"There is a time for departure even when there's no certain place to go." - Tennessee Williams – Camino Real
Departure
A couple weeks passed during which he did nothing but help hunt, fly to calm his nerves, aid with various tasks around the village, and listen to more of the story from Bori's bedside as the young man recovered. The weather continued to turn colder in that time, as though the gods themselves saw fit to foil his plans. And of course he eagerly awaited news from the messengers who had been sent to Rorikfeld.
Then Halvden, looking quite frustrated and possibly even a bit worried as well, came to him as he reclined near the river late in the afternoon.
"There is a problem, Shadowwing."
Great, another one. I do not have enough of those...
"The messengers we sent just got back. They were at Rorikfeld and asked about the dragon fights, but the city is closed right now. The guards said that there are never any fights after the first of Haustmánuður. Something about dragons starting to go to sleep and not wanting to fight anymore."
That makes sense.
Yes, many sleep in the winter
"But that means that the city shuts down for the winter. No dragon fights means that we cannot get you in there until the spring."
Wait... What!
He slowly spun away from the Chief and growled in frustration. His claws kneaded at the ground, and his tail thrashed in dismay. Being delayed until the spring was a terrible change in his plans, but there seemed to be no way around this unfortunate development. It made sense that the city would go silent in the worst of the winter. Berk did something very similar.
"What do you want to do?"
Well, there is nothing else for it but stay here, I guess.
Would you let me stay here this winter?
Halvden rubbed his beard in thought and gave him a nod.
"Certainly, what do you need?"
Only a warm room to sleep in
"We could do that, yes. We have a few huts that are empty now. What about food?"
I can help more with hunting until then
"You helping to hunt would definitely make it easier on us. I did say that you would be welcome to stay with us. A few of the tribe would definitely be glad if you decide to stay a while longer."
He sighed in resignation and took to the skies, knowing that this was just a delay in his mission. A frustrating and lengthy delay. But Toothless would certainly still be there in the spring.
At least I can still do some good for these people while I am here. The more good experiences they have with dragons the better it is for them.
Several more weeks passed during which he devoted all his spare time to hunting. He managed to catch and haul back to the village almost a dozen deer for the village to prepare for the winter. They were more than sufficient provision for the village and his own coming needs, especially when combined with the number of smoked fish and other animals that had been slaughtered or were available.
The Chief gave him one of the huts previously owned by someone who had died in the battle and left no heirs.
He grumbled as he inspected it himself, but he was not about to turn his nose at the offered accommodations. It would be a bit tight, but it was more than he had expected he would have under the circumstances. He had been preparing himself to have to tough it out in a poor stable.
Hmm, should be just big enough. Though it does have very strange things to be gotten rid of. It also needs a fireplace. All considered though it is much better than a stable.
He and Bori spent a while clearing it out of the remaining weapons, refuse, and other peculiar trinkets. The young man's leg was fast on its way to healing because the break was a clean one that was quickly set. They then carefully stacked bricks and rocks into a makeshift fireplace on the ground in the main room.
He paused, gave the modified hut a satisfied nod, and turned to the dirt outside his temporary home.
How bad are the winters here?
"Not as bad as they are further north. We usually only have to stay inside for the worst during Morsugur and Þorri. Sometimes into Gói if the winter is very long," Bori replied.
Only three months then, that's better than back at home.
"What do dragons do in the winter?"
Most leave to have their babies
"What?"
They lay eggs on an island with bubbling waters
"Really? Why?"
It helps the babies stay warm
"I see. Amazing. What about you though?"
He grumbled a bit at that as he remembered how boring and lazy the winters almost always were.
I will sleep a lot like what bears do
Not all the time though
Bori stood there for a moment while saying nothing. Then the young man glanced at his belly and nodded at him.
He glanced down at his belly and then back up at Bori with a questioning hum of his own.
"It certainly doesn't look like you will need to eat much during the winter."
Oh, I will. You must not know how much a... What!
"Yeah, you've been... preparing well..."
I am not a fat dragon!
"Uh, I know what you're thinking and yeah, you are a bit. That's not bad though. Even we pack on a bit of extra blubber as winter gets closer. Helps to keep us warmer," Bori laughed openly.
