The Packless
Shadowwing trotted past Jingles the Boneknapper dozing outside Gobber's workstation. Gobber's place wasn't a full forge, since there was nothing to forge anymore, but it was where Gobber did most of his work, usually pottery and ceramics. There was always need for more pots for storage as old ones broke.
"Gobberr! You awake?" he bellowed.
"Depends who's askin'! Ottrygg, if that's you, no, I won't put flowers on yer new mugs!"
He rolled his eyes. Gobber took custom orders for everyone as a way of staying busy. Gobber also knew perfectly well his voice.
"Grreat, wannt to make onne forr me?"
Gobber stepped around the side of the workstation and faced him. His hand was covered in clay, and there was on the table behind him a shaped pot almost ready to be fired.
"A mug fer our dragon-Chief? Why not? Sounds very practical. I'll get right on it! What's up, other than the ceiling?"
"Funnnny. I wannted to let you knnow I will be gonne ssoonn."
Gobber started twiddling his mustache, "Oh, yer headin' out there again?"
He nodded, "Yess, onne morre pack to vissit."
"Who's goin' with ya this time?"
"Me, Wass-Grrounnded, annd Fliess-With-Ssunn."
"Gotcha, any idea how long yer gonna be away? The great Thorlout would wanna know how long he's gonna fill in fer ya."
"Alrready told him, but prrobably the ssame ass the vissit to the Light Furriess beforre. Thrree orr fourr cycless at the mosst."
"Alright then. Get to it and don't take too long. We'll be right here as always! Oye, Jingles!"
The Bonenapper woke up, shook his bone-armor, and purred deeply while loping closer.
"Come on, ye blasted pile o' bones! Are ye ready for this?"
Jingles loosed a short spurt of flame at the sky, as if to show off.
"Thought so. Time fer ya to get to work!"
Satisfied that everything was taken care of here, Shadowwing left them and flew off toward the familiar ledge in the darker part of the chamber. Everyone was waiting for him there.
He glanced back at New Haven once he was over the village outskirts. People were going about their tasks, mostly of which were related to farming. A few kids were chasing after the dozen Terrible Terrors. The handful of other dragons living here were either asleep, which was not uncommon for them, or helping out with various tasks, like Jingles was for Gobber or Stormfly was for Eret out in the fields.
There was a sizable part of the tribe who had little to do now, but that was normal for them. So many of the tasks people had on the islands in the above concerned survival through conflict with others. Sharpening weapons was always needed in preparation to defend against dragons or to go on the next raid. So many of those old tasks didn't apply to this world.
There was a lot more boredom, and there had to be a productive way to amuse themselves or fill the time. That was probably his next matter to ponder and find an answer for.
Fishlegs-Skald took it on himself to arrange the games for the more imaginative among the tribe, but those who took pleasure from training, combat, and glory found themselves very idle. Combat against weeds and pests in the gardens was just not the same as wielding an ax against a clear enemy on a battlefield.
The ledge came into view ahead. He touched down and strode first to Luna and his three present children.
"My love, have a warm flight and come back to me again," she purred, nuzzling him.
"I always do."
She nipped his ear and whispered, "No chasing other females there."
He chuckled and whispered, "After what you did to me when I came back to you? I am still a little sore."
"But you deserved that," she chuckled.
"What did dam-mother do?" Night-Light hummed from under her wing.
He nuzzled his son's forehead, "Nothing. I will be back here soon, son. Keep learning and playing."
"I will!"
He licked Flower-Eater's face while his hatchling son gurgled at him. Flower-Eater was just starting to try to talk, though nothing said was clear. Finally, he faced his daughter sitting on her haunches a pounce away. She looked like she wanted to say something, her ears back and tail tapping on the ground.
"Daughter, are you well?"
"Sire-father, may I fly this flight with you?"
Ugh, not this again. You have to ask about this now?
"Not this flight, dear one. I am flying to a dangerous range."
"But I... okay... fine."
He was surprised that she did not protest more, and he was also pleased with her. Maybe she was truly becoming more responsible and willing to listen to him.
"Good. Have you learned your fire yet?"
"No," she grumbled, looking at her paws.
That wasn't really a surprise. She would surely show off as soon as she learned how to make flame.
"You will. Keep trying and you will flame. I have no doubt about that."
With that finished, he trotted over to the edge of the ledge. Flies-Bravely perched there and purred to him.
"Are you sure you do not want to fly with us?" he asked.
"Yes, Shadowwing. I will stay here in this range. To speak truth, the beyond is still chilling to me. I feel safer with everyone here."
"I understand."
Was-Grounded and Flies-With-Sun finished greeting Green-Wings and Dawn-Singer, and strode to him.
"Ready to fly?" he asked them.
Flies-With-Sun laughed, "This is twisted, me leading the Alphas!"
"Less twisted than the range we are flying to, from what we have heard," Shadowwing huffed.
"True, but you are both strong Alphas. I am not afraid of this flight."
Luna barked in amusement, "Sister, do not forget yourself. You have fire and claws too!"
"I know, but I have not needed to fight like you have."
He shoved her shoulder with a paw, "But you know how to fight, not that we will need to. You two ready to fly?"
They jumped with a pair of roars from the ledge, and he paused on the ledge while gazing toward Luna. She looked as calm as always with Flower-Eater and Night-Light at her side, but she also looked slightly sad. Her stilled tail and fallen ears were all he needed to see.
She was upset that he was leaving again. She never said anything about wanting to leave herself, but it was entirely possible that her responsibilities as a mother kept her in New Haven. One of them had to stay with the youngest children, and it was far safer for him to be the one flying out there. She might feel trapped or constrained by circumstances. Many months had passed since she had a chance to peacefully meet other Light Furies and represent New Haven to them.
