"But Zephyr, please-"
"You heard my answer, Pheda, and it's no," Zephyr snapped. "I know you want to go and search for Star and Ever, but I can't let you. That man already killed my son, not to mention countless New-Berkians like as not, and now. . . my granddaughter, too. It's only a matter of time until he attacks, and if a Night Fury and a Night Light couldn't defeat him in his dragon form, then he'll lay waste to New Berk, you know he will, and probably even the dragons of the Hidden World will be unable to stop him. Chances are, our victory thirteen years ago was only part of his plan, not a real victory at all."
Zephyr's voice cracked, and she turned away, stalking out of the room before her emotional dam flew apart completely, her black dress swishing about her ankles as she moved. Ever since Pheda had told her the news of the deaths they'd suffered at the hands of the General, she'd been mourning, especially now that she knew who Everlynh really was.
Pheda collapsed onto a chair. She knew in her head that Starflinger and Everlynh were dead, but somehow, she couldn't truly make herself believe it. It didn't seem possible. I suppose, she thought grimly, anything's possible in this cruel world. Even the deaths of children, and members of a nearly-extinct species, and at the hands of a creature thought to be myth, no less.
She wasn't how long she stayed there, alone.
At last, Zephyr returned to the room, far more composed than she'd been when she left. "Pheda," she said, "we can't rely on the dragons. Not this time. With their help, we might be able to take down the General himself, but that alone is a generous assumption. We need other allies, who can help us with his army."
Pheda looked up. "Like who? We haven't had any contact with any other tribes for I-don't-know-how-long."
"Back when our people lived on Old Berk," Zephyr said, "we had numerous allies among the surrounding tribes, such as the Berserkers, Outcasts, Wingmaidens, and Defenders of the Wing. I don't know how many are left, since it's been decades since the dragons' retreat, but some may still remain. Pheda, I am tasking you to fly back with Flaming Honesty, and investigate. If any of these tribes remain, I need you to find out if they still remember our old alliance. If they do, I need you to activate it, and lead them here."
Pheda nodded after a moment. At least it's something to do while I'm dealing with this. "Okay. I'll contact Honest, and we'll leave at our earliest opportunity, when all preparations have been made."
She closed her eyes. Honest. I have orders from Zephyr. We need to fly to the Archipelago, and find Old Berk's allies.
'Okay. I'll fly back as soon as I can. Moonshadow, Spirit, and Onyx are in no condition for me to leave them just yet. They're. . . devastated, and understandably so.'
0.o.0.o.0.o.0.o.0.o.0.o.0.o.0.o.0.o.0
The girl with blonde hair, hair so bright that it was very nearly bright as the snow around her, walked along the beach, dressed in a coat made of white fur, and wearing a helmet that was designed to resemble a Bewilderbeast. Her breath came out in foggy puffs, and the snow fell so heavily that no sooner had she left a footprint that it was gone again, filled instead with undisturbed, smooth snow.
The white island was surrounded by ice, and the girl walked along the coast, almost never stepping upon the frozen sea. The air temperature was frigid, but she did not shiver. Her eyes, a sharp dark blue, were easily seen in the white landscape.
Something bumped against the ice, trying to float, but trapped beneath it. The girl stopped at the soft sound, and stood still as stone for a moment, before looking. A face stared up through the ice. A body. Hair floated around the face, having come loose from its braid.
The girl on the beach stepped onto the ice, and ran to the body. A firm stomp, and the ice was cracked. Another, and a hole was made. The girl widened it easily, and reached into the freezing water, grabbing the trapped girl. She dragged the limp body from the ice onto the beach, then laid it on the snow, and removed her helmet, bending to check for the girl's heartbeat. It was there, but so, so faint.
I can save her. The girl fitted her helmet back on, and managed to lift the other girl. She carried her, sprinting, away from the coast, to the ice tunnel. The newly-rescued girl took a shuddering breath, coughing, but her eyes did not open, and she remained unconscious. Everlynh, cried a woman in her mind's eye. Everlynh, wake up!
0.o.0.o.0.o.0.o.0.o.0.o.0.o.0.o.0
Starflinger the Night Fury crawled from the water and cracked ice onto the shore. The blizzard blew around her, the winds strong, and the snow driving so hard that she could barely see. Soon, even that was taken from her. Her other senses already ached from the battle with the General-dragon, and now they were nearly numb from the cold, leaving her without any bearings whatsoever.
Starflinger crawled a little further, then forced herself to unfold her aching wings, and took to the air. She didn't fly long in the bad visibility, the winds that tossed her back and forth like a football, and she didn't know how far she made it until she felt her strength, already mostly gone, begin to wane. She glided unsteadily to the ground, landing on her feet, then collapsing at the pain in her legs. So this is how it's going to end. I'm going to die here.
Starflinger didn't bother trying to move to a more comfortable position. She tried to lift her head, then dropped it again wearily. The light in her eyes began to fade, and she shut her eyelids.
If she'd kept her eyes open longer, though, she would have seen the figure, blacker than night even in the driving snow, moving steadily toward her still, barely-breathing body, graceful wings folded against its back, and its long tail swishing back and forth soundlessly.