots, carrying logs of wood from the mushroom trees, repairing clothing, and working on huts or general repairs.
There were more people working on the new Great Hall. That was a very slow construction, but everyone was taking their time with it. The hope was that this Great Hall would be a refuge against any danger, the main place of meetings and festivals for the tribe, and would endure for as long as the tribe had to live in the hidden world.
Knowing humans as she did, that would probably be forever, which was fine with her as long as this test... this dream of peace could be kept alive down here.
"Elder..." "Dragonheart..." "Elder..."
She politely nodded back to everyone who greeted her. None of them, except for Gobber, knew the truth of who she was. It had been so many years since she had been taken from Berk that none of those from her former tribe even remembered her once they saw her without her mask. That was fine.
Valka was no more. She had stopped being Valka... at some point over the twenty years in which she lived her life to protect dragons. They had the central place in her heart.
She was Dragonheart.
She slipped inside the largest tent in which the meals would be provided until the Great Hall was completed. As she expected, there were about a dozen men and women inside. They were sitting at the simple tables while sipping tea from their mugs.
The tea was one of the most helpful drinks that she had discovered in her role as Elder. Living alone for twenty years had required her to... experiment with the properties of plants for health. The leaves of some plants, if crushed up and boiled, helped with pain, prevented infection, and even reduced hunger pangs. She had found plants and flowers much like thyme, sage, and lavender, all of which helped as additives to the soups and teas.
"More of 'em gone, eh?" "Yeah, don' know if I'll see 'em again." "Might not. Ye' nev'r know if they won' jus' forget us." "They might. If they want ta' be with their own kind... well..." "Wish we waeren't hungry all tha' time..." "Gettin' tha' fields goin'. Shouldn' be so bad now." "Still miss tha' ocean an' tha' sun tho'."
The speakers noticed her and waved her over.
"Elder Dragonheart," they respectfully greeted her.
She bowed and sat down at the table with them. They started sharing their fears and concerns, as they always did. The concerns were the same that she had heard before.
Why are the dragons leaving us here alone? Are they going to forget us? What did we do wrong? We're Nords, we should be on the sea, raiding, and plundering. When can we go home to the above?
"They're free to fly whenever they want. No, they will not forget us as long as they come here to show us they remember. We did nothing wrong. We belong with our family, wherever that is."
She never gave an answer to the last question of when the tribe would be free to go to the above again. It was only a matter of time before everyone truly accepted this world as their home.
"But we're trapped here without the dragons. We can't go anywhere in this world on our own," Nieminen protested.
It was true. They were all trapped now in the hidden world. It was almost impossible for them to leave on their own. Maybe they could find a way over hundreds of years of effort, but that was thoroughly impractical.
"We do not need to go anywhere. We have almost everything we need here, and the Furies and other dragons will help with anything else we need."
"That's still relying on them. It's not that we don't trust them, we do, but they're free to come and go as they want. What if they get very hungry and there's not enough food? What will we be to them?" Ulfric asked.
That possibility was too terrible to think about. She had seen it happen on the island she had called home for over twenty years.
"They are family, and family does not forget or turn on itself."
There was a rush of wind and several thuds from beyond the tent. The door to the tent opened shortly thereafter as several more people entered. This group was far more jovial. Skald, Vistra, Faen, Thorvald, Sifa, Ysmir, Theron, and Gobber boisterously strolled inside.
Skald laughed, "So I decided to max dps on my ranged main. Pure glass catapult build!"
Vistra chuckled, "So I went max stealth assassin! My husband didn't stand a chance!"
"I like collecting plants. Alchemy is fun," young Faen smiled.
Thorvald punched Skald's shoulder, "Come on, Legs, you should know better than that. A max strength build is the best unless you... Oh, Dragonheart, good morning!"
"Morning everyone," she answered, amused by his choice of cheery greeting.
Mornings were an alien concept now.
Thorvald frowned, seeing all the frowning faces gathered with her.
"What's going on? Not enough soup?"
She shook her head, "No, not that. Just the usual."
"I see. Out with it, you all. What's the matter?"
Everyone at the table grumbled and glanced between themselves before answering.
"We're worried about the future," Nieminen spoke for the group.
Heads nodded throughout the tent.
"Oye, what's with all tha' long faces? Yer' not Monstrous Nightmares," Gobber strode over and, bowl of soup in hand, waved his peg-arm toward them.
"You all wouldn't understand it," Ulfric said and took a long drink of his tea.
"Why not? We aren't the sharpest tools in the shed, but still," Thorvald asked.
"Because your dragons are still here. They are loyal to you," Ulfric groaned.
"They're not our dragons. We don't own them. They're our friends," Skald protested.
"Hey, and ours weren't? They just... up and left us and haven't come back," Nieminen sighed.
Valka frowned, not liking the direction this disagreement was going. Meatlug, Hookedfang, Stormfly, and Jingles were among the dragons that stayed around New Haven far more than the rest. That was, even if petty, an understandable source of frustration for those whose dragon friends did fly away more.
"They could be away for many reasons. Maybe they found their own kind, maybe they have eggs and hatchlings to care for, we don't know," she explained.
Gobber sat down and thumped his good hand on the table.
"An', if ya' have a problem, jus' go talk ta' tha' Chief about it..." he said.
Spoons stirred soup and mugs of tea were sipped. None of the discontent people looked thrilled by the suggestion.
"Wha's wrong with that plan? Don't ya' trust yer Chief?" Gobber asked.
