Author's Note – This is the last chapter of volume III before the two part epilogue.
"Peace and rest at length have come... All the day's long toil is past... And each heart is whispering... 'Home, home at last.'" - Thomas Hood – Home at Last
Hidden Hope
Dawn-Singer could not look away from her. Flies-Alone was so... graceful, thin and fast. She had strong wings, a long tail, big tailfins, and good words.
What am I thinking? Why would she want me? She does not even know me.
Regardless, he followed after her through the hidden skies. Around glowing spires of light and along high ridges. Not in a true sky-dance, such as he had seen his own sire-father and dam-mother fly but instead simply a gentle flying after her as she led their flight. He was very warmed to fly after her.
But to fly faster, dash through the sky, spin with her, and catch her long tail felt so warming of a flight and maybe they could...
What am I thinking... grr... I do not know what I am doing.
He warbled softly to himself.
Great sire told me about the ceremonies of catching prey, giving her the prey, talking to her, learning about her, showing her my liver, and how to fly the sky-dance after she wants me, but-
He shook his head and closed his eyes.
There is something twisted with me. She has no mate, and I should go catch her, but what if she is not warm to ground-kin? Luna did not want to live near them at first.
Flies-Alone eventually dove toward a ledge high above where the ground-kin were making their new nest. He let her land first so that he could watch how smoothly she landed, pranced to a stop, folded her wings that faintly sparkled with streaks of yellow, fluttered her fins, and stood there waiting for him. So beautiful and liver-warming and...
What am I thinking...
He landed without fouling his own landing or falling over his feet, and confidently strode up to her. Or at least that is what he hoped it looked like.
She looked out over the massive ledge down toward the ground-kin. She warbled softly and looked back at him.
"Dawn-Singer, what does your name mean?"
He blinked in surprise, confusion, and wonder at how her voice was so soft, smooth, warming, and...
"It... means that I sing to the dawn, or I did much when I was a hatchling."
"What is dawn?" she insisted.
He groaned and almost face-pawed after a moment of confusion.
You would not know without having lived in the above...
"The dawn is the hatching of a new sun-cycle. It is when the dark in the skies is gone and light from the great sky-sun-rock starts to fly again."
She purred softly in thought.
"Your name is sings to the new?" she wondered.
"In a way of flying, yes."
"That is a good and warming name," she softly sighed while glancing away and out over the ledge.
"What about you? How did you get your name?" he asked.
A brief pause followed before she answered.
"I gave myself that name after I... lost my sire and dam. I lost them when I was still a fledgling."
Dawn-Singer blinked and felt a faint cold in his liver. It seemed that she had not had a warm past life-flight.
"But you lived and became strong," he said as he stepped closer to her.
"Yes, I found another range that had some light wings in it. I flew in that range after I found it," she strangely groaned softly.
"You found others of your kin. That is good. There are very few dark wings, Night Furies as we call our kind, in the above."
Flies-Alone hummed warily at that.
"I did not know that dark wing Night Furies lived at all before the far-range-watcher of the biggest pack flew and told all in that pack and the pack I lived near. I thought that your kind were only maybe-false stories the old tell the young. Do not fly too close to the hot-rocks or the great-sky-rock, or you will burn your scales and hide into a dark wing!" she huffed with amusement.
Dawn-Singer chuckled openly at that.
"No, we are hatched from the egg this color. Hmm, our females get their color after season-cycles, but males do not. I think that we stay dark only."
Her ears lifted slightly at something he said.
"Did you ever see another dark wing female?" she warily asked.
That she seemed nervous and maybe-twisted at flying that question seemed... like it must mean something. But what?
"None that were not my own nest-kin."
He could not miss her warm purr that followed or the warmth in his own liver at her purring. But there was something else that was twisting about her life-story.
"You were with the other light wings before now, but you said that you have no mate. Why not?"
She growled softly, though that growl was definitely not at him.
"Almost all the light wings in that range and in many packs are very thought-twisted. They live only for the pack and have ceremonies that are not warming to me. I did not live in the pack."
"What ceremonies?"
"Most do not take names."
"What! No names?" Dawn-Singer barked in confusion.
"They live only for the pack and their places in the pack. Their names are what they do in the pack. The strongest males claim the females who want them for a life-making time, and all the young are raised by the pack. There are no life-mate pairs who only have the other for a mate. Some light wings do take life-mates, but those pairs are pushed out of the pack."
Dawn-Singer remembered to close his mouth after hearing her explanation of why she had not taken a mate in the pack. Those ceremonies seemed very twisted and had no lift that he could feel or see.
"And you never..." he warily began.
"I would not take a male who did not want to fly the winds of life with me, even if the male is the biggest and strongest. I saw how good and warming true life-mates are..." her voice drifted off.
She turned and stared at him without saying anything. Her deep blue and silver eyes, which seemed to have some cold or distance in them in that moment, delved into his in open consideration. She was waiting for his answer to an unspoken question.
"I do not know why that pack has those ceremonies. That is not how my sire and dam or Shadowwing and Luna live. Or how I would live," he truthfully admitted.
She purred softly at those words. Was that in relief?
"My sire and dam were life-mates and had a warmth in their livers and eyes that I do not see in those of the pack. Shadowwing is a true dark wing, and Luna is a true light wing, yes?" she asked.