He spun away from his family, and took flight, following after his brother and Flies-With-Sun.
Luna, this is my last flight away from here for a long time. I promise.
Hidden-Hope collapsed on her belly, deep in the mushroom forest where she could be all alone.
I should have known!
Why would sire-father fly her up to see the wonderful, amazing, big, awesome above only to then not let her fly with him on this flight? He would probably let Moon-Dancer go with him!
He does not truly trust me! No, I am always his little hatchling!
That had lift. Sire-father did not want to let her grow up. This was not a surprise at all. Even after all the stupid, twisting working she did, it was not enough. Nothing would ever be enough.
But when before her liver only felt chill... now there was a faint fire within! There was hope for her!
It happened just two waking-cycles ago. She had been trying to make flame, and she did! She flamed for the first time! Fire was too hard to control still, but she had flamed for the first time in her life-flight!
She had been keeping that a secret until she knew she could flame when she wished. Knowing that she would be able to flame truly was very liver-warming.
She jumped to her paws and stretched everything while growling to herself. So what if sire-father did not trust her? He just would not change. That would not be a problem much longer.
All she had to do was truly learn to control her fire, wait until the next flight left for the ranges beyond, and she could follow under her fade which would not grow cold for a very long time! Following her kin would help her see places she would not otherwise see. She would be free to see the beyond as she wanted! Let sire-father try to stop that! He would not even know she was gone until she was already gone!
And then the whole world would be hers to see!
Was-Grounded wondered yet again where Flies-With-Sun was leading them. So far she had led him and Shadowwing into the largest of all chambers: the one with the very deep and misty depths, dark skies, and many columns.
He glanced across his left wing toward the pass which would lead to the Light Fury pack. He growled at it. There was no reason he would ever want to fly that way again. That pack was so stuck in its rotted life-ways that he doubted anything could change it. Perhaps the best that anyone in it could do was escape, just like Flies-Bravely did.
The range they were flying to could be very dangerous. Everything he had heard about it was that this range was dangerous, violent, and filled with Light Furies who were packless for a reason.
But he was not afraid. He had his brother with him. Together, they could face any danger.
Shadowwing continued on at his side. His brother looked a little upset about something, so he winged closer and slapped him with a wingtip.
"Talk!" he commanded.
"What?"
"You are tail-twisted! Talk!"
Shadowwing grumbled, "Luna does not like my leaving her like this. Does Green-Wings not want you to fly?"
"Why would she? She knows I will be safe."
Shadowwing nodded, "Sure, but I do not want to fly away much after this flight. Being with her and my children is better than these flights."
"So why fly at all? Why do you want to do this?"
"For the good of the shared-range. You?"
"The same, and to keep you and Flies-With-Sun safer."
Shadowwing barked in surprise and flamed him, "What? I need to be kept safe?"
"Yes, you can be very... you."
"What are you saying?"
"That you are my brother and I should help keep you safe, just as you would for me and all my kin."
"True, I would. You are still a useless kin sometimes," Shadowwing chuckled.
Flies-With-Sun glided above them and tapped both their heads at once. Having gotten their attention, she laughed.
"You two are so liver-warming together!"
He stuck out his tongue at her. Shadowwing did the same thing at the same time before facing him again.
"Did you talk to Green-Wings about anything important?"
"We did. She is not as chilled now, I hope."
"Why was she chilled at all, if not from your leaving our range?"
He paused before answering, recalling the liver-twisting talk and almost-fight. He landed on a nearby ledge and settled down while his brother and Flies-With-Sun landed beside him. They both looked curious why he had landed.
"Keep this between us, but Green-Wings had a hidden cold in her liver. Remember how her first hatchling from another Night Fury did not live through the cold-season? There was not enough food."
Shadowwing sadly hummed, "Yes, I remember that story. What about it?"
"She secretly blamed herself a little for what happened, and that is why she wanted such a large nest and so many children. She always wanted another hatchling… to replace the lost one. We talked about it, and I think she understands why she was… as she was."
Shadowwing and Flies-With-Sun looked surprised by this news.
"I had no idea," Flies-With-Sun whispered.
"Nor I. We will not say anything about it to anyone. Promise," Shadowwing said.
"I agree," Flies-With-Sun added.
"I… we thank you," he whispered.
Shadowwing rumbled, "So, can I assume you and she are closer than you were? Close enough to… keep each other warmer more? I and Luna can watch Wind-Dancer if you want."
He snorted and shoved Shadowwing's shoulder. If Flies-With-Sun was not here, he would say far more in more twisting and teasing words. But she was present, so he decided against saying everything on his mind.
"Look, I and Green-Wings are not like you and Luna. We do not need to be... together in that way to be liver-warmed. We are not missing a warmth that should be in our life-flights. Do you understand that? You can stop trying to push us together."
Shadowwing sighed, "You have always been far more practical, for sure. Both of you, really. I understand."
"Thank you. Ground-kin think more like you do, if I am not wrong. Have you been twisted with ground-kin thinking? I think you have been," he chuckled.
Shadowwing winked and appeared very offended, "What? Me have twisted thinking?"
Flies-With-Sun laughed, "My sister has told me stories about you, so I agree!"
Shadowwing brayed, leaped from the ledge, and took flight with them following closely behind him.
He was sure Luna had not told Flies-With-Sun the full truth about Shadowwing. They had agreed to keep that secret.
