"Go out of the house to see the moon, and 'tis mere tinsel: it will not please as when its light shines upon your necessary journey." - Ralph Waldo Emerson - Nature
In The Moonlight
He woke up in the middle of the night to a creaking on deck, yawned widely, and looked up at the bright moon far overhead. Three days now they had been at sea on the journey to Haven. Not much had happened in that time. There were no disturbances at all on the sea. There was much sleeping. The greatest drama had come from his own helping to catch fish.
The boat rocked slightly again.
What was that?
He glanced toward the ship's bow and froze at what he saw. The Light Fury was standing upright with her forearms resting on the ship's railing. She had her wings fully unfurled as she looked up into the sky. The soft wind almost made it look like she could be flying from how her wings gently ruffled in the breeze.
There was something beautiful and bittersweet about it. She had barely moved from her place there during the first three days into the venture.
I really hope she is able to fly again one day.
He got up and started slowly walking toward her. His steps creaked the ship's deck underfoot as he walked. She spun around at the slight noise and stared down at him as he froze in place. Her eyes were still wide and shone slightly with the reflected moonlight.
"Shadowwing, you cannot sleep?"
"I was sleeping but I... nothing. How do they feel, your wings?"
She stretched them out again with a hum that was either mournful or hopeful, he could not tell.
"I can almost think that they might be whole and strong again, one sun still to be."
He walked up a respectful distance from her and lay down.
"You heard that my egg-mate was grounded before, and he became sky-hatched again. That is why he took his name. Your hurt was not as bad as others I have seen because you did not lose the wings. Your hurts will heal strong again."
"How are you so sure about that?" she moaned.
"I know it in my liver. You will touch the clouds again."
She folded away her wings and turned around to face him. She took several steps and lay down across from him.
"How many suns now until we are at the new range?" she asked.
"This flight on the water has been fast with the wind. Maybe two more suns."
"And what is the range like? Will you tell me again?"
He hummed as he could easily picture it in his mind.
"The range is very big with many trees and plains. There are many four-leg prey to hunt. There are tall mountains inland that have many caves, one of which is where Was-Grounded and Green-Wings have their den. There is a hot-bubbling-water-pool that is very good to swim in. You will like this, there are no other two-legs there, none except for those going with kin."
"That does sound like a good range," she admitted.
"It will be different this time with the two-legs there. They will build a large nest with many tree-dens for them and for their kin. It will be very good for all."
"I will like it as long as the two-legs stay away from me," she mumbled.
He paused as he tried to consider how to bring up the obvious problem.
"But what will you do in the cold-season? It will be very cold at this range," he warily asked.
"You said that there are many caves, yes?"
"Yes, there are."
"I will find one of them to claim and sleep in."
"Why not sleep in Was-Grounded's and Green-Wings's cave-den? It would be warmer than sleeping alone. They would be warmed to let you sleep with them."
She turned aside slightly and whimpered softly without saying anything for several moments.
"Why do you fear them?" he gently asked.
"I... see them so close and how... warm their livers are to the other. They have a fledgling and another egg in her belly. It... hurts and makes me see what happened to me... How the two-leg-Monsters would hold me down and try to make..."
A solemn moment passed during which neither of them spoke. He tried very hard to not imagine what she did not want to mention.
"But that will not happen now. These two-legs are not Monsters, none of them are. And we are your kin, we will not hurt you."
"Saying those words does not make anything feel different," she whispered.
He looked down and slowly moaned with sadness.
Do you really think that I or my brother would do something like that to you?
He winced as she snarled.
"I will never let that happen to me again! All that time, I never let them foul me! And I will never let a male climb on me... or catch me!" she seethed with her teeth bared.
It was the first time she had shown any true anger at all since their discovery of her.
She turned away and looked back out over the ocean without saying anything more. She curled her tail around to her front and stood there looking up at the sky again as she slowly calmed. He was about to leave her alone and return to his sleep when she spoke.
"Shadowwing, I have been thinking about what you said about what my name should be."
"And? What do you think?" he whispered.