"Yes, they are."
"A light wing and a dark wing can be good mates. They have a mixed-kin fledgling together."
"Yes, they can."
He looked up into her eyes that were narrowed on him. He realized what they had both just said applied to another pair.
She turned away from him and calmly walked toward the ledge. If her tail happened to sway to the side and brush against his forelegs as she passed, it had to be an accident.
Or maybe not. Actually, it was definitely planned. He liked to think that.
"You know the ground-kin creatures, Dawn-Singer?"
He blinked and recovered himself.
"Yes, I do. I have known them from a few moon-cycles out of my egg."
She stuck her beautiful, curved, unscarred head out over the ledge and looked down on the range where the ground-kin were making their new mixed-nest. Her ears went back slightly as she stared down.
"The pack has many stories of two-leg-Monsters in the above. All that I remember of them is what my sire and dam told me long ago. Two-legs are much filled with danger. I should flee on sight," she warily purred.
He snorted at that.
"Two-legs are twisting life and very dangerous, yes. Ground-kin, what we call our two-legs, can be twisting also, but they have warm livers and they do learn. They lost their old nests because they did not turn their... tails... on their bond-kin."
"Bond-kin, what are those?"
He lay his head down on the rocky ground next to her.
This could be a long talk. Is there any way that... wait... I have an idea!
He hopped to his feet and began looking for someone far down below. He saw who he was looking for.
"Flies-Alone, I want to show you one of the ground-kin two-legs."
She immediately stepped back from the ledge and gave a wary hum.
"Why?"
"Because she is a kin in her liver. She has lived her life-flight to help all kin. The ground-kin," he nodded out over the ledge, "will always be in my life-flight. They do not make us life-thralls or claim our backs. I hold some of the ground-kin close to my liver. I know that you do not trust them much now, but will you fly this flight with me?"
A pause.
"And another flight after if you want that," he nervously added.
She slowly turned around and sat down while staring at him. Her blue and silver eyes had an unknown look in them.
"What other flight, Dawn-Singer?"
Grr... you have to ask... great sky-breath... I do not know how.
'Go fly.'
Something changed in his liver. He had to do this now. No more flying around the cloud. A scale of fledgling life, a softness or smallness of life-fire, faded and was replaced with... clear seeing and a burning fire.
He sat down on his rear and calmly returned her level gaze.
"Flies-Alone, I would have you meet the ground-kin, this one only for now, because I want us both to know if you can trust them. If you can have a small place in your life-flight for them, and if my holding them to my liver is not much twisting to you..."
A deep breath.
"After we get to know each other better, I would fly after you, catch you, and take you in this hidden sky as my life-mate."
A long moment of silence passed in which neither looked away. Her tail stopped swaying as she stared at him.
"As my life-mate? You know so little about me," she warbled.
"I know much already. You have good thinking that is much like mine on what is important in life. You have no mate, I have no mate, and I am very warmed in my liver to see you. You want a nest and hatchlings as I do. Smaller life-things we can learn with much living as one."
He stepped back to the ledge and slowly fanned his wings before looking back at her.
"Will you fly this flight with me?" he asked.
A moment passed in which she did not move. She was poised, perched on a clear choice he had given her. All the power was hers to decide what to do.
She stepped over to the ledge and fanned her wings. She gave him a warm glance.
"You must be the flight-leader for this," she hummed.
He purred at her answer.
"But I will lead the flying after," she added with a wry laugh.
"Yes, you will."
They jumped off the ledge and drifted down together. Dawn-Singer let himself glide down a bit slower though so that he could see more of his life-mate-to-be as she flew.
She will not be any chilled by the ground-kin after she meets Kin-liver. And she is not filled with much fear and chill at the idea. It is only new to her, and she will see that the old stories she heard are not true.
Try as he might, it was very hard to not stare at her grey-white wings and scales with some yellow streaks, her long tail, wide wings, fluttering fins, and her blue and silver eyes as she repeatedly glanced at him.
You will need a new name soon...
Valka walked back into the camp while carrying a bucket of likely-edible fruits and berries. There were also a number of native roots and shoots that could be a good source of food and were abundant.
She spied Cloudjumper happily wheeling up in the sky.
I wonder if you can go find some other Stormcutters. You are a rare kind also, my old friend.
She deposited the gathered food with those assigned to prepare the group meals. They already had a small kitchen tent set up.
The plans for their new home were coming together, slowly but surely. Thorvald, Gobber, and Shadowwing shared ideas for what the village could look like. How to build was more of a problem though. They had all the tools they needed, but what raw materials they could use was still a bit uncertain. She left the gathering and turned for another trip out to search for more produce.
The glowing flowers must do something. Luna can probably tell us if she knows anything.
Her musing was interrupted by the sight of a Night Fury and a Light Fury flying toward her. The Night Fury flew over her and roared softly to get her attention. It was Dawn-Singer.
Wait... what?
It only got a bit stranger though when Dawn-Singer landed and bounded up to her. The Light Fury also touched down behind Dawn-Singer, but she kept her distance.
Valka stared in awe at the female. She was slightly smaller than Luna, and she had a faintly yellow shine down her wings and side. Her deep blue eyes had flecks of silver in them.
