"For some years I have been afflicted with the belief that flight is possible to man." - Wilbur Wright – Letter to Octave Chanute
To Fly Together
The new-life-season was approaching, and everything was peaceful for now. Many of the kin were only slowly starting to rise from long sleeps. Everyone still slept much as the cold was still great in the air.
Was-Grounded remained where he was on his warmed rock-bed and up against Green-Wings. All his nest-kin piled in around him except for Dawn-Singer. His first was taking more of his life-flight out of the den and among the other two-legs whom he held close to the liver.
Life in this tree-den and mixed-nest is not much bad. It is warmer, safer, and much closer to food, our own kin, and the good two-legs.
Quiet almost-sleep restfulness filled with the purrs of his nest-kin passed until Dawn-Singer darted inside and forcefully closed the mouth to the den while giving a soft growl-whine. His tail drooped behind him as he shuffled over to the fire and collapsed by it, moaning softly as he did so. It was very much not like his first little one, not truly a little one now. Dawn-Singer was flying on his fourth season-cycle now and was starting to get his adult head-frills, a certain sign that he was life-making mature now, even if he was not yet his full size.
"Dawn-Singer, what is chilling you?"
The first of his liver opened heavy eyes and rumbled sadly.
"I had a fight."
"A fight? Did you win?"
"No, I lost..."
Was-Grounded blinked and warbled in alarm and surprise.
"What? How could a Night Fury lose a fight?"
"It was a fight with a two-leg..."
"Why? Why did you fight?"
Dawn-Singer weakly hung his head.
"He was false in his liver..."
Was-Grounded gasped in shock.
"False? What do you mean?"
"I thought that he was warmed by being around me and sharing words with me. He only wanted to make me his... almost bond-kin."
"What do you mean his almost bond-kin? What did he want to do?"
Dawn-Singer sighed.
"He said that I should put the carrying-things on my back because he wants them on me. I... think he wants to be the first two-leg to have a Night Fury..."
Dawn-Singer softly snarled.
"... as its life-thrall."
It was the first time he had ever heard his Dawn-Singer show any anger at all toward two-legs. And the way that Dawn-Singer put it was rather chilling.
"Dawn-Singer, I think you and he did not hear the other. Two-legs are much warmed by us sharing our wings and backs with them. Remember that they do not have any wings and are much grounded in the cold-season."
Sad grumbling and drooping ears followed.
"Maybe... I am not so certain that I know two-legs now. I thought that I did. Sire, you said that you had a much-warm two-leg who was almost like a nestmate to you. How did you know what he wanted? How did you see into his liver?"
That is no easy question to fly...
"I learned with many sun-cycles with him. I did not know what to think of him at first, but I saw into his liver."
"And he never did anything life-twisting?"
Was-Grounded snorted at that.
"Almost every sun-cycle was another twistedness, but I never thought that he wished me any bad or wanted to make me a thrall."
Our first meeting does not truly count...
Dawn-Singer looked over at him and heavily sighed without saying anything.
"I did say that it can hurt to let another touch your liver. There is much learning that both you and any two-legs you hold close must do," Was-Grounded kindly continued.
"I know, but it hurts to learn that another is not what I thought they were," Dawn-Singer groaned.
Was-Grounded got up and walked over to his first whom he nosed on the shoulder.
"The winds of life are not always only warm. And you always have your nest-kin here. We will not turn tails on you."
Dawn-Singer sighed and closed his eyes to find some comfort in sleep in the fire's warmth.
Was-Grounded tried to return to sleep but found himself unable to do so. A biting thought kept nipping at his tail.
Is that truth? Is that what we are to the two-legs? Things to use for flying? Not that flying is bad in any way and the other kin do not seem to care, but...
I wonder what Hiccup thought of me before. Was I only something to use to touch the sky?
"No!" Shadowwing exclaimed, wide eyed with alarm.
"Liver-truth?"