Shadowwing only grumbled and rolled his eyes in response.
Ok, maybe there is a little extra of me, but that is normal for this time of the year...
Well, it would be nice if someone would visit
There is more to the story you were telling me
"That can be arranged for sure," Bori added with a smug grin.
The wind whistled outside in the darkness of the long night. The nooks, crevices, and corners of his dwelling had various chill drafts, but the makeshift fireplace continued to burn with warmth. Being completely wrapped up in his wings and resting on old furs also helped a lot to stay warm.
Wake up, shake off the heavy furs, roll a new log into place in the fire, and burrow back under the blankets to bask in the warmth. Dash outside to take care of necessary business every few days when it was warmest. Eat roughly every week or so and regularly collect some snow to melt and drink or simply eat. Collect the many old scales that he shed.
That was the necessary and boring routine. It was a routine that brought lots of sleep and dreams.
Blissful dreams of floating in the sky on warm winds.
Happy dreams of a woman with bright golden hair billowing out behind her from up on her Nadder's back.
Somber dreams of a Night Fury caged underground and tortured in unknown, terrible ways.
Pained and confusing dreams of a massive, bearded man struggling to make a fateful choice.
"I hurt you. I broke tail!"
"Why did you not kill me?"
"You silly Toothless."
"I made us in the dirt."
"Toothless, teach me flying."
"You did it, Hiccup! You were flying!"
"Hiccup, you need learn how to fight."
"Lick hurts. Mouth-water helps hurts."
"Why do we have claws and teeth?"
"Not good to fly in dark-cold-wind."
"I want to fight for my nest."
"Much like two-leg you are, Toothless."
"Just remember why you are out there."
.
"Hiccup?"
"Shadowwing?"
.
"Who are you dark wing?"
.
He woke up and lifted his tailfins from his head. He wearily looked around the hut, saw nothing, and then got up to put another log into place. Then he curled himself closer to the flames with his long tail wrapped halfway around the fireplace. He stared at the tongues of fire as they rolled over the crackling log. The wind was very loud and sharp outside at this moment in the middle of the night. A wolf's howl was barely audible somewhere out in the night.
That is odd. I could have sworn I heard something. Who am I indeed?
Sigh.
Maybe I am just going crazy after all.
The routine was only broken by the occasional visit from someone outside. Bori and Halvden visited most frequently, usually to bring him some freshly cooked food or just to talk with him.
Bori even showed up for several days with the full copy of the story about the Norse hero and spent hours reading to him while reclining at his side.
This people did not have a mid-winter festival, which was mildly disappointing since he missed the large feasts and happy gatherings of old. The warmth of company was much to be desired. The festivals were also good even if for no reason other than the abundance of food.
Winter continued to pass in relative peace and quiet; however, there was an always present void at his side and in his heart which could not be filled by any amount of talk or visits from these good people.
He nudged open the door, stepped outside, and glanced at the muddy, slushy ground as he had many times already since the weather turned for the better. The trees were budding all around the village, and the air, though still cool, had none of its deeply biting chill anymore. He took a step forward and froze at a pinch from behind.
The door had closed on his tail behind him.
Again.
He grumbled and glared at the traitorous door.
Ugh, how did I do that this time?
He backpedaled, nudged open the door, and yanked his tail outside with a hiss of mild frustration.
Well, I hope no one saw that.
Then he stepped back onto the soft ground and yawned, stretching his jaws and wings wide. Everything again felt slightly different. Another quick glance at his wings and tail confirmed what he suspected. They were noticeably larger than they were before the winter. He was noticeably larger in general. Bori and Halvden had already mentioned it to him several times, but it was hard to truly accept.
Being well-fed and having a lot of rest really does that over the winter. Gods, another year or so and I might even be as big as Toothless was before. What a strange thought. Who knew that Night Furies became adults in about four years? Certainly not me. Add that to the Book of Dragons.
Thoughts of his time in this village swarmed over him as he looked around at everyone he could see. Halvden's understanding and strength as a leader, Bori and Aelf's kindness, Adal's youthful innocence, and everyone else's general acceptance were far more than he could have hoped for. Being allowed to sleep indoors again under a roof and have a proper bed of sorts were comforts that he would never again take for granted. Even more than having shelter though, he strongly appreciated the certainty that he would be able to eat well. That was something that was never present out in nature, out in the wild where dragons usually lived.