It made perfect sense in that moment what was happening and why he had brought her here.
"Dawn-Singer, who is this?" she grinned.
He bent down to the dirt and purred softly.
Flies-Alone
At that, the female, Flies-Alone, warbled in confusion and narrowed her eyes on the writing. She and Dawn-Singer spoke for a while, only for her to look back up in amazement afterwards.
You have never seen humans before. Oh my-
Dawn-Singer stepped over to Valka's side, nuzzled her cheek, and stepped back and purred at Flies-Alone. Valka remained motionless while looking back at the new Light Fury.
Flies-Alone and Dawn-Singer shared more words before she slowly stepped forward, the Light Fury's eyes never looking away from her. Slowly, gradually coming closer until they stood only a couple paces apart.
Dawn-Singer warbled happily and grasped her hand in a paw, which he lifted up toward Flies-Alone. Valka let him guide the meeting and held out her hand, not wanting to mess this up in any way.
Flies-Alone's ears were up as she stared ahead. Everything about her appearance, from the way she was carrying herself, her soft hum, and her slowly swaying tail, was alert and wary but not fearful or hostile. Her eyes gradually widened in growing curiosity.
"Hello Flies-Alone, you are very beautiful."
Dawn-Singer translated, much to Flies-Alone's surprise. The two shared some more words and a pointed nod by Dawn-Singer.
Flies-Alone made up her mind, stepped forward, and nuzzled the hand while purring softly. Valka gave her own involuntary purr of awe at the contact. Flies-Alone turned aside and openly looked toward all the other humans working at various tasks.
Look at you... prudently wary of something new but also willing to trust and give us a chance. Girl, you are amazing.
Valka laughed outright when Dawn-Singer eagerly stepped over and licked Flies-Alone on the face.
I don't even have to ask why you did that... you sly Fury.
Flies-Alone barked at Dawn-Singer and started on foot toward the meager village.
"Dawn-Singer," Valka whispered.
He turned to look at her.
"Happy... flying..." she grinned.
He grinned back at her and bounded after Flies-Alone.
It was hard to measure the passage of time without the sun. Time passed more in cycles of necessary aspects of life such as needing to rest, eat, drink, or relieve oneself.
Perhaps a few days had passed since the refugees had arrived and settled down to begin rebuilding. Both Shadowwing and Was-Grounded found themselves very occupied on a pair of necessary tasks. Their searching before had thankfully yielded the blue glowing flowers that Luna said help to dull pain. A couple mouthfuls of the flowers had been brought back, and the ledge had two perfect eggs nestled in the hastily-made sandpits shortly thereafter.
This was their turn to sit with both eggs while their mates were off swimming, bathing, and hunting with the youngest children. This was, despite not having any true dangers in the massive cavern, still an unknown world and no one was going to let fledglings out of sight. Aurora was down helping out with construction and fishing.
"I do not get to do this as much as I would like," Shadowwing hummed as he adjusted his tailfins over the perfectly white egg.
"The dam-mother wants to do most sitting on her own, true. It speaks much trust in us that they would let us sit the eggs now," Was-Grounded hummed from a short distance away while cradling a black and speckled egg between his forearms.
"Does the egg color say anything about the hatchling inside?" Shadowwing asked.
"I do not know. Why?"
"Moon-Dancer is dark like me, and his egg was mostly dark. This one is all white. I wonder if the hatchling will be white like Luna."
"You would be very warmed in your liver to see that," Was-Grounded hummed.
"Yes, that would be warming, but I only want the hatchling to be well," Shadowwing answered.
They remained on the ledge with their eggs until Luna and Green-Wings flew up to the ledge together with Rain-Eater, Mist-Wings, and Moon-Dancer. Both females took their places of privilege with the eggs while the children started chatting together only to eventually settle down to rest.
None of them were quite sure how much time passed in warm comfort together when Dawn-Singer and Flies-Alone flew back to the ledge wingtip to wingtip and touched down together. They had been left alone ever since flying away from the ledge together, and no one had bothered searching for them in that time.
Both Shadowwing and Was-Grounded purred to themselves with warmth in their hearts when Dawn-Singer put a wing over Flies-Alone's back, and the two approached by walking together.
"Dawn-Singer, do you want to tell us something?" Was-Grounded asked with a chuckle.
There was no reluctance, shame, or hesitation in Dawn-Singer's eyes.
"We are mates now."
"Life-mates, I think," Flies-Alone added.
Was-Grounded and Green-Wings shared a glance, stepped forward, and welcomed Flies-Alone into the family with the ceremonial face-licking. They all sat down together, Green-Wings after returning to her egg.
"Where will you nest, mate of my little one?" Green-Wings asked Flies-Alone.
"Dam-mother... I am not a little one," Dawn-Singer groaned.
All had a warm chuckle at his expense.
"There are many caves and dens in these rocks. We will claim one near here in this good range. I have no better place to go now," Flies-Alone answered.
"You have no kin in your home-range?" Was-Grounded asked.
"None. A far-flier from another, big pack flew to the other packs to warn them about this range and the two-legs in it. That is how I heard about dark wings here."
"You were both away for a few sleeping-cycles," Green-Wings purred.
