Dragons rarely fell ill. Thus, Cloey's strangely persistent mystery illness was a chance for Maour to learn a few new things, like it or not.

For instance, as it turned out, moss was not washable. A second bout of nausea, in which Cloey hadn't made it outside in time, had proven that quite conclusively. Toothless and Von ended up having to burn out the majority of the moss in the central cavern for Maour to sweep out, much to the disgust of everyone involved. It smelled even worse than before by the end of that particularly disgusting job. The worst part, however, was not the immediate smell, but what came the night after.

"Why didn't we sleep outside?" Maour muttered, stumbling out of the cavern in search of water. He could almost taste the pungent stench. The worst part was that they had decided to sleep outside a few weeks ago when the first round of moss-burning had occurred. How had all five of them forgotten that the scent lingered?

The closest source of drinkable water was the forge, where he kept several canteens. He made his way there, breathing deeply in an effort to smell anything other than that lingering scent of char and bile.

By the time he had washed that taste out of his mouth, he was fully awake. Toothless, on the other hand, was not, and Maour didn't feel like waking him. Let him sleep.

In the meantime, Maour's options were limited. He didn't feel particularly hungry, and Von or Shadow would be happy to take him fishing later, so food wasn't an issue. His daily run and weapons training was something he did with Toothless, so that could wait…

Well, he was at the forge already. He moved over to one of the tables, the one that held the wingsuit.

That needed to be tested. The latest version was ready. Nothing could be done there. His other projects all needed attention, but none of them felt important at the moment.

He and Toothless were planning to design some new weapon for Heather, and he could at least start thinking about it now.

He pulled out a crate of parchment from under a low stone overhang in the back of the forge, sifting through his designs to find a blank piece of parchment and a charcoal pencil.

She had liked how his scythe was double-ended, but not the spikes or how easy it would be to injure oneself while using it. She had also said she preferred axes, like-

Like Astrid, but that wasn't a fair comparison. He hoped that wasn't a fair comparison. Togi was extending all the trust he could manage, and for Heather to break that would be a terrible setback, not even considering what such a betrayal might do to Einfari. And all of that was ignoring just how bad it could be for everyone if Heather was bad at heart.

If Heather betrayed them, trauma and setbacks in Togi's therapy would be the least of their problems, but that was one reason why she was with the Nótts. If they couldn't catch her in time, there was no way anyone else would have been able to do any better.

It was helpful, if possibly narrow-minded, to see it that way. The Nótts were all things tactics and caution, the Eldurs knowledge, and the Myrkurs action. The Svarturs…

Maour had a set of traits for his family too, but they might be biased. Empathy, cooperation, intelligence in a more general way compared to the Eldurs or Nótts, but most importantly, leadership. They were the first family to take in a human, as the most obvious example, but were a strong voice in any pack decision, right next to the Nótts, a lighter but cautious counterpart to their cynicism.

The thing was, that way of thinking also had a downside built in. Each group had an associated weakness, too. The Nótts fell far too easily into paranoia and could be ruthless, while the Eldurs were far too often oblivious to the practical aspect of any given situation. The Myrkurs went with the flow, letting others make the difficult decisions for them.

And the Svarturs…

He wasn't sure what his family's weakness was in this way of looking at it. There would be one, because nobody was perfect, but he couldn't figure it out and didn't really want to. People were too unique for it to be very useful anyway. Nótthljóður was not ruthless or paranoid, for instance, despite being of the family associated with those traits. Maybe she would grow into that role.

'I feel sick,' a familiar voice grumbled. It seemed Toothless was awake.

"Sick as in disgusted by the smell, or actually sick like Mom?" Maour asked, just to be sure.

'The smell. Where are you?'

"Did you really think I would hang around in there?" Maour felt Toothless access his sight as he spoke. "The forge. I'm thinking we can-"

'Start a big project that will eat up all of the free time we might spend in the cavern?' Toothless cut in quickly. 'Good idea. Let me go make sure Von or Shadow will be helping Mom today.'

"She's probably still asleep," Maour noted. "But yeah, someone needs to be around at all times." He might have felt more guilty about leaving without checking on Cloey if Shadow wasn't sleeping right next to her in their side-cavern, as was normal. Shadow would be right there if she needed anything.

While Toothless did that, Maour quickly threw a couple of vague ideas onto parchment, letting his varied inspirations out into four different drawings. If they were going to make something new, it was probably a good idea to have options.

'Bad news, brother. Dad asked me to stay here for the first part of tonight so that he can go flying and get food without leaving mom alone. So it looks like I'll be helping from here.'