"That is liver-truth. Brother, why would you think that about me?"
Was-Grounded softly groaned and lay down before them both to regard them. Luna was busy nuzzling Moon-Dancer's nose at his brother's side with their tails entwined as usual. Even so, she was clearly listening in on the conversation.
"Dawn-Singer had a fight with one of his friend two-legs. The two-leg seemed to think that Dawn-Singer was a four-leg kin-thrall with wings to use for flying and not a life like it."
Shadowwing weakly sighed at hearing that.
"Not all two-legs think well. They do have rock-head problems."
Luna snickered at that and mumbled something about rocks in their heads.
"But one rotted or smelling bad fish should not foul the pile," Shadowwing continued.
"No, it should not, but it makes the entire pile smell bad," Was-Grounded answered.
He paused and warily continued.
"What about me? What was I to you when you were a two-leg? We have never shared words on this. It will not change anything now, but I do want to know."
Luna lifted her head at this and tilted it slightly in anticipation.
Shadowwing stared directly into his brother's deep green eyes.
"I felt warmed whenever I played with you. When I brought you fish to eat, when we played tag and," he paused and snorted, "throw the little two-leg in the water..."
Throaty chuckling followed that remark.
"... and sleep with my head on the two-leg's belly so he cannot leave. Grr... but you wanted to see me, you were happy and warmed when I came to our friend-place. None in my home-nest wanted to see me, but you were different and warmer even though you were a kin. I wanted to help your hurt and let you fly again."
Shadowwing looked to consider his words for a moment.
"I did feel great warmth from flying with you when we learned how, but I would have helped you into the sky even if I could not follow. I probably could have made a not-tailfin that would let you fly on your own if I had many sun-cycles to think about making it. I would also have wanted to be your life-bond two-leg even if you were always to be a grounded kin."
He seemed to groan at himself.
"Without becoming a kin though I might not have known how strong your thinking was or that you could talk, but I do not think that I could have thought of you as a small-thinking life-thrall. I hope not."
Was-Grounded only purred during the entire explanation. He finally spoke again after listening throughout.
"I think I knew all that about you. You always were different. I wish I knew what the problem is with this one two-leg."
"Maybe it forgot that Dawn-Singer is not like the other kin. Maybe it wants much to fly after the cold-season and was not thinking good thoughts," Shadowwing mused.
Was-Grounded suddenly laughed deeply.
"I know what to do! I will tell Dawn-Singer to grab that two-leg in his arms, fly very fast and spin with him, leave him high up on a mountain, and picture-talk. That two-leg wants flying, and it will have flying..."
"What you did with Astrid?" Shadowwing calmly asked.
"Yes," Was-Grounded grinned a toothy grin and left, closing the door behind him as he departed.
Luna turned to him after Was-Grounded left. She paused a moment and asked the question.
"What are we to the two-legs here?"
"What do you mean?" he groaned.
Her puzzled growl followed.
"I wonder if they see us as you did Was-Grounded once, or if they see us as work-four-legs with wings. Or maybe they only think of us as kin to claim and mark in their own way."
"Not all of them are false. Some are only confused."
"Maybe, but I still think you were a different two-leg. I think you always had the life-fire of a kin and were hatched in the wrong body. You and your dam, Kin-liver."
He could summon no answer to that, having now been told that by two of the most important people in his life.
Dawn-Singer was very nervous. Great sire had shared with him an idea with lift that might help him learn what was so life-twisted about that one two-leg. The two-leg, named Erevan, whatever that meant, had a younger female nestmate named Helga, and she was better-thinking and more understanding in most things. In all things actually.
He stalked up closer behind Erevan, hesitated, and made up his mind with a growl. He confidently strode forward until he stood behind his was-friend, all without the two-leg noticing.
He huffed in Erevan's head-fur.
"Dawn-Singer! You..."
You want to fly
"Well, yes. Should I go get the saddle for you?"