Shadowwing yawned while stretching. Was-Grounded had already curled up and was asleep beside him. They needed rest after a long cycle of flying far from New Haven. The cave they found was shallow but big enough for their needs.
Flies-With-Sun returned from a break on her own, and she snuggled next to him while he stretched his wings out over her and his dozing brother.
"So, how far now?" he asked.
"Maybe half another waking-cycle. It is a straight flight from here," she answered.
"Good. Cannot wait to meet these twisted Light Furies."
She snorted and lay her head on her paws, "If they are as twisted as the other pack, I will make sure they remember me!"
"We would help you with that. Hopefully they are better. Only one way to find out," he agreed.
Later, after she fell asleep, he found himself wondering about a couple details. First was the far more practical matter that the packless Light Furies might not be nearly as bad as they had heard. Only hearing about these packless dragons from very biased sources probably meant they weren't as bad in actuality. The Alpha of the nameless pack of Light Furies had every incentive to make others out to be worse than they actually were.
Secondly, it struck him how similar Flies-With-Sun was to Luna and also how different she was. As sisters, they shared some mannerisms and even their general appearance, except for how Luna lacked any color while Flies-With-Sun had a faint yellow shine in the right light. However, their main difference was in their life experiences and how those had shaped who they were.
Flies-With-Sun had seen bad things in her life, most significantly being permanently separated from her parents and the rest of her family against her will. However, she had never been captured by terrible people and abused in ways he could not relate to.
Luna was more cautious and somber than Flies-With-Sun. Luna laughed and was happy with him, their children, and the extended family, but life had still left a permanent mark on her, not so differently from how the scars from claws against her side or the welts on her forehead would never fade.
Perhaps it was appropriate that Flies-With-Sun and Dawn-Singer, two people who never felt or suffered true cruelty or malevolence, were together. On the other hand, he and Luna had both endured terrible realities in different ways and could therefore understand and support each other better.
They perched on the edge of a ledge. The passage before them looked very ominous: downward-sloped, dark, and with spires like teeth.
"This is where we will fly?" Shadowwing grumbled.
Flies-With-Sun grumbled and nodded, "Yes, it goes down into another very large chamber like the water-range. This one has many ledges with trees and plants. That is all I saw last time."
"You flew here before?"
"Just to see where the range is. The first Light Furies I saw in here tried to flame me."
Shadowwing blinked in surprise and worry, "Why did they do that?"
"Probably because I was in their territory."
Well, that is ominous. Maybe we shouldn't go there.
"We will be doing the flaming if we must!" Was-Grounded growled.
"Yes, we should fly!" Flies-With-Sun agreed.
They continued down into the passage which became very dark, so dark that they needed to use sound-sight. The passage widened before them and dropped away, opening into a large chamber which stretched out as far as they could see.
Shadowwing stared in awe.
Okay, that's amazing.
Glowing crystals rose up from the waters, mosses and plants glowed within the waters, bright mushrooms rose like a forest on the islands and stretches of solid ground. The waters had faint tides, lapping against the sandy shores, and were very dark and deep in places.
They glided between the large columns and stacks rising from the water and the solid ground while searching for any other dragons. Trees, vines, and bushes grew abundantly on the slopes and heights. The chamber opened into more side-passes with unknown lengths and depths. The entire chamber was almost certainly much larger than all of New Haven.
"This is an amazing range," he admitted.
"Yes, but where are the Light Furies?" Was-Grounded grumbled.
No sooner had he asked that question than a pair of roars went up from atop a nearby cliff. Two Light Furies appeared and began flying for them.
Hmm, guards and fighters for the pack?
"Alright, let us meet them!" Shadowwing roared.
Together, they flew to meet the Light Furies, both of which were males. Neither of the Light Furies flamed at them or looked especially hostile, which was encouraging. If anything, they appeared reluctant or worried.
"Dark wings and light wing, what are you doing here?" one of the Light Furies asked.
"We are flying far from our home-range. We want to meet the pack that lives here," Shadowwing answered.
The male Light Furies glanced at each other in visible confusion.
"Which pack? Our pack?"
That was confusing. Perhaps there were multiple packs in this part of the hidden world. The chamber looked large enough for there to be several packs sharing this place.
"Yours. We want to meet your Alpha!" Shadowwing offered.
"Follow us!"
The two males turned for the cliff they had flown down, and they followed after the Light Furies. The Light Furies led them up onto the ledge, over a forest of mushrooms, and down into a clearing on the far side of what was basically an island.
The larger of the two males approached them after they landed.
"You will stay here. I will fly to bring our Alpha to meet you. What are your names?"
"Shadowwing, Was-Grounded, and Flies-With-Sun," Shadowwing answered, pointing at each of them in turn.
"I am Tail-Whip," the male answered.
"And I am Sharp-Tooth," the other said.
"You have names! Good!" Was-Grounded growled in approval.
"Why would we not?" Tail-Whip asked.
Shadowwing grumbled, "We flew to a different pack of light wings, all of whom had no names except their pack-role."
Tail-Whip and Sharp-Tooth growled freely, kneading at the moss underpaw.
"We know of that pack. Our Alpha led us to it before, but she had us turn tail on it after we learned its twisted life-ways," Tail-Whip explained.
Sharp-Tooth snarled, "We would have needed to break with our life-mates to be in that pack, which we would not do."
"Good for you," Shadowwing purred.
Tail-Whip considered Flies-With-Sun, "Flies-With-Sun, which of these dark wings is your mate?"
"Neither, but they are my kin," she answered.
"Twisted. If you three will stay here, I will bring our Alpha," Tail-Whip said.
