Sorry this took so long to update, I've had a rough week after I got laid off from work. (What do you know? I have a legitimate excuse for once.) it would be of great help to me if those who read Shade Fury: Tannski would review and provide me with confidence.

This chapter has been a long time coming. I hope you find it believable.

"Hello, Dad, I'd like you to meet Toothless."

My dad stumbles back a step, as though he's been shoved. (Though I've never seen someone successfully push my father back.)

It's a long and awkward… very awkward… moment, but this gives Toothless and me a chance to inspect the expressions of the villagers. So far, a few have turned to anger but they don't do anything; they remember this, admittedly, odd form of guest right is still guest right nonetheless. With all the rights, restrictions, and requirements that come with it. Our legends are telling enough about what happens when someone breaks guest right. I can't tell if the cold chill is from the icy glares or the fact I'm still half-naked. I just wait there with the chill until someone else breaks the soon to be literal ice.

I'm surprised when the first to speak is Tuffnut. "Well, that explains a lot."

Ruffnut continues where her brother left off. "But who was the lady from three days ago?"

Just like we planned, Astrid sets down her half-empty bowl and walks forward, theatrically removing her right glove. As soon as she is next to me, she shows the party of Vikings her palm. There are more mutterings about this turn of events.

Since people are no longer scared stiff, or at least of sound enough mind that they won't attack us, I speak up. "I know this will need some getting used to, please give me a moment to dress." I step to Toothless's side, who lifts his wing to hide me from the eyes of everyone.

I remove the cape covering the top half of my torso and unfold my green tunic. "Any change?" I project to Toothless and Astrid while I tie the strings around my neck and wrists.

Astrid tells me what she sees. "Well, your dad is leaning against a tree. Gobber and Spitelout are talking with him. They're either consoling him or it's something political, though Gobber seems to be connecting the dots. Snotlout is trying to figure out how you could possibly be Tannski and what my connection could be. The twins are connecting the dots like Gobber. Fishlegs is spluttering something to the rest, but I can't tell what."

"He's probably geeking out." I lean against Toothless while I put on my boots. "You getting anything, bud?"

"I'm not as good at reading expressions as you two are, but I can hear some of what they're saying." He pauses and I feel him turning his head. "Your crazy instructor is telling your sire and uncle about instances where you seemed to disappear for the second half of the day. The sibling pair are doing the same, though they're much more thorough." I feel a jolt of surprise from my companion. "The male even claims he tested your change in character using something called a trigger word. What's a trigger word?"

It takes me a moment to remember back to when Dad's ship arrived. When Astrid and I were on the cliff, Tuffnut was going to call me useless so I'd pinned him. Was all that planned? If so, I'd deeply underestimated the twins. "It's a word with significant meaning to an individual; often used to rile them up."

"I suppose that makes sense, certain ideas can have baggage attached to them. It makes sense that words have them as well. Oh, your father is done talking and is stepping forward." I slip on my vest, adjusting everything one last time before I step out from behind Toothless's wing. I make sure to wear my helmet in such a way that I have my gem in full view when I step out.

Before anybody can say anything, I start with a non sequitur. "Now that you've had time to process this, I assume you won't do anything rash?" Some of the Vikings look shocked by my phrasing, as though my father is prone to violent outbursts. (I mean, he is a Viking, so…)

My father pauses, takes a deep breath, and speaks. "Care to explain how and why you fused with a dragon?" He just stares at me, waiting.

"It's a long story. One I would prefer to tell the whole village at once, but would a brief summary suffice?"

Dad looks at the villagers who came with him. "For now, yes."

I take a moment to replay the memory in my head and compose my words. "It started when I shot the elusive Night Fury out of the midnight sky, " I gesture to Toothless, "and nobody believed me." It's simple, to the point, and makes my dad feel guilt for not believing me.

My father just stares at me, understanding my accomplishment. Various others remember that particular raid. I understand why they didn't believe me then. (I did indirectly cause some damage myself.) But I know for a fact guilt doesn't listen to logic.

"So, to prove myself, I went searching for the downed dragon. But when I found him, I couldn't bring myself to kill him. So I let him go." I pause to let those words sink in, but continue before anyone can think to start ridiculing me for my unViking behavior. "That was the best decision of my life."

There's a sudden buzz of conversation, most of it not complimentary I do not hear all of them, but I distinctly hear Snotlout say, "You traitor!" But to my surprise, Tuffnut punches him in the face and tells him to shut up.

Yeah, I'll definitely need to redefine my understanding of the twins after this.

Then Dad turns to the crowd in such a way that his back is not to me. "Quiet!" As soon as the last mutterings cease, he turns back to me. "Now, why didn't you kill this dragon when you found him?"

I briefly tense before responding. "You really want to know, Dad?" He nods. "All right, the reason I wouldn't kill him was because he looked as frightened as I was. I looked at him," I look up at Toothless, who looks down at me, "and saw myself."