"That's fine, I'm the one with the hands anyway." Toothless's aid was mostly on the design side of things. "What do you think of these?" He held up the rough sketches.

'I don't actually see much difference between them,' Toothless admitted after a moment of examining the drawings through Maour's eyesight. 'Are they all of the same idea?'

That was fair enough, given they were all similar concepts. "They are all different." He put a finger on the first one. "This one has two blades, like my scythe, but no spikes. Simple."

'Boring,' Toothless noted. 'But it would work. She didn't like the spikes.'

"Yeah, way too easy to make, and we can definitely make it better than that." He had only included that for completeness. "The next one was my first idea. Two ax blades, but it rotates around a centerpiece in the haft. Basically, it can be folded into one ax or unfolded into the first design."

'Interesting. You can make it turn like that?' Toothless asked.

"Of course, but that will be a weak point. If someone hits there hard enough, it might break…" Maour moved his hand to the third design. "Which gave me the idea for this one. The same as before, but if she squeezes that center point, it will come apart-"

'Giving her two axes, like she said she sometimes uses,' Toothless concluded eagerly. 'I like that. Can it be put back together?'

Maour shrugged aimlessly. "That's the part we would have to figure out. The hinge needs to be simple, light, sturdy, and capable of rotating, detaching, and reattaching on the fly. Not to mention it needs to be quick to switch it up, in case she needs to do so while fighting." Not easy, for sure.

'We can do that,' Toothless asserted confidently. 'What's the other drawing?'

"This one was a bit crazier," Maour warned, moving his hand to the fourth and final sketch. "I figured a hinge wasn't the best way to let two axes separate, and thinking about it, we could do this instead. It's basically two axes with a light chain connecting the bottoms of the hafts, along with a simple connecting mechanism. It doesn't rotate, but it's either one thick ax, or two thin ones connected by a chain. I can see some uses for that.'

'I don't know about that. It feels like the chain would get tangled… which might be useful? Is Heather strong enough to use it to pull and trap other weapons?'

"Maybe, but it's a weird weapon, to be sure." He personally liked the third design best. "Which do you like?"
'Save the ax-and-chain idea for another project,' Toothless decided. 'The third one is better.'

"So we've got to figure out the hinge," Maour concluded. "Well, we have time."

'Do we want it done before we leave? That's not a lot of time.'

Before they left… "I really don't like the idea of leaving mom right now… but we have to, so yes. It's probably better if Heather's armed."

'How long do we have?'

That was a harder question. "Well, it should take those Berserkers two months or so to make it back to Berserker island. It will take us about two weeks to get there ourselves." Flying cut travel time to a fourth of what it would be in a ship and would be even better than that if they could travel in a straight line, as opposed to zig-zagging from island to island to stop and rest.

'So six weeks… and it's been more than three already. We have three more weeks?'

"Actually, no. We want to get to Dagur before they do, so that he can't do anything with their information before we neutralize him." Somehow. That was the big flaw in any plan they could make. They didn't know what Dagur wanted with Heather.

'So we need to leave soon,' was the conclusion. 'Do we need the pack's permission to do all of this? They kind of already said we could.'

"We should talk to Togi, Skarpur, and all the other parents," Maour decided. "Just to be sure." He wanted to go over exactly what they could and couldn't do as a reminder. It had been quite a while since he and Toothless had gone any further out then Mahelmetan, and this time around they had to go into hostile territory. Protecting the pack was of the utmost importance.

'But assuming they say we can go whenever we want…'

Maour knew what his brother was thinking. "We go as soon as we finish this. A few days from now." They had better get to work.

Three days. One to work out how to make the ax, one to make it, and another to remake it after discovering a myriad of small improvements that could be added. It was a rushed process compared to how they usually worked, but it was fast, which was the point.

It was also an escape from the worry that lingered in the cavern like that terrible smell, as Cloey was not getting better. In fact, she was getting worse… but there was nothing they could do for her.

Not that Maour didn't try. "Try this." He held out a fish that was suspiciously fat. It was a long shot, but…

'What did you put in it this time?' Cloey asked tiredly. 'I think I told you that this wasn't helping.'

"It helps with upset stomachs," Maour objected.

'In humans, not dragons, as we have proven,' Cloey sighed. 'Thank you, but no. Go play outside,' she rumbled in a weak attempt at a joke.

"Is there anything I can do?" he asked almost desperately. "I hate not being able to help you."

'You care. That is enough for me.' She nudged him gently. 'Really, go. I don't want to be a burden, and you sitting around trying to think of ways to help me is not good for anyone. I will be fine.'

"I can't just stay here and sit with you?" he asked. "Shadow is out, Toothless is running with Von, and Heather's ax is done." That was why he wasn't with Toothless. His brother had gone running once the final forging had begun, and was still out.