Tail-Whip jumped off the cliff and turned his flight for a distant island visible through the spires. Sharp-Tooth perched on the edge of the cliff, calmly waiting and watching.
Shadowwing sat down beside Was-Grounded and Flies-With-Sun.
"Well, this is not so bad. They are not at all fighting and biting," he whispered.
"True, this is surprising and good," Flies-With-Sun hummed.
Was-Grounded growled softly, as if he was puzzled.
"Brother?"
Was-Grounded looked away from Sharp-Tooth, "I am confused by them. I might have seen these Light Furies before, but I do not remember when."
Shadowwing hummed in thought, "Maybe they were ones who flew to the New-Haven-Range as Far-Fliers from somewhere?"
"Maybe."
They waited until they saw three Light Furies approaching in the distance. There were two males and a female in the group, all of whom touched down in the clearing and approached. The female was larger than either Luna or Flies-With-Sun, and she had large scars across her chest and side.
Was-Grounded started in surprise and slight anger when he realized who she was, "Red-Paw, we meet again. I am Was-Grounded."
Red-Paw grumbled, "Was-Grounded, yes, I remember you. What a surprise. Is this your nestmate?"
"Yes, I am. How do you know Was-Grounded?" Shadowwing asked.
"This is the female Alpha who had one of her pack fly to us when our hatchlings were not hatched. She said very cold things to Luna," Was-Grounded said.
Shadowwing was about to speak out when Flies-With-Sun beat him to it.
"Luna is my nestmate. You are the liver-chilled Alpha who hates ground-kin that have never hurt you."
Red-Paw snorted and glared at her, "Yes, I am the Alpha who saw her life-mate killed by two-legs. I hid my young while the two-legs cut off his hide!"
Shadowwing sighed and hung his head, "What happened? Why was there fighting?"
Red-Paw started pacing, "We were living on our own away from a pack of kin. There were many four-legs for us to hunt, but the two-legs started taking our territory. They hunted the four-legs and claimed them all as their own prey. What were we to do when the two-legs started taking all the hunting and making life unlivable in our range? They gave us no choice but to hunt their trapped prey!"
She was right about that. Humans took over the lands they moved into. Hunting wildlife and spreading civilization did push out other, wilder life such as dragons. Working together for mutual benefit was not the normal way; Berk and Haven had always been the exception.
Humans really were terrible creatures. Or maybe they were just better fit to endure than dragons were.
"You could have left for new ranges and hunting."
Red-Paw growled, "Truly? Always being pushed more and more into harsher and worse ranges? Is that what you would have us do?"
"You did when you flew to these ranges. These hidden ranges are dangerous."
"Yes, they are. But the danger here we know how to fight against with claws, teeth, and flame. Two-legs are too dangerous."
Shadowwing snorted, seeing what looked like a contradiction in her perspective. Dragons fighting against other dragons was apparently fine and normal even if it involved death, but humans fighting dragons was somehow different and worse. That was unjust of her, but perhaps she could be forgiven for being emotionally disturbed on that issue.
"We will not agree on whether two-leg ground-kin are good or not. They are not truly why we are here."
"Why are you?"
"We wanted to learn what this range is like. Some of the... kin from our range might want to fly here."
Red-Paw sat down and faced Sharp-Tooth and Tail-Whip, "Will you bring us some fish?"
"Yes, dam." "Yes."
Both males plunged out of view off the cliff.
"They will bring us fish while we talk," she explained.
"Are they both your little ones?" Shadowwing asked.
"Tail-Whip is one of mine. Sharp-Tooth is mated to my daughter, Bites-Fires. Cloudburst is my other son."
"Do you all live together?"
"We share an island and protect each other and our territory. Our little ones play together. Why do you two male Alphas not fight each other?"
Shadowwing and Was-Grounded stuck their tongues out at each other at the same time.
Shadowwing chuckled, "Because we are nestmates. What would you do if your nestmates were with you? Would you fight them so you could be the only Alpha?"
Red-Paw calmly glared at him, "No, I would not fight my nestmates."
"Good. Then you understand that-"
"I never had any. Two-legs killed my dam when I was a fledgling. My sire raised me alone to be a strong fighter."
He hung his head. She lost her mother and her mate because of humans. That helped explain how angry she was.
"I am sorry about that."
"So what? Am I supposed to trust you more now that you said that?"
"Usually when one says they are sorry and feel others' hurting, that should make some trust between them. But you might not want that."
Red-Paw shrugged, "You saying that you are sorry changes nothing."
Sharp-Tooth and Tail-Whip returned dripping with water, and dropped several fish on the ground before going to stand beside Red-Paw. Shadowwing paused before eating anything; he recalled the last time he had been offered fish by anyone he didn't trust.
"Forgive us for doubting you, Red-Paw, but how can we know these fish are not fouled?" he asked.
"The last pack we flew to put bad berries in the fish they offered us," Was-Grounded added.
She glanced at each of them and the fish, "There is no rot in these fish."
Shadowwing nudged a fat, pink fish, "Eat that one then."
"Fine. I will eat them all if you are not hungry."
She ate that fish and grabbed another one.
Shadowwing's belly growled at him.
Was-Grounded licked his jaws while staring at the pile of fish.
"So you are hungry. Eat," Red-Paw chuckled.
"Alright. Will you tell us what this range is like? We heard that many light wings live here," Shadowwing asked.
Then he, Was-Grounded, and Flies-With-Sun started working on the fish while Red-Paw spoke.
"This range is almost only light wings. There is no one pack. The packs are all who are kin to each other. All have their own territory for hunting in and resting in."
