"Our destiny is frequently met in the very paths we take to avoid it." - Jean de La Fontaine - Fables
Grim Hunters
The lone ship was spotted early in the morning. The scouts had confirmed that it was not a trapper ship and only had a minimal crew, so it was not accosted as it continued on its course for Haven. It was followed from above though, and the captain of the ship clearly understood enough of the situation that he did not panic at the sight of his aerial convoy.
The ship pulled into the harbor while flying a flag of peace. A small rowboat was dropped into the water, and a few men rowed to shore. They handed over a scroll, shared a few words with those who greeted them, and rowed back to the ship. The ship turned out for the open waters and left the land in peace.
Chief Thorvald slumped in his chair and gave a very deep sigh. The scroll lay on the table before him.
"Why did I ever learn to read? It is never good news. Hey, someone bring me an ale!"
"Right on it Chief!"
"Make that four. I'm going to need it. We all are," he groaned.
The Chief, Gobber, Valka, and Shadowwing were all gathered together in a private room where they could speak or write freely without being overheard.
"I received a summons from some people who want to talk about a treaty or something like that," Thorvald began.
"A treaty? I doubt it," Gobber objected.
Who is it from?
"Not sure, it is not signed. It says that the Chief of the dragon riders is to meet with these people on the first of Solmanudur."
"But that's next week," Gobber wondered.
"Yeah, we can fly there in half a day. Another odd thing though is that I am supposed to bring a Night Fury with me."
That comment resulted in confused muttering.
Why?
"I think I know," Valka suddenly snarled.
"What?" Thorvald asked.
"Remember how Eret said something about a Grimmel? The person who wants to hunt Night Furies?"
They all nodded in understanding.
"They probably want us to hand over a Night Fury to him as a peace offering," Valka growled.
Shadowwing bared his teeth.
"Never!" "Not happening!"
I almost want to meet this hunter
To let him know what will happen
If he comes here
"How can we trus' that tha summons is not a trap?" Gobber wondered.
"Well, if we see anything suspicious we can just leave. We can send someone of our own ahead of me and let them know that we will only meet on an open beach or plain where it is safe," Thorvald answered.
"I will do that. It is harder for them to down a dragon as big as Cloudjumper, and we have been in some... dangerous places before," Valka explained.
"So, I am going with Dragonheart, and we hope it is not a trap," Thorvald sighed.
I am going with
In case it is a trap
My brother might come also
We will protect you
"Alright, we will make sure to do this as safely as we can though. Anything suspicious from them at all and we leave," Valka firmly declared to nods of agreement.
Was-Grounded considered his brother's idea and hummed in satisfaction.
"It has lift. We see more about the bad nest that wants to fight us and we can see where its blind spots and weaknesses are. Maybe our two-leg flight-leaders can make a peace."
Was-Grounded softly growled at himself after a thoughtful pause.
"But I think not. I think this bad nest has fighting-rot in its liver."
"Still, we will fly with the Alpha and with Kin-liver. We should have two flights when we are there. One, I want to see how many water-walkers they have and what fighting-things they will bring. Two, we can protect the other four from our nest," Shadowwing happily hummed.
"When do we fly?"
"We fly in five new suns."
"I will tell Green-Wings."
They shared a headbutt and Shadowwing stood alone. He darted up to the roof of the Great Hall and looked out over the village while stretching his wings wide in the warm afternoon wind.
Everyone was actively working in some way to help the tribe. Making armor and training for combat, either hand to hand or by instructing the dragons capable of being so trained in a short time, were the main activities.
He saw the amazing sight that always filled him with warmth. The younger or more daring of the dragon riders had fashioned for themselves flightsuits that generally matched in appearance that of their dragons. It was not an uncommon sight now to see several of the riders gliding from the sky after having leapt from their dragons. Usually, this was in play.
Now they were preparing to do this for possible combat. Learning how to control the descent, land smoothly, and roll to their feet with weapons drawn. The Furies who could safely carry riders, himself included, helped in the teaching by taking several groups of trainees into the sky and flying down to the ground at their sides, just in case anything went wrong.
Valka took the time to teach those who were accomplished at gliding and also had some skill with materials the finer points of cage-breaking. Being able to free trapped dragons was always a worthy activity, especially for those who were not fighters.
The only problem with this is that the best fighters among the tribe, the biggest and strongest, are not exactly the best suited for flying. They cannot really glide that way since they are carrying a bit too much weight with them. Oh well, they will have to settle for something a bit more traditional.
His gaze was again drawn out to the horizon. He let out a savage growl at the prospect of meeting someone who was the self-professed hunter of Night Furies. He blinked and chuckled to himself.
I haven't actually killed anyone yet. Wouldn't that be ironic if he is the first one. If he is what he claims to be, I just might want that honor of being the one to end him.
