Author's Note - The penumbra is the part of the shadow where the source of the light is partially visible. This is the final chapter of volume II. I wanted the entire volume to be a decent mix of homage to the original canon while also being clearly different and exploring new material and backstory. Please feel free to share any overall thoughts you may have on how volume II went even if you have not reviewed at all yet or if your review comes well into the future.
"Life begins on the other side of despair." - Jean-Paul Sartre – Le Mouches
Penumbra
"There is a small island not a half-day of flight from here to the south. That is where Bludvist had his trappers working from. I think that there may still be dragons trapped on that island," Valka continued.
"Why do you think that?" Thorvald asked.
"Because Cloudjumper and I have flown near it many times when tracking ships. We could not get in though. I want to free any of the dragons in there now after Bludvist's defeat. I do not think that the captives would easily trust any humans though, not even me," she frowned.
"Why not?" Skald wondered.
Valka only groaned softly.
"A dragon that has never known other humans is more curious and I can easily interact with. A dragon that has known only pain from humans will not naturally trust me."
Shadowwing considered it and agreed that it was definitely best to do something. Any kind of activity might help distract him from everything else.
Plus, I can probably help a bit with the whole dragons not trusting humans at all problem.
Do you want me to come along
To help calm them down?
"Yes," Valka immediately answered.
When do we go?
Thorvald turned to them with a heavy sigh.
"With respect to you both, why should we go do that? The idea of trapped dragons makes me feel bad for sure, but we don't actually know any are there now. And we have to look out for our own here first."
"It would not need to be many, only a few volunteers to go with me, Cloudjumper, and Shadowwing. We will fly there, free any of the dragons we find, and return here. We can bring all the freed dragons from there and from here with us to our new home. It would also be a betrayal of everything we say we are if we do nothing to help them," Valka answered while leaning on her staff.
Thorvald thought for a moment.
"I will not forbid it if you and any volunteers want to fly there on your rescue mission," he finally granted.
"And with respect to you, Chief Thorvald, I do not need your permission because you are not my Chief. My only loyalty... is to the dragons, to my family, to the Night Furies now... I will fly there to save the dragons and any help that you or your tribe can spare will be welcome," Valka bristled.
Thorvald looked back at her with a strange mix of frustration and respect.
"Would any of you volunteer for this mission?" he asked everyone.
Several hands went up after some muttering and discussion. Skald was the first to step forward with a nod. There were a dozen volunteers before too long.
"How long will you be gone?" Thorvald asked.
"No more than a couple days. We will leave in the morning," Valka replied.
"Ok, we will be ready to leave when you return."
Thorvald departed with the rest of the tribe while Valka began to speak with the volunteers and make plans.
Was-Grounded stepped forward with an obvious question on his mind as he looked at the assembly.
"Brother, the two-legs are doing something. What?"
"Kin-liver said that she thinks the bad two-legs have more kin trapped as thralls on a different island. She wants to free the thralls. And she had me tell these good two-legs about the place where you lived before this ice nest, about... Haven," he finished after a moment of thought.
"Haven?"
"It means a safe-range, a new home-nest and range."
"And they are going to fly to the range where I and Green-Wings made our den to make a new mixed-nest of their own?"
"Yes."
Was-Grounded grumbled to himself.
"We liked that range much because it had no two-legs... But if these good kin-bond two-legs need a nest, it is a good range for them to make their nest-dens..."
"What will you two do?" Shadowwing hesitantly asked.
Was-Grounded and Green-Wings shared a glance with each other and up toward the ice nest.
"We would like to go back to that range. This ice nest is dying and is not a good place to have and sit our next egg," Green-Wings eventually answered.
"I would like that. It will be good for you to live near this future nest," Shadowwing said.
"Maybe..." Was-Grounded growled, clearly unimpressed.
"Why are you chilled by that thought?"
"We will go back and live in our den, but we do not want to be around two-legs now. The two-legs that turned tail on kin reminded me that two-legs are filled with danger and can be false, even if because they do not understand."
"Not these ones though. These ones have warm livers to us," Shadowwing reluctantly countered.
"Maybe even these ones under bad enough winds..." Was-Grounded evenly answered him.
Shadowwing almost objected but found that he had no words. Could even these survivors turn on dragons? Could what was left of Berk and the other strongest pairs from the other tribes also fracture, and what would happen then? He did not want to think it possible, but he had never thought that the peace could have been shattered as thoroughly as it already had.
No, I cannot imagine that happening. These people already left their tribes behind to stay faithful to their dragons.