I stay there, looking at Toothless and letting what I said sink in. Ultimately, though, it's Ruffnut who speaks up. "Okay, but how did you fuse with him?"

I turn my gaze to the female twin. "I'm not entirely sure how. After I let him go, he returned the favor. Days later we met again, that's when we fused into Tannski for the first time. Understandably we were confused and flighty, but we'd meet again several times to form Tannski, becoming closer. I learned more about dragons, and he learned our language."

Dad freezes and Spitelout speaks up. "You mean that dragon can understand what we're saying?"

I nod. "Dragons have their own way of communicating, but he learned our language while we were fused. You'd be surprised how much one can learn when fused." Some of the Vikings tense, realizing Toothless understands what their comments are. "But he's not the only one who learned a few tricks." Noticing my fire has dimmed somewhat, I add more wood and manipulate the wind to remove the ash and fan the existing flames. To make sure they understand what I'm doing is magic, I condense the ash from the fire into a gray brick the size of one of my fingers. Once it's solid enough it falls from the air into my hand.

Everyone stares in shock. I also hear Dad and several others whisper "magic," to themselves and each other. To complete my performance, I propel the ash brick with wind into a boulder. The Viking sitting on said boulder jumps when the stone is struck. It doesn't shatter per se, but there are spiderweb-like patterns across the boulder. Some shards fall away from the boulder. The Viking who had been sitting on said boulder picks up one of the shards, freshly broken with a fresh edge. He puts it down and looks for the ash brick, but it disintegrated when it made contact with the boulder.

"How did you do that?" Fishlegs asks, with excitement slowly taking the place of fear.

"And can you teach us?" The twins say in unison.

I look at the slack-jawed Vikings. "That is an example of what Astrid and I did on the raid three nights ago. What I've just shown you with the ash has been learned through trial and error. But I believe you need a memory stone to access the ability."

I'm not sure who says it, but someone in the back asks, "What's a memory stone?"

Realizing I used the wrong term, I gesture to my own memory stone. "The dragons' best translation for their gem is memory stone." Before anybody can ask why, I continue, "They call gems memory stones because their souls remain within them after death."

Several Vikings quickly put the pieces together. I also see Dad look at the fragments sewn onto his kilt. "You mean these gems are still alive and listening to us?" He asks.

I look up at Toothless. "They can't physically hear you due to the fact they don't have ears anymore. The only way for them to talk to one another is by projecting and receiving ideas from other dragons." I repeat Toothless's words to them.

Fishlegs decides to bring up a good point. "What do you mean by 'projecting and receiving ideas?'"

I face my classmate and try to put dragon communication into words. "Dragons don't talk the way you or I do. They take their thoughts and 'project' them right into the mind or minds of nearby dragons." I can almost see the gears in his head turning, thinking of all the ways a gem can be used.

Ultimately he steadies himself with resolve. "Hiccup…" He pauses, either trying to find the words or muster the courage. "Could you maybe help me get a gem of my own?" He says this part quickly, as though he's afraid of the answer. Many of the Vikings, especially the elder members, blanch at his request.

But I notice the twins jump in on this. "Us too!"

"Yeah, show us!" The twins are excited, probably imagining the pranks they could pull if only they had memory stones.

I speak up before the crowd gets too rambunctious. "That will come in due time, but to come at all, a decision must be made." I look at my father, not as a parent, but the chief of our tribe. "Stoick Haddock, are you willing to try things from a new perspective? Working together with dragons, we can put an end to these raids. If we separate the Queen and her court, it will bring about an opportunity of peace between the two races. I'm not asking you and yours to forget the atrocities done. They've killed hundreds of us, and we've killed thousands of them. All to feed a monstrous fusion. A fusion, mind you, that lies to its subjects, convincing them to sacrifice their lives to her ever-hungry gullet." For theatrics, I reach my left hand back to Toothless. "Let's fuse." He puts his forehead to my hand.

My clothes Hiccup had put on earlier slough away as I return. I hold my clawed hand out to Stoick. "Let's work together to stop these atrocities and prevent any more from suffering an unnecessary death."

I'm anxious, maybe fusing into Tannski is the wrong decision. But maybe coming into existence can appear as a sort of full disclosure. It seems that my worries are unfounded. My half-father just stares at me, awe and pride in his expression, with nary a hint of revulsion. With an unsteady resolve, he grabs my wrist in a manly handshake. (Normally his wrist is too big, but when fused, my wrist is the same size as his.) "I still have my doubts, but I'll try and give this alliance a chance." We shake once, and let go.

"So," I look down at the pot of stew, " so, anyone want seconds?"

R37uy: I hope you found the chapter satisfying

While I have a few ideas on what the human fusions will look like, I've got nothing definite. Anything you provide will be of great help. Any kind words will also be greatly appreciated in this low point of my life. so review and Hopefully I'll have the next chapter out a lot sooner.