His answer was to reach out and grab the two-leg in his forearms and leap for the sky.
"What are you-"
The screaming started. The whistling wind helped to block out the annoying sound.
Great skies... two-legs! Why are you so twisting!
Higher and higher they flew until he was sure that the two-leg's lungs were going to give out from overuse.
I think we are high enough.
He leveled off and started smoothly gliding. Erevan eventually calmed somewhat. Enough to speak at least.
"What are you doing, you stupid dragon! This is not how you fly! Listen to me, we are going to-"
He dropped Erevan.
Unlike certain other two-legs who had strong life-bonds with their kin and now wore the false-wings that let them glide-fall through the sky, Erevan did not.
Keep flapping those arms, you stupid two-leg! It will not help you stop falling... falling!
He finally decided that enough of a lesson had been taught, dove after him, and caught the two-leg. But there was something wrong with it.
Why are you sleeping? Does falling make two-legs sleep? I will never understand two-legs at this speed of flying.
He eventually landed far outside the Haven-nest, confirmed that Erevan was still sleeping, and covered the liver-twisting two-leg with a wing. The two-leg woke up shortly thereafter, and did so with a bit of whimpering and crying.
Now we talk!
"Why did you... do that to me? I could have... died."
Easy catch
Why do you think I am yours?
"Because that is how it works, right? Everyone gets a dragon of our own?" Erevan softly sniffled.
Dawn-Singer snarled softly and wrote furiously.
You cannot take a place on my back
I will not let you or any do that
That is something I can give
You cannot earn it or expect it
Erevan looked at the words and eventually nodded. Some of Dawn-Singer's own growling frustration started to fade.
Why did you yell at me?
And tell me what to do?
"I... I thought we were friends and that meant we should fly together. And we have been stuck inside for so long during the winter that I wanted to finally fly with my own dragon," Erevan sighed.
But I am not your dragon
"Can... can I try again? Can we be friends again?"
Dawn-Singer paused, his claw hovering over the dirt as he pondered his answer.
It will take time
I will fly you home
He did not give Erevan a chance to object, grabbed the two-leg in his forearms, his own back was a definite no-sitting-place, and flew back to the Haven-nest. He dove down, gently dropped the two-leg off outside the cave-den that he knew he nested in, briefly nodded to a confused and humored Helga, and took to the sky to find some peace and warmth in gliding.
And all the while he softly moaned with a faint liver-chill. On the one paw, he knew that he had done good to remind this two-leg, who it seemed did not mean any true bad, that kin are not to be thought of as things to use. On the other paw though, it still hurt to know that one he thought he knew well had some rotted thinking hiding in its liver.
Maybe he will throw that rot out now. Maybe he will learn and be different.
He snorted.
I wonder how great sire knew that this flight had lift.
"You can do it Moon-Dancer! Fly!"
His son hopped around the house while flapping wildly, even managing several lengths of successful gliding.
His son pitched forward wildly and tumbled with a squeal onto his back. Luna was at his side a moment later to make sure that nothing was hurt. Nothing was hurt as Moon-Dancer bounded to his feet in the next breath and flung out his wings again with a happy growl.
"He has such strong life-fire!" Luna happily hummed as she watched Moon-Dancer bouncing around.
"He gets that from me," he teased.
Her head slowly swiveled toward him.
"And from you!" he quickly clarified.
Her faint snarl changed into a warm purr. He only warily grinned and turned his attention back to their son.
Great skies, sometimes I wonder about her. Definitely playfulness... I hope.
Moon-Dancer eventually tired of his play and slowly crept back to the sleeping rock where Luna was resting. He leapt up to her side and burrowed under a wing.
"You will be a very strong flier, son. Very much like your sire-father," she hummed.
He popped his little head out and blinked at her.
"And like your dam-mother," Shadowwing added with a playful wing-swipe at her head.
"Dammmm," Moon-Dancer hummed.