"He's a dragon. He can come and go with the others. He doesn't understand..." Nieminen shrugged.
"You're wrong about that. He understands perfectly. You don't have a problem with him because he's a dragon, do you?" Valka frowned.
No one immediately answered that.
"He grew up among you all on Berk. He cares for all of us," she added.
"He would have abandoned us in the above," Ulfric fumed.
"Hey, I thought ya' all were complainin' about wantin' ta' be up there," Gobber wondered.
Thorvald clapped Gobber on the shoulder.
"Yep, exactly. Are we Nords or not?" he then asked those at the table.
"Yeah..." "Maybe..." "Thought we were dragonriders..." "Both?" "Think so..."
"Yeah, we still are, sort of. Do we have stubbornness issues?" he added.
"Totally." "Yeah." "No one better."
"I don't know about you, but it's better being here where no one is trying to kill us. We'll be fine. We just have to... tough it out. We always have."
That seemed to satisfy everyone, at least on the outside. She still went over and tapped Thorvald on the shoulder. Then she gestured for him to follow her outside.
They stepped out of the tent to speak in private.
Unsurprisingly, Meatlug, Hookedfang, and Jingles the Boneknapper were resting not far away. Those three, plus Stormfly and a handful of others, were the regulars in the village, aside from the Furies.
"Dragonheart, what is it?"
"The grumbling is worse than before."
He frowned, "I know. They don't know what to do with life now that there are no enemies or new seas to sail on. How long do you think it'll be before we can fly beyond this cave?"
She shrugged and leaned on her staff, "No idea. That depends on when everything out there settles down and other things that we can't control."
He nodded and stroked his beard, "Exploring more might help with them feeling like they're trapped, which we are somewhat. We are strangers in a strange land..."
He blinked and stepped back in confusion as he twiddled his mustache and beard. Both had grown out more fully from when he had started as Chief years ago.
"Woah, I'm not becoming an Elder, am I?"
"No, not yet," she chuckled.
"A poet?"
"Nope."
He sighed in relief, "Good, I'm not smart enough to be those anyway."
He spun around and considered the tent.
"Change is slow. I... understand what they mean that this world doesn't really feel like home yet. We all miss the ocean, the wind, and the sun. The Great Hall should help a lot to make this place feel more familiar."
She nodded, appreciating that he probably knew the people better than she did. Everyone in that tent clearly missed their old lives and the dragons they cared for.
"How long will that be until it's done?" she asked.
The thick walls were about halfway completed along the front and the side. The reinforced walls would have over a couple feet of solid rock on the exterior, with additional support on the inside. The interior chambers with the actual gathering place and prayer chambers would be worked on later.
"Last that Rain-Eater and Shadowwing told me, maybe a couple months at this pace. The main problem is stone and cutting it. We have to be careful with our tools."
She nodded, understanding that breaking any of the valuable tools would be a problem since they were irreplaceable.
"We can take our time," she said.
"Yep, not like we have anything better to do."
He left to return inside the tent with his family. She remained outside, still lost in her thoughts.
It was a little concerning, but entirely understandable, that not everyone thought of the hidden world as home yet. There was a chance that no one who grew up in the above would ever truly be content down here. But those who would come after and who were born or hatched in this world would not feel that deep yearning for a place that they had been in but had lost.
It was also a fair point that the hidden world felt like a trap, even though they were all trapped together. That being together made it acceptable, not to mention necessary.
Were they truly the ones who were trapped, or was the rest of the world trapped, in a very strange way? The above was the world that refused to change and had embraced armies and armadas instead of trying something new. They silenced the voice of peace. So everyone from Haven ultimately hid themselves from that world so that they could live safely. They fled through a door, closed the door, and locked it, figuratively speaking. The rest of the above was trapped in the past, unlikely to ever change.
Even now, trapped in the hidden world and unlikely to ever see the open sky again, everyone in New Haven had the opportunity to be freer than everyone in the world above. But the freedom was not in where they could go or not go, but rather in what was driving them to act and gave purpose to their lives. They were trapped physically, but their souls were freer, at least she hoped that they would see it that way.
She rolled her eyes and twiddled her fingers on her staff. She was dealing with people who were not the smartest in the world. Deep thought and long reflection had never been necessary when it was so obvious who the enemies were.
They might not understand. They want to have an enemy to oppose. It's harder when the enemy is inside the heart.
She squared her shoulders and set out to find work that she could do. There was always something to do in the gardens. Tending to growing things and therefore helping to ensure the future was very relaxing.
Part of being an Elder, in addition to giving wisdom and overseeing ceremonies, was to be a healer, which is why her knowledge of plants was very helpful. Fortunately, she was not alone in knowing a lot about that topic.
Mist-Wings, so gentle and kind to everyone, was also interested in plants, herbs, flowers, and roots. She wanted to know what plants had what affects on people, human and dragon. The young Night Fury would frequently bring back mushrooms and new, strange plants to investigate whether they did anything.
She spotted a couple of the Night Furies far off in flight as they winged toward a high ledge with a waterfall. It was too far off to clearly tell who those were from appearance, but they were likely Rain-Eater and Mist-Wings since they were carrying two humans.
On the other hand, she could see Stormfly and Eret working the fields of potatoes and other vegetables.
The former dragon trapper had been an invaluable resource in the above because of the information he brought with him. That information had given them advance warning that Grimmel the Grisly and the Grimborne brothers had formed an alliance. She didn't want to think about what would have happened if they lacked that foreknowledge.