'Why do you think Skuggi is not here?' Cloey asked. 'I told him to go do something, anything aside from worry. I'm tired and my stomach hurts. That's it. It is not as if anyone can do anything.'

Maour stubbornly sat down, leaning against her side. "Then I won't worry," which was a blatant lie, "but I still want to stay."

'Fine-' Cloey winced, shifting uncomfortably. 'You can stay. But-' She winced again, barking softly in distress. 'Talk about something, anything. Please.'

"Is it getting worse?" She hadn't displayed this much pain before. "Should I get Eldurhjarta-"

'No!' Cloey growled. 'It is hurting more, but there is nothing Eldurhjarta can do, and I don't even feel sick. It will pass.'

He would have objected, but before he could a new voice interrupted. 'Skuggi? May I enter your caves?' What was Nóttleiðtogi doing here?

'Skuggi is out,' Cloey called out. "Come in, Togi.'

'May my son come too?' Nóttleiðtogi asked hesitantly. 'This concerns him and your sons, who I would speak to.'

Cloey cast Maour a glance. 'What business would Nóttreiði have with you?' she asked skeptically. 'He avoids you.'

"I don't know," he replied honestly. "I'm fine with talking to him though, if that's why they're here." He still harbored some faint trace of hope that Nóttreiði would come around, a trace that had strengthened a bit with Heather's addition to the Nótt family. Maybe something had finally broken Nóttreiði's conviction.

'Come in then,' Cloey called out loud enough to be heard from the inner entrance, which was not far from the side-cavern she and Shadow had to themselves. 'We are in the first side-cavern to the right.'

A few moments later, Nóttleiðtogi and Nóttreiði walked into view, Nóttreiði looking quite unhappy with being there. Nóttleiðtogi blinked, taking in Cloey's awkward position, lying on her side against the wall. 'Am I interrupting something?'

'A minor sickness that is not catching,' Cloey groaned. 'Aside from that, no.'

'I wish you a speedy recovery,' Nóttleiðtogi replied vehemently. 'Is there anything my family can do?'

'I would have sent word if there was,' Cloey rumbled. 'And I am finding myself explaining that I don't want to be tended to more than asking for help,' she remarked with a pointed look at Maour. 'But you did not come to talk about my issues.'

'No. Maour, you plan to leave with Toothless and Heather to confront and hopefully deter Dagur soon?' Togi warbled curiously.

"And Einfari if she will come," Maour confirmed. "Soon. Tomorrow, probably, as we're about ready to go. I had meant to make sure the pack was okay with all of that later tonight."

'I am, and I have already made sure Einfari is prepared,' Togi agreed.

What did that mean? Well, Nóttleiðtogi was careful, even when he wasn't being paranoid. "Good. Hopefully, it will go smoothly."

'About that…' Nóttleiðtogi grimaced, growling almost at himself. 'I actually come with a request, one you will very likely not like at first.'

Maour thought fast, noting that Nóttreiði was not speaking, glaring almost half-heartedly, and avoiding eye contact with Cloey. That last part was easily explained. Cloey was protective, and Nóttreiði had tried to kill her adopted son. It seemed she had made her displeasure known at some point.

But as to why Nóttreiði was here… he put the pieces together quickly enough. "You want Nóttreiði to go too?"

'He wants to go,' Nóttleiðtogi corrected, 'and I have taken measures to ensure he will not hinder your chances of success.'

That was ominous even if it was meant to reassure him. "What do you mean by that?"

Nóttleiðtogi nodded to his son, who did nothing but glare. After a moment, he growled at his son. 'Say it or don't go. You agreed, now make it known to the one who needs to know.'

'Fine.' Nóttreiði was looking anywhere other than Maour, now. 'I swore to obey any order you and Toothless give me for the duration of this trip.'

"Why?" What possible reason could Nóttreiði have for that?

Nóttreiði shook his head angrily, not entering the side-cavern, still loitering just outside it. 'I care about my sister, and you will be flying her into danger. She needs protection."

From Dagur… or from Heather, or even from Maour himself. "And you think you can protect her better than she can protect herself?"

Nóttreiði snarled at him. 'I think I can help protect her. So I'm going.'

Okay… "Not if I say no," Maour countered, growing angry in turn at his attitude. "Even if you did swear to obey me, why would I want an angry, spiteful dragon coming along? This is going to be tense enough as it is." He wasn't particularly worried about violence from Nóttreiði at the moment, given Nóttleiðtogi was between them.

'Maour, if I may speak to you privately,' Nóttleiðtogi requested.