"What about helping the thrall-kin? Is a flight flying now?" Green-Wings spoke up.
"They will fly at the sun's next rising. The two-legs with Kin-liver will follow me with their kin. Will you fly with me, brother?" Shadowwing asked.
"I could help you," Was-Grounded answered without delay.
"Must you go, my mate?" Green-Wings asked him.
"All the fighting is finished now, and you would be safe staying here," he answered her.
"But you would be away for suns," she bemoaned.
Was-Grounded stepped over to her and nuzzled her neck while whispering in her ear.
"I should do this for him. His liver is much twisted now from all the death that happened."
She reluctantly nodded, reached around her back, and nosed Dawn-Singer awake.
"Little one, we will fly to our roost now."
He yawned, wiggled his hindquarters and fins, and spread his wings.
"I will fly fast!"
Then he was furiously beating his little wings, slowly spiraling higher away from the shore. She followed after him, and they both flew up toward the ice nest and vanished from sight in the dark.
"Thank you for coming with me," Shadowwing mumbled.
Was-Grounded answered with a wide yawn.
"We should sleep soon. Let them know that I will fly with the flight."
Then Was-Grounded flew off after his family while Shadowwing turned for the gathering.
"Mom..."
"Shadowwing?" she asked.
Was-Grounded will come with us tomorrow
"Will he now? That is good. We might need all the help we can get."
They both awoke at dawn to one of Cloudjumper's eager roars. They got to their feet, stretched, and left, Was-Grounded after tenderly gnawing on one Green-Wings's ears before departing.
The entire flight was already assembled, the other dragons wearing their saddles and their riders with packs of supplies to last a couple days. A few fish had been saved for both of them, which they gladly made disappear.
Then Cloudjumper flew out over the sea with Valka holding her staff aloft in signal. The entire flight went aloft and followed them as the sun rose in the east. Both Furies joined Cloudjumper at the head of the flight.
Leagues of water passed under their wings with not a sign of land anywhere in sight after leaving the isles. Nor did any of them see any ships on the water. It was as though the remains of Drago's forces had vanished entirely.
The flight came upon a very small island about halfway through the morning. It was good enough to serve as a rest stop for those who needed it. The riders all dismounted and wandered off to relieve themselves.
Was-Grounded had curled up to rest on the warm sand. Shadowwing walked over and collapsed next to him. It seemed a perfect opportunity to broach the terrible question.
"What happened to me?" Shadowwing whispered.
"What?"
"With the great-tusk-Monster? I do not understand it."
"What do you remember?"
"I remember seeing the great-tusk-Monster and then my head hurt. And then you were there with me. You were saying things that I... cannot remember well. Almost like I was looking through a cloud and hearing through water."
Shadowwing closed his eyes and grimaced.
"And you had your... hurt in your belly. Does it hurt now?"
"Not much. Green-Wings licked it much for me."
"Good," Shadowwing whispered.
"You do not remember more?" Was-Grounded hummed.
"No, nothing more."
"How did you see the great-tusk-Monster?"
"It was in the water by a water-walker."
"And you were on the water-walker? Why?"
Shadowwing whimpered again as several moments passed.
"I wanted to talk to the two-leg Alpha and make fighting not happen."
Was-Grounded did not have the cold in his liver to snarl or make any biting remarks. It was clear that his brother felt the pain from his own blindness deeply enough.
"But nothing else, no sleep-visions, between then and when I found you?"
"No, nothing. Where did you find me? What was I... doing?"
"It was not you. It was something else in your scales. I saw it flying after the bad great-tusk-Monster won the fight. The thing in your scales was flying away from the ocean. I flew and knocked... it from the skies."
Shadowwing's entire length shuddered.
"Was I... flying against the nest? Did I... ground or kill any kin or... two-legs?"
"I did not see that."
Shadowwing did not look up when he heard that reassurance.
"You are not only saying that to not hurt my liver, are you?"
Was-Grounded growled at that.
"I did not see you flying against kin or two-legs. I only saw a Night Fury flying away from the largest fights, almost like it was lost. That is liver-truth."
Shadowwing nodded, grateful that there was no more terrible news to share.
"That Monster that was in your scales... fought well. It might have grounded me after it clawed my belly but it stopped."
"I stopped?"
"I think you were fighting it in your head and liver."
Shadowwing grumbled and closed his eyes.
"I do not remember any of it," he mumbled.
"Maybe that is better. Too much remembering is like trying to fly with too large a catch of prey."
"That does not help me feel warm though."