"We talked much, I showed her Kin-liver, and I showed her the other ground-kin nest. My life-mate was surprised by seeing the picture-words and learning that we can give words with the ground-kin," Dawn-Singer rumbled.
"The kin-bond ground-kin are very different from what I thought they would be. There is no chill in their livers," Flies-Alone granted.
Shadowwing laughed softly.
"That is why we call them ground-kin and not two-legs. What did you do after you saw the new mixed-nest they are making?" Shadowwing grinned.
Flies-Alone and Dawn-Singer spared a glance.
"We flew in more of this new range on our own. We talked much more about our life-flights," Dawn-Singer answered.
"The stories of the above are... very twisting and different. I almost want to see that hidden world in the above, if it is not much dangerous..." Flies-Alone sighed.
"And?" Was-Grounded prodded.
"And we flew together," Dawn-Singer purred while rubbing against Flies-Alone's neck.
"I think that your name does not fly with your life-flight now, Flies-Alone," Shadowwing teased.
"No, it does not. I will need to think about a new name, again..." she groaned.
"Again?"
She sighed, and Dawn-Singer gently nudged her side.
"I shed my old fledgling name long ago. My sire and dam had to flee the den far from here because of a Monster kin. All of the nest were flying to a new, deeper range with other light wings when I got lost. I hid somewhere that the Monster could not get to me. I do not know if my other nest-kin died or lived, but I never saw them again. That is when I took my name and shed my old, twisted name."
"You had a twisted name? So did I. I was... Little-Cougher," Shadowwing freely said.
All had another kind chuckle at his words.
"That is more twisted than mine was. I was Ear-Biter," Flies-Alone answered.
More chuckling went around the group until Luna audibly gasped and stiffened. Her ears went back and her eyes narrowed on Flies-Alone.
"Luna? What?" Shadowwing asked.
She did not seem to hear his words.
"Did you... have one older female nestmate who flew the nest into the above ranges?" Luna warily asked.
"I did," Flies-Alone stared back as well in surprise.
Shadowwing gasped as he remembered what Luna had told him before.
It cannot be! Is she...
"Her name... was it Sky-Rock-Watcher... or almost that? Was your sire Hope-In-His-Liver?" Luna whispered.
Flies-Alone's jaw fell open. She crept out from under Dawn-Singer's wing and warily stalked closer to Luna than she had come before. Luna left Moon-Dancer and the egg and slowly stepped forward. They came close enough to clearly scent the other, and they both noticed it under all the other scents of nest-kin and their respective mates. Something was faintly similar and familiar.
Roaring, shouting, purring, and nuzzling followed as they threw themselves at each other for the first time in a very long time. Chins rested on shoulders as they whispered words to each other. Flies-Alone nibbled on one of Luna's ears, and they both laughed softly.
Shadowwing stepped over to his egg and sat down with it, fully content to stay with it as long as was needed. He grinned when his son bounded over to his side.
"What is dam-mother doing? Why is she so happy and playing now?" Moon-Dancer asked.
"She is greeting her lost nestmate sister whom she has not seen in many season-cycles," Shadowwing softly purred to his son.
Shadowwing, Moon-Dancer snug on his back, reclined at Luna's side as she nestled the egg between her arms and calmly dozed. Flies-Alone lay between Dawn-Singer on her left and Luna on her right. The younger children lay piled about Was-Grounded a short distance away while Green-Wings lay with her egg.
So the sleeping pile will be up to ten now, at least until those two take their own cave. But by then we might have two more hatchlings to keep it at ten.
Wow Luna, you found your sister after who knows how many years. She is truly part of the family now. Now I just need to go find your parents and convince them to come here.
He chuckled wryly to himself.
Ha, you were wrong! She did get a Night Fury as her mate after all! Good thing you were so eager, Dawn-Singer. We might not have learned this for a long time.
He looked around and listened to the piles of purring Furies. His family was at peace now.
He remembered that the work was definitely not over yet. There was at least one more important and ongoing task that had to be done. He coiled his tail tighter around Luna's tail and nuzzled her head as she slept in perfect peace and warmth.
All his thoughts in that moment were turned to the little life cradled between her arms.
Even though they both knew what to expect in this exploration, it was still so terribly painful to see them. Most of the sets were clearly those of adults, but there were some that had been younger with maybe only a couple years from the egg.
Valka had stopped shedding tears after the third den. Numbness had likely set in after.
"Only two of them in this cave," she whispered while leaning against Shadowwing's side.
He looked around the cave as well, his solemn croon the only audible sound.
I don't even know what to think by now.
It was so chilling to see the bones, the skulls, the wings, and the tails and to know that he was looking at himself in a way, even if only because of what would be after a peaceful death of old age.
They got to their solemn work, respectfully collecting all the bones and carefully loading them into several bags at a time. Was-Grounded arrived and helped to carry the bags to the agreed cave high up at the top of the twilight chamber. The bones were all carefully and gently laid in the rear of the cave. It was large enough to hold all the bones that they and the other dragon riders had found or were likely to find. The bones that were found together, those of mates or families, were kept together.
After what had to have been several days of working on and off, they were certain that all the skeletons were accounted for.