It is nice here, and there are good people here. Almost like home.
He gave a sad sigh.
Home... it will hurt a bit to leave here. I wish I could do something for them. Something for them to remember me by.
Then he gave a smug grin as he had an idea of something that he could do for those he cared the most for and who would miss him the most.
I cannot make them alone, but I think the smith would be willing to help, especially for a certain payment. There are a few to spare.
Chief Halvden approached him a couple weeks later.
"We will be ready to leave in a few days. We are building a wagon now."
Shadowwing glanced over at the wagon that several men were constructing and gave the Chief a nod.
"It is a week to Rorikfeld on foot. We will tie you to the wagon when we leave. Bori volunteered to be your... handler."
I am happy to hear that.
"He will take a message inside Rorikfeld to let them know about you while you and the guards wait outside the city. They will send people to see you and bring you inside as a fighter with Bori along to... handle you. Then, well, that part is up to you. You will have to figure out how to escape with your brother."
That is fair
"We don't know what it is like in there. You will have to be careful."
I will
Finally, we are doing something!
He closed his eyes and thought about Rorikfeld and its fighting arena. The very place that he might need to spend time as a prisoner. The place where he might have to change in unknown and terrible ways through fighting if that could not be avoided. But at least he knew someone else dear to him who was also prisoner there.
The entire village turned out to witness the departure of their adopted dragon. Halvden said a few glowing words of praise directed at him, much to his chagrin. Then it was time to do something he had been waiting to do for weeks.
He hopped over to the modified hut he had been given, dashed inside to retrieve what he came for, and returned to the gathering. He walked directly over to Adal, Alden, Hilde, and Fenrir and considered them. His eyes found Fenrir's and did not look away. The man eventually cast his eyes down and whispered to his son.
"Go on, son."
Adal slowly stepped forward.
"You have to go now," he said.
Yes, he nodded.
"To find your brother."
Yes.
Shadowwing leaned forward before the lad could say anything else and held out his clenched paw toward Adal. In his paw was a simple, heavy string necklace woven through several dozen black scales that had small holes cut into their center.
"Is... that for me?" Adal whispered.
Yes, he nodded.
"Why?" Adal gasped.
The Chief stepped forward to translate for him.
To remember me if I do not come back
You remind me of someone I once knew
Adal eagerly grabbed the necklace and slung it over his head with a giddy grin. Then the lad gave his head an eager hug.
"Shadowwing," Fenrir whispered.
He looked up at Adal's father. At the man who had once tried to kill him, apparently in a drunken stupor made worse by old memories. They looked at each other for several moments. Fenrir struggled to say anything at all but did eventually nod respectfully to him.
That is good enough for me.
He nodded back and then received a tearful hug from Aelf. He wrote down a brief instruction to Halvden to let the girl know something after he himself was gone. Then he took a deep breath and walked over to the wagon.
"Remember, when you get there we cannot be very friendly to you. You are just a wild dragon that we… somehow captured and... trained. And you know to... obey me. Understand?" Bori said.
Yes, he nodded.
Bori held up the loop of rope in his hands.
"You are sure about this?"
Shadowwing looked around the small group of people who were going along with him as guards. He did not know any of the others well, but neither had any of them ever done him any violence. And he course trusted Bori heartily.
Yes.
He held himself still as the heavy rope was fitted over his head and tied to the wagon.
"May the gods watch over you," Halvden gave him a quick blessing.
The wagon began to move, and he followed behind it. The guards, led by a man named Naeris, were already busily talking among themselves while Bori moved to walk at his side.
He and Bori shared a glance at each other and at the village gradually vanishing behind them. At Aelf, Adal, Halvden, and the other friendly men, women, and children he had come to know and who were waving a solemn farewell.
"Hey, I'll not have you looking at my village like that... dragon!" Bori suddenly growled.
He glanced up at the young man and easily saw the amusement in his eyes. He responded by lowering his head and butting into him while chuckling at him.