Several quiet moments passed.
"Your old nest has a new Alpha that we know from before. He is also from your old flight of two-leg young," Was-Grounded offered, clearly trying to change the subject.
"Yes," Shadowwing mumbled.
"Tell me this ones name again," Was-Grounded asked.
"He was... his two-leg name is Thor...vald. It means strength of... Thor."
"What is a... Thor?"
"Two-legs have stories about Thor. A very big male two-leg-thing who could throw sky-light from his paws and had a stick weapon with a rock for its head."
Was-Grounded huffed at the large description of this two-leg's life-fire. He could remember that two-leg from before; it had more wind in its belly than fire in its liver back then. However, it seemed to have grown teeth and become stronger since then.
"Maybe he will be a good Alpha. He is a kin-friend to his fire-scale."
Shadowwing vaguely nodded and then turned his thoughts to the strangest thing that had happened to them both.
"What happened to us with the... body-light?"
Was-Grounded looked up at the sky and shrugged in an acquired expression.
"I do not know. All that I know is that I felt more power. My fire was hotter and more... more."
Shadowwing went silent as a possibility brushed against his thoughts.
"Was that like a life-will-power but an other power?"
"It was not life-will-power. I think that is the hottest life-fire that we can make. I never felt that even with the first Monster we killed."
Shadowwing considered it and nodded. Then he bent down to the sands and brought out a fine tendril of blue flame to spill on the sand. The bit of gas needed came from within, and his tongue effortlessly shaped the small stream, which was somehow set alight. It all came without any conscious thought or action except a slight clenching deep in his chest, a rolling in his throat, and a will that fire be.
"I do not understand our fire," he eventually muttered.
"You do not need to. It is enough that you have it. Now you can burn your sleeping-rocks like I do, that is very warming and helps you sleep," Was-Grounded happily chuckled.
Shadowwing hummed in thought for a moment when another question bit at his tail, mostly because of the mention of the first Monster they fought on Dragon Island.
"How did you not be made... thrall by the Monster on fire-nest-island when we were fighting it?"
Was-Grounded groaned in thought and gave a faint snarl.
"It was not as strong as a great-tusk. It was also old. And having a two-leg to think about and protect helped much. More of the kin and two-legs from home-nest-island lived in this fight than those from any other nest and that was the mixed-nest with closest bonding."
"Why would having a two-leg help?"
"I think that the wanting to protect the two-leg fills the liver and makes the bad-thought-whispers not dig into the liver."
"That has some lift. You said many season-cycles ago that the bad-thought-whisper makes a kin see but not have their body. Why do I not remember it?"
"I do not know. Maybe the first Monster and the great-tusk-Monster were different in their whispering."
"I was not strong enough..." Shadowwing weakly sighed after several moments.
"No, I did not say that."
"You do not need to."
Another moment of silence passed and then Shadowwing whimpered. There was another key detail about what had happened that he had intentionally withheld until now.
"My sire is also dead."
Was-Grounded paused and stared intently at him. That was the first he had heard of it, and it would definitely explain the deep chill circling around Shadowwing now to have lost two that were of his nest in a way.
"What do you think about that?"
Shadowwing sighed and gathered his thoughts.
"I do not want to think about it. I wanted us to throw our anger out of our livers and be warm again, but now I cannot. I did not let myself warm to him even though he tried to do good... after what he did to you. He was lost in the fighting, and I am lost on these winds."
Was-Grounded softly nuzzled his cheek.
"You will always have me. I will never give you up to drift on the winds of life," he declared.
Shadowwing hummed softly at the promise. They then got up together and wandered off to find Valka. She was sitting on the beach at Cloudjumper's side and staring out over the ocean.
How far?
"We are about halfway there. Are there any soldiers or men still there? Trappers maybe? I do not know what we will find."
He watched her as she appeared so calm and composed.
How are you so strong?
"What?"
The question caught her completely off her guard.
It hurts so much
She only whispered her reply.
"That is part of what it means to care. Maybe I only look strong… because I hide how much it hurts. I have a lot of practice at that both in the nest and from back on Berk. Or maybe it is that I am colder and cannot feel like I once did."
Does it ever get better?
"Better? You get used to it eventually, and it changes you into someone new. I learned long ago that it does not do you any good to mourn forever for the past. All you have to decide is what you will do with the time you still have."
He glumly nodded as he lay his head down on the sands, hopefully to find some rest. Then he wondered about something else that she could do now. It might seem painful so soon after everything that happened, but he wanted to know it regardless.