Eret had no objection to doing the unpleasant work that had to be done but which no one else wanted to do. He had started out in Haven having to do that work as punishment, but he hadn't stopped. Something about staying in his routine had been reassuring. He looked for every opportunity to prove himself and to try to earn forgiveness from Shadowwing and Luna for the wrong that he did long ago. Shadowwing accepted him now, but Luna was very stubborn and suspicious of him.
Finally at the gardens, she began inspecting the plants one at a time, looking for ones that were showing any sign of decay, lack of water, or overwatering. Life was slow and calm now, and she was not going to complain. There was already enough of that complaining to go around.
Of all the injuries sustained by those living in New Haven, there was one very close to her heart. Shadowwing's wound sustained when Grimmel shot him in that final battle had healed on the outside. If only there was something that she, or anyone for that matter, could do to help Shadowwing more permanently. It felt like something she should do as a... mother, even if almost no one else knew that truth.
Rain-Eater and Mist-Wings glided in peace while carrying Safiya and Alvor, respectively. They flew up to a high level that had a waterfall which fell down a great height. There was no great occasion or game happening. This was merely more together-time and bonding.
He touched down and pranced to a stop next to a bright light-rock. His nestmate sister touched down next to him, and they let Safiya and Alvor down.
"Thank you, Rain-Eater." "Thank you, Mist-Wings."
"Do nnot menntionn it," he hummed.
"You arre welcome," she hummed.
"Alright, we won't mention it," Safiya grinned at him.
He stuck his tongue out at her.
Alvor stood on the edge of the ledge, staring out at the nest far below. Alvor looked rather liver-chilled, so he padded over to him and nudged him.
"Alvorr, what iss twisstinng yourr tail?"
"Nothing. Well... Aurora has been away for, what, probably five days."
"Yess, that feelss corrrrect."
Mist-Wings padded up next to Alvor, lay down, and purred to him, "You missss herr?"
"Yeah, of course. She's my best friend. But... nah, it's probably nothing," Alvor groaned.
"I agree. Whatever my brother was going to say is not important," Safiya smirked.
"You actually agree with me on this."
"Do I? What is it?"
Alvor looked from Safiya, to him, to Mist-Wings, and shrugged, "We've been just about everywhere there is to go in this stupid cave. There is nothing left to see, but there's a whole world beyond. Just think about it, caves and new dragons that none of us have seen."
Safiya frowned, "Remember how dangerous they can be to us. It's not safe out there."
"I agrree. The otherr drragonnss arre nnot sso frrienndly," he said.
"Jusst sstay herre annd be ssafe," Mist-Wings purred.
Alvor sat down on his rear, propped his chin up on his hand-paws, and stared into the distance.
"Ugh, typical dragons. You all are free to come and go as you want."
Rain-Eater's ears fell when he heard that, mostly because he knew it was true. He, his nest-kin, and all sky-kin with liver-bonds to ground-kin could fly freely to all the ranges in the hidden world, if they wanted to. He and his nest-kin had no great wanting to fly far from these ranges that had all whom he held to his liver.
Being trapped in this range, or any range, was a chilling thought.
"What do you thinnk?" he warbled, nudging Safiya.
She grumbled and leaned against his shoulder, "I mean we're safer here for sure. The work is alright, but... I don't know."
She also wants to see more ranges.
He could understand her liver-wanting to go fly to new places. He felt much the same even when he had been above in the Haven-range. His flying was very fast, and he felt the flight-joy burn brightly in his liver. Sometimes when he was the above-watcher, he would fly during the night until he could not see the island at all, just because he wanted to pretend he could touch the horizon.
"Maybe we will fly farr ssoonn. We cann talk to the Chief annd ourr parrenntss," he proposed.
"Huh? What good would that do?" Alvor grumbled.
He huffed and nudged Alvor's shoulder, "You could fly with uss to ssee morre hiddenn rranngess orr help uss onn a hunnt."
Alvor shrugged, "Yeah, I guess that would be fun to go on an adventure. I'd like that."
Safiya punched Alvor in the back, "I'd go with too."
"Great. More time around my sister. Ugh."
"I am not the one with hygiene issues, mister greasy hair."
Rain-Eater rolled his eyes as the ground-kin nestmates started trading insults. Even though they held each other in their livers as nestmates should, they still fought with words.
He hopped back to stand beside Mist-Wings. She warbled in amusement at the play-fighting.
"I do not know how you endure that," she said.
He ruffled his wings and huffed, "You get used to it until you stop hearing it. What do you think about their words of far-flight-wanting?"
She whined softly, "There is much danger beyond. They should want to stay here in these safe ranges."
"Maybe so, but they feel trapped. They are much like sky-kin in their livers. Both want to fly free."
She grumbled and lay her head on her paws, "I hope we can. Seeing more of these hidden ranges would be very good!"
They settled down to wait until Alvor and Safiya stopped fighting. The plan was to use much of the waking-cycle playing and flying as a distraction from the work and not having a life-bond friend and nestmate around.
In the meantime, he could keep thinking about his project and how he was going to fly this flight. There was no rush to finish it, but he felt that it was important to figure out sooner rather than later.
Luna's liver glowed with warmth as Green-Wings swung her tail about, trying to keep it away from the hunter. Night-Light pounced, pinned her tail, and started chewing on it.
"You are the hunter!" Green-Wings hummed.
He dropped the tail and flared his spotted wings while softly roaring, "I am a hunter!"
Green-Wings purred, "And a very good one."