They both gasped and looked down at him.
"Did you talk?" Luna nuzzled his nose.
"Dammmm," Moon-Dancer licked her nose.
"Me? What about me, little one?" Shadowwing crouched down as well.
"Srrrree."
"Almost, my little one, sire, sire, sire," Shadowwing chuckled.
"Srrrree."
More happy chuckling followed.
"He is starting to talk much sooner than Green-Wings said that her little ones did. His thinking is very strong," Luna warmly hummed after nuzzling the little one again.
The opportunity was too great.
"He gets that from me," Shadowwing whispered.
And he bounded out of the way to dodge the anticipated tail strike.
"And... you sat and sang to his egg very well," he hastily added.
She laughed at him, and he laughed as well.
"Just my luck, I mean really? Why must I be the one to always..."
"Eret! Get over here!"
He threw aside the shovel coated in... fertilizer... and huffed over to the source of the summons.
Do gooder-dragon riders! Got a problem, got a load of dung to get rid of, need some fish for your beastie, send for Eret. Poor, helpless Eret!
"I'm coming, sir!"
What did I do to deserve all this? I mean really? I was trying to be considerate to them and not be violent and all and it was just good business... it's not my fault that...
The Nord Chief was standing before him, and the large but somewhat short man had his arms across his chest.
"Chief Thorvald, my pleasure. How may I assist you today?"
"You can talk to me, Eret son of Eret. How are you?"
Eret stared in surprise and remembered to close his mouth.
"Uh, what are you asking?"
"How are you doing in our world? Other than the work of course, gods above, that part must not be pleasant."
Eret resisted the urge to make a snide remark. Making a smart comment would be dumb assuming that the Chief understood, which was itself a questionable proposition.
"Your world here at Haven is very... different."
"Oh, that is certainly true. But what do you think about it?"
"It's certainly amazing how you have trained these beasts to do things for you," he admitted.
"Trained them? I guess we do some training for certain things, yeah. But it is not like training a wolf exactly. It is more of a... relationship..."
"I will not understand it."
"Actually, that is what I want you to do something about Eret. Go get a bucket of fish and meet me back here."
"Sure thing, Chief."
Eret turned away from him and proceeded to the storage building.
Wait, did I just voluntarily call him my Chief? Must have been a mistake. I mean, he is a good leader and not a barbarian but that was just a mistake.
He fetched a bucket of fish and returned to the square where the Chief... where Thorvald was waiting for him.
"Excellent, you are back. Follow me Eret."
They started walking.
"Tell me Eret, what type of dragon here is your favorite?"
"My favorite? Why do you ask?"
"Oh, everyone has their own preference. Some are more gentle, others play more, some people go for fire..."
"Well, I guess the Nadders have always had a deadly beauty about them. Sometimes they seem like overgrown, playful birds... chickens. But I remember their poison spines and very hot fire," Eret answered.
Thorvald chuckled at that.
"This is perfect. I want you to meet your next task."
"Next task?"
"Yep, I spoke with people through the village and everyone agreed that you've been pulling your weight all through the winter. Never grumbling, at least not when people can hear you. Keeping the fish supplies stocked. Cleaning up."
"So what do you want me to do?"
Thorvald led him to a large stable on the outskirts of the village. The stable had a large blue and green Nadder inside.
"Do you know this one?" Thorvald asked.
"Uh, not really. Should I?"
"Her name is Stormfly. She is one of the smarter ones, and was one of the first dragons we ever got when we were back on Berk. Her former rider... was our last Chief, Astrid the Dragon Whisperer."
Eret gasped in amazement.
"The one on the wall in the Great Hall? She killed Bludvist."
Thorvald lowered his eyes to the ground and sighed.
"Yes, I do not know how that fight went, but we found them both dead at the bottom of a small cliff, Drago with a dagger in his neck."
"What do you want out of me?"