Maour reluctantly stepped away from Cloey, joining Nóttleiðtogi out in the passage, very carefully avoiding Nóttreiði. He wasn't stupid enough to get within striking distance no matter what Nóttreiði may have sworn.

'Son, go convince Svarturkló she shouldn't forbid Maour from letting you come along,' Nóttleiðtogi ordered. Once they were somewhat alone, he drooped slightly. 'Maour, I would request this as a favor for me, not him.'

"I figured as much," Maour revealed, "but I don't see the point. At best, he'll be about as useful as any other dragon who might want to come, but at worst he'll get himself or someone else killed."

'No, at best a carefully guided trip into the world will strip away some of his narrow-minded ways of thinking,' Nóttleiðtogi confided quietly. 'I cannot lead such a trip with my fears, and you are perfectly suited to drive home the truth. That the world is far more complex and grey than he thinks.'

"So you want Toothless and I to teach him… what? We both know people like me are the exception, not the rule." He wasn't sure what Nóttleiðtogi thought could be accomplished.

'Exactly,' Nóttleiðtogi agreed as if it was obvious. 'So show him the rule. Show him a bad human, many bad humans. This human that kills human nests for no reason and hunts Heather. Let him see how bad most are. It might be that the contrast between them and the humans here will be too much for him to deny. At worst, he will be a little wiser about the world beyond this island, if no less blind. At best, it will force him to rethink his convictions.'

"I'm not sure if-"

'And neither am I,' Nóttleiðtogi cut in, 'but some action must be taken. The longer he hates Heather specifically, the harder it will be for him to change. I am bad enough. She does not need to deal with blind, murderous hate too.'

"So you're doing this for Heather?" That was progress.

'Her, and for my son,' Nóttleiðtogi clarified. 'He is still young, still developing as a person. If I do not set him on the right path, I have failed him. Especially given that his blind hatred for humans is also my fault.'

Maour jumped on that. "No, it's not. What happened to you is truly terrible, but how he took it is not your fault."

'I can admit mistakes, Maour. You do not need to coddle me,' Nóttleiðtogi growled. 'The story is not my fault, but telling it the way I did when he was old enough to hear it was my fault. I wanted to be sure he feared humans, to keep him safely away from them. That was a flawed strategy, but one I employed nonetheless.'

"I'll talk to Toothless about taking him along," Maour agreed, both seeing Nóttleiðtogi's point and wanting to pull him away from his brooding on past mistakes. "I think he'll agree once I explain, but I can't promise how helpful it will be-"

'Don't promise. I don't hold you accountable for his flaws, or for fixing them. I would hold him accountable… but he is still a child, in some ways.'

"A moody teenager who thinks he knows everything," Maour supplied. "I know the type, or at least I knew the type back on Berk." The murderous hatred wasn't even new, just reversed, a dragon hating humans as opposed to the other way around.

'Thank you,' Nóttleiðtogi purred quietly, nudging Maour gratefully. 'You do more than anyone should for me and my family. Helping me helps them, too. Has Skarpur ever approached you about it?'

This was new. "No, never." The few interactions he had with Nóttleiðtogi's mate were pleasant but rare.

'She has told me there is an obvious difference now,' Nóttleiðtogi purred. 'In her own words, I am more relaxed, more open with how I feel. I don't feel any different, but…'

"If she sees something, it must be there," Maour finished for him. "I guess so."

'I wish you good luck on this trip,' Nóttleiðtogi remarked after a moment. 'Keep my children safe. Protect our island. And keep Heather safe too. I would not see her future cut short by a maniac, though I don't know where her future is going to lead.'

"I'll do my best," Maour promised. "So will Toothless, I'm sure." He didn't remark on how impressive it was that Nóttleiðtogi could let two of his children go on a long journey with a human in charge. Some things were better left unsaid, and they both knew how much of an accomplishment that was.

Nóttleiðtogi stuck his head back into the side-cavern. 'Son, I have convinced Maour that having you along is just barely worth the headache it might cause, mostly by promising that you will behave. Do not prove me wrong.'

Well, that was a straight-out lie. Some things never change, it seemed. Nóttleiðtogi was still a Nótt, manipulative and cunning. Not that Maour ever wanted to see that change anyway.

'Good,' Cloey remarked irritably. 'Nóttreiði, you know what I will do if you set a claw out of line.'

'I do,' Nóttreiði agreed, his voice wavering between shock and fear. 'I definitely do.'

'I'm not sure I'm comfortable with you threatening my child,' Nóttleiðtogi growled.

'I'm not sure I'm comfortable with your child wanting mine dead, but we tolerate that too,' Cloey shot back. 'I am not in a good mood to be making decisions, but all the same, I don't like this. Be glad I am letting it happen.'