He spun around and dashed over to her, "Dam-mother, I am a hunter!"
She nuzzled his nose, "Yes you are, my little one. A fierce hunter!"
Night-Light purred, his head held high, and he looked away into the far distance.
"Little one?"
"Where is sire-father?"
"He is in the nest with the ground-kin."
His little ears lifted, "Will he come back soon?"
"I do not know. He has Alpha-duties to them."
His little ears fell, so she licked him, "Do not be chilled, little one. He will play with you when he flies to us."
He purred at that reassurance. He was still rather easy to appease, more like his older brother had been than his sister.
"Will Moon-Pinner come here?" he chirped.
"Maybe. You and she can play if she does fly to us. I want you to learn more ground-kin words from Kin-liver."
He hesitated before answering, "I can try that."
She lifted a wing, let him snuggle in at her side, and lay her chin on her egg between her paws.
Everything was good and peaceful about life now as she rested, her thoughts flying to the unhatched little one in the egg. The egg had not yet moved, and that meant that it would probably be another moon-cycle before it would hatch.
She rested in peace with her egg and Night-Light until she heard wings. Dawn-Singer, Flies-With-Sun, and Moon-Pinner touched down on the ledge. She and Flies-With-Sun shared a nestmate sister nose-nuzzling while Night-Light and Moon-Pinner sat on their haunches and pawed at each other in their strange way of greeting each other.
"Warm winds to you," she hummed.
"And to you, sister. Do any of you want to fly with us to the shared-nest?" Flies-With-Sun asked.
"Me! Me! I will fly!" Night-Light barked while spinning in place.
She purred in agreement, "Yes, you can fly with them. Sister, will you tell Shadowwing to bring a fish for me?"
"I will," Flies-With-Sun answered.
Dawn-Singer, Flies-With-Sun, Moon-Pinner, and Night-Light roared joyfully and took to the sky, turning their flights for the deep of the large cave where the ground-kin nested.
Total silence followed after they were gone. There were none of her nest-kin resting at her side. It was only her and the silent egg. The silence all around her was liver-chilling.
But then the chill was warmed when Green-Wings paced over to her. The nest-kin Night Fury carried her egg with her, and lay down at her side. Now she could hear Green-Wings's purring, which was comforting. She also completely trusted Green-Wings around her little ones and egg.
But Green-Wings's purring was slightly chilled.
"Sister, you are not liver-chilled?"
"Not truly that. I... do not like how still, quiet, and not-life-filled this shared-ledge is."
"I agree. But we and our eggs are here."
"But not the little ones and our grown children. They have flown the nest or are flying the nest-ledge more. I... miss them," Green-Wings sighed.
She tilted her head and warbled in confusion. Green-Wings missed her children?
"Why? You have not lost them."
Green-Wings huffed, "I know. It is more that I do not like the no-eggs rule."
Luna flicked her tail and gently struck Green-Wings's tail, "Why is that? You and Was-Grounded have six children including the egg."
Green-Wings carefully cradled the egg and glanced at her, "Because... maybe it is twisted thinking of me, but I like being a dam-mother. Watching the little ones grow big and strong is liver-warming, but the chill of having them fly the nest... hurts a little."
Luna hummed softly, remembering her own parting with her long-lost sire-father and dam-mother when she flew to the above on her own.
"It would, but that is part of the life-flight of any dam-mother. We want our children to grow strong so they can fly the nest and... not need us as they did when they were little ones. And if it is sitting with eggs and little ones that you want much, you can do that for your children once they have eggs. I doubt that any of them will want to leave this good range."
Green-Wings snorted, "When will that happen? I do not think other Light Furies will fly to us and stay as Flies-With-Sun did. She was special."
"True, the Light Furies have more fear of ground-kin. I should know, if they are any like I was. We will learn more about the beyond... eventually."
She curled her tail around and covered her egg with her tailfins after very quickly and gently flaming the egg to warm it. Satisfied, she whispered to the egg a song that she knew deeply in her liver. It was the same song that her sire-father had sang to her when she was so small and learning her words.
"Rest now little one... make not a sound... you will fly above the ground. Small you are now... you will grow and see... how great you will be. Moon of mine... dance and play... all your chills away. Rise and hunt... laugh and sing... then sleep under my wing. Strong and free... you will fly high... with the clouds in the sky."
Even as she hummed the song, some of the words felt like a promise of something that might not truly happen. But the song still touched the liver, so it was good to sing it anyway.
Please be the last one!
Shadowwing glanced outside his Chieftain's tent. Then he gave a heavy sigh of relief when he saw that Nilsson was indeed the last person here to meet him.
Good. I know what the problem is for you.
"Chief! What are we going to do about food?" Nilsson complained.
Yep. Not surprised at all.
"Therre iss ennough. We cann alwayss catch morre if we musst."
Nilsson waved a hand at the many tents and simple homes, "Maybe for everyone else, sure. But the masons need a little more. We're doing more work on the Hall than anyone else."
He grumbled, staring at his paws.
Maybe another ration could help. They deserve it.
This was one of the hardest parts of being Chief. There was a constant war of resources: the use thereof and the finding or making thereof. He wanted to allow everyone doing the hard work a greater portion, but it was uncertain if there was enough to go around. Rain-Eater still hadn't made any breakthroughs on his sustainability project.
But that was a problem only he, Rain-Eater, Valka, Was-Grounded, and Gobber knew about. Letting others know about the problem would only incite fear, which was not a good idea.