"Stormfly was always one of the friendlier and smarter dragons, but she has not been herself since. She truly cared for Astrid, even if you find that hard to believe. I know that you probably don't believe it, but she did not even take a mate last year when most of the dragons did and I doubt that she would try to this year. That is why she is still here now and not with the other dragons."
Eret blinked as he started to understand what was going on.
"She's going to need someone to look out for her and maybe show her some kindness," Thorvald continued.
Said Nadder was indeed awake and looking intently at them both.
"You want me to... look out for it... for her?"
"Yes, almost all of the rest of us have our own dragons we are close to, and they can be jealous of their humans. I know Hookedfang is of me, Sifa, and our kids."
"But you are trying to make me a dragon rider! I don't know if I should consider that an honor or what."
"Why not though? What do you have to lose?"
"Fair point since you won't let me leave," he muttered.
"Do you know how it feels to touch the clouds?" Thorvald asked.
"The spray of the sea is enough for me."
"Just try this. Spend some time with her, be friendly, and you might find that you are not the only one who feels lost here," Thorvald softly groaned.
The Chief left him alone.
Finally, I can have some-
The Nadder, Stormfly, was staring at him with her birdlike head slightly tilted, as if with curiosity.
He blinked.
She blinked and chirped.
"Uh, your Chief... wants me to come over here and... Oh, what am I doing, thinking that a dragon can understand me?"
Except for Furies, but they do not count.
"I bet you want some fish, huh?" he mumbled as he stepped closer.
He reached into the bucket and tossed a fish at said Nadder. The dragon swallowed the fish whole.
"See, knew it. Everything is fine with you."
The Nadder slowly sniffed at him and gave a warble that almost sounded disappointed.
"What? What's with you? I know I am not your Astrid but-"
He froze when the Nadder swung its head at him and stared.
Right after he had said Astrid's name.
Uh, that is strange... no way it understood.
The Nadder looked away from him and lay its head on the ground with a heavy sigh.
The dragon almost looked sad. Alone. Almost as lost as he was.
"No way... you don't... miss her, do you?"
He stood up and put his hands on his head, trying not to think about what he had spent his whole life doing. Catching and selling creatures that it seemed could have... feelings or something like feelings.
And he felt something in his chest that he had not felt before. Something confusing.
Sympathy. Pity.
He turned back toward Stormfly.
"Hey uh, Stormfly..."
An eye lazily opened and stared at him.
"Ok, so you know your name at least..."
He slowly walked over to it and stretched out a hand toward the great nose. The great beak could easily take off the hand if it wanted. It could burn him to a crisp in seconds if it wanted.
It did not move as he closely rested the open palm on its nose. Neither of them moved for several seconds. He caught his breath again.
"I'm... not her... and I don't know... what I'm doing, but I don't think I'm going anywhere soon."
That great nose might have pressed a little harder against his palm. It may have been only his imagination. A simple beast wouldn't do such a thing.
But he now had some reason to doubt everything he had known and thought about the creatures.
Maybe it was the faint warmth in his chest. A warmth that had not been there before.
The trees were putting out green life, and there was a warmth in the air and a fire in life-water now. Other remaining kin were already answering their natural life-making needs, much to the confusion and amusement of the two-legs in the mixed-nest.
Luna bounded outside with Moon-Dancer securely on her back and went to Was-Grounded's tree-cave-den. A bark announced her presence before she nosed her way inside.
"Luna?" Green-Wings called out from within with her youngest, Mist-Wings, still dozing under a green wing.
Luna ran over to the nest-kin Night Fury whom she trusted fully, waking Mist-Wings in the process.
"Green-Wings, will you and Was-Grounded shelter Moon-Dancer for us?"
"Yes, are you taking Shadowwing on your flight?"
"Yes," she hummed back.
Moon-Dancer was on the cave-ground and dashing after little Mist-Wings in growling play as they had done before many times over the cold-season. He was in good paws.