Nóttleiðtogi nodded respectfully. 'I am glad. Hopefully, neither of us will have reason to be unhappy in the near future.'

'Hopefully,' Cloey grumbled.

After they had left, Maour burst out laughing. "What did you say to Nóttreiði? He didn't even look at me on the way out!" With all of the tension in the air, it hadn't seemed funny at the time, but looking back, it was hilarious.

'I told him among other things, that if he laid a claw on you I would take that claw and-' Cloey winced. 'Maybe I regret some of what I said, now that I think about it. That one was a little harsh. But he needed to know that hurting you would be the worst mistake he ever made.'

Maour understood why Toothless wasn't included in that threat. He could take care of himself, and was far past an even footing with Nóttreiði.

It might have felt bad to have someone so clearly labeling him as weak compared to his own brother… but he was. Physically, Toothless would always be superior in most ways. It was not shameful to acknowledge the truth, not here. And it did feel good to know he had a mother figure who cared enough to threaten someone in his defense. To have a mother figure at all.

Which made it so much worse that she was suffering and there was nothing he could do. He forced down yet another offer to bring her food, or water, or anything she wanted. She would ask if she needed it, and did not like him asking her.

"I think," Maour quipped, getting back to the thread of conversation, "that he thinks crossing you would be the worst decision. Not just hurting me."

'It would-' Cloey barked in shock. It was a different bark this time, one that was not just pain, also laden with surprise. 'That really hurt!'

Maour rushed to her side, at a loss as to what to do. "It's definitely getting worse?"

'So much worse,' Cloey groaned. 'And the pain is moving now, going down-'

Maour flinched at the abrupt silence. "And?"

'Maour,' Cloey said in a deceptively calm voice, 'remember when you said you can see humans before they hatch?'

"Yes, but-"

'What can you see?' She craned her neck, indicating her exposed underbelly. 'This is not right, and laying eggs does not hurt, or should not, but some of this feels familiar now.'

That was worrying. Even if it was an egg, what was different now? Maour put a hand on her stomach, feeling for-

A solid lump located somewhere slightly under her belly, near a place he didn't want to touch. Yes, there was definitely something.

"Yeah, I can feel something. I can't see it, but it's there." He was not qualified to help with any kind of egg-laying! "I'm getting Eldurhjarta."

'No,' Cloey commanded seriously, 'get Skuggi, Toothless, and Von. Laying eggs is not something outsiders get to be present for.'

He had to argue that. "But something is obviously wrong! We might need her knowledge-"

'Maour, she has no knowledge on this,' Cloey gritted out. 'Else she would have said. She never leaves anything out, and this would be pretty obvious if she had anything similar to compare it to.'

"She still understands basic stuff like how to help if you start bleeding or something breaks or-"

'Fine!' Cloey cut in. 'But she needs to stay out of this side-cavern unless something actually goes wrong!'

"All I wanted," Maour agreed hastily. "So get Toothless, Von, Shadow, and Eldurhjarta. On it!"

Alerting Toothless, and by extension Von, was easy, done in seconds. Von set out to find Shadow, leaving Eldurhjarta to Maour. Luckily, she was just outside the Eldur section of the caverns.

He had not, however, counted on how she reacted to the news.

'Oh, good. Congratulate her for me, will you?' Eldurhjarta remarked, before going back to aimlessly sorting five different pebbles, staring intently at them.

It took Maour a second to process that. "She's in pain, and we want you to be nearby in case there's trouble." This indifferent attitude was totally at odds with every other time he had ever interacted with her. What was going on?

'I suppose,' Eldurhjarta agreed slowly. 'But you do know she'll do her best to hurt me if I go in there, right?'

"What?" Maour was fine with her explaining as long as she did it on the move. "Why would she do that?"
'Egg laying is a time of paranoia and caution,' Eldurhjarta explained as they walked, far too slowly in Maour's eyes, back to the side-cavern. 'She'll lash out at anyone not in her immediate family. Are you sure you should-'

Maour managed a half-decent growl, though it hurt his throat, eliciting a bark of surprise from Eldurhjarta. "What were you going to imply?" He didn't intend to sound dangerously calm, but it didn't bother him.

'... I was going to imply you shouldn't go in there unless she says it's okay,' Eldurhjarta asserted. 'And you're far too small to intimidate me with a growl, though it was quite impressive for a human.'

"I wasn't…" No, he was. No point in denying it. "I don't like that you questioned how she sees me." Maybe he was a bit more sensitive than most would be on that particular topic.