"Nno prromissess, but I cann trry to get morre food forr youu massonnss. You desserrve it."
Nilsson looked like he wanted to protest but then thought better of it, "As you wish, my Chief."
Nilsson then left.
Shadowwing slipped back into the tent, glanced at the furs that he slept on from time to time, and collapsed in place, hiding his head under his tailfins.
Ugh, how did dad do this? So many stupid problems. Chief, my door fell off. Chief, my kids are too loud. Chief, I miss my dragon. Chief, I'm hungry. No task is too small... bah.
Fix your problems yourself if you can!
He exhaled, appreciating that there were problems the people could not fix on their own. No amount of pure, raw stubbornness could just make food appear or bring back a dragon that is flying on its own where it belongs or wants to go.
He lay there a long time to relax and compose himself before getting to his paws and walking over to the large map he and Valka had carved into smooth wood. It was their map of the known hidden world.
Their own massive cavern, about two rasts in length, was the most detailed, obviously. Other places filled in with great detail were the large chamber directly under the above island, the crystal throne chamber, the large and dangerous ocean chamber, another cavern filled with Monstrous Nightmares, Gronkles, and more of the stoker class dragons, several other large chambers, and the connecting passageways that were known well. The various resources that each cavern provided were also known and included on the map.
But there were limits to the map. There were caverns that ended in a blank unknown.
Alright, enough wasting time! The Hall could always use some more work.
He left the tent and calmly strolled through New Haven, passing dozens of simple homes and storage buildings, until he arrived where the masons and carpenters were working alongside Meatlug and Blueback. Both of those two were among the first of the dragons that became part of Berk, so many years ago.
He sat down on his rear while considering the progress on the Hall and the various supplies. Lots of chiseling had shaped the stones that formed the outer wall of the final Hall. The stronger mushroom trees were identified for when they would be cut down for lumber. Everything about this massive undertaking was planned out and working.
Except the workers.
Note to self, maybe enforce the shifts better in the future, or else no one will be working at the same time.
He barked to get the attention of the handful of workers who were dozing. He got them into action, putting down a layer of cement, a mix of clay dirt and straw. After volunteering his services, he started helping them by lifting heavy rocks and helping to put them in place. A dragon could lift and move far more weight than even a team of humans could.
It was hard work that would leave him sore later on, but that was fine. Nords and dragons both had stubbornness issues.
"Catch!" someone shouted.
He grabbed the rope in his jaws and helped to lift the heavy stone while the workers moved it into position. It was slow work, but it was enjoyable and gave everyone something to do to pass the time.
He was able to help put up ten of the heavy stones before the hurting started. Any amount of exertion involving the chest invariably hurt after a while. That stupid chest injury just was not going away entirely. But that was spilled yak milk under the table, so there was no reason to dwell on it. Just tough it out and be stubborn about it.
During a break in the work, he relaxed and imagined what the Hall would look like when it was done. Thick rock walls, massive support beams, tables, fireplaces, a central bonfire, prayer rooms with statues to Thor and Odin, tapestries of past leaders, supply rooms, and a stone throne... perch where he or his delegates could sit when there was need.
The completed Great Hall would be where the entire tribe, the humans and smaller dragons anyway, could gather together like in the old days. It would help them feel more at home.
Aurora flew down the final passageway that she knew so well. The spires and light-rocks were very familiar. She was home.
She touched down on the shared-ledge on which her kin rested. Only the two dam-mothers and their eggs were present.
"Aurora, daughter!" her dam-mother hummed.
She pranced over to her and nuzzled her dam-mother's neck.
"How was the watching?" dam-mother purred.
"Boring."
"So it was good?"
"Very."
Her dam-mother understood the need for peace and quiet, even if she did like being around hatchlings far more than she herself did. Her dam-mother was strange that way.
"Will you tell sire-father and Shadowwing that the usual nothing happened up there?"
"Yes, I will."
She bounded over to Luna and purred in greeting.
"Warm winds to you, Aurora," Luna hummed.
"And to you, Luna. The egg?"
"It is well. Your new nestmate will be with us long before my egg hatches."
She did not need another reminder that she would have another mewling, waste-making nestmate to help sit with and teach.
"Yes, it will. I cannot wait for that," she brayed.
She spun away and flew from the ledge, turning her flight for the deep of the range. First, she was going to find Rain-Eater, and then she was going to find their life-bond ground-kin. A shared flight in these familiar skies would help warm her liver since she was not too tired.
Rain-Eater was not up at his special ledge where he worked on his project, so he must be helping the ground-kin with working. Sure enough, he was helping with making the Great-Hall-Den. From how he and Shadowwing explained it, the Great-Hall-Den would be a good place where much bonding could happen, much like the largest den had been in the Haven-range
She landed beyond all the working and bounded to her nestmate brother.
"Brother!"
"Sister!"
He jumped over to her and purred in greeting, "How was the-"
"Boring. I want to fly with our ground-kin!"
"Okay, let me tell the ground-kin here."
He hopped over to the working ground-kin, told them that he was finished, and returned to her.
They turned their flights for the distant place where their life-bond ground-kin roosted. Hopefully they would be there. She did not want to have to fly all around the shared-range while looking for those twisting... dear ground-kin.
Maybe some of her other nestmates and kin would find them and they could all bond together. That felt good and liver-warming after seven sun-cycles alone in the above. Being away from her nestmates was good, but not if it meant being away from them for too long.