"Play!" Moon-Dancer growled.
Luna turned and dashed back to her own cave-den to await her mate's return from grabbing fish.
How am I going to twist his tail this time? Hmm, outflying him is not a good flight. Hiding from him is too easy...
She sat down immediately inside the mouth of the tree-den and waited while she thought of how to foul his flight as much as possible. He returned and bounded inside, quickly scrambling to a stop with his nose before hers.
"We need to talk," she growled.
He gave a worried growl as he stepped back from her.
"About what?"
"You and me..."
He gulped in fear as his ears went back. A worried warble escaped him.
"Where is Moon-Dancer?" he hastily asked.
"Your brother and Green-Wings have him. Follow me!"
She bounded out the den and flew away from the Haven-nest and toward the open plains. He was not far behind as she dove in for a landing on the grass. She sat down and curled her tail around her front.
He was standing in front of her and had a very worried look and feel on his face and in his voice.
"Luna, what is twisting you?"
"You are," she hissed.
"Me?" he gave a very confused bark.
"Yes, you. Why should I fly with you?"
"Fly with me?"
She groaned and rolled her eyes.
"A mating flight, you rock-head!"
He blinked in shock and almost face-pawed at his stupidity.
Oh, I get it now... Yeah! Why indeed?
"Why should you want to fly with a big, strong Alpha who keeps the peace in the nest and is a good, warm sire-father?"
He stood proudly and held his shoulders high while smugly grinning.
She blinked and stared, appearing thoroughly unimpressed as her tail tapped on the ground.
He only grumbled softly.
Not impressed. Alright, need a bit more wooing... Uh... singing.
"I will bring you piles of fish, and I will even sing you songs."
She snorted.
"I do not need your piles of fish, and I care not for your songs," she growled.
He lowered himself to the ground with a play-growl and swaying tail.
Tough. Maybe she wants to play rough first?
She only sat there, impassive and unmoved, and that greatly confused him.
Alright, I know you are playing tough to get. But I also know you want me, life-mates and all... Hmm, what do I not understand about this? Is there something I am supposed to...
And he remembered some candid advice that his brother had given him.
Not really sure how it is supposed to help, but I might as well. He would know best.
It only took a couple seconds to do, and he grinned at her.
Her unimpressed look slowly changed into a mix of confusion and faint alarm. Her tail stopped swaying, and she gave a very confused grunt. She struggled to speak for a while.
He shook his tailfins over his head.
"What... are... you... doing?" she finally mumbled.
It was with those words of hers that he finally realized exactly how absurd it was. And how well he had been played in revenge for some choice words shared with Green-Wings years ago.
'I will foul your flight for this.'
His wild, smug grin faded into a completely neutral glare into another world as he let his tail drop down to the ground behind him.
I will foul your flight for this!
Luna collapsed onto her side with laughter. She beat the ground with a forelimb and apparently struggled to breathe, so great was her humor.
He only grinned stupidly and stared down at the ground.
"What... was... that?" she gasped.
"I do not know. My brother, may he step in waste, fouled my flight by telling me false things."
She recovered herself, flew to her feet, and pranced over to him, still chuckling wildly with her mirth. She hopped around him while brushing her wings against his side.
"How can I resist such display?" she laughed.
He groaned and hid his eyes in his shame and dismay.
She pounced while he was unaware.
Was-Grounded had barely had time to recover himself after watching how well he had fouled his brother's flight when they started play-fighting in the long grass. Luna threw herself at her mate to pin him, and he shoved her off and lunged at her.
And my revenge for his telling Green-Wings my old twisted name is flown. I know he will want to fight me later, if he still has any life-fire after her. I doubt that.
Shadowwing pinned Luna and hopped off her. They were off after finishing their play-fight, racing toward the clouds in their eagerness.
He sat down and waited as the flight-time passed. His thoughts turned to the far distant egg-hatching warm-bubble water island. It might be a couple more moon-cycles before the kin there returned with their fledglings.