"You'll never get out of that knot. I tied it myself. I'm the best in the clan at that," Bori proudly announced.
It certainly seemed a very tight one indeed.
Then he turned his thoughts to the long road ahead and to many days of walking. All the while drawing closer to hopefully achieving his mission.
Just a while longer, Toothless. I am on my way.
He stood in the arena again and watched as the audience all around him shouted and cheered. He could feel his own hackles rising and blood boiling as the conflict drew nearer.
The gate on the far end of the arena opened, and a black dragon bounded out to meet its opponent. They saw each other, and his opponent looked at him in amazement.
Red was all he himself saw as he leapt at it with a furious bellow of challenge. His fire flew forth, claws flashed, and teeth snapped. Chunks of wing were torn away. The other dragon rolled to a stop underneath him and went still as his own jaws broke its neck.
His roar of victory was echoed by the audience. He was the victor! He was the great one! He was Alpha!
He turned back to the body, to all the meat right there for him to enjoy under the scales. To the delicious liver that he would have to dig to find.
And he saw the dead dragon's toothless smile.
A toothless smile.
Toothless!
"Shadowwing!"
He stepped back from the body in complete terror as he glanced at his own bloodied claws.
"Wake up!"
"No! No!" he screamed as he beheld his brother's dead body.
He rolled awake with a whimper of fear and saw them all worriedly gathered around him. The other guards and Bori were right there with him. He subtly glanced at his own limbs and claws and saw no blood at all.
"Shadowwing, are you alright?"
His breathing slowed as he collected himself.
"Bad dream?" Bori whispered.
Very bad...
He slowly nodded in response.
"It is alright now," Bori gently patted him on the head.
The young man returned to the campfire a few moments later after he himself settled down.
Try as he might, he could not easily return to rest himself though. That dream felt so real, vivid, and terrifying.
I could never do that to him or anyone. I am not a monster. Surely there will be another way once I get there.
His own thoughts felt somewhat hollow though. He glanced back down at his claws and knew with a terrible certainty that he would eventually have no choice but to coat them in blood.
The week of marching passed without any other disturbance until they finally came within sight of Rorikfeld early in the afternoon. The large wooden walls that encompassed the entire village and the farm houses outside the protection of the walls were familiar even from the ground.
It all looked still and peaceful from afar. That at least was quite different from how it had looked from the sky.
"We should make camp out here so that they don't see us," Naeris announced.
"Alright, I will go in and let them know about our... prize," Bori announced as a couple guards moved to flank him.
Then Bori turned back and gave him a nod before leaving for the city.
It was terrible to do nothing but sit and wait for news. He expected that it should be fast, that it was only a matter of talk to someone and bring them out to see him, at which point he would need to pretend to be tamed, broken, or something.
But instead nothing happened the rest of the afternoon and into the early evening. He had just started to feel genuinely worried when he noticed several returning shapes approaching by torchlight.
Bori came straight up to him without hesitation.
"We need to talk."
Why? What is wrong?
"It is empty. There is nothing there."
What?
He growled softly in alarm and confusion.
"The dragon fighting arena is empty, as is most of the town. We went to the mead hall, that is still there at least, and asked what happened. They said that someone called the dragon master had all the dragons taken away."
No! We are too late!
He hung his head in dismay.
Taken where?
"I asked. They were not sure, but some of them said that they saw dragons being led west toward the ocean."
My brother?
Bori briefly paused.
"They said that there was a dragon like you that was taken away, yes."
He gave an involuntary sigh of relief at the confirmation that Toothless was at least not dead. Then he glanced to the west and toward the far distant ocean perhaps a few days' march away.
When?
"A few weeks ago. They were not clear on when though. We are hungry and are going to make some food. Let me know if you need anything else and what you want to do now."
He nodded back at Bori and then lay down, lost to his somber thoughts.
I was so close. He was here. If only we were here sooner. If I had been quicker to get to know these people...
Sigh.
They left weeks ago and have probably reached the boats. I will never find them then. But I have to try.
His heart was pained at the sudden realization that he had no time to waste and had to leave immediately. He had hoped that he might be able to say a proper farewell to everyone he knew back in the village instead of the brief farewell a week ago, but that was not going to be possible now.