Moon-Dancer lay on the wet rocks in the water-mist from the waterfall. Hidden-Hope lay at his side on the wet rock, her tail fighting with his as they watched the fellow Night Furies and their ground-kin. Alvor and Safiya were playing with Rain-Eater and Aurora in the water, splashing and lunging at each other with bonding-fighting.
That bonding was a warmth that he did not have in his life-flight. The thought of getting one of the ground-kin to share life-flights with, however that happened, was a little twisted. What if they had rot in their livers? What if they got hurt because he made a mistake?
What if he disappointed his sire-father by not finding a life-bond ground-kin of his own?
He sighed and rested his head on his paws, forgetting the tail fighting with his nestmate sister.
Aurora stood up in the water, flaring her wings to shake them dry. The flying water sparkled in the light from the light-rocks... almost like the far-flying sky-lights in the above that sparked her name.
Hidden-Hope nipped one of his ears, "Why are you not playing?"
"I was thinking about ground-kin."
"What about them?" she hummed.
He groaned and faced her, staring into her teal eyes.
"See them playing?"
"Yes, I am not blind like you."
"Right. We do not have life-bond ground-kin. Do you want to get one?"
She snorted, "Why do I need one?"
"It is not that we need one. We do not. But... life might be warmer with one."
She hummed in thought as her ears lifted, "Maybe, but I do not want one."
Mist-Wings bounded out of the water, shook herself dry, and hopped over to him. She snuggled up against his side.
"Sister Mist-Wings, you will fly to the above next, true?" he asked.
"Yes, I will. One more time for me to see the plants that grow up there."
He snorted, "There are not so many or as many liver-warming ones. Light-making plants are only down here."
Mist-Wings purred, "True. Still, I like flying free in the open sky and the clouds, when I can."
"Who does not?" Hidden-Hope barked.
"You have never been to the above," he huffed.
"No, but I want to! Sire-father and dam-mother do not let me fly up there!" she grumbled and crossed her forepaws.
He solemnly hummed, "For good reason. The above has much danger. I... remember that very well..."
He closed his eyes while trying to not think about the fire, the burning, the death-grabbers snapping at him... the fear... the...
'Son! I am here! Hold on!'
'Follow me, my son. I will take you to the other nest now.'
'Did you fight sky-light?'
'Is dam-mother safe? Will more bad-kin hurt her?'
"Moon?" Mist-Wings asked.
"Nothing... sorry," he whispered, remembering himself.
Mist-Wings gently nuzzled his neck.
He and she remembered well those very chilling sun-cycles. The fires from the attack on the Haven-range, seeing both their sire-fathers fly away leading a flight of many sky-kin, playing together in Green-Wings's cave-den, and wondering if both their sire-fathers would fly back to them.
Once their sire-fathers had flown back, they had very bad hurt-marks. His own sire-father had hurt-mark-lines from where the sky-light had hit him. Sire-father also had a deep hurt in his chest that he had later learned was where a bad two-leg had shot him with an arrow. Even Was-Grounded came back with a deep scratch on his lower back.
Both their sire-fathers almost died.
"What do you remember?" Hidden-Hope innocently asked.
He considered answering, except that sire-father had asked him to not tell her about what had happened. That talk was one that sire-father and dam-mother wanted to give her on their own when she was ready to have it.
"Nothing," he said.
"Please..."
"Sorry, I should not say."
She snorted, "Useless brother."
He ignored that. However, the recent talk about the above reminding him of a possibility. There was one duty-flight which he had not done yet.
He nudged Mist-Wings and walked a short distance away to ask her a question which his other sister probably did not need to hear.
"Should I ask my sire-father and dam-mother about flying to the above to be a watcher?"
She purred, "Yes, you should to help with the memories of the past. The above is not bad. That island has no two-legs on it. The above on the island is safe."
"Do you think they will let me be the watcher?"
"The worst that can happen is they say not yet."
He sighed, hearing the truth in what she said, "I guess so."
He and Mist-Wings returned to Hidden-Hope's side. Then he flew his attention back to Aurora as she played with Alvor, Safiya, and Rain-Eater in the water. She and Rain-Eater were staring each other down, wings flared in display, while perched on a pair of small light-rocks. The bright light almost glowed and shined off her big, strong, and liver-warming blue and green wings.
He absentmindedly stretched his wings wide and glanced at them. They were plain, dark wings that were still smaller than hers. Just like he was plain dark and nothing special.
He relaxed and lay his wings out over his two sisters.
"You pile of sky-kin waste!" Aurora bellowed at her brother.
"Why is your sister so biting?" he whispered.
Mist-Wings grumbled, "I do not know. She was not always so fast to snap and bite with words."
"I like it. I want to be like her when I grow big... bigger!" Hidden-Hope hummed.
He rolled his eyes and said nothing. His nestmate sister was still early in her much-growing seasons. If she turned out as biting as Aurora, she could be very annoying. Flaming sky-kin's waste-ends from hiding or whispering twisted words in ears from hiding would be very frustrating. Her learning her fire and fade would be bad for everyone if she did not become more responsible.
Shadowwing was resting on the ledge when Moon-Dancer touched down and pranced up to him.
"Sire-father, I want to talk," Moon-Dancer purred.
"Sure, son. What about?"
Moon-Dancer shuffled on his paws, took a deep breath, and faced him, "I want to go be the watcher in the above."
And there it is. Great, just great. You don't have to go up there.