Down, down, down.
Spinning.
Rays of light.
Flashes of green.
Sparkling glow.
The roar of waters.
The spin of many wings.
The rushing wind pulling him down, down, down.
Warmth all throughout the pale skies.
Dragons flying freely to the ranges that were best for them.
A dying sun on a clear rock that burned with inner light.
And the dying sun looked out over its world and saw that all was good, pure, and unspoiled by Monsters. As the doors started to close and crumble one by one at its command.
It lifted its weary head and stared directly into his soul.
Who are you, dark wing? Dragon or human?
The question was as a spike driven straight through his heart as it dragged him down, down, down.
And he awoke with a cry of alarm and fading panic.
Shadowwing caught his breath as Luna also settled down after being awoken by his outcry.
"What was that?" she whispered.
"Bad sleep-vision..." he mumbled.
"I knew that. Is this about the flight to meet the bad two-leg-Alpha?" she softly growled.
"Maybe, I do not know. My thinking is much... twisted now."
"I would guide you away from that flight, my life-mate. It is not good thinking to fly in range of a Monster's claws when you know that the Monster wants you dead."
"But we will not get that close to it. We will stay ready to fly. And this is a type of ceremony. Even two-legs understand that before-fight ceremonies have rules that all must follow."
"Why must you go there?" she sighed.
"This is not a life-flight to change livers. I only go there to protect our two-leg Alpha and to know more about a threat to the range."
"I have much fear for you," she faintly whispered.
She turned aside from him and stared at the wall. She looked very troubled from her constant rumble and swept back ears.
"Luna, talk to me..."
"I... have been having bad sleep-visions for many suns now. Ever since you told me that there is a bad two-leg nest flying for us. I see myself with Moon-Dancer in my hidden range under the ground. I am sitting a new egg. You are not with us."
"Luna, I am not leaving you. I promised you that," he hummed in reassurance.
Her faint hiss followed as she spun her head and turned to him with her eyes narrowed. She looked like she wanted to shout something but thought the better of it with Moon-Dancer still dozing on her arms at her chest.
"You do not know that and cannot promise that," she whispered.
"I am an Alpha for all the kin here. I must protect them and this nest."
"Is it the kin in this nest or the thought of a shared nest that you want to protect?"
He grumbled softly at the remark.
"Both in one flight."
Silence followed. A long and heavy silence. She spoke in an almost pained and definitely weary voice.
"Shadowwing, you told me once that if you had to choose between the two-leg world and me you would choose me. Was that truth or false?"
He hung his head as he could almost feel the threads of his life fraying. Stretching. Threatening to destroy all he loved.
"It was liver-truth. I am thinking about all kin in the nest. An Alpha must do that."
"Why will you not have all the kin follow you? All of the kin could leave and go into hiding in a much better world, never to be hunted again. Let the two-legs here live their lives in peace. With no kin here to make thralls, why would the thrall-makers ever come here? This would be only one two-leg nest among many."
He paused before answering as he tried to fairly weigh her words. There was some sense in them.
"Doing that would mean that peace and together-living is not good enough to fly for. It would break the livers of both kin and two-legs to tear the nest in two," he eventually groaned.
She fixed him with her intense blue eyes and stared until he reluctantly met her gaze.
"Hurt livers can heal. Dead kin do not."
She lay her head down over Moon-Dancer and closed her eyes.
"Luna?"
She did not answer.
It was all he could do to lay down as well and close his eyes in the hope that sleep would find him. Sleep was long in the coming. His thoughts were too disturbed for a long time.
He eventually calmed enough that sleep finally came and dragged him down, down, down.
The small flight left before dawn. One Stormcutter, one Nightmare, two Night Furies, and two humans. Thorvald wore his bearskin Chieftain's cape while Valka bore all of her wild riding attire, horns included, and her staff in hand.
It was a solemn, dignified flight full of frayed nerves and concerns.
Strange. This is the second time that I have flown out to meet an approaching army in the hope that peace might be possible.
Snarl.
Very, very unlikely though.
They arrived at the designated island around noon and saw what they were up against.
Well, that is very not good...
He lost count at over ninety ships, all gathered together in formation around the island. There indeed seemed to be two major contingents of vessels. Every ship was prepared for conflict with various large cages, traps, nets, and ropes on their decks. There was no way to tell or guess how many people were below the decks. There were dozens milling about on the small island after having rowed ashore though.
He winged closer to his brother and started gliding to make talking easier.
"Stay with the others. Kin-liver will talk to a flight-leader from the bad-nest and will tell the Alpha to come. I will fly over the water-walkers and see what there is to see."
"Keep safe your flight," Was-Grounded responded with a quick wingtap.
Their flights parted, one to circle over the ships and the other to circle over the gathering on the island.