He looked up and noticed several dark figures dashing through the trees just away from the campfire.
Wait, what?
He glanced over his shoulder and saw all five of the guards and Bori standing by the fire. Only a moment passed before he realized what had to be happening. He jumped to his feet and bellowed in alarm.
"What is it?" Bori and a couple of the guards rushed over.
He tossed his head at the trees and growled.
"An attack!" "They followed us!"
Weapons were raised and all the guards huddled together for protection as the marauders approached. There were easily a couple dozen of them, all with nets and pikes in hand. The guards nervously shifted as none of them had clearly thought there would be any fighting. Naeris turned to the other four guards.
"Uh, I don't think we can fight them."
"Nope," "Got that right," "Let's get!"
"We are not leaving him!" Bori shouted back at them.
"Look! There are twenty of them. What can we do?" Naeris objected.
He got their attention with a growl. They all looked at him and were amazed when he sadly gestured them toward the open forest.
"He wants us to go. That works for me," Naeris shouted as the other guards followed and disappeared into the night.
Bori did not move and instead turned to face the unknown marauders despite the dragon's anguished protests directed at him.
"What do you want?" Bori shouted.
One of the attackers stepped forward with a clear presence of authority.
"He took them! All my prizes! I'm taking this one!" the man roared.
"Dragons are not prizes!" Bori shouted back.
"Who are you?" the leader shouted.
"I am Bori of Clan Ironfist."
"Ironfist... never heard of it. Take it!" the leader yelled.
They all advanced in a practiced line that gradually surrounded the wagon and closed in on all sides.
"You need me alive," Bori shouted.
"Why?"
"I'm its handler. I trained it."
The leader held up his fist, and the advancing men paused.
"Let me show you..."
Bori slowly stepped over to his side and lay a hand on his neck. The attackers were obviously surprised that the dragon did nothing aggressive at all toward him. The leader stared for a moment before he spoke.
"Impressive. Too bad I do not need any other dragon handlers anymore."
Bori only smiled and grabbed the rope. One careful tug was all it took and the false knot unraveled, leaving the heavy rope coiled loosely.
"Go..." Bori whispered.
"Get them!"
The men charged outright.
He glanced back at Bori, at the man he called his friend, who had saved him, and who was willing to die for him. He shook the loose rope from his neck, threw out his wings, and crouched, ready to leap to freedom.
But...
It would be stupid and crazy. He was not even sure if he was strong enough. But he had to try it anyway.
He reached out with his forearms and grabbed Bori as he pushed off from the ground just before the nets were hurled his way. He growled and beat his wings against the strain from the added weight as the yells of dismay echoed from the clearing below.
His flight was awkward, and he pitched heavily, struggling mightily against the difficulty of staying aloft. He pitched to avoid the crown of a large tree. Then he leveled off above the treetops and steadied his flight into a slow glide with his passenger awkwardly clutched against his breast.
Bori eventually stopped shouting in alarm. Then, out of nowhere, Bori found his courage and gave a yell of delight as he beheld the trees beneath him. The young man let go his arms and held his own arms out wide.
He could not help but add a roar of his own as they soared on the wind to safety.
They found the guards easily enough on the road back home. Naeris and the other four looked very timid at their return from the skies. If they expected him to be angry with them though, they were quite surprised by what he had to say.
I wanted you to leave and not have to die for me
"I'm not so happy about it," Bori grumbled at them.
"The Chief didn't say anything about fighting. There should have been a score of us at least," Naeris protested.
"Aye, there should have been. What is done is done. Let's not think about it now," Bori finally answered.
"And you?" he turned to Shadowwing.
They both knew without needing to say anything. He still lowered a claw to the dirt anyway.
I must go
Cannot lose time
"I know. It is so sudden. Aelf and Adal will miss you. And I will miss you. Stay safe out there."
They embraced with Bori wrapping his arms around his neck and him gently patting the young man on the back while humming sadly. Then he stepped back with one final message for his friend.
Check with Aelf
I left you both scale necklaces
Bori nodded once without saying anything, clearly choked by feeling from the tears he had shed, and then stepped back to give him space.
Shadowwing leaped for the sky with a beat of his wings and vanished into the darkness.