Shadowwing and Was-Grounded stood at the mouth of the cave and stared within toward the piles of white. Neither quite knew what to say.
"Are there any kin death-resting ceremonies?" Shadowwing whispered.
"None that I know of. My sire and dam never had a chance to tell me," Was-Grounded answered.
"We make a new one now," Shadowwing sighed.
He looked back to the piles of bones.
"We do not know who you were. You did not deserve to die. We will fill this range where you lived with new life much like you. We will never let that dying happen again," Shadowwing purred.
"I do not know if you fly in the sky-breath now. But if you do, do not think bad of us if we take your old dens. This is a very good range for us to live in peace," Was-Grounded whispered.
They bowed their heads and wings in a long moment of respect for those they never knew. Finally, they both turned away and dove down for the bottom cave they had picked for a very different purpose. There were other piles of bones as well, and those had needed to be removed.
Valka had asked many questions, to which Shadowwing had always replied by telling her 'not now.' Skald had been present to take down drawings and basic details on their appearance before the skeletons were taken apart and removed. He was given no other details than that it was some unknown type of dragon.
They both slunk inside the narrow entrance and stared at what was within.
"Are these all the Monster bones?" Was-Grounded snarled.
"Yes, all of them," Shadowwing growled.
"Good, now for the ceremony," Was-Grounded grinned.
He walked over to the bones and relieved himself on them. Shadowwing did the same without hesitation after Was-Grounded stepped aside.
They left the cave, turned back for the entrance, and fired two shots at the small rocky outcropping over the cave's mouth. The rock collapsed, sealing the cave's entrance behind a pile of rubble.
They both snorted defiantly and turned their tails on the place, never to turn their thoughts to it again.
"I will fly with you for this," Was-Grounded answered.
"Are you sure? There is not much to see," Shadowwing replied.
"I have seen this ceremony once before when life was colder for you. I should see it for you now in this much warmer flight. Mist-Wings will stay here with Green-Wings."
Shadowwing nodded and hummed. He walked over to Luna and nosed at the perfect egg between her arms. The egg that even now would occasionally shift and rock at their voices.
"My mate, you have much time. Go fly and do what you must do," she chuckled.
"You are sure? I am not missing this hatching!" he firmly declared.
"It will be some... cycles before the hatchling breaks the shell. I would know. Go, you rock-head."
Finally reassured, he walked over to the ledge where his brother was waiting for him along with Aurora, Rain-Eater, and Moon-Dancer. Dawn-Singer and Flies-Alone were nowhere to be found at the moment, which was not very surprising for new life-mates. No one volunteered to go look for them, and they likely did not want to be found.
"A Night Fury as a nest-Alpha for ground-kin! This is a twistedness I want to see!" Aurora chuckled.
"We want to see the Alpha-making ceremony also!" Moon-Dancer spoke up.
"It is not every... cycle... that our second sire-father becomes a new Alpha, again," Rain-Eater teased.
"We should fly!" Shadowwing answered them all.
The five of them flew from the ledge and gradually passed through the glowing spires into the brighter part of the chamber. The mass of humans came into view outside the place they had designated for meetings. It would still be a long time before any permanent structures large enough to accommodate any ceremonies or numbers of people could go up. Or for that matter, any buildings that could be houses. None were needed for this though.
They each touched down well outside of the assembled audience and slowly strolled toward them. Everyone parted around him to give him a clear path to the head of the crowd. Chief Thorvald, Valka, and Gobber stood at the center of attention, a patch of dirt nearby and some fresh ashes in the fire pit. Valka had taken on the role of the Elder who would be responsible for this ceremony. Several other Haven dragons stood at the outskirts of the gathering, clearly aware that something was happening.
Everyone was ready and wanted to waste no time away from all the other duties of plowing, foraging, hunting, fishing, and building.
Thorvald stepped up on top of a rock and stood out above everyone.
"Dragon riders! We are here in a new world! I have decided that we need a new Chief!"
The audience seemed split into half who were confused and half who did not know what was going on.
"I spoke to him, and he agreed. He will be much better to have lead us now. I renounce being Chief in favor of Shadowwing!"
A moment of silence passed as all astonished eyes went to said dragon.
"A dragon as Chief!" "Thor almighty!" "Why not?" "I'm gonna need an ale!"
Shadowwing huffed in amusement and stepped forward toward the dirt.
Will you have me lead you and protect you?
Gobber turned to the gathered crowd and raised his voice.
"Will ya let Shadowwing, a Night Fury, lead ya as yer Chief in this hidd'n werld?"
"Yes!" "Yeah!" "Sure!" "He's King!"
"Any objections er' challengers?" Gobber roared.
Crickets.
Shadowwing purred softly and bent back down to the dirt.
Thorvald, I would have you lead
With most of the human matters
You are doing a good job already
Gobber is your first adviser
Dragonheart is the Elder
Thorvald also nodded in acknowledgment, these details having already been discussed and agreed to beforehand. These details were shared with the whole crowd, none of whom disagreed.
"It is done!" Valka shouted and bent down to the ash.
Shadowwing stepped forward to her and deliberately sat down before her while lowering his head. She came closer to him and pointedly paused with a wry grin on her face, a grin which he slightly mirrored.