He spotted the black and white mass tumbling from the clouds as one, wrapped up in her white wings. They fell from the heights until they separated and winged back toward the Haven-nest with much warm play and wing touching.
Give them enough time to get to the home-den, and I can fly the second wing of this revenge flight.
After a sufficient amount of time had passed, he flew back to the Haven-nest and found the largest fish he could. He snuck inside the home-den next to his.
They were up on their sleeping-rock as Shadowwing coiled partly around her and sheltered her under a wing, both of them asleep in restful peace. He walked over and stood near them, silently observing them as they slept. He bit the fish in half and placed both halves before the sleeping pair for when they woke up.
"Useless kin..." he whispered in Shadowwing's ear before sneaking out the den while giving a muffled laugh.
He returned to his own cave-den where Green-Wings had her tailfins sheltering two hatchlings, both sound asleep after much play.
"So?" she asked.
"They flew well and are sleeping now. I am waiting for that sun when we fly," he nuzzled her nose.
She returned a happy growl and a slightly narrowed gaze.
"Very soon, my life-mate. I feel a warm fire in my liver even now. We could fly now and have our little ones watch the hatchlings," she hummed while nipping his ears.
As appealing as the idea was, it still felt like a slight breaking of trust.
"No, they wanted us to shelter Moon-Dancer, and we will. But when they wake up..." he teased as he nibbled on her ears as well.
Shadowwing awoke to warmth and everything being completely right with the world. He was on his warm stone-bed, Luna was nestled up against him in his arms, their tails were entwined, and Moon-Dancer was surely just next door.
Everything was perfect.
There was something else though that was very puzzling.
A fish.
More specifically, an enormous cod neatly bitten in half and deposited right before each of them. It was not hard to guess who had put it there.
So, he finally returned the favor... how thoughtful of him. I am still going to get back at him someday. Note to self, never take wooing advice from him again, despite how successful he and Green-Wings are...
Though, it is my fault for believing him at all. I totally fell for that one. Why did I ever think that a tail display would... actually, it got her to laugh at me, and that helped... I think...
He lowered his head, rested on her neck, and purred deeply. She stirred at his touch while keeping her eyes shut.
"Are you hungry?" he whispered.
"Yes," she softly rumbled.
He withdrew his head and looked forward.
"Open your eyes."
She did and blinked in surprise.
"Where did the fish come from?"
"My brother brought it. I gave him and Green-Wings a fish gift when they became life-mates. They knew we were going flying."
She got to her feet and leaned forward to pick up her half. She gladly swallowed it and licked her lips in satisfaction.
"Yes, they knew. I gave them Moon-Dancer to nuzzle. And that was a good fish," she hummed.
He disposed of his own piece as well.
"As good as the fish was, I am still hungry," he groaned.
"You did do much..." she answered.
"I... what?"
She laughed openly at him, hopped to her feet, and dashed outside with him in close pursuit.
"Are you... teasing me?"
"That is an easy flight!"
They strolled through the village together to the nearest fish station. Several fresh catches vanished into their bellies in moments after arriving at the feeding station, and they turned back for home. Several other dragons trilled happily in greeting as they passed.
They were met with two other adult Furies standing there and patiently waiting for them.
Shadowwing's gaze locked on his brother's eyes.
"Brother," Shadowwing hissed.
"Brother," Was-Grounded hissed.
"You gave me very good flight guiding with the tail-display," Shadowwing hummed.
"Wait, what?" Was-Grounded exclaimed in surprise.
"Yes, it helped me much to warm the ice around Luna's liver..." Shadowwing explained.
"There was no ice. Only twisting of his liver..." she objected.
"As I said, her laughing much melted the ice, and we flew very high together," Shadowwing continued with a warm hum and a very quick sticking out of his tongue.
He walked over to his brother and whispered.