Shadowwing flew high above the fleet, looking for anything at all that might be helpful to know and give a tactical advantage.
Nothing to see here. Just a simple little Night Fury out for a glide on the wind. And you all have a lot of ships. But they are not all the same. Almost looks like two different fleets.
He blinked in recognition.
Wait, two fleets together. That sounds like what Eret joked about. Those dragon hunters and the Grimmel person. Wonder if I could find their flagships.
That was much easier to do than he thought it would be. The largest ship of them all lay at the head of the fleet. It was a truly massive vessel with multiple large sails, an elevated deck at the ship's stern, and what looked like three levels including a massive hold at the middle of the ship. It had to be twice as large as Drago's ship was. And all throughout the deck were bola launchers, harpoon slings, and weapon racks.
That is definitely not Nord design.
Growl.
There is no reason for a ship to be that big except as a transport for many dragons.
He pulled up and stared more intently at a specific place on the massive vessel. Back at the ship's stern was an open part of the deck where four large dragons, apparently unconcerned with their surroundings, lay on the ship. They were of a kind he had never seen before: bright red, roughly the size of a Monstrous Nightmare but with a heavier and stronger body, a somewhat curved tail that seemed to have a stinger at the tip, and with a pair of tusks curving up from their lower jaws.
What are those? I have not seen dragons like those before. They do not look pleasant at all. Looks like they have harnesses but not for riding, only for work I guess. I wonder if this is the dragon hunters ship or Grimmel's ship.
With that thought, he turned out for the rest of the fleet and saw another few ships which could possibly be a flagship from their sizes, the number of flags, and the number of people on them. The biggest ship was the most likely, but there was nothing conclusive about the ships without knowing what insignia or flag to look for.
So to sum it all up, they have lots of ships with lots of weapons and lots of people and there is every indication that they are good at what they do, which is hunting dragons. Great.
He turned back for the island where he could still see his brother cautiously circling overhead.
"Anything happening?"
"No. The two-legs are talking much," Was-Grounded answered.
"I will land with them. Will you stay and watch from the air for us? Let us know if you see much danger."
Was-Grounded answered by flashing his teeth.
"I will!"
Shadowwing flew down toward the gathering high up on the beach. Perhaps a couple dozen soldiers stood at attention behind a pair of men who were obviously in charge. Most surprisingly though was that there was another of those red, tusked dragons laying behind the gathering, apparently unconcerned by its surroundings. On the other side of the assembly and well within shouting distance of the representatives of course were Valka, Cloudjumper, Thorvald, and Hookedfang. There at least appeared to be some understanding between them all as there were no other men nearby or places of possible ambush. If it was a trap, it was a very clever one which he could not see.
Time to meet the enemy. Love it!
He touched down on the warm sand and bounded over to take his place next to Valka.
There was a lot of muttering among the other soldiers at his appearance. A number of them had their bows in hand. Several of them had satchels visibly filled with arrows, though none of the soldiers were foolish enough to reach for their arrows.
It was very conflicting, on the one hand he was awe-inspiring and clearly powerful but on the other these people were afraid of him. The confusion faded after a moment of thought as he peacefully sat down next to Valka.
They should be afraid if they are going to live like this.
"See, I told you. Nothing to be afraid of. Can we start?" Thorvald shouted.
The larger of the two strangers who were clearly the leaders here raised his voice. While the man spoke he took a moment to carefully inspect these two, likely the Grimborns and therefore the leaders of the dragon hunters. For one, they were obviously brothers by their similar appearance.
Wow, I am about to meet people who lead a company of dragon hunters, and they are not the people I feel like I will hate the most.
"He will be here soon, just wait! We will get down to business soon enough!" the Grimborn shouted.
The man who spoke was the slightly taller and far more muscular of the two. He had his head cleanly shaven and was clad in a leather tunic while showing all the length of his massive arms. A pair of swords were visible on the man's back. All in all, he struck a very imposing image.
He looks like the muscle, a true fighter ready to charge into battle at a moment's notice. Probably brash and headstrong.
The other brother though was another matter entirely. The slightly shorter and much leaner man had short black hair and a very neatly trimmed beard on a face absent any scars or burns. He wore a mostly black tunic which had an embroidered crest, and he also had a pair of shoulder plates with short spikes. The man had a very appraising and calculating look, and seemed to carry no weapon at the moment.
Still, his calm aura and intense gaze were all that anyone who knew what to look for needed to see.
He is the thinker, their planner and tactician. He is the one to watch out for. And I know which ship is their flagship now from their insignia.
Valka leaned against his side and explained the situation with a whisper.
"They haven't said anything else yet. They are waiting for the other one."
He huffed and slightly nodded.
I really wonder who this 'other one' is.