His son had asked about having more responsibility in the past, but this was a big step. This would be the first time that Moon-Dancer ever truly flew on his own without either his father or his mother anywhere nearby. Moon-Dancer had never been alone for a full week before. The above was also dangerous. If any humans were to find the island, if they secretly captured his son, if he never saw his son again...
But on the other hand, the other children were not made to do this duty alone their first times either.
"Son, you know that it is dangerous and a very big responsibility."
Moon-Dancer eagerly nodded, "Yes, sire-father. I know, and I can do this! I want to be the watcher! Mist-Wings already flies that flight to protect us."
It was true. Mist-Wings was already experienced at being the watcher, despite being the same age as Moon-Dancer.
Part of him just did not want his son to take on this responsibility. However, another part was very proud that his son wanted to do this.
Maybe I have been coddling him too much. He wants to go out and make his mark, to make a difference.
This was for his son's own good. He knew since he had been on the other end of a similar talk, long ago.
He stepped over to his son and lay his head on his son's shoulder, "Alright, you get your wish. You can go in Mist-Wings's place and be the watcher."
Moon-Dancer barked softly in surprise, "Really?"
He stepped back and purred, "Yes, I want you to do this. So does your dam-mother. But I want to come with you for the first time you fly up there. This will be some time with just the two of us."
"Good! I want that!" Moon-Dancer eagerly shouted.
"Then we should tell your dam-mother and our kin. They should know we are flying up there."
Together, they walked to Luna where she lay with the egg and Night-Light. She was already awake and alert, watching them.
"My love, we have something to tell you."
"What is it? You sounded very eager," she warbled.
He glanced at Moon-Dancer and nodded to him, prodding him to speak, "Our son wants to say something."
Moon-Dancer purred, "Sire-father wants to go to the above with me for my first time as watcher!"
She purred, "Good! You know what to do, yes?"
"I do. My kin have told me everything about it! I want to do this!"
"And, I will be with him for the first few sun-cycles."
She nodded, "I approve. Moon-Dancer, will you go tell Mist-Wings that she does not need to fly?"
"Yes, dam-mother. I will!"
Moon-Dancer eagerly jumped with a roar from the ledge to go search for Mist-Wings.
He watched his son swiftly flying, a mix of warmth and sadness in his heart at this reminder of an inevitable but good part of life. Letting Moon-Dancer have this responsibility was an important first step toward letting go. His first-hatched son was growing up.
"My love?" Luna purred.
He trotted over to Luna, sat down before her, and stared at the egg between her paws. Night-Light was dozing, so they could speak freely.
"What are you thinking?" she softly asked.
"I was thinking about how my sire-father made mistakes in his life-flight as a father. He had a very hard flight to be a father and Alpha for his pack, all alone without his life-mate, without Kin-liver. He was not sure of himself with me, so he worked more for the pack than he should have."
"That is an easy mistake to make," she said.
He grumbled and lay his head on his paws, "And I did not help. I did twisted things that made him afraid for me."
She chuckled, "Did you? What did you do?"
"I did not see the danger of being in the kin-fights. I did not obey him when he told me to stay away from the fighting. I fouled the flights of many two-leg fighters by making mistakes. He was right to be angry with me, but he still gave me chances."
He glanced at her forepaws, "Have I made big mistakes with our son?"
"No, you have not made big mistakes with Moon-Dancer. I have not let you."
"If you say so."
"I do! Our son has good thinking. Yes, he wants to do more on his own and to have more responsibility, and that is normal. Taking him above is a good way to give him that and still let it be safe for him."
As usual, her words calmed and reassured him. Mostly. Being away from her was going to be rough, but it was a necessary part of life. Plus, some separation made the heart fonder of that which it yearned for.
"Do you ever want to be the watcher?" he asked.
She hummed and slowly shook her head, "I have seen enough of the above. There are some good memories, but many bad ones too. Maybe I would want to go up there to see the moon, but not for any other reason."
"Doing that with our children, taking them up as your sire-father did, could be good. They will not want to fly the above as you did. They will not need to either."
"True. They will not look to the above for mates."
He softly grumbled and glanced at where Moon-Dancer had flown off, "About that, I do not know about the other Light Furies. Your sister might have been a very special one. Well, she is a special one, but you know what I mean."
She grumbled, "Yes, I know what you mean. Still, they cannot all be twisted and afraid of ground-kin. The Light Furies who have never seen two-legs will not hate or fear them. We will find warm-livered males and females in the Light Furies beyond. We must think that."
He agreed that thinking optimistically was necessary. If only doing so was as easy as saying it. Still, there was the existence of Light Fury packs, so far mysterious and not found. They were out there somewhere. He even wondered at times whether there were any Night Furies hidden in far recesses of the hidden world.
Only time would tell.
Moon-Dancer had been so small when he flew this flight the last time. He had been so small, at one season-cycle since he hatched, that he could perch on dam-mother's back then, even though doing so was not comfortable.
But now he was almost grown. Not once since flying down this cave had he ever flown up. There were bad memories of that world above, though he understood that there were no dangerous two-legs where he was flying to. Liver-thinking and head-thinking were different.
The cave went further up and was filled with moss and glowing plants at first. Those plants faded the further he flew, and the air also grew colder.
Sire-father flew at his side to guide this watching-flight the first time. Secretly, he was thankful his sire-father would be there this time. But he did not want anyone, not even sire-father, to know that.
I can do this!
He knew in his liver that he could be the watcher without making mistakes or being too chilled from being alone. Even better, this responsibility might help him get a hotter life-fire and warmer liver somehow!