"You said that it should be something of lift to me, something important."
"Yes."
She kept looking up at the night sky.
"The moon," she whispered.
He followed her gaze up to the bright and full moon.
"I am warmed by it and know it from a deep memory. It is high up in the sky, somewhere none but free kin go. But even we do not fly as high as it does. It can fly beyond the end of sight. It is always there even when the clouds hide it. And it can be as dark as your wings or as bright as mine when it wants to."
She looked down at the deck and closed her eyes.
"It is not trapped under the ground. It is free. Every time I see it I think that I might fly again as it does."
"Luna?" he offered.
"What?" she rumbled her confusion.
"Luna. It is another, better way of saying 'like the moon' and all the things you said. Filled with mystery and a little sad but free and flying."
"Luna… Luna…" the name rolled off her tongue several times.
"Do… do you like it?" he nervously asked.
She visibly relaxed and hummed while staring up at the moon.
"I do like it. I am Luna."
He remained awake and stared at her after she curled up again and went back to sleep. The moonlight almost sparkled off her wings and scales as she dozed. One thing that she had said kept echoing in his thoughts.
You never stopped fighting and resisting. You did not let them... That is very strong and brave of you, Luna.
Sigh.
If only I had been that strong...
She lay her head down on her forearms and rested, just as she had done for several suns in a row now. She always did so in the same place where she could watch the two-legs as they worked to help the water-walker keeping walking on the ocean.
They never disturbed her except to bring fish or let her drink water. None of them tried to touch her or do any bad bonding-ceremonies. That was good. They should stay away from her as much as possible.
Shadowwing was aloft and looking for fish. She had already seen him send his fire into the water several times and swoop down to grab dead fish from the water, either for himself or for her and the two-legs. Watching him at that very normal flight was another chilling thing that smothered her liver's warmth.
Her own life-fire seemed to be gone. She could not make any flame even after trying several times.
Maybe that is something that happens to grounded kin. Maybe it is because I was not eating enough. I do not know now. I almost wish I did not remember my fire... such hot fire...
She turned away from him up on the winds and closed her eyes. Her thoughts turned to the range they were going to. It certainly had been described well as a large range with no other two-legs, caves to make a den of her own in, and much hunting.
Hunting...
She did not bother to growl at the idea, knowing full well that she could not hunt well for herself at all now. She briefly glanced at her broken claws that were completely useless for any type of true hunting.
A weak body, no flight, no claws, and no fire,... great sky-breath, I almost sound like a two-leg...
Like weak prey to life...
But she gave a very soft growl as she clenched her teeth and felt a smoldering in her liver.
I have been hatched again. I will survive. I will get strong again. I will fly. I will sharpen my claws against the rocks. I will flame again. The wilds of this new range will be good. No two-leg nest, no bonding, only me.
Sleep was a very twisting thing though now after the first nights of exhausted rest. It was something completely necessary but also chilling because of what it brought with it. Twisted sleep-visions of being back in her trap with the false-vines tied to her neck. Dragged out by a couple pawful of thrall-two-legs and held down on her back as the rotted-empty-liver male thrall-kin were brought over to her.
The past was too powerful, and its teeth bit too deep. If only her life-fire would answer her. If only she could break free.
She awoke without a bellow or cry of alarm and quietly stared at Shadowwing as he now lay on the water-walker as well in rest. There was something about him that seemed especially strange and sad, something that he had not wanted to talk about before. Something that made him, despite how different he was from her, almost similar in a twisted way. She tried to think about what could be biting at his liver.
Does it have to do with the fighting and grounding at the old and broken ice-nest? Probably. He thinks that two-legs are a kin. So twisted and rotted. They can all be scorched for all I care. All are Monsters. All of them can...
She noticed the wind gently ruffling his wings and the wings of the water-walker. And she remembered how her own wings that were broken now might not be in future suns. All because of one special two-leg.
Maybe the Kin-liver can be named a like-kin. If I ever fly again, it will be because of what that two-leg did for my wings. Maybe that one is not bad. But only that one.