She traced out the symbol on his forehead and stepped back with a respectful bow and flourish.
Shadowwing lifted his head, briefly nodded to Valka, Gobber, and Thorvald, and shared a glance with his brother and the other Furies who were present. Was-Grounded had a silly grin and rolled his eyes in amusement. The children were happily purring in approval as well and their tails started swaying eagerly.
"The Chief has come home!" Gobber roared.
Everyone started clapping and cheering wildly. Younger riders high-fived each other while older ones and adults laughed while cheering or shook their heads in amusement.
"Long live the Chief!"
Shadowwing took a deep breath as he stood tall and looked around at everyone in the tribe. There were so many familiar faces from years ago and among the refugees from the other tribes. They had all left behind everything; homes, traditions, and their old identity, for this world and for the new. They all trusted in dragons. They trusted in him.
"Long live the Chief!"
'One day when you are all grown up... that job will be passed down to you...'
"Long live the Chief!"
He looked up toward the massive cavern's distant roof and imagined the open sky far, far above.
Dad... Astrid... I will make you proud.
"Long live the Chief!"
Another glance followed at Gobber, Valka, Thorvald, and all in the assembled audience. He gave them all a calm, confident nod that turned into a faint grin.
The four other Furies lifted their heads as one and roared together in celebration. Shadowwing could not restrain himself in the moment and joined in with them.
The irony of how everything had worked out struck him. His brother ended up a dragon King in the hidden world, and he himself ended up the Chief of his old tribe. Of course, he was also a dragon King and the plan was to delegate a lot of daily Chief duties to Thorvald, but those were only minor details.
Skald stood before a massive mushroom-tree. Sure, he had an axe with him, but it was a very big mushroom-tree-thing. It grew even taller than most houses and perches in Haven had been.
"I need plus twenty strength to take this down. And possibly a stamina potion or two."
He rapped on the stalk with his knuckles. The bark of the stalk looked quite firm. If that was any indication of the wood or tissue within-
"Yep, I bet these are strong enough to build with. Hey Lug, are you..."
He glanced over at the Gronkle and groaned when he saw that she was asleep.
"Yep, you are. Should have known. Rain-Eater, what do you think?"
The Fury standing at his side pointedly looked around at the massive forest, gave a warm purr, and waved a paw at it all before bending down to write.
There are many trees
We can use them
"Yeah, I still don't know how we are going to build it. You remember those plans that Shadowwing and Dragonheart made?"
Rain-Eater nodded, and both of them stared out off the ledge toward where the village structures were being planned. It was very ambitious indeed and would involve a lot of stonework, clay, wood, and time.
But they had all the time in the world now.
Aurora hauled herself out of the deep water, shook her wings and fins, and savored the fresh fish securely tucked away in her belly. It was very deep water and fun to explore in. Night Furies were excellent swimmers and could stay underwater for a long time. This water seemed to gently flow somewhere, which was a good thing because water that sits still in one place gets rot in it and smells foul.
She took to the sky and drifted over the new mixed-nest that was being made. There was not much made yet.
Between my hatching-cave and the tree-den in the Haven-range, I do not know which one was better.
She spotted some motion up on a far ledge high above. There were a couple shapes up there, one white and one black, and were both looking down on the range.
New mates, is there anything more liver-twisting than how... eager they are... to... grr...
With a groan, she turned up for that ledge and glided down to them once she confirmed that they were both... unoccupied.
Though, Dawn-Singer was resting his chin on Flies-Alone's neck, and their tails were swaying together.
She touched down next to them and pranced over to them.
"Sister... it is a warm cycle, is it not?" Dawn-Singer greeted her.
"Did you step in your own waste?"
"No, life is very warm now," he purred.
"I did not know you were cold before," she huffed.
"You are a twisted one, sister."
"I am a twisted one? Look at you, sitting here on this ledge when you could be hunting or working or..."
"Making an egg?" Dawn-Singer purred.
"If you two have not done that already... you might have a problem... with life-making!" she groaned.
"Life has no problems now," he grinned.
Great skies above... he is hopeless.
She turned to the one who was most at fault for all this and glared at her.
"Flies-Alone, what did you do to him?"
Flies-Alone almost answered but had a paw stuck in her face.
"And no, I do not want any details about... flying or... catching... or..."
Flies-Alone gave a very warm hum.
"I think that my life-mate speaks truth of you, sister of my mate. You are twisted."
Her eyes narrowed on the now-nest-kin Light Fury. If only Flies-Alone was not kin to her now. Maybe they could both play-fight later but very roughly.
"Twisted? How? I am not wrapped around another's paw," she huffed.
Flies-Alone grinned toothlessly at her.
"But I think you want to be," the Light Fury teased.
Aurora's jaw dropped as she softly hissed at that.
"What! You do not know me!"
"Yes, you see your brother with a warm mate. You want that also, deep in your liver."
That did not feel... it was not... definitely not... no... maybe...
"There are no others I could take," she huffed.
"True, you might feel twisted that his mate flew into the range without him even looking for one, but no mate flew in here for you yet," Flies-Alone continued.
Humph.
"I do not need a mate for now. There is enough work to do in this mixed-range, and I want to help them," Aurora retorted.
"But we are helping also," Dawn-Singer chuckled.