The light grew brighter ahead, so he roared aloud in joy at this promise of seeing the open sky again after season-cycles of not seeing it.
Sire-father roared at his sire, "Race you!"
They raced ahead as fast as possible, beating wings and panting for breath. Sire-father pulled ahead of him and flew out the cave a body-length faster.
Waste!
It was not surprising that sire-father was faster, since he was bigger, great, and amazing, but the race was much closer than the ones before. He would be faster than sire-father eventually! But for now they could race!
He winged closer to sire-father and stuck out his tongue. Sire-father laughed and flamed at him in tail-twisting play.
Rather than flame back, he dove for the white ground and touched down in the snow. The higher parts of the island were covered in white snow while the sky was filled with grey clouds.
He sighed, rolling his paws through the snow as he remembered play-fights, mostly with Mist-Wings, in the snow in the Haven-range cold-season. He had no words so soon after hatching, but he remembered the learning and playing.
Sire-father landed by him. Together, they looked around the emptiness of the island. The cold wind, much stronger than any wind below, flowed around him and ruffled his wings.
"I remember the last time I flew up here," he sighed.
"So do I, my son. You were so small then," sire-father purred.
He rolled his eyes. How long would sire-father think of him as his little one?
Grr, maybe forever...
"True, I was."
Sire-father hummed, looking around, "We could stay here, or we could fly to the forest on the other side of the island. Both would be good for resting out of the wind."
Liking the idea of more flight and being out of the cold wind, he stretched his wings, "We should fly to the forest."
"Good. You lead me, son."
Sire-father wanted him to be the flight-leader? What?
"Okay."
Sire-father followed him into the sky as they flew around the mountain in the middle of the island. A long and gentle glide down the slope followed until they touched down between the thin-leaf pines. They both yawned widely, tired after the long flight from the hidden new-Haven-range in the hidden world.
"This island is almost like the Haven-range, but this is colder," he said.
Sire-father grumbled, his ears going back, "The forest is like the Haven-range, but this island has no prey animals. You must hunt fish or many-claw snappers. This is also colder, as you said. Most importantly, this is safer."
"None of the two-legs know about it?"
"None, as far as we know."
With a very faint wince, sire-father slowly lay down in the snow. Then he lifted a wing in invitation, so he went and lay down at his sire-father's side for warmth-sharing.
"Thank you, sire-father."
"Any time, my little one," sire-father toothlessly grinned.
Calling him a little one was a tail-twisting tease.
"This will be liver-warming, us having time together. Can we hunt in the dark for fish?"
Sire-father purred, "Yes, good idea. We can do that."
"I would like to fly on a shared hunt."
"We will. You should take a short nap now."
He yawned, lay his head on his paws, and closed his eyes since he agreed with the idea of a nap. There would be plenty of time to talk with sire-father about anything important over the next few sun-cycles.
He entirely expected to do nothing over the next few sun-cycles. Being the watcher was very easy. More important than being watcher was having time with his sire-father. But he also wanted to see the sun and the moon again, especially if he would need to fly above the clouds to do so.
Moon-Dancer sat with his rear in the cold snow. There was nothing at all to do as watcher except stay awake and occasionally watch the horizon and waters. Staring too long at the clouds was frustrating because it made him want to go fly to them.
Grr, now I know what Rain-Eater and Mist-Wings meant that being watcher is boring.
Still, he understood the need for the hidden world to have a watcher protecting it here. Duty-flights were not always liver-warming or fun, but they had to be flown anyway.
It was also difficult to stay awake now after sunfall but before the true dark. Even the brightest part of the sun-cycle was not very bright. The sun never flew very high in its flight above the horizon.
He watched as sire-father flew up from the water, a fish in his maw. Sire-father landed beside him and tossed him the fish, which he gladly ate.
"Thank you, sire-father."
"You are welcome, son. I am going to flying back to the New-Haven-range and your dam-mother. Do you think you can be watcher alone now?"
Sire-father had stayed with him here for two full sun-cycles. But now sire-father was trusting him to do the watching all alone!
"Yes, I can."
Sire-father purred and nodded toward the horizon, "Good. You are growing up so much."
He purred and stood taller, his liver flamed from those words. He also wanted sire-father to see how big and strong he was, so he looked to the horizon while stretching his wings. True, he knew he was not as big as he would be when truly grown, but the difference was so small.
The snowball struck him with an explosion of snow.
He spun to see sire-father grinning toothlessly, having just thrown a mouthful of snow at him.
That demanded revenge, so he grabbed a mouthful of snow and hurled it at him. Sire-father just hopped out of the way.
"Ha! You missed! Useless Dawn Fury!"
"Not fair! I did not see your attack!"
Sire-father purred, "Never pounce on an advantage immediately, save it for when it used best."
"A blind spot?"
Sire-father nodded and purred, "Yes, like this place."
"What?"
Sire-father trotted the short distance to him and waved a paw at all they could see, "This island and cave is a blind spot. And you are watching it for us all. I... am proud of you, son."
His liver burned with warmth at that praise. That warmth kept burning even after sire-father turned tail and flew off down the cave. With sire-father gone and himself alone again, he flew up to the tallest mountain peak, landed there, and settled down into his watch. There was nothing to see on the horizon, but that was good.
As had happened the last couple nights, his gaze drifted higher all the way up above the clouds to the brightly flowing sky-breath that was so beautiful.
Author's Note – Cut scenes are in To Fly The Winds Of Life chapter 11.