The others, even if they think they are warm to their life-thrall-kin... no, I will not let them close to my liver. They cannot be trusted.
'Two-legs are filled with danger... flee on sight.'
She looked up at the moon and briefly wondered at the words she remembered. Where did they come from? What distant winds of the past did those fly from?
She was still pondering that question when she lay back down, hid her head under her tailfins, and fell asleep.
This was something he had never done before, lead an entire flight of kin to a new nest. Every glance at the mass of wings and color behind him flamed his liver. He was a true flight-Alpha and occasionally roared aloud with feeling so that all the other kin would remember his voice.
The flight was a bit slower than he would have preferred. Not many of the kin had the same speed or endurance that he did. The slower flight did help Dawn-Singer since he had to work harder just to keep up with the head of the flight. He also had to spend long stretches of the flight crouched low on Green-Wings's back, his smaller wings not being strong enough for extended flights yet.
And there was Green-Wings. How she managed this flight he was not sure. He could see how heavy she was with the egg, which she would likely need to drop quite soon after returning to the nest-den. Her strength only made his liver burn hotter for her as she flew on without complaint.
The flight arrived at the mainland shore after at the end of the sun's flight. They had made very good speed with the winds at their tails the entire way. Still, for the sake of the other kin, the flight needed to stop and rest. That was another impressive sight, all these many pawfuls of different kin all reclining on the sands with their two-legs nearby. And that said nothing for the far more kin from the bad Alpha's thrall-flight or from the ice nest. All were now his and Shadowwing's. And they were all following one of their Alphas at the moment, and it felt very warming.
"I never thought I would see anything like that," Green-Wings mumbled from his side.
"All the kin-bond two-legs and their kin?"
"Yes."
"By our hatching eggs, you would never have believed the twisted life-flight that our winds could take us on," he answered.
"No, I would not have."
He nuzzled her neck and nipped at her ears.
"And how are you? Can you still make the flight?"
"It will be within a claw-tip, but I think I will."
"You let me know if you need to drop the egg before our den. We can always carry it with us to the den. You will sit it in our good den."
She curled up on the shore after humming to him. Dawn-Singer, however, did not want to sleep.
"Dam is sleeping. I play now!"
"You want to play... I am Monster!"
He softly bellowed and leapt after his fledgling. The little one was chased across the sands until he found an apparent place of refuge between Kin-liver's legs.
He and she stared at each other with amusement.
"I think I have someone of yours..." she muttered.
"Stop the Monster, Kin-liver!" Dawn-Singer pointed a paw at his pursuer.
"What do you want me to do?" she meekly protested.
"Get it!" he squealed.
Valka looked down at her hands and glanced up at an undefended chin. A moment passed and a grin appeared on her face.
Oh, no you don't!
He turned and bounded away from the pair, knowing that she could handle Dawn-Singer now for a long time. That let him wander the beach and meet all the kin, many of which he recognized from before on home-nest-island. Only, now he was his true size again among all of them. All of the kin he passed, no matter their type or what nest they were from, inclined their heads toward him as they should. It made his liver glow with heat.
Further, all the two-legs and kin looked very tired indeed and in need of rest.
He eventually returned to Green-Wings and rested at her side. Kin-liver came over and handed off Dawn-Singer to rest against his chest after much play.
Dawn-Singer will sleep well until we fly. Well flown, Kin-liver.
He watched as the Thorvald-Alpha spoke with Kin-liver for a long time, seemingly quite pleased about something from the smiling and happy voice. They were clearly talking about this flight and about him. He knew enough of their words to follow that at least.
Flame my egg, I need to learn more of their words and picture-talking. I probably need to if I am going to be a good Alpha for the kin and this twisting mixed-nest.
His ears lifted as he watched Kin-liver continue speaking.
Maybe she will help teach me more.
The familiar shore finally came into view on the horizon along with the distant mountains. He recognized it all as it was a place that was close to his liver.
He and Green-Wings both gave a roar of delight and would have sped ahead for their range and den if it were not for Dawn-Singer flying between them. He could not keep up with them in full flight.