"What about peace between the packs of kin?" Shadowwing asked.
"Peace and fighting depend on the groups. Some groups have agreements with others to help fight and defend, go on shared hunts, or provide possible mates who are not kin."
Shadowwing thought about it, and felt like he understood the arrangement rather well. This was more or less how the tribes in the Archipelago lived: on their own and with alliances between groups for various purposes.
Flies-With-Sun leaned closer, "Are there life-mates in this range? Is that what most want here?"
"Yes, that is one life-way almost all the light wings in this range agree on. We are not like the rotted pack."
Shadowwing purred, "We see that. I and Was-Grounded flew to that pack to make pack-peace with them. They, or their Alpha male, said this range is where only the packless fighters went."
Red-Paw huffed, "He is not wrong. Most of us reject packs outside of our kin. We only truly care for our own kin. The idea of a pack bigger than our own close kin is a twisted falseness."
"But what about everyone else you live in peace with?"
"Those who are not our close kin? They are useful as long as we need them. We fight and kill them if doing that will help us."
"What!" Shadowwing exclaimed.
"You would do the same if you needed that to protect your own. Why are you so twisted?"
"Killing for territory is... it should not happen!"
"There is not much unclaimed territory. After I and my kin refused the other pack, we flew here and needed territory of our own. We fought those who were here before, drove them away after spilling life-water, and made agreements with the other nearest kin-packs."
"Is that what all light wings are like in this range?"
"Many of us are. We must be. You dark wings of all kin should know that. We are the ones who do not trust big packs. Trusting big packs to keep us safe makes each in the pack weaker on their own. All must know how to fight."
Was-Grounded growled in approval, "Very true. All must be fighters in their liver."
Red-Paw glanced at the distant ceiling, "Many of us lived in the above. We had to fight to survive up there. Shadowwing, if you do not like our life-ways... just remember that we are what the two-legs and life have forced us to be. Pack-peace, trusting, and bonding would be good, but that does not last. The strong survive and the weak do not."
"Yes, and we are stronger because we can live in peace with others," Shadowwing protested.
Red-Paw started to respond, but she paused for a while before she continued, "How? How does having the two-legs in your range make you stronger or better fighters? I do not understand."
That was not the point. It was not that having humans in their lives made him and his family better fighters, not against external threats anyway. But since she wanted to know about material advantages, he could share several with her.
"Their paws are better at helping hurts than our paws. My life-mate had torn wings. A good two-leg healed her wings and made them not broken. No sky-kin could have helped her with that."
Was-Grounded nodded, "I saw her wings. They were ripped. She would be grounded now if not for that two-leg. Another good thing about two-legs is their life-way of making food be. They grow more food than we find by hunting only."
Red-Paw looked away from him and stared out over the waters, "Maybe that is all true. Two-legs took my mate's hide after they killed him. I... went to his body after they went away. I carried away what was left so the two-legs could not take his head or bones. My paws were covered in his life-water. That is when I became who I am and took my name. You do not care about me at all, which is fine, so just know that I will never forget what happened to him."
Shadowwing wilted, "No! Forgetting is not what you should do! Hate the two-legs who killed him, but not others! Would you attack all other light wings if one group of them hurt you?"
"Two-legs are not kin. If light wings from one pack hurt us, then yes, their entire pack shared blame and guilt. The two-legs have come here into the hidden world of kin, they will take our prey, and they will force us from our ranges. I am sure of it."
"How? That has no lift. We will not let them."
She huffed, "They will find a way."
Was-Grounded stepped in front of Shadowwing before he could answer, "Do you care about the ranges beyond here? If two-legs never came in here and never threatened your kin, would you do anything about the two-legs?"
"If I never saw them, no. Let them take the other ranges; I do not care about others," she calmly answered.
"What about other kin?"
"Other kin could live in this range if they can fight for their territory. Light wings or more dark wings would be best since we can make pack-agreements with them."
Was-Grounded faced Shadowwing with a grumble, "That makes this flight have no lift. Our kin and other sky-kin would not want to fly here."
Shadowwing nodded, "True. Unless... Red-Paw, do you know of any packs or ranges not here where two-legs or other kin could live in peace?"
She pointed in a direction with her tail, "None near here. You might ask some of the packs deeper in this range."
"May we fly without fear of attack?"
Strangely, she purred before answering, "Yes, you are dark wings. All who see you will ask about you. You should not be attacked by anyone."
"Good. We will go and leave you."
She stepped back from them while stretching her wings, "I know you must hate me, but I will warn you about the dark waters. There are hunters in the deep waters."
Shadowwing was torn on what to do. Her anger and bitterness toward all humans was tragic and terrible. Her mate's murder did not justify her attitude, but he could at least understand why she was so angry. He knew someone who was very like her once.
Dad was probably the same. So much of his anger toward all dragons was because of mom.
"I hate what you think, not you. I wish you and your kin warm flights."
She blinked and stared at him without saying anything for a long time, "And... to you."
She, Sharp-Tooth, and Tail-Whip then calmly flew away toward a larger island or ledge in the distance.
Shadowwing, Was-Grounded, and Flies-With-Sun perched on the edge of the cliff while watching them fly away.
"Do either of you want to drop waste on her territory?" Flies-With-Sun chuckled.
"As much as I would like to, we might need to come back here again. Ground-kin have a saying, 'Do not burn walking-paths over water'," Shadowwing explained.
Was-Grounded snorted, "I would anyway, but I already relieved myself earlier."
Shadowwing rolled his eyes, "What a shame."
Flies-With-Sun grumbled, "What did you two mean that coming here has no lift?"