"How? By making an egg?"
"Yes, there must be more of us," Dawn-Singer answered very seriously.
Aurora groaned, turned for the ledge, and walked off it, falling into a glide that carried her away from the ledge.
Twisting though he was, there was some part of her liver that was very warmed for her brother's new flight. It was also true that Flies-Alone had very strong thinking and could fight with words.
We will have some good word-fights in the cycles to come.
Shadowwing sighed and turned back to the assembled people. As much as he would have preferred to have Thorvald address all the problems and concerns, it did seem like a good idea for him to do this occasionally to help reassure people and to help them get used to thinking of a dragon as their Chief. It also made sense to get one particularly awkward talk out of the way as soon as possible now after a couple weeks had passed.
"It is so strange to look up and see... all that!" the villager pointed up at the rocky roof far overhead and the nearest glowing crystals.
It is to us also
We miss the sky
A woman came forward.
"We are all alone here, us humans at least. But I guess we were alone in the above."
He nodded in solemn understanding.
Definitely not Nords anymore
All had a kind chuckle at that.
"What about those other dragons that did not like us? I thought we were all gonna die!" another interjected.
"Yeah, they were trying to kill us!" "What if something happens to my kids?" "Will it ever stop?" "We just want peace!" "They didn't want us here!"
Shadowwing stood up and looked toward the far, twilight passageway.
We will protect you
We care for you all
Dragons are fierce, you know
"I know you will, Chief..." "Yeah, we trust ya." "We're family." "What's life without a little danger?"
Another man stepped forward.
"Chief, what about food?"
There was a lot of muttering at that. The meals to this point were somewhat leaner than the ones everyone was used to.
That is a fair point, and it will take a lot of careful planning. There is only so much fish that we can catch.
A glance at Valka was all that was needed for her to get the hint.
"We have already planted the potatoes. There are plenty of plants growing down here. We have livestock in the fields, wild hunting, and plenty of fish in the water. We will be fine."
Shadowwing somehow doubted that it would be that simple, but there was no reason to spread any concerns around, especially when everyone was nodding in relief at her words. It helped that these people were not the cleverest in the world. They more than made up for that in their determination and loyalty.
And now I guess it is time for the talk that I have been so... waiting for. Love it!
We need to talk about the size of the tribe
"Huh?" "What?" "I don't get it." "Yeah, getting thinner...'
We should try to hold off on babies
Stares turned into muttering and much whispering.
"At least until we know how big a tribe, humans and dragons, this place can support. True, Chief?" Valka added while leaning on her staff.
He nodded in agreement, that precise question being the next major one to put his thoughts to.
Skald and Rain-Eater might be especially helpful also in figuring out how many this place of ours can sustain.
The rest of the tribe actually seemed to take it quite well. It seemed that no one, at least none of the couples, seemed especially concerned about that expectation. War and years of displacement had apparently put plans to grow families on hold until a bit more stability was assured from life. They knew that definitely included being properly fed and watered.
Uh, how long until they realize that ale will be a problem? Actually, they will find a way to make ale if it is possible...
Dawn-Singer and Flies-With-Sun, as Flies-Alone had renamed herself, flew over from their cave at the echoed summons and bounded down onto the massive ledge to watch the event as it happened. Was-Grounded and all the children stood nearby with their heads on their forearms as they watched and hummed. Only Green-Wings remained in her place as she tended to her egg that was itself close to hatching.
Shadowwing chuckled to himself as he lay next to Luna.
Both eggs will hatch only a few hours apart it seems. We did fly with our mates on the same day so it makes sense that the timing would work out so well.
The white egg on the sand before them was already cracked at its top and was violently shaking.
"Come on, my little one, you are strong," Shadowwing hummed.
The hatchling within apparently agreed as an upper section of shell broke away, revealing a pure white nose within.
Luna hummed softly in comfort and encouragement after sharing an eager and wide-eyed glance with him. His eyes were impossibly wide as well.
The top half of the egg eventually cracked and fell away as the hatchling within twisted to freedom. The tiny hatchling spilled onto the sand, wings flopping at its side, and pulled itself out of the shell with a piteous little cry. Its eyes were closed, its white wings and tiny smooth scales were covered with egg-slime, and its little head had none of its father's frills at all.
A healthy little female.
His heart was completely pierced as he stared in awe.
My daughter...
Just as Moon-Dancer was not a pure Night Fury, she was not a pure Light Fury. Her scales were somewhat mottled despite being very smooth, her small wings looked somewhat more angled at the edges, and her muzzle was a little longer in shape than it seemed it should be. She did still have the long tail and single back-ridge from her head to her tail though.
The hatchling opened her light teal eyes, stumbled to her feet, and chirped for attention. She spotted the chewed-on fish a short pounce away and immediately attacked with all the viciousness with which she was capable.
They watched in purring contentment as the hatchling ate until her little belly was stuffed and she could not eat more. Luna bent down again with a hum and licked her clean. The hatchling blinked wildly and batted at her own face as if to wipe away the offending drool that was not there. She stumbled forward a few steps once the brief bath and cleanup was finished and buried herself against Luna's chest. The hatchling was sound asleep moments later in her mother's warmth.
No one said anything for a very long time.