The large flight spiraled up and over the cliffs and circled a large clearing by the forest. This open ground would be a good enough place to land for the moment.
Before long the entire flight began spiraling in and touching down. Two-legs dismounted from their kin and stretched their legs while the kin did more collapsing on the ground and sleeping. It was a long flight for them all.
Kin-liver approached at her split-wing jumps-through-cloud's side.
"Was-Grounded, range make two-leg nest?"
He had learned enough of her words at least to be able to answer.
Yes, he nodded.
"Big range. Other two-leg nests not us?"
No.
She nodded back and smiled.
"We make nest here."
He gave a happy growl and considered his task as flight leader fulfilled. He bounded back to Green-Wings and Dawn-Singer and shared the good news.
"We are going to our den now."
"Can the two-legs come to the den?" Dawn-Singer warbled.
"No, only us. No two-legs."
The three of them set out over the familiar forests and toward the mountains and their den. His liver burned with warmth as he passed over the familiar streams, forests, and plains. There were a large number of four-leg prey down below, having had a very good season without being hunted at all.
They dove toward the cave-den that they knew so well. All three of them eagerly bounded inside with happy growls and were very pleased that it was completely unfouled by anything else. Green-Wings immediately went to the deepest part of the den where the sand-nest lay waiting, and she lay herself down by it.
"How long until you have the egg?" he quickly asked.
"I will have it soon this sun."
He grumbled and turned toward the entrance.
"I will get you the long-tooth-grass."
"You... do not need to."
"Why not? It is needed for something."
She groaned softly and looked away from him before answering.
"It is more for me than for the egg. The egg does not need it."
He lifted an eye-ridge and padded over to her as she cautiously looked back up at him. A moment passed, and he licked her clean on the face. He chuckled with mirth at the perturbed look on her face and at how she tried to wipe the mouth-water away using a paw.
"I will bring it for you even so. Now and with every egg that we will have."
She hummed deeply and softly nuzzled his nose.
"My mate?" she whispered.
"Yes," he rumbled back.
"Your egg-mate is very chilled in his liver. I could feel it. Why? I know that the fighting and grounding was bad at the ice nest, but he is more chilled than he should be. He did not lose any of us, any of his kin."
He hesitated before answering her question.
"I told you that he thinks and feels more than most kin. He thinks of some two-legs like his own kin, like nestmates of his own. One of them, the Queen-Alpha spine-tail-friend, was very close to his liver. She died in the fighting. And there was another two-leg, the former male-Alpha of the nest, who was like a sire in some ways to him."
"What?" she blinked in surprise.
"Yes, we did not have a Night Fury sire or dam to teach us and show us the winds of life on our home-nest-island. That male was like a sire to him, and the male died in the fighting."
"It was to him but not to you?"
"No, I was always more... out of the nest and wild."
"I am warmed by that about you. It is true that your egg-mate lost most of his old two-leg nest?" she asked.
"Yes, we are almost all that he has now except for the Kin-liver."
She crouched back over the sand.
"I said that he is kin to me before, and he is my kin now. He may nest with us for all the suns he needs," she eventually said.
He glanced at her, almost in amazement at what she said.
"You would let him nest here?"
"Yes, he has been only good to us, and he has warmth in his liver for all of us. I want us to hold our wings over him."
He licked her cheek again.
"Now you are the one who amazes me," he hummed.
"It is what I must do for my Alpha," she teased.
"Alpha... never an Alpha over you."
"This is a beautiful place for sure," Chief Thorvald announced to the couple dozen fellow refugees nearest to him.
"The Furies said that there are no other tribes that live this side of the far mountains or down the coast. It should be very quiet here," Valka solemnly explained.
"Probably too cold for the others. The other peoples are not true Nords like we are!" Thorvald proudly declared.
"Here, here!" "That's right." "Like hammers!" "None are more stubbornerest than us!" "Who we fightin?"
Even a couple of the nearby dragons joined in with a soft roaring at the cheerful noise.
