Once There Were Dragons - II
Several days of eager flight, only broken up by resting with her hidden in his wings every other day on empty islands off the mainland, were brought on by a burning in his heart, in both their hearts, and by a need to return to where they belonged.
They were on their way, flying down old country lanes, and they could not wait to go home.
He knew that he had a special reason why he had to get home as soon as possible. This duty now finished, he had another far more heartwarming one to return to. One that he was much practiced at now after five wonderfully different occasions of continual learning.
So far.
He finally dove down toward the remote and inconspicuous island, passing over those remaining ruins of a forgotten, unimportant world. A brief glance went to the far side of the island where he saw that nothing was amiss there. He gently touched down outside the massive cave and took a deep breath as he stared into the darkness illuminated by a faint glow.
Valka hopped off his back to stretch her legs after the final part of the long flight out into the desolation of the ocean. The maps showed that nothing was out here.
A shared glance out over the distant ocean and up to the skies followed when she returned. Together, they gazed up to the empty and silent skies.
Shadowwing heavily sighed as he turned his thoughts to the distant past. He thought about what Berk and Haven had been: the homes, the children, the fishing and livestock, play, flying, work, laughing, learning, teaching, and growing trust. All of it was filled with the normal drudgery of people putting one foot or paw in front of the other and going about their tasks for the good of all. Pulling a plow, herding the livestock, hauling in fish, teaching the young their runes and history, looking out for each other, providing for each other, and being a community.
Life had not been perfect of course, even in the years since they lived in the world above. There were still quarrels, disputes, and mild feuds that had emerged, dragon riders still had a bit of the Nord in them after all, but those were part of life. No one was perfect.
"I missss thosse good old dayss."
"Me too," Valka sighed.
He looked up at the distant moon and stared longingly at it.
Everyone else up here wants to cling to 'us' against 'them' thinking because it is comforting and lets everyone agree on who the enemies are. Maybe that is part of what it is to be human, to need to make groups to define themselves against. Dragons will always be another, dangerous group to this world.
His deep and weary sigh followed.
This world belongs to the humans again. Magic, dragons, and wonder will only exist in their stories now. Hopefully they will remember us well, but I do not care. I am done trying to change the world. They have what they need. It is up to them now.
"I will nnot ssee thiss worrld againn."
"Maybe not, but who really knows what the future holds?"
He winced slightly at that as he remembered certain events in recent years.
"You are still a young dragon and have many more years ahead of you than I do," Valka solemnly added as she stepped over to him and put a hand on his neck.
He chuckled softly as well at the thought of how much he had done in his fifteen or thirty years, depending on how many lifetimes are counted.
Who knows indeed?
"We sshould go nnow."
They bowed together to the winds, the sky, and the waters, and she vaulted onto his back as he threw his wings wide.
Down into the cave's depths he flew, lost in his memories of another time when a great migration had happened years ago. When a dream had been tested and