'I didn't question that,' Eldurhjarta countered. 'I've heard a few stories about adopted Furies not being accepted at an egg-laying or hatching, though those are very old stories and a lot of the details make no sense.'

"Well, she didn't want me to leave," Maour said, feeling suddenly uncertain as to whether Cloey had intended him to return after getting the others. "We'll see."

'Sorry for bringing it up, but nobody would be happy if she hurt you because you didn't understand how all of this works,' Eldurhjarta replied. 'A lot of the egg-laying and hatchling-rearing process is instinctual, stuff we don't fight unless it's really, really important to do so. It's stressful, I'm told, and better for everyone involved to not make anyone go through fighting themselves.'

This was news to Maour, given humans did not have such insistent instincts. Come to think of it, did they have instincts at all? He really didn't know how one would tell.

Eldurhjarta stopped just inside the central cavern, nodding to the Svartur section of the caves. 'This is close enough, not even in her territory. I can be there in seconds if it's actually necessary, but I won't make her nervous. Come get me if she needs help.'

Maour nodded, impatiently speeding up now that he wasn't stuck walking behind her, running back to the side-cavern-

And hesitating just out of sight, hating the sliver of worry in the back of his mind. "Cloey, Eldurhjarta is in the central cavern, standing by."

'Good,' Shadow replied from out of sight. 'We're all here. It should not be long… hopefully.'

'Get in here, Maour,' Toothless continued. 'What are you waiting for?'

"Eldurhjarta told me a little of why she wouldn't come any closer unless absolutely necess-"

'I'm going to have to talk to her at some point too, it seems,' Cloey snarled loudly. 'Get in here!'

The aggravated promise to deal with Eldurhjarta aside, that was good news. Maour slipped around the corner, almost tripped over Von's tail, and slid to an awkward stop against Toothless side. The three spectators were arrayed as far from Cloey as possible, back against the other walls. Cloey was still lying on her side, looking utterly miserable and quite angry at the moment.

It only then occurred to Maour to wonder if he wanted to be present when Cloey laid an egg, or why she wanted anyone else around, aside from the obvious worry caused by the pain she apparently shouldn't be feeling.

"So do we need to… do… anything?" he asked, almost dreading the answer.

'Technically, we're supposed to guard her with our lives,' Shadow explained quietly. 'That is why she is comfortable with us in here, but no one else. Anyone she feels even the slightest hint of distrust towards-'

'I expect you to keep out of here, if you have to knock them out to do it,' Cloey finished irritably. 'Else I'll do it, and I might really hurt whoever is stupid enough to try to come in here.'

'It should not be necessary this time,' Shadow finished. 'Other than that, no.'

'It will not be long,' Cloey moaned. 'Why does it hurt?'

Why wasn't Shadow comforting her? Maour could guess. She was aggressive enough as it was, and it was possible he was being careful in not getting close. It was strange to see her so clearly on edge and dangerous when there was no reason to suspect bad intentions from anyone on the island.

Time passed. It was hard to tell how much, sitting in a dark cave while someone he cared about alternated between groaning and snarling, suffering for no reason that anyone knew. For humans, it was supposed to hurt, but this wasn't normal for dragons, and that meant that something was wrong.

Something was wrong. That was what made this so unbearably tense. Nobody spoke, and even idle movement was kept to a minimum. Everyone was worried.

And then something changed. Cloey awkwardly rolled down onto her stomach, backed into a corner, and glared aimlessly into the distance. Her teeth bared in a soundless snarl…

Then she moved aside, revealing a black, leathery egg, somewhat larger than Maour's head, shockingly small, all in all.

'Does it have a heartbeat?' Shadow called out, seeming to remind Cloey of some procedure she should be following.

Cloey leaned over it, her ears lifting to listen carefully.

'Yes,' she sighed. 'It is strong and steady. But I feel no different. A little less pain, but-'

She hunched over again, her face the embodiment of confusion. 'But…'

Oh, so she had more than one. Cool. Maour smiled as she moved aside to reveal a second egg, and confirmed that it was normal and healthy. Maybe that was why it was so uncomfortable. Two eggs, even relatively small ones, would be more of a burden to carry than one, which was all she had known before now.

'Two.' Von's voice was quiet and stunned. 'Two eggs.'

Okay, now he had to ask. "Is that rare?"

'Unheard of, actually,' Shadow remarked.

'You want unheard of?' Cloey gritted, hunching over again. 'Try three.'

But when she moved aside, she did not reveal a third egg…

Well, no, it was an egg. An even smaller, undeveloped one that was oddly flat, like it had been squished. It was leaking from one end, lopsided and broken.