"Dragonheart, do you think that you could plan out a village here to be our new home?" the Chief asked.
"I suppose so," she replied.
"Good, I would like that. You would understand better than the rest of us how to make a world that our dragons will like. And there certainly are a lot more of them now."
"We can get started by taking down some trees. We won't be able to start on anything large like stables or a Great Hall right now, but we can get started on the basics. They will help a lot," she answered.
They glanced around at the nearby dragons that were peacefully resting after the long flight.
"They will certainly make it faster. They learned to help quite well in making the shelter we were at... before," Thorvald replied.
She nodded and turned for Cloudjumper.
"Dragonheart, there is something else I need to talk to you about," Thorvald got her attention.
"What is it?"
"We... lost our last Elder in the fighting. Some of the dragons attacked even those that were not fighting."
She winced, almost feeling physical pain at hearing that.
"It wasn't that bad for us at least, but the Elder was one of the ones we lost. There is no one who knows dragons better than you now," he continued.
"But I am not one of your tribe, I already told you that and that my loyalties are elsewhere," she answered.
He groaned at that.
"You are a dragon rider. We are dragon riders. Yes, we are the same tribe whether you want that or not. I am not saying that you would need to do all the old rites and ceremonies that do not matter to us now. Loki can have all that stuff. Just be there for us in anything that involves dragons, will you do that for us?"
"I can do that," she eventually answered.
"That is all I can ask for."
He turned back to the couple dozen of his people gathered nearby. Most of them looked exhausted or had bandages of some kind.
"Alright everyone. This is it, our new home. Let's get to it straightaway. We have everything we need to start rebuilding; dragons, fire, wood, cattle, everything..."
"Uh, Chief? There is a problem."
"What is it, Ungart?"
"The ale, Chief. What are we going to do about ale!"
That sent groans of dismay around the whole gathering.
"We are... going to have to make do without ale for a while," he visibly grimaced.
"Nords without ale!" "Why is the ale always gone?" "It's Ragnarok!" "What are we going to do?" "That's it, we're dead!"
Chief Thorvald sighed and rubbed his temples, knowing full well the precariousness of their situation.
"It is an occupational hazard of making a new home. We will trade for ale next year! Be strong and remember that, just like our dragons did years ago, the ale will come back!"
Luna could not look away from the land on the horizon. It fully enthralled her attention, and she stood tall on her hind legs to see as much of it as she could.
Tall mountains capped with white had green running almost all the way up their slopes. Tall cliffs with sharp rocks flanked the coastline. It all looked wild and unspoiled by any two-legs even though she knew that there was a two-leg and kin mixed-nest being made in the range. The sight of the wild and the mountains, of freedom, filled her liver with warmth like nothing else yet. These were sights that she may have not seen in many season-cycles.
I will vanish into that range when I get there and am free again.
Shadowwing walked over and stood a short distance from her.
"That is the range?" she asked.
"Yes, it is a very good range to live in."
"And it has caves where I can sleep in this cold-season?"
"Yes, if that is what you want," he sighed.
"It is. I do not want another to help me."
He paused before answering her.
"What about your wings? You let Kin-liver help you with them."
"I could not do anything about that alone. Only her clever-paws could make those hurts be not," she reluctantly grumbled.
"What about hunting and food? Did you know that the two-legs and their kin always catch much fish and put them where the kin can eat down in the mixed nest?"
She said nothing for several moments as she watched the visible kin on the ground and in the air. Her gaze fixed on the false-vines and two-leg riding-things wrapped around the backs of many kin. Her eyes narrowed as she imagined a two-leg trying to make her be its mount, even if he had said that such a thing would not happen. She thought about a two-leg trying to start some life-bonding-ceremony with her, and she faintly snarled at the idea.
Never.
"No, I did not know that. But I will not go into the two-leg nest."
"Why..." he almost growled before quickly stopping.
"Kin should not need two-legs to feed them. It makes us weaker to not do our own hunting and to need to carry them on our backs," she declared.