In the meantime, he took to staring at the brother whom he knew was far more dangerous. That brother returned the favor and gazed directly at him with an unknown look in his eyes.
What does he think of us? I wonder why he became a dragon hunter.
He never looked away from the Grimborn, nor did anything aggressive. The man's eyes were impenetrable. If the eyes were as windows to the soul, these windows had blinds thrown up so as to give nothing away.
He probably has no idea what I am, that I can understand him, or that I can talk. Probably thinks I am a trained guard-dragon or something. This should be interesting.
They did not need to wait long before a roar of warning echoed from above. The reason why quickly became apparent as they saw something very strange.
One of the same dragons that he had seen before on the largest ship and also saw peacefully lying on the beach now was flying toward them while carrying what looked like a net beneath it. A net to which a man was clinging.
The dragon flew in over them and smoothly landed in the space that had clearly been reserved for it.
"Deathgripper..." Valka growled.
What? I don't know about those from the Book.
He subtly nudged her and gave a questioning warble.
"One of the... types of dragons that was never welcome in the nest. They are hunters that will try to kill... and eat other dragons..."
He growled softly until he heard her soft chuckling.
"This is one type of dragon that is extremely dangerous and should be killed on sight, and that is coming from me. But he seems to have trained them for his use."
If he managed to train things like these...
The airlifted man slowly strode forward, keeping a hand on the Deathgripper's neck the whole time. The man was surprisingly thin and of quite an average build with little muscle to speak of. He had a mop of hair and a very haughty, calm, and collected demeanor, almost suggestive of nobility and grandeur. A crossbow was visibly slung on his back over a dark leather cloak. It was a terribly familiar piece of attire.
Shadowwing took a very deep breath to steady himself as he slowly kneaded at the sand with his claws.
Grimmel the Grisly... I wonder if Drago got his cloak from Grimmel... very similar designs...
Silence ensued as everyone stared and waited. Grimmel had eyes for only one figure on the ground while the larger Grimborn stared at Thorvald and the smaller Grimborn paid more attention to Valka and the Night Fury together.
A tense silence followed as no one seemed to want to make the first move.
Valka stepped forward, looking quite impressive in her wild attire, and leaned on her staff.
"You requested our presence, so you give us your names first," she declared.
The burlier brother stepped forward.
"Ryker Grimborn. My brother is Viggo. We lead the dragon hunters. You probably know who he is," Ryker nodded at the remaining man.
"Grimmel the Grisly," Valka snarled.
Grimmel did not react to her words or look away from what he was staring at. Despite their vast physical differences, he had the eyes of a hunter calmly sizing up his prey.
"I am Chief Thorvald, she is Dragonheart, and the Night Fury is Shadowwing," Thorvald stepped forward and thumped his own chest.
"You named the Night Fury? That is something else, you all are crazier than I thought," Ryker laughed.
Viggo only looked amused while a very faint grin momentarily appeared on Grimmel's face. Shadowwing alone saw it because he had not yet looked away from the hunter. They were engaged in a staring contest in which neither would be the first to yield.
"You wanted to talk with us about a treaty or something. We are here. Talk," Thorvald announced.
The three others shared a rough glance. Shadowwing smirked to himself at the small triumph that Grimmel had to look away from him for a brief moment. Viggo eventually stepped forward from the group and addressed them.
"It is very simple. We do not want any unnecessary death. You will give us all your dragons, we have enough cages and men to safely control them, and we will leave you all in peace. We will take the dragons, breed and tame the useful ones, and keep the world as it is, stable and in need of our services. The Night Furies will obviously go to Grimmel for him to do with what he wants. It sounds like a fair offer, better than what the other tribes want us to do with you," Viggo added with a grumble.
Thorvald paced for a moment and raised his indignant voice.
"Why would I believe anything you say?"
"Because we do not care about you. You do not matter to us, only your dragons matter at all. It would be a waste of men and time to attack you after getting what we want," Viggo explained.
"Why are you doing this?" Valka objected.
Some slight disagreement apparently passed between the three leaders, or at least between the Grimbornes and Grimmel from how the two brothers glanced at the other hunter.
"We each have our reasons," Viggo eventually muttered.
"Which are?" Valka countered.
"We are dragon hunters. Dragons are gone from the world everywhere now except for where you live. It is not good for our business," Viggo explained.
"What do you mean dragons are gone from the world?" Valka asked, pretending that this was the first they had heard of it.
"Are you daft, woman? Gone, vanished, missing! No one knows where they went! There is no need for us!" Ryker shouted with great force.
Shadowwing had been looking directly at Viggo as Ryker was shouting. The ghost of a smirk had appeared on Viggo's lips for an instant.
"Everyone who works for us, all the tribes that trade with us, they have nothing without the beasts. All the trade, jobs, and work is gone. You see our problem? And there are also some tribes who want to see you all suffer for your betrayal of them and the danger you pose to the world," Viggo calmly continued.