"Why is my nestmate sister different from me?" Moon-Dancer asked.
"Because your dam-mother is a Light Fury, and I am a Night Fury. Our little ones can be different colors," Shadowwing purred to his son.
"Have you thought of a name yet?" Was-Grounded asked.
Shadowwing and Luna shared a look as they had indeed discussed names, one each for whether the hatchling was a male or a female.
"I will let you speak her name, Luna."
Luna breathed on the sleeping white hatchling.
"She is Hidden-Hope."
Shadowwing and Was-Grounded stood together on the corner of their ledge and stared out toward the far distant light chamber, just barely visible through the mist and dark spires of their own part of the truly massive cavern. Aurora and Rain-Eater were helping out down with the construction. The occasional dragon peacefully spiraled through the sky, and a few came and went through the Furies' chamber.
Both of them were purring in relief and contentment. The other egg had hatched a somewhat smaller but healthy and very lively male. He had been tentatively named Rock-Climber for his initial eagerness to explore instead of go straight to sleep after hatching. Both mothers and hatchlings were now very busy sleeping. Valka would be summoned in time to come up and greet the two new arrivals.
Shadowwing sighed.
"This is all good. The ground-kin will make a big tree-den for having ceremonies in. And they made their flat places in dirt to grow plants for eating and prey-animals for feeding and eating."
"Peace," Was-Grounded whispered.
Shadowwing warmly chuckled.
"Hmm, with Dawn-Singer and Flies-With-Sun as mates maybe Moon-Dancer will be one for Aurora eventually. Maybe Rain-Eater and Hidden-Hope will fly together when she is grown. She will be very beautiful."
"That would be very much good," Was-Grounded purred.
"Maybe other Light Furies will fly here, but I think that Flies-With-Sun was different. She and Luna had the same, very warm sire and dam."
Shadowwing gave a wary groan after a few moments.
"Brother, there is one other thing that I would tell you about. Only you, trust me on this."
Lifted ears and a curious hum were the answer.
"It is something I learned when I was almost dead. We Night Furies had a life-will-power that could make... something happen to save life if we wanted it enough and were willing to die. Other kin also have powers. The great-tusks can thinking-whisper and make kin think bad thoughts if the great-tusk is rotted. All true?"
"Yes, true."
"All those powers came from one great kin, the last High-Alpha that was before us. It was a very special kin. He is dead now, and life-will-power might have died with him."
Was-Grounded grumbled at that in a moment of far-flying thought.
"That is not bad. Those powers are very filled with danger. It was good that I had mine to save us and you your power to kill the Hunter, but the world and all life might be better now without them," he declared.
"I agree," Shadowwing answered.
Shadowwing sighed and brought up something else that he had been wondering about for a long time. It was a possible explanation for what had happened so long ago and that had changed the flight of their lives.
"When you saved both of us many season-cycles ago and made us new life, did you have any wanting in your liver to make me a kin? Liver-truth. I am warmed that you did make me a Night Fury with you, as I told you, but I want to know if it was something you wanted so deeply that even you did not know."
Was-Grounded took a breath and had to gather his thoughts on the question.
"I do not think so. I... did want to be able to talk to you."
Was-Grounded grumbled.
"And I did hope that being made new would give me a new body and tailfin. I also knew that you were warmed by flying... like you had the life-fire of a kin," he weakly answered as his ears fell slightly.
"Maybe yes?" Shadowwing hummed.
"Not a yes that I know in my thinking, but maybe a yes so deep that I did not know."
Was-Grounded groaned and looked away.
"There is something else. When you were thought-thralled to the bad great-tusk, you... said something to me."
"What did... I say?" Shadowwing whispered.
"That you hate me and that I took everything from you."
"False!" Shadowwing growled.
Was-Grounded warily turned toward him, his eyes downcast.
"Is it? Is it not a deep truth hidden in your liver even from your own thinking?"
Shadowwing only purred and softly nudged his brother's shoulder with his nose.
"I would not change anything about what happened to us. You saving me and making me a Night Fury made my life much bigger than it would have been as a two-leg, I think. You gave me a brother when I would not have had one, and," he nodded back at the sleeping Furies behind them both, "none of that would have been if you did not change me. You gave me everything."
"Thank you," Was-Grounded whined and softly hummed.
A moment of quiet silence passed.
"Fire-breath is also a power," Shadowwing added in a whisper.
Was-Grounded gasped and stepped back in alarm. He turned aside and hurled a small bolt of purple fire at the rock wall, as if to reassure himself that he could.
"That might not end for us, but the last High-Alpha thought that fire-breath and ice-breath might end for future kin. There might be no powers," Shadowwing tried to explain.
Was-Grounded breathed heavily at the terrible thought. He remembered something he had been told long ago by a strange she-kin who could have visions of what might be and who had guided his flight to the range where he found Green-Wings.
'The flame that lives in the livers and bellies of kin will die like fire under the rain.'
"But... kin without fire... How will we hunt? How will we protect ourselves? How will we live?" he groaned.
Shadowwing hummed and put a wing over his brother's back. They looked out together toward the strange spires, distant ridges, shining plants, flowing waters, and glowing rocks in the pale light of the hidden world.
"Together," Shadowwing purred.