"Hunting together lets them catch more than they could apart. That means there is more food for all. And the flying together only warms both livers."
"No. I... do not like the idea of needing two-legs for anything."
He inhaled and carefully considered his words.
"Will you give them a chance to show you what is in their livers?"
Luna stared inland for several moments.
"I do not know if I can or if I want to. They are not kin to me," she finally answered with a growl.
He weakly sighed.
Why do you not trust people who have never hurt you and who want to help you? Surely you can see that they are good to their dragons and will not hurt you...
The boat eventually docked as many people appeared on shore and approached. Chief among them were Valka and Thorvald. Shadowwing bounded down from the ship's deck to greet them.
"Well, you are finally here. Was it smooth sailing?" Thorvald asked.
Yes, very peaceful
"Good, we needed all these supplies to keep working here. It is good to have you all back."
He turned away from the Chief, walked over to Valka, and gingerly embraced her.
"How was it out there? Everything go well?" she asked.
Yes, he nodded.
His ears slowly lifted at the one good development that had happened on the water.
She chose a name
"Really, what is it?"
She likes the moon
I suggested Luna and she liked it
"Luna... Luna the Light Fury. It has a good ring to it."
Valka glanced over at the female, now named Luna, currently still sitting on the boat, probably waiting for everyone else to get off it first.
"What is she waiting for?"
He leapt from the ground and flew up to the ship.
"Luna, are you ready to leave the water-walker?"
"Can you make the two-legs stay away from me?"
"If you want, I will walk first and let them know to stay away."
She nervously followed him as he walked down the short pier. Once on land, several people tried to approach to meet the new dragon, and he held out his wings to block them while giving a soft growl. Valka fortunately came over to help explain without needing any help to figure it out.
"Everyone stay back from her. She does not trust any of you."
The dozen or so people who were obviously eager to meet the newest Fury reluctantly stepped back and let the two Furies pass by and continue up the ridge alone. Luna picked up the pace once they had passed by the crowd.
"Look at it, Luna. This is where the two-legs are making their nest."
"I see it. What are those small tree-caves?"
"Those are their home-dens. They will make more dens for their kin to sleep in."
She warily growled at the houses that were being built.
"And what about true caves where we sleep, where are they?" she asked.
He stepped closer to her and looked up toward the mountains.
"You see the tallest mountain?"
"Yes."
"Was-Grounded's and Green-Wings's cave-den is at the bottom of that mountain. There are some other small ones along the mountains."
She gave a happy growl and dashed for the trees with surprising speed.
"Luna, where are you going?"
She paused at the trees and looked back at him. He could not make out her expression as she stared past him toward the other dragons and humans already milling about in activity.
"Not here."
She whipped around and disappeared among the trees.
It was too good to believe or wait around for. She continued to run through the trees, leaving the starting of the two-leg nest far behind. Shadowwing's voice called out for her, but there was no stopping now, not when she was so close to something like freedom for the first time in many season-cycles.
Deeper into the forest she ran until all the sounds and smells of two-legs were long gone. She stopped and caught her breath. The birds were singing, and there were no smells except those of the wild all around her.
A faint warmth began smoldering in her liver again at the feeling of the wild.
This is good.
She slowly stretched out her weak wings and gave them several cautious flaps. Doing so left them weak and pained after several moments, but it was a good pain, a feeling like she had spent a full sun in flight.
One of the birds was disturbed by the motion and flew to a nearby branch to chirp its protest at her. Her eyes followed the bird as it flew back up to its nest.
She folded her wings and continued deeper into the wild, trying to ignore the feeling of wrongness that a small bird still had use of its wings while she was grounded.
Now to find hunting and a den.
She glanced at her ruined and short claws. They were not useful at all for hunting now. It was unlikely that they could grasp at or pierce a four-leg's hide.
And some rocks to sharpen my claws on.
A thought struck her. There was something else that she could try now that she was off the water walker and had been eating well for several suns in a row now.
I can do this.
Her gaze fixed on the grass right before her. She opened her mouth, worked the inner-lung, and felt her fire-air come forth.