"Betrayal? Danger?" Valka weakly objected.
"Yes, we were approached a couple years ago by survivors from several tribes whose dragons turned on them and attacked their own people. They say that happened all while your dragons seemed to try to keep you safe or at least didn't kill you. Betrayal. And a bunch of wild dragons attacking and lifting cattle on the mainland is a danger. Basically, everyone out there wants you dead because of what you are," Viggo explained.
"And they were willing to pay a very substantial price for our... services," Ryker seemed very proud to announce.
"You would ask us to betray all our dragons and leave ourselves defenseless on the chance that you keep your end of the bargain and do not attack us afterwards?" Valka bristled.
"It should not be a difficult choice. We might betray you afterwards for no benefit to us and we might not. Even with the number of dragons that you have tamed, a battle would be very costly for you and for us," Viggo shrugged and continued, "But we have many people in both armies who want to fight and kill dragons and are willing to die to do so. Only one choice can possibly preserve peace for your people."
"We are not traitors. We will pass on your... generous offer," Thorvald firmly declared.
"Then I will destroy everything you love," Grimmel spoke for the first time.
Grimmel had stood quietly off to the side throughout all of the discussion to this point, his gaze rarely leaving the one Night Fury in their company. The man's voice was cold, penetrating, confident, tinged with malice, and yet mild at the same time. It was the voice of one who was absolutely certain and did not feel the need to impress through verbal theatrics.
"What about you? Why are you hunting them?" Valka asked while barely restraining her wrath.
Grimmel grinned as he put his hands behind his back and stepped away from his Deathgripper. His Fury cloak swayed behind him as he paced.
"Nothing so mundane as the concerns of these two," he nodded at the Grimborns.
"We are more practical than you. I still say you are crazy about the Night Furies," Viggo muttered.
Grimmel dismissively waved a hand at them.
"Those two are thinking only of themselves, a fair goal indeed but very limited. Me, I am a visionary, I look to the future of all people. It is true that some dragons can be useful beasts. My Deathgrippers are very useful to have around as you just saw. I got them many years ago when they were in their eggs. I trained them myself and fed them from my hands. Very dangerous beasts, but they are completely trainable and manipulable. Other dragons though are more... willful."
Grimmel nodded toward the one Fury on the ground with them.
"They think about not only the now and filling their bellies but about the future. One of the most powerful, magical even, types of dragons in the world and the creature can think about the future. That means that they can plan and would eventually realize that the world is not big enough for both dragons and humans. There will always be war. Us against them."
"You are wrong about that," Valka interrupted his monologue.
Grimmel seemed amused at her interruption.
"Am I? What do all animals fear? They fear hunters with wings, sharp teeth, claws, and fire. Humans are no different. Dragons are the one of the perfect hunters, and humans will always be the prey unless we learn to tame them, train them, and use them under our control. As vicious as my Deathgrippers are they still know never to hurt a human except on my orders. I trained them well. But some of the dragons will not be trained and are too smart."
Grimmel glanced up at the sky where there was a circling Fury. He took a very heavy breath and stared with evident longing.
"All humans are in danger as long as there is one Night Fury still alive. They are too great a threat to let live. That is why I hunt them. I want to change the world."
"But they have done nothing wrong! You know that they are people and you murder them anyway," Valka seethed, her hands shaking against the staff.
Grimmel only smiled while the Grimbornes rolled their eyes.
"You do not understand. That is the best part of the game. People can be more of an enemy than a mere beast. It makes the hunt more interesting, more of a challenge, knowing that the prey is also planning its moves. A true test of skill and merit where the hunter and the prey could change places at any moment," Grimmel eagerly explained.
He reached behind his back with a swift motion and pulled out the crossbow, though it had no loaded bolts. He raised the crossbow and pointed it at the Fury that was staring back at him with a gleam in its eyes.
"That is the natural way, the way of the wild. Different groups do not and should not live in peace. It is us or them. The best survive and the weak die. Do not misunderstand me, I respect them. But they are too dangerous to leave alive. I believe that I have hunted every Night Fury in these lands except for yours. I have a... distinct advantage over others who hunt such big game, a certain... ally who shares my mission in a way."
Grimmel smiled after finishing his explanation, replaced the crossbow, and moved to stroke his Deathgripper. It almost seemed to lean into his touch and gave a deep and deadly purr.
Shadowwing slowly stepped forward on the sandy beach, keeping his gait steady and gaze on Grimmel the entire time. He stopped as soon as the three of them turned to him, keeping plenty of distance between them all and himself. There were many things on his mind, many different responses he could offer to Grimmel's tortured reasoning.