"You try to foul my flight, and it helped me fly with her. Useless kin."
"What!" Was-Grounded exclaimed in a mix of dismay and amusement. A very heavy huffing sigh followed.
"And now, you will watch all of our young ones and your hatchling. My mate and I are going flying," Green-Wings declared.
Both she and Was-Grounded were gone in moments.
Shadowwing and Luna watched as the other two flew off toward the mountains and disappeared. They entered the other house where the younger siblings were resting or practicing letters in sand. Mist-Wings and Moon-Dancer were dozing on the rock-bed.
"Shadowwing, Luna!" Rain-Eater and Aurora happily growled.
"How are you, little ones?" Luna happily bounded over to them.
"Warm. Did you make a new egg?" Aurora asked.
"I think so," Luna hummed.
"Good, sire and dam are flying now," Aurora hummed.
Shadowwing happily sighed.
I will never get over how casual they are about it. No shame or awkwardness even at their age. Though we are more practical about basically everything.
He purred softly as Luna walked over to the other stone-bed, hopped up onto it, and put a white wing over the two dozing hatchlings. He noticed something else that warmed his heart to see.
Aurora and Rain-Eater have been playing together in peace. I guess she outgrew that bit of sibling rivalry or at least mellowed at some point. That is part of growing up.
Aurora's scales and wing-skin had started to turn very slightly from the pitch darkness that they had been. There was, even now in the dimmer light inside the house, a faint green and blue shine on them to match her eyes.
She will be quite stunning when she grows up. Quite like what she is named for.
"He is ready," Luna hummed.
Shadowwing bounded on his feet in his eagerness at the thought. Only a couple of weeks had passed since his and Luna's first flight together this year, but even in that time Moon-Dancer had shown much progress with his wings. There had been several cases in which he had managed several house lengths of flight.
But it was time for a true test.
"I will take him," he answered.
He bounded over to his sleeping son.
"Moon-Dancer," he hummed.
A head appeared from under a small wing, and sleepy eyes blinked at him.
"Time to fly!"
Moon-Dancer's eyes went very wide at the recognized words.
"Flying!" Moon-Dancer happily exclaimed.
Shadowwing grabbed him and turned for the open door as Luna led them both outside. And they were soaring high over the village moments later, his precious son clutched to his breast.
'Then they drop their hatchling...'
Great skies, I am about to do this. I am going to drop my son and hope that he learned how to fly.
But he remembered all the practice flying and gliding Moon-Dancer had already done.
He is ready, but am I? Am I ready to let go and... have him fly on his own?
A quick glance confirmed that Luna was gliding below and attentively watching.
Moon-Dancer trilled happily against his chest and whipped his tail in eagerness.
Shadowwing took a deep breath and closed his eyes.
"Fly..." Moon Dancer hummed.
Shadowwing let go of his son.
He heard nothing except the wind whistling in his ears as he glided. He peeked open his eyes and saw Moon-Dancer calmly flying several lengths below and before him in a steady, stable flight.
His heart burned aglow for his son's triumph and first truly free flight.
Oh son, I'm so proud of you!
He roared aloud with joy, a cry which Luna echoed from below. Even Moon-Dancer, rather reserved for a now-fledgling, added his voice to their shared cry. The call was echoed from down below as Dawn-Singer, Aurora, Rain-Eater, and Green-Wings rose as well to join them in the flight. Was-Grounded stayed down below on his overlooking perch while keeping Mist-Wings at his side. She was getting closer to being ready to fly as well, though Moon-Dancer was definitely much earlier to stretch his wings.
The flight above flew in peace together, spinning and dancing in the sky, until Moon-Dancer started to slow and tire, at which point they turned back and glided for home and rest.
The last things that Shadowwing saw before he dove down after Luna and Moon-Dancer were the distant scouts high up the sky keeping watch over the distant horizon for the return of the other dragons.
Or the appearance of anything more sinister.