The fire-air dripped from her maw with no spark to make the fire-air become a flame.
She softly whined and shivered at the biting reminder of how truly grounded she still was. The defiant voice spoke in her liver.
Luna, what are you? Hunter or prey?
She turned for the deeper forest and ran, imagining that running alone could stoke the embers still burning in her liver.
He almost called out for her again and considered dashing after her. Instead, he let her go.
She does not know this place, but she wants to be alone for a while. I understand that. It actually sounds nice in a way.
Groan.
He slowly turned away and returned to Valka's side as she had been watching the entire encounter.
"She is very afraid of us."
He nodded.
"I think it is understandable because of what they were doing to her and from being so helpless now. Once she gets her flight and claws back, she might be able to trust more."
A contented hum and nod followed.
They do not need me here while they plan their village. And in the meanwhile I have somewhere else to go now.
He glanced up at the mountain and knew exactly where to go. There were some people he needed to see as soon as possible.
I am going to see the other Furies
He threw out his wings and flew toward the familiar cave. He did not immediately bound inside though because there was a small black shape spiraling on the wind outside the cave. Dawn-Singer was flying under Was-Grounded's watchful gaze from the slope near the cave.
He dove and landed next to his brother. He was immediately attacked by a tongue covered in slobber. That had to be intentional.
"Grr, why did you do that?" he groaned while wiping the drool away as well as he could.
"Because I am warmed that you are here now."
Shadowwing rolled his eyes but gave a happy sigh regardless.
"Me too."
"How was the flight on the water-walker?"
"Slow. Nothing happened."
"That is good. More suns with nothing happening is good."
Shadowwing perked up slightly and lifted his ears.
"The female took a name. She is Luna. I suggested it, and she liked it."
"Hmm. Luna. What does it mean?"
"It means 'like the moon'. She said that seeing the moon made her liver warm because it can fly and cannot be a thrall. She also liked it because the moon can be the same color as her wings."
Was-Grounded considered the name for a moment.
"You can give a good name. We will need a new name soon."
Shadowwing had no time to think on that comment because Dawn-Singer dove toward him, hovered in the air, and smoothly dropped onto his back.
"Shadowwing!" Dawn-Singer cried.
The fledgling perched happily there on his back. He craned his own neck around and hummed at his nephew.
"Hello Dawn-Singer, do you remember this cave-den?"
"Yes, I like it. I am happy here," he chirped.
"It is your den where you hatched."
Dawn-Singer eagerly bobbed his head in a nod.
"Sire and dam have new egg."
Shadowwing gasped at hearing that confirmation. Of course they all knew that Green-Wings was carrying another egg, but this was something he had never actually seen before. His and Toothless's egg from many years ago did not count.
He turned to Was-Grounded, who was quite amused at his reaction, and asked the question without any words.
"Yes, get in here and see it."
With his passenger on his back, Shadowwing followed Was-Grounded inside the cave. Deep at the rear of the cave, he spotted Green-Wings laying on the soft sand that had always seemed out of place up here in the cave.
"Shadowwing," she called to him.
They approached her, and Dawn-Singer took the opportunity to hop over onto her back.
"Green-Wings, may I see the egg?" Shadowwing asked.
"Yes," she hummed back.
She got up and brushed aside some of the fresh Dragonsbane to reveal the precious object partly hidden in the sand. It was a perfectly smooth black shell with a faint streak of blue.
His jaw hung open in amazement as he stared at it. He vaguely noticed that Dawn-Singer was also looking down at it with an unreadable expression.
"Look at it, Dawn-Singer, you will have a little nestmate soon."
Dawn-Singer yawned and flicked his tail.
Cool your tail, kiddo. It is not every day you get a new brother or sister, after all. No need to get too excited now...
"How many suns until it hatches?" he asked.
She hummed in brief thought as she replaced herself over the egg.
"Not a half moon-cycle. I carried it longer than Dawn-Singer's egg."
"And when it does hatch," Was-Grounded interjected, "you will give us some names for the hatchling, and we will give it one of the names if it is not a twisted name."