None of them could adequately express the mix of horror and wrath burning in his heart. This man, knowing full well that Night Furies were special among dragons, chose to hunt them for exactly that reason. Because they were smarter, were more powerful, and even because they were people. Maybe because of a possibility of a threat in a far distant and terrible imagined future where all dragons somehow turn on humans. Maybe because of simple fear, hidden though it was under a calm mask.
He reached out toward the sand and slowly wrote.
You will be the first I will kill
"What!" "Impossible!" the Grimborns exclaimed together.
Grimmel only chuckled.
"Believe me now, Viggo?"
Viggo recovered from his shock first and stepped forward. His calculating look had completely fallen away to reveal pure shock and surprise. It was likely a feeling that he had not experienced in a very long time.
The mask went back up.
"Is it true? Do you... understand us, dragon?"
Every word
"How is this possible?" Viggo warily asked.
I am as smart as you
I am a person
Silence followed as Viggo stared at the written words, an unknowable expression on his face.
"It does not matter! They already made it clear that they will not take the offer!" Ryker objected.
"No, they will not, but I would like to know more about my enemy first. I never thought I would be able to talk with a dragon," Viggo retorted.
Shadowwing rolled his eyes and sighed.
I only want to live in peace
And raise my children
What about that makes me your enemy?
Viggo put his hands behind his back and paced, clearly deep in thought and somehow able to put this revelation behind him for now. He glanced over at Grimmel and openly gave him a grim nod.
"I suppose it is the way of the world, of nature, for dragons and humans to always be enemies, locked in an epic battle until the next Ragnarok unless something changes. I think I agree with Grimmel that the world is too small for both to be free. One must conquer the other. Anything else would be... unnatural," Viggo loudly declared.
Shadowwing turned away partly and snarled as he considered his reply.
Natural is an excuse for 'whatever is'
Not what can be if people truly try
Viggo blinked and did something very surprising. He stepped closer and grinned.
"You are a clever one. Smartest dragon I have ever met and talked with."
What faint praise
"Fair point," Viggo answered.
And you have never met a Night Fury before
"No, I have not. How did you learn to write?"
My father taught me
"And who taught him?" Viggo instantly asked.
My adopted human father taught me
"Ah, that makes more sense. And who is that up there?" Viggo nodded to the sky.
My brother
"Dragons have families. What is he like?"
It seemed an odd line of questioning for the dragon hunter, but Shadowwing saw no harm in answering it.
More of a dragon of action
A better fighter than me
Viggo gave him a look that was very surprising indeed. Comprehension.
"I understand that. I would do anything to protect my brother, knucklehead that he is."
That is probably the most honest thing that you have said yet.
As would I
"About dragon families, you said that you have children. Well, how many?"
A very faint whisper of warning. Knowledge was power, and Viggo was gathering as much information as he could through asking about family. Maybe learning more of the truth could help this admittedly cunning man change his ways. But it was unlikely.
One son
"Never considered having any children myself. Too distracting from the real work, from managing our business and armies."
People leave marks on the world
Some make and build
Others destroy
One is much easier to do
"Also true. You Furies must be considered part of the tribe and not made to live out in the wild, I would guess."
We are indeed
"Are you finished over there?" Ryker shouted.
Viggo rolled his eyes and sighed.
"Well, Shadowwing, you are something special. It looks like these lesser minds around us are getting impatient. I really wish that we had met under different circumstances."
Agreed
"I would still have tried to kill you."
Yes, tried
Good luck with that
"Luck? No, cunning."
Shadowwing laughed and flashed his teeth.
Two can play at that
Viggo chuckled.
"I am sure you can."
They both stepped back to their respective sides.
"You will not accept the offer, will you?" Ryker shouted into the resulting silence.
"We will never give up our dragons!" Thorvald answered.
Grimmel stepped over to his Deathgripper and raised his voice for all to hear.
"I heard that Drago Bludvist had captured a certain special Night Fury. A white one. I was actually going to buy it off him before you got to it first. It could have been useful to me, even if only because I always wanted a white cloak. And make no mistake, I will kill a Night Fury before the end."
Grimmel gave a signal, and the Deathgripper launched itself into the air. He grabbed onto the net and was lifted away toward his flagship.
Shadowwing calmly sat there on the ground and stared up with narrowed eyes at the departing shape.
"We are done here. We will be seeing you soon, and you will watch as your world burns, if you are alive of course," Ryker shouted back at them as he turned with most of the men and strode down toward the rowboats.
Viggo remained a few moments longer, thoughtfully looking at them all but especially at the one dragon he had just spoken with. Viggo almost looked like he wanted to say something but instead settled for a grin. Viggo turned back for the one Deathgripper that had been calmly resting on the beach the whole time. He gave the dragon a signal, and it flew him off the beach in the same way that Grimmel had departed.