Shadowwing waved a paw toward the now-distant Light Furies, "If what they said is true, then there is no one pack in this range. The families themselves are like small packs. That means there is no Alpha to talk to and make peace with. For any of us or the ground-kin to live in this range would mean we must make peace with all or most of the family-packs, which probably will not happen soon. We do not know what agreements are made between the packs. We would need to learn who trusts who, what the limits of each group's territory are, and far more."
She purred and nodded, "I understand. Still, this range is much better than I thought it would be. Yes, there is much fighting, but that is normal."
"I agree. The strong survive. Good thing we are the strongest!" Was-Grounded growled.
Shadowwing nodded, acknowledging the reality while still not liking it. There was limited territory to take, so naturally the strong would get more than the weak. The beauty of seeing glowing mushrooms and flowers, thick forests, waterfalls, distant soaring dragons, and the myriad of crystals hid the harsh reality of life in this world.
He shook his head of those thoughts, "We should fly."
"Back to the New-Haven-range, or should we fly here more?" Was-Grounded asked.
"We have time before we must go back, so we might as well see more of this range. Maybe there are some warmer Light Furies here."
Was-Grounded purred, "True. Best would be to find ones with no mate. They might want to hear that we have grown young who are not paired yet."
Flies-With-Sun chuckled, "I can say that you Night Furies are mysterious and strong, very good mates for us, not that I can compare you to any male Light Furies."
"You were not impressed by them," Was-Grounded huffed.
She said nothing for a while though she did snarl while staring fixedly into the distance.
"No, I was not. 'Hey, brightscales, you know you want us.' 'Stop playing hard to mount!"
"What!" "What!"
They growled and stepped closer to her as a gesture. It was totally unnecessary, but they felt like they needed to do so as fathers.
"Were they that rotted? Did they try to... force you?" Was-Grounded hissed.
She snorted, "Most of them talk loudly but have no liver-fire. One... one did try to force me. I clawed at him between his legs. He might never be a sire. Or be with a female. Or walk well."
"Good! And you said you never needed to fight!" Was-Grounded growled.
Oddly, she grumbled and stared at her paws for a while, "Can you both... not tell Dawn-Singer about that male that did not hurt me? I never told him since there is nothing to tell."
"We will say nothing. You can tell him if you want to," Was-Grounded agreed.
She sighed and continued, "Thank you, second-sire-father. Maybe I only met the rotted males, since they were outside of any packs. I guess my sire-father taught me and Luna to think very carefully about who we would take and what to look for in him."
Shadowwing purred, "Since you and Luna got Dawn-Singer and me, I say your sire-father taught you both well. Shall we fly?"
They followed Red-Paw's directions past several small columns large enough to be islands. The water down below started being covered in a thick mist as they flew into a darker part of the chamber. They saw no Light Furies out over the open waters.
Their flight ascended slightly while the chamber narrowed and sloped higher, eventually leaving behind the waters entirely. The path split in two, one going up even further and another dipping into another chamber into which they glided.
The ground down below was a thick forest filled with flowers, fruiting trees, mushrooms of all sizes and colors, tiny flying and darting animals, and a small stream.
They were circling over the forest when Was-Grounded spotted a Light Fury perched on a distant ledge, carefully watching their flight from far away near the deepest part of this side-chamber.
"Up there!" he roared.
They swiftly ascended to that height and flew out over a flat plain of tall grass and moss. The Light Fury that had been watching them was swiftly flying toward the very rear of the chamber. A small waterfall fell from somewhere above and formed the stream flowing down into the main part of the chamber.
The Light Fury landed and dashed into a cave they only then noticed.
They landed on the flat outside the cave, and were settling down when three roars sounded from inside the cave.
"What the-" Shadowwing paused.
Three Light Furies: a big adult male, a smaller adult female, and a moderate size adult male, leaped out of the cave. All three Light Furies threw their wings out in display while baring their teeth. But they also looked very afraid, shuffling anxiously and breathing heavily.
"No threat! No fighting!" Shadowwing shouted.
"Leave us!" the large male roared.
"We only want to talk!" Shadowwing implored him.
Everyone froze when another, much softer roar sounded. A Light Fury hatchling, so young it was certainly still flightless, hopped out from behind the female, and growled at them, baring its small teeth. The female instantly forgot her displaying, lunged, and curled up around the hatchling while whining. The two males hopped closer to her and stood in front of her while glaring at them.
They were clearly terrified.
Flies-With-Sun whispered, "Let me talk. You both stay here."
Shadowwing and Was-Grounded nodded in agreement and sat down. She slowly walked toward the other Light Furies and sat down a couple pounces from them.
"I am Flies-With-Sun. What are your names?"
The two males, wings still spread wide, frantically glanced from her to Shadowwing and Was-Grounded.
"Be careful, son. This could be a trap," the larger male said.
"I know! I am watching!" his son answered.
"This is no trap. These dark wings are not here to fight you or threaten you. We only want to talk. What are your names?" Flies-With-Sun asked again.
"I am Crashes-Mushrooms. My son is Light-Hunter."
"And your mate?" she asked, purring at the terrified female hiding the hatchling.
"Her name is Singing-Glimmer."
"And your little one, your female hatchling?" she purred.
"Moss-Muncher. Why are you and the... dark wings here?"
"Not to fight you. We are not from these ranges. The dark wings are Shadowwing and Was-Grounded."
Crashes-Mushrooms, still very alert, took one step toward her, "Why are they here if not to take our territory?"
"As Shadowwing said, we want to talk and learn about these ranges and others. May they come closer?"