"A twisted name? What? Me do something twisted?"
Shadowwing's happy grin instantly vanished, and he turned away to stare at the den's wall.
"What bad could happen if I ever do anything twisted?" he whispered.
Was-Grounded and Green-Wings shared a glance at how suddenly their guest's life-fire had dimmed.
"What is happening down in the two-leg nest?" Was-Grounded asked.
Shadowwing sighed and collected his thoughts.
"They are making their new tree-dens with their kin helping. The making is slow, but the two-legs have rock-head problems and will make the new-dens be with much work."
"Rock-head problems? They have rocks in their heads?" she was quite confused.
Was-Grounded laughed openly at that and explained the odd phrase.
"Some suns I thought that myself, but no. It means that once the two-legs set their liver on doing something they will fly their whole life-fire on doing that thing and will keep trying. Almost like they are hitting their head against rock and thinking that the rock will break."
Shadowwing turned back to them both with a heavy and almost pained expression.
"I want to ask you both something."
"What is it?" Was-Grounded asked.
"The cold-season is flying to us soon."
"Yes, it is," he answered.
"I am lost in the winds of life now. Many who I held close to my liver are dead and... I know that it is much to ask, but will you let me sleep in your cave-den this cold-season? Can we be one nest for now?"
Green-Wings spoke before Was-Grounded could say anything.
"Come here, Shadowwing."
He slowly padded over to her and sat down before her.
"Speak with liver-truth. Were you the thrall-kin who clawed my Was-Grounded?"
Shadowwing groaned and looked down at the ground, suddenly unable to meet her green eyes.
"Yes. He would say no, but the fault is on my wings and claws, even though I would never try to hurt him."
She leaned forward and licked his cheek.
"What..." he blinked.
"You are my kin. You licked his belly-hurt, and I know that you would not choose to fly against him or try to ground him. We said that we will hold our wings over you while you are life-chilled. Yes, you may nest with us this cold-season and all the seasons you need. Shared warmth is good when one is chilled in the liver," she hummed.
He whined softly in deep feeling as he stepped back from her.
"My liver-thanks, Green-Wings."
"What about the white female not dark wing, the... light wing?" she asked.
"Luna, she named herself Luna, as like the moon. The two-legs call her a Light Fury, like us but different. She is running free in the trees and range now. She does not want to rest with us or nest with us."
"No? Why not?" she asked.
"Do you know what the Monster two-legs were trying to do to her?"
She only answered with bared teeth and a snarl. That was answer enough.
"She is hurt deep in her liver by that and did not want to be around you. She said that seeing you both be warm to your mate made her feel hurt."
"What?" they both exclaimed.
"She hurts by seeing good feeling and liver-warmth? That is much bad rotted thinking," Was-Grounded groaned.
Shadowwing turned around and strode over to mouth of the den where he stopped and turned back to them both.
"She has much healing to do. As do I."
He threw out his wings and took to the sky.
Was-Grounded and Green-Wings returned to each other's side and said nothing for many wingbeats.
"I did not know that one of us could be so chilled that seeing good makes her hurt," she mumbled.
"What do you think about her, about Luna?" he asked.
"What do you mean?"
"She is almost a Night Fury, a dark wing, but she smells a little different. And why is she that color? It is not good for her."
"No, it is not. She cannot hide well or hunt in secret. Maybe her kind of kin is always that color though. Have you ever seen her kind before?" she asked.
"No, I have never seen one of her before. Light wing or Light Fury is a new kin to me," he answered.
"Do you think that a... Light Fury and a Night Fury can be good mates?" she asked.
He froze at that and threw her a wary glance while he considered the question. There were no reasons he could clutch as to why life could not come from such a joining.
"It is very soon for them to think about that, my life-mate," he replied.
She blinked and hummed softly.
"Yes, I know. That is why I am asking you and not them. Do you think they could?"
He wrapped his tail around hers and put a wing over her, in case she wanted any minor reassurance of where his liver lay.
"Yes, they could."