Will you sing the song?
"What?"
Your and dad's song
I want to know how it went
He took a moment to snuggle closer to her and gently wrap her in his tail. She chuckled softly as she absentmindedly stroked a fin while she gathered herself.
Her song was very slow and mournful when she sang.
"I'll swim and sail on savage seas... with ne're a fear of drowning... and gladly ride the waves of life... if you will marry me... no scorching sun nor freezing cold... will stop me on my journey... if you will promise me your heart... and love me for eternity."
"My dearest one, my darling dear... your mighty words astound me... but I've no need of mighty deeds... when I feel your arms around me."
"But I would bring you rings of gold... I'd even sing you poetry... and I would keep you from all harm... if you would stay beside me."
"I have no use for rings of gold... I care not for your poetry... I only want your hand to hold... I only want you near me."
"To love, to kiss, to sweetly hold... for the dancing and the dreaming... though all life's sorrows and delights... I'll keep your love beside me."
"I'll swim and sail on savage seas... with ne're a fear of drowning... and gladly ride the waves of life... If you will marry me."
She did not cry when she finished the song. He would have if dragons could weep.
A few moments passed before he felt a wing being draped over his trembling back alongside a very familiar, comforting hum.
"Brother," he eventually whispered.
"I do not know all words in that song, but it sounded like something that life-mates would sing to the other," Was-Grounded softly hummed.
"Yes, it is. It was."
The entire flight finally came within sight of a large island early in the afternoon. There was a tall mountain in the middle of the island. Then they noticed the village built around the base of a massive cliff. The buildings extended all the way down to the water where a massive wharf had been constructed. There were enough platforms to have accommodated perhaps a dozen full size boats. Only a couple vessels appeared to remain in the docks. The complete lack of anything moving was the first detail they noticed as they came closer.
Shadowwing looked over to Valka, wanting to hear or see confirmation from her that this was correct place. He flew over next to Cloudjumper and called out while looking from Valka to the land.
She heard his bugle and pointed at the island. It was indeed the correct place, only she remembered it very differently. It had been swarming with activity the last time she had flown to this island with Cloudjumper.
The entire flight followed Cloudjumper's lead in descending towards the island. Their gazes scanned the island, looking for any sign that it was still inhabited. None of the buildings had any light from within, and there was almost no visible motion on the island.
It looked completely abandoned.
They flew in over the ghost town and landed outside the largest building. The riders dismounted and reached for their weapons, just in case there were to be any conflict. The entire group began walking around while looking for any sign of occupation. The dragons were grumbling in evident nervousness all the while.
Then there was some activity. A few people, obviously laborers of some kind, exited a building on the far side of the village and quickly tried to disappear. But there was nothing in the way of fighters or true occupation anymore.
"Where is everyone?" Skald broke the silence.
"They must have left with the army. Maybe there is nothing here," Valka answered.
Shadowwing hopped over to her with news.
I smell the dragons
"Where are they?"
He looked around the village and then spotted a building that looked promising. It had no windows and was one of the larger buildings. He walked over to it and pulled open the front door.
There were indeed holding pens inside, but they were all empty.
"Shadowwing!"
He turned and looked at Was-Grounded. He was sitting next to the largest building back up against the cliff wall. This building was as large as a Great Hall.
"What?"
"Over here."
He bounded over without delay.
"I smell the other kin in this trap-cave," Was-Grounded announced.
The smell of other dragons was certainly stronger near this building, and the main path through the village led directly here. It was also large enough to possibly hold a number of dragons.
He looked over to Valka and barked to get her attention. She ran over to him along with Cloudjumper and most of the others.
"In here?"
He nodded.
They looked at the very large door on the building This entrance reminded him of the gates that Berk used to have in the arena. Valka unlatched the gate and stepped back as the doors were swung open.
They all stared in pained amazement at what they saw inside.
The door opened on a large chamber filled with chains and holding pens. Unlit torches and other refuse littered the corners of the room. Every one of the pens was filled with a trapped or collared dragon. Many different types were represented, but they all shared one common feature from what he could tell from their scents and appearances. All the dragons were females.
Valka immediately noted as such.
"All females. It is obvious why."
They only had to think for a moment before the horrible answer of why became apparent.
Why am I not surprised?
He was taking their eggs
Valka sadly nodded.
"Probably, it sounds like something he would want to do. Make sure that no dragon lives free of his control while... building up his army."
Shadowwing walked closer to the nearest cell and his heart sank in sadness. There were the old remains of a disturbed nest next to the Nadder within.