Crashes-Mushrooms bent down to Singing-Glimmer and whispered to her. She had not yet moved since curling up protectively around her hatchling.
Shadowwing winced at how terrified this family seemed of him and his brother. Yes, Night Furies, a kind of dragon they probably had never seen before, suddenly appearing could probably be surprising. But he hadn't done anything aggressive toward them. Not unless simply being in their territory counted as aggression.
Singing-Glimmer cautiously got to her paws while holding Moss-Muncher by her scruff. Singing-Glimmer spun around and dashed back into the cave.
"Follow us, you and the dark wings," Crashes-Mushrooms hissed.
Crashes-Mushrooms, Light-Hunter, and Singing-Glimmer sat down in the mouth of the cave, blocking the entrance and hiding Moss-Muncher safely behind themselves. Shadowwing, Was-Grounded, and Flies-With-Sun sat opposite them a pounce away.
Shadowwing was still unsure what to say when Was-Grounded nudged his shoulder.
"Brother, we should give them a fish-gift. We are on their territory."
"Yes, true."
He, Was-Grounded, and Flies-With-Sun each brought up one of the recently eaten fish which Red-Paw had given them. They tossed the three fish across the gap to the three adults. Light-Hunter and Singing-Glimmer looked to Crashes-Mushrooms, and he grunted once. They each ate a fish.
"You have our thanks for the fish-gift. Why did you fly here from your range?" Crashes-Mushrooms asked.
Shadowwing purred to get their attention, "I am Shadowwing. We flew from our range because we must learn about new ranges some of us might live in if there is future need."
They looked very alarmed by that, given how their ears went back, so he tried to reassure them.
"We are not going to push others out to take territory. We do not do that."
"Yes, you do. Did. Whatever..." Crashes-Mushrooms groaned.
"No, we did not push any kin out. There were no kin in the range we took."
"No kin? Yes, there were! My kin lived there!"
Shadowwing glanced at Was-Grounded and Flies-With-Sun, certain that they had missed something so far, "No. There were no living kin there. There were only bones of dark wings."
Crashes-Mushrooms looked like he was going back and forth between anger and confusion.
"How could that be? Your kind did not even live there!"
Light-Hunter interrupted, "Sire-father, maybe they are not talking about the same range."
"True, maybe not. Dark wings, where are you from?" Crashes-Mushrooms asked after briefly pausing.
Shadowwing grumbled, trying to think of the best way to give directions or describe the place.
"Do you know the great water-range, the flock-making chamber with the biggest and brightest light-rock, or the cave that goes to the above?"
"Yes, we know of the above. We lived up there."
"So, you know about the two-legs?" Shadowwing cautiously began.
Crashes-Mushrooms grumbled, "How could we not? We heard a twisted story that-"
Crashes-Mushrooms paused, sighed, and looked away from them, "So that is it. You are those dark wings: the ones who keep two-legs in your range."
"We do not keep them like prey or thralls, but yes, we share our range with good two-legs."
"Good two-legs, that is twisted speaking and lies," Singing-Glimmer huffed, speaking for the first time.
Shadowwing groaned inwardly, already having lost confidence in this meeting, "What happened? What did bad two-legs do? Did they kill any of your kin?"
"No, they drove us from our territory above. We flew back to these ranges before we had Light-Hunter," Singing-Glimmer answered.
"And now they are in these ranges! Is no range safe from them?" Crashes-Mushrooms asked.
Shadowwing took a deep breath and counted to five before answering, "First, they are in one range where they live in peace with kin. Second, the two-legs are as ground-kin to us. Third, the ground-kin two-legs cannot fly or move through these ranges unless we sky-kin carry them. No range needs to be safe from two-legs; they are not dangerous."
Flies-With-Sun purred, "Yes, I name one of the two-legs as kin to me. I let her fly with me, and she bonds with my daughter."
Crashes-Mushrooms glanced at Light-Hunter. His adult son looked more curious about what he was hearing.
"That may be truth, but why do we need to know about your peace with the two-legs?" Crashes-Mushrooms asked.
"Because you should know they are not enemies. You need not fear them. You could learn about them and meet them in peace if you want," Shadowwing offered.
Crashes-Mushrooms and Singing-Glimmer hissed softly.
"No, we do not want that. We want to be left alone," Singing-Glimmer said.
"Will you tell the two-legs to stay away from us? They leave us alone, and we leave them alone," Crashes-Mushrooms proposed.
Shadowwing nodded, displeased that they were dismissive, but also relieved that they were not hostile. Unlike with Red-Paw, this family did not appear to hate humans. Rather, they claimed to just want to be left alone. He entirely understood that and respected that wish.
"Yes, I am the Alpha for the two-legs in our range, and I can talk to them. Do you know of any other ranges where some of them could live in peace?"
"No. We have lived here since we had Light-Hunter. There is no reason to fly far beyond," Singing-Glimmer explained.
"You have our thanks. We will leave you in peace," Shadowwing said.
He, Was-Grounded, and Flies-With-Sun stepped away from the cave to stretch their wings by the cliff before taking flight.
"Wait!" Crashes-Mushrooms shouted, running alone after them.
"What is it?" Was-Grounded asked.
"I wronged you by being cold."
Shadowwing softly purred, "No, you saw possibly dangerous male dark wings in your territory. You defended yourself and your kin without wrongly striking us. You did no bad."
"Still, I thought I knew what you must be. The other dark wings are not safe and do not bond with us light wings at all."
Shadowwing and Was-Grounded froze, staring at him in dual shock at this unexpected wondrous news. Even Flies-With-Sun gasped, understanding what this meant.