Cloey's entire demeanor, which had been a mixture of pain and surprise, faded to dull sorrow. She nosed at the third egg sadly, listening for a long moment. 'Nothing.' That was no surprise, given how it looked, but it still felt wrong, if only because it was clearly supposed to be another egg, just like the others.

'Is that all, do you think?' Shadow asked cautiously.

'I hope so. I feel better, though my stomach still hurts,' Cloey remarked quietly, her voice laden with distress that no longer came from physical discomfort. 'Should..?'

'No, I will,' Shadow declared, carefully sidling over, nuzzling his mate behind the ears, and picking up the deformed egg. 'There are still two that need your attention. Let me send this one off.'

Cloey rumbled in assent, nosing the second egg over to the first and curling up around them, setting her tail on top of them.

'Toothless, Von, Maour,' Shadow called. 'Will one of you come with me? We are not going far, but I would rather not do this alone.'

'I'll go,' Toothless volunteered, following Shadow out.

'So…' Von looked over at Maour, and then at Cloey, who was staring at the eggs. 'That happened.'

"Three eggs," Maour mused. "That never happens?" He had an admittedly morbid theory as to why multiple eggs was unheard of.

'Never,' Von confirmed. 'Two is just as unlikely. I didn't think it was possible.'

'I think,' Cloey cut in, 'there is a reason for that. One of them was… crushed. If it had broken inside me…'

Those eggs had looked solid, but if they were like chicken eggs, which Maour knew, then they would be sharp when broken, entirely capable of doing a lot of damage if they were inside someone at the time. It seemed Cloey had come to the same conclusion he had. "Maybe there are no stories of multiple eggs because having them is dangerous."

'But there would still be-' Von cut herself off as she understood. 'Oh.'

No stories if the mothers always died from injuries caused by broken eggs. How lucky had Cloey been these last few months? Had she been one false move away from certain death of internal injuries?

They had tended to her, bringing her food and water. She hadn't needed to go anywhere aside from relieving herself in weeks, even lying on her side instead of her stomach because it was uncomfortable to do otherwise… but these were ideal conditions, with plenty of people willing to help. How dangerous would going about her life as normal have been?

He really didn't like those odds.

'Maour, we're on our way back,' Toothless remarked in his head. 'It was pretty fast.'

"What happened?" he whispered, morbidly curious. Toothless was accessing his hearing, so he would definitely hear even that.

'Dad said a few things about life not being fair, flew out over the ocean, and dropped it into the water,' Toothless recounted sadly.

'Von, Maour,' Cloey called out, looking up. 'Come over here.' Once they had done so, she sighed softly. 'Neither of you know anything of all of this. When Kappi and Skuggi are back, I will explain what is expected of you. For now, just know I'm not going to bite you if you get too close,' she joked weakly. 'But I will bite anyone outside of our family, so don't bring anyone into our territory.'

That wasn't going to be a problem. As it was, other dragons were already hesitant to go into the caves of another family.

But how far did her tolerance go? "Can… can I touch them?" Maour asked carefully. "It's okay if I can't, I just want to know what you're okay with."

'Yes, you can,' Cloey purred, shifting her tail. 'Go ahead.'

Maour did so, leaning over the bulk of her tail to put a hand on each of the two eggs. They were warm, leathery and somewhat slimy, and almost pulsing.

"Wow…" He remained like that for a few moments. Then the part of him that had to ask questions reasserted itself. "They're normal? I would have guessed they would be bigger."

'No, this is normal,' Cloey reassured him, a hint of sadness in her voice reminding them of the one that had not turned out so well. 'And the hatchlings are just as small for a long while. Our kind grow slowly and start small.'

'And stay small for a while,' Shadow added, returning to the side-cavern. 'Weak, helpless, cold.'

Cold. "Why cold?" It was a bit weird that Shadow had specified that.

'See that?' Shadow nodded to Cloey, who was still curled around the eggs protectively. 'They need heat at all times. Otherwise they die. The same applies to hatchlings for a long time. One can be tended by two parents, and no less, because there's no way for just one dragon to keep an egg or hatchling alive on their own. We can't leave them, and an actual fire is no help, either dying out or burning the one it should be keeping alive. Body heat is all that works.'

'Actually, no, it's not,' Cloey corrected, her voice reluctant. 'A ledge on the inside of a volcano works too. Ambient heat that does not vary.'

A volcano… the Queen, Toothless's egg. Being forced to leave it unattended, though every instinct would scream that doing so was terribly wrong.

'But that is not an option most of the time, and no sane dragon would risk it with their own egg,' Shadow replied seriously. 'The Queen was not risking her own egg, I suppose.'