"How could they do this? They abandoned these dragons here to die?" Valka whispered as she looked around the interior.
All the riders who had followed them into the building were similarly absolutely aghast at what they saw.
"Alright everyone, let's get them out. Remember, these dragons might be angry. Just let them get out and fly away," Valka announced after a few pained moments.
One by one the cells were opened and the wary females dashed out the building. Some seemed able to fly while others clearly could not at the moment. The freed dragons were initially wary, but all of them dashed outside when freed from their chains or cells. Valka somehow seemed to have more sway with them than even she gave herself credit for as none of them threatened to snap at her. Or maybe it was the presence of the Night Fury over her shoulder that helped to calm them down.
Something else got their attention as they started to get to the back of the building though. The rear of the building had been built up around the entrance to a cave. The cave's mouth was quite large and a very heavily worn path ran into its dark depths.
"If there are any more dragons still here, they will be in there," Valka announced.
"Do we all go in?" Skald asked.
"No, just a few of us should go. You all tend to these ones here. We will get help if we need it."
She grabbed a torch and turned to Shadowwing.
"We will need a light to go in there. Can you... light this for me?"
He carefully breathed a fine torrent of flame and set the torch alight.
"It is still amazing to me that you can do that," she whispered.
It is easy now
Not sure why though
She nodded and then steeled herself to continue on into the cave with the two Furies following closely behind her. The cave opened into a large underground chamber with several antechambers, all of which was partly lit up as she lighted several more torches where they hung. There were a couple large steel cages inside the main chamber but the smaller cages were mostly empty.
"This is a big cave," Was-Grounded whispered before he ran on to the nearest occupied trap.
The kin within, one of the ones that Kin-liver called a rain-slicer, was alert and watched him closely. He inspected the thing that held the trap's mouth shut and reached up to the thing as he had seen the other two-legs and Shadowwing do. The thing holding the trap closed fell away and the mouth swung open. The rain-slicer dashed out the opened mouth and ran to freedom and light.
It made his liver feel very warm to restore these kin to being not-thralls. This was something that an Alpha should be able to do, though very differently for him than it was for the good great-tusk.
Then he saw a large trap with several large sets of chains and ropes inside. The area in front of that trap was very heavily traveled.
He stepped over to it and froze the moment he got close enough to smell it. He looked at it again as a growl of anger began to build in his throat.
"What is it?" Shadowwing asked in alarm.
"Come here and smell it," he growled back.
Shadowwing did so and hummed in wary confusion.
"I smell many kin."
"Yes, many male kin."
"Why would they have many male kin..."
He stepped back with a gasp as he understood what had to have been happening here. Even so, there was something else that was...
"No, they were... using them to... make eggs?"
"Yes, they were. The two-legs who had me thrall tried to do that to me," Was-Grounded mumbled.
"What!" Shadowwing exclaimed in horror.
"They tried to mate me to other kin. That did not work for them," he snorted with derision.
"What is it?" Valka nervously ran up and asked.
He barely had the heart to tell her.
They were breeding dragons here
She did not seem shocked and only nodded in acknowledgment.
"I figured that they would. Let's look around here, get all the others out, and get home."
Shadowwing and Was-Grounded turned away from the horrible cell and went to one of the remaining occupied ones. There was a Nadder inside the padlocked cell.
Shadowwing tugged on the door, but it was too strong for him.
"Step back," Was-Grounded said to him.
Was-Grounded stepped up to the mouth of the trap and looked closely at the metal holding the trap's mouth closed. He brought forth his hottest fire, an intense and narrow white flame, directly onto the metal.
Shadowwing was amazed at how long the flame held even if it was a fine stream. And it still held long after he thought it should have ended.
Ok, there is something about dragon fire that I definitely do not understand.
The metal seemed to glow from within and almost dripped when the flaming stream ended. Then Was-Grounded reached up to grab the trap's bars and pulled on the cell's door. The padlock was easily twisted apart, and the cell's door swung open.
The Nadder darted out of the cell and vanished outside like the other freed dragons.
"How do you make your fire that hot?" Shadowwing exclaimed in amazement.
"I want it that hot and it is."
"That is not helpful..." he grumbled back.
From where they stood, they could see into one of the side alcoves. It appeared to have yet another barred cell inside it. And there was something else in the air that was... familiar?
"I think there is another trap back there," Was-Grounded mumbled.
They strode down the short path together. They turned around the corner and then saw the sleeping dragon in the cell.
She looked like a white Night Fury.
The End – Volume II