"Other dark wings? You know where they are?" Was-Grounded hastily asked.
"They have an entire range that is theirs. Their range is actually close to this one, but we never bother them," Crashes-Mushrooms casually explained.
Shadowwing and Was-Grounded breathlessly looked to each other in shock.
The Alpha of the distant Light Fury pack had mentioned that there were more Night Furies once, but he had implied they were gone somewhere else, perhaps vanished so thoroughly that none could ever find them again. But that was not true. The Night Furies were somewhere nearby.
"Where are they?" Was-Grounded eagerly asked.
"The furthest range goes down into a new, deeper chamber of darker lights. That chamber touches others through caves that go many other places, some even deeper and darker. The dark wings live there where the many caves touch," Crashes-Mushrooms answered.
"What are they like? How do they live?"
Crashes-Mushrooms grumbled, "They are not like you two dark wings."
"How not?" Flies-With-Sun asked.
"They are liver-chilled and angry... quick to bite."
Shadowwing and Was-Grounded shared a glance.
"That sounds great. Do you know why they are like they are?" Shadowwing asked.
"I know only that they do not trust us light wings. They leave us alone, and we leave them alone."
Flies-With-Sun leaned closer, looking worried, "Would they bite me?"
"Not if you three are together. Do you want to fly to them?"
Motion got their attention as one of the other Light Furies, the other adult male, approached on paw.
"Light-Hunter, what are you doing?" Crashes-Mushrooms asked.
"Sire-father, I have never seen warm dark wings before. I want to learn more about them. How many are you in that far range?"
Shadowwing purred, pleased at this friendly curiosity, "Including the three of us here, three light wings, five dark-lights, and nine dark wings."
"And you light wings and dark wings share the same range?" Light-Hunter warbled.
"More than that, my life-mate is a light wing, and Flies-With-Sun's life-mate is a dark wing."
Crashes-Mushrooms grunted, "So the dark-lights are the mixed-kin, I understand."
"That range must be very different from this one. We do not see many other kin here," Light-Hunter grumbled.
Crashes-Mushrooms snorted and gently slapped his son with a wing, "You would be curious about that place."
"You know me, sire-father. I always want to see more."
"True, you do."
Looking at Light-Hunter, Shadowwing recognized something of his mannerisms: faintly frustrated while staying respectful. Light-Hunter was an adult and certainly wanted to explore, do more with life, and be freer, but he was likely expected to stay here with his family. There were no other Light Furies in this part of the chamber, from what he had seen so far. That was likely because everyone respected everyone else's territory.
"Light-Hunter, do you want to fly to our range and see it?"
Was-Grounded grunted, "We would like to have more warm light wings fly to us."
"Very true," Flies-With-Sun sadly hummed.
Light-Hunter, visibly interested, faced his father, "Sire-father, what do you think?"
"Son, there are two-legs in that range. I suggest you not go there, but you are grown and can fly on your own if you want to do this," Crashes-Mushrooms answered.
Light-Hunter thought about it for a while, "Maybe I will. Do you need a flight-leader to the range of the dark wings?"
Shadowwing purred, "That would help, yes."
"Then I will lead you," Light-Hunter declared.
Crashes-Mushrooms sighed and reluctantly grunted, "Remember all I taught you... if there is fighting."
"I will not go into the range with the dark wings. I only want to lead these kin to them."
Shadowwing nodded, "We will not fly him into danger. You have my promise as a sire-father."
"And mine," Was-Grounded added.
"And mine as a dam-mother," Flies-With-Sun purred.
Crashes-Mushrooms faced Light-Hunter again and nuzzled his nose, "Fine. Fly well, my son. Come back here after you lead them."
"Yes, sire-father. I will."
Light-Hunter led them out from his family's territory, over the water like an ocean, and down several more passages.
Was-Grounded felt his life-organ flying very, very fast at the thought of the coming meeting. He had thought for many season-cycles, ever since he escaped the two-legs hunting him as a fledgling, that Night Furies were very rare.
His brother's existence was very good and twisted, but Shadowwing was different because of how he came to be: having no Night Fury sire or dam. Excluding his own children, Green-Wings was the only other Night Fury he had found in his entire life-flight. The thought-rotted Night Fury he and she had killed did not count.
His own lost kin also did not truly feel like they counted either since that happened in a different life.
But there were far more of his own kind still alive, and he had no idea how many there were.
What were they like? They supposedly did not like Light Furies, though he was uncertain why. The only possible explanation was what the Alpha Light Fury had mentioned: the Night Furies blamed the Light Furies for not helping protect them... or something like that.
We will find out soon.
They perched above a steep drop down into a new chamber which was darker than the ones before. This chamber had a lot of dark green and purple mushrooms among the thick forest. The glowing crystals were also darker and fainter than most. A thick mist hung over part of the depths.
Light-Hunter grumbled warily, shuffling in place, "That is the range. I must leave you here."
"We understand. Thank you for leading us," Shadowwing said.
Light-Hunter spun around and flew off.
Shadowwing stepped alongside Was-Grounded and Flies-With-Sun, and joined them in gazing down at the new chamber. Nothing was moving within it. Nothing they could see, anyway.
"Where are they?" he mused.
"No idea. Only one way to find out," Was-Grounded huffed.
"True. Stay close."
Flies-With-Sun snorted, "Do not fear. I will keep you safe."
They chuckled and leaned off the ledge, descending into the chamber where they hoped to find Night Furies.
No sooner had they flown out over the forest than several roars went up from surrounding ledges.
He and Was-Grounded stiffened in shock and excitement. The roars they heard were those of Night Furies.