I did not see that coming. So only a dragon hunter when convenient to him. Practical. Maybe Grimmel gave it to him as a gift or peace offering.
"We should go now. There is time to talk at home," Valka announced.
They wasted not a moment longer before they soared aloft together and turned for Haven. Shadowwing threw one glance after the Deathgripper that was carrying Viggo off to his flagship. And he saw that Viggo was staring in his direction.
There is definitely something about him. He was up to something, I'm sure of it. At least he is more interesting than most since he is a cunning strategist. Ryker is nothing special from what I saw.
And Grimmel...
He shivered and snarled at the thought.
Flying with the wind helped greatly with their speed and to reduce the effort needed, and the island of parlay was already falling well behind them all. He and his brother both started gliding to more readily be able to talk somewhat.
"Brother, what happened in the talking?" Was-Grounded asked.
Shadowwing weakly hung his head.
"No peace. Death and grounding are flying for our nest. We talk more when we are in our range."
Was-Grounded nodded at that suggestion, and they all fell into the repetition of easy flight.
But Shadowwing was too disturbed in his heart to enjoy any peace. Every time he closed his eyes he imagined one thing.
Grimmel the Grisly wearing a fine cloak made from a white hide.
Luna stood on the shore and stared out over the ocean, almost bouncing on her feet as she eagerly awaited a returning flight.
That still feels very twisted to meet the bad-Alpha. Why did they need to fly there into danger?
Sigh.
"He said he would not do anything twisted."
She eventually turned away from shore and flew back into the nest. She reclaimed Moon-Dancer from the cave-den next to hers.
"Dam-mother!" he hummed as he followed her tail.
"Little one," she greeted him.
"I am sleepy. Where is sire-father?"
"He is flying to us soon," she sighed.
I hope...
She paused before opening the mouth of her den.
"Did you go out of the other den to drop your waste, little one?"
"Yes, dam-mother!"
She bent down and tenderly nuzzled his little nose again.
"You make my liver warm, Moon-Dancer."
He glowed and hummed with pride at her praise.
"We will sleep now," she said.
He followed her inside and bounded over to the sleeping rock which she briefly flamed for them both. She took her place on the warmed rock, and he vanished under a wing. Her thoughts turned toward the far horizon and the sunset as she closed her eyes and waited.
Something very good happened after much waiting. There was a heavy thud outside the den, and the den's mouth opened. She lifted her head and saw her life-mate bound inside.
"Shadowwing!" she hummed with a relieved sigh.
He bounded over to her and pressed his nose to hers without saying anything for several warm wingbeats.
"I am warm now that you are here," she whispered.
"I must talk with Was-Grounded, our two-leg flight-leaders, and our two-leg Alpha. We have a fight to plan," he answered.
"The bad-nest will fly here and fight us?"
"Yes, we will fight them and ground the bad-flight on the water."
She sighed and lay her head on the warm rock.
"You will fly this flight, yes?" she asked.
"I must for the nest. I and Was-Grounded will fly together and lead all the fighting kin that have no bond-two-legs."
She looked up at him and softly growled.
"I will fly with you on the flight."
He gasped and stepped back from her in a moment of complete dismay.
"No, there is much danger!"
"And you are flying into that danger. I will fly with you. Someone must keep you safe," she added with a growling chuckle.
"You should stay with Moon-Dancer."
"No! You think about it. I can hide from all eyes. None of the bad flight will ever see me. I can be your hidden flightmate looking for danger from safety. Green-Wings can stay here with her little ones and Moon-Dancer. I trust her with Moon-Dancer, and she cannot hide as I can."
He grumbled and looked about to protest.
"And I will fly this flight whether you want me to or not," she softly snarled.
He blinked and gave a very wry grin at having his own words used on her in an old autumn turned against him.
"If you must, but I fear for you on this flight," he whispered.
"And I do for you. That is why I will fly with you. You might need my fire," she whispered back.
They all stood in the Great Hall around the Furies' table. It seemed somehow appropriate given that two of them were involved in this discussion. Shadowwing actively adding his thoughts while Was-Grounded attentively listened with some of it translated for him.
"We know that they will come here, and they have hundreds of armed men," Thorvald began.
"So what if they have hundreds? We have what... three hundr'd adult dragons. And we've the fightin' riders and other fighters who we could carry ta the ships," Gobber explained.
"I don't like it. Those ships look very prepared against any kind of direct attack," Valka interjected.
Agreed, I saw
Lots of nets and launchers
"And there are too many to attack. Maybe if it was only one fleet... But with two together, it would be a slaughter. Did any of you see the arrows those guards had?" Valka continued.
"No, what about them?" Thorvald wondered.
"I have seen those before. The arrowheads have a tip that is filled with a poison from a plant called Dragon Root. It is like Dragonsbane but is far more potent and possibly deadly to some dragons. Only one of those arrows and a lucky shot could paralyze an adult dragon."