'She didn't even care,' Cloey confirmed. 'The egg was a pleasant surprise… right up until the moment she learned that our eggs are not so easy to leave unattended. Other dragons do not have to worry about the cold.'

Another anomaly. Maour was beginning to notice that Night Furies were strange, even for dragons. They were sleek, had soft scales, and apparently were entirely vulnerable for a large part of their lives. That was not even close to the stories of hatchling dragons, such as Changewings, which were deadly even as hatchlings. While he didn't entirely believe most of what Vikings said of their mortal enemies, he had yet to find anything he was taught to be wrong. Misguided on how to deal with them, yes, but not wrong in the details.

'So… what happens now?' Toothless warbled curiously. 'What do we need to do to help?'

'Anything you can,' Cloey purred tiredly. 'For now, that is nothing more than occasionally bringing food, and maybe watching them for short times while I go make sure I can still fly,' she joked. 'Once they hatch…'

'Then things would become nearly impossible,' Shadow supplied brightly. 'If it were just the two of us. We cannot accept help from anyone outside of the family, and even tending one hatchling takes all of our attention.' Despite describing a bad situation, he sounded relieved, not worried.

'But we're here,' Von concluded. 'So we can pick up the extra work.'

'Yes. That will not be for three or so months, so savor your free time now, Von…' Shadow turned to Maour and Toothless, his jovial tone fading. 'And get going, both of you. You need to be back in less than three months.'

The trip. Dagur, and getting information from Gobber. A several-month-long journey. Maour wanted to object… but it was still important.

Toothless, it seemed, had slightly different priorities. 'That can wait. Heather is safe here, and Astrid probably won't come this way. This is more important.'

'No,' Cloey grumbled, 'you need to go. Probably is not definitely, and if she does come here by chance, we need to flee… and we can't with eggs or hatchlings. There is absolutely no way to keep them warm enough in the air.'

"I might be able to come up with something," Maour supplied helpfully, "but yeah, not a good idea. We do need to go." He hated to leave with the weight of future responsibility on his head, knowing that to be late in returning would be to neglect an extremely important task.

'And if we cannot return in time?' Toothless whined. 'You need all three of us. You just said so.'

'No,' Shadow corrected calmly, 'it would be much harder with only Von to help, but it would still be possible. We will just be very, very busy if that happens. There is no comparison. You must go, as planned. At least now you are not leaving with your mother's mysterious illness worrying you.'

'I guess there is that one specific thing,' Toothless grumbled. 'Fine.'

'Stop pouting,' Von remarked, slapping him lightly with her tail. 'Think of it this way. The faster you fly, the faster you get back.'

'And to fly fast, you need sleep,' Cloey remarked, looking as if she herself needed that too. 'But… I would be much more comfortable if we temporarily changed how that works. Von, can you sleep in the passage between our section of the caves and the central cavern?'

'Sure.' Von looked confused as to why that was needed, but she clearly didn't mind all that much.

'Maour, Toothless,' Cloey continued, 'I'd be grateful if you can do the same in the passage to the outside.'

A cramped, twisted little corridor that, now that Maour thought about it, served as a very effective choke point in regards to entry. Cloey was setting guards. "I assume no one is allowed in?"

'Exactly,' Cloey purred. 'Skuggi…'

'Right here with you, and you are not convincing me otherwise,' Skuggi declared. 'If I must appease your defensive side, know that it is better to have me guarding your back, and if you turn to face that way,' he nodded to the far wall, 'I will also be facing the entrance. No one will get in.'

'Perfect,' Cloey murmured, her eyes closing.

Now Maour understood why nobody outside of the Eldurs had seen Vartha, their hatchling. They were also defending their side of the caverns against everyone, though nobody harbored the faintest ill-will towards them. Now that he thought of it, he had run into Eldurhjarta outside of their-

Eldurhjarta. He needed to go tell her all was well… "What do we tell people?" News of Vartha had been very slow in coming, and maybe defensiveness extended to secrecy?

'Whatever you wish,' Shadow replied. 'It will be very obvious, as the others know the signs of a new egg. They will understand us guarding our territory once they think about it.'

'And we will guard it as soon as we can,' Toothless promised. 'Come on, Maour.'

"Is it dawn?" He really didn't know, and not feeling tired told him nothing nowadays, given how long it took for that to kick in thanks to the effects of the link.

'No, but we still need to be sure the pack approves of what we'll be doing, and we have to do that tonight,' Toothless explained, pushing Maour out towards the rest of the cave system. 'We need to be faster!'

"Okay, okay, just stop pushing!" Maour laughed, side-stepping Toothless. "I'm going." It seemed his brother was taking Von's advice to heart. The faster they left, the faster they could get back.