"How did ya learn that? That is nae in the Book er anywhere I rememba'," Gobber interjected.
"Many years of experience with wounds and a few... secret missions into some hostile villages to get information," she chuckled.
Shadowwing blinked in surprise.
Wow, my mom the spy. You went on secret missions? Why did you never tell me about those?
Any direct attack is a bad idea
He cast his thoughts back to that meeting and to the two Grimborn brothers, one the hallmark of brute force and the other far more tactical and calculating.
The purring snarl gradually built in his throat until the others around the table noticed.
I got it. This is stupid and crazy and just might work.
How about a targeted strike?
"What do you mean?" Thorvald asked.
Hit the leaders and ignore the fleet
Destroy their ships and kill them
"Cut off the snake's head?" Valka grinned.
Yes, nodded.
I know just how to do it for one of them
Remember the explosive barrels?
"Yeah, we got dozens of them safely stowed away," Gobber answered.
What would happen if they explode
In a large ship's hold?
A hold built for dozens of dragons
"I think I see. Have some of our dragons carry these barrels and drop them into the hold of Grimmel's ship. One of you two can blow the ship to pieces with one shot. It will burn from within. No way that the ship is completely fireproof on the inside," Valka mused.
She frowned.
"But they will see us coming."
He smugly purred at her reasonable warning.
Ah, but I have a plan for that.
We attack late at night
They will have almost no warning
I and my brother will destroy Grimmel
We will lead the wild dragons
Nods of agreement went around the table.
"So that takes care of Grimmel's ship. What about the dragon hunters, the Grimborns?" Thorvald wondered.
You and Dragonheart
Lead the other dragons and riders
And take care of the Grimborns
I know which ship is theirs
Everyone at the table nodded in understanding and consent.
"I think this might actually work. Kill the leaders and hope that the army turns back in fear and confusion. I somehow think that their alliance might not be as strong as it looks, and a display of our strength might help make them think twice about another attack," Valka mused.
"How long do you think we have?" Thorvald asked.
"At least a couple days with how far they must sail with a fleet that size. I say that we fly two days from now so that we arrive in the very early morning before dawn. The moon will be gone, and the night should be the darkest," Valka answered after a moment of thought.
Are we decided?
Solemn nods of assent went around the entire gathering. Thorvald squared his shoulders and spoke.
"I will call the entire tribe and let them know that we are going to war."
Shadowwing nodded to them and gestured to his brother, and they darted outside and flew up to the Great Hall's roof together.
"Did you hear and understand?"
"Most of it. We will fly to burn and ground the water-walker of the Monster who hunts us Night Furies. The Thorvald-Alpha will lead the kin-bond two-legs and their kin against the other kin-hunter-Alphas," Was-Grounded repeated.
"Yes. We will burn the Monster's water-walker with the wood holding-things filled with fire-air. Other kin will carry the fire-air filled holding-things and drop them into the belly of the water-walker."
Was-Grounded bared his teeth alongside a happy and savage growl.
"And we break the holding-things with fire so that they all burn together. I will do it. I am the better of us with my fire."
"What!" Shadowwing exclaimed and gave him a heavy shove.
"Yes, my fire is hotter, and I miss the target less."
Shadowwing huffed indignantly and rolled his eyes.
"I am a Night Fury. I do not miss, you twisted kin. Luna said that she will also fly with us. She will stay hidden from all eyes and will watch our flights from above. I think that Green-Wings should stay here in the range with all the littlest ones and shelter them with her wings. Dawn-Singer and Aurora can watch and guard the range from above. They can see if there are any other dangers on the ground."
Was-Grounded gave a satisfied and solemn hum.
"It is good that they will not be in the fighting. They... have never seen fighting and grounding as we have. They would not know what to do."
A quiet moment passed as they looked out over all the people being summoned into the Great Hall. Dragons flocked overhead or lounged about outside the village in the darkness. Shadowwing chuckled.
"Do you remember what I told you about what two-legs say about Night Furies?"
"What?"
"We never miss with our fire. We cannot be seen in the night. As soon as the two-legs hear the wind scream in our wings, the two-legs must hide, get down, and hope we do not find them. Those hunters coming for this range do not fear us. They will."
"Yes, they will."
"You will make the Monster-Alpha's water-walker burn. But if the Alpha still lives, I will kill it. It feels good for one who was a two-leg to kill the two-leg who is trying to kill us and... has probably killed many Night Furies. Good?"
Was-Grounded turned back to look at the horizon and gave a renewed snarl of his own.
"Yes. It thinks that it is the hunter, but we will make it the prey. We will turn the hunt on it. We will end this bad flight and protect all in the range!"
They flared their wings together and roared a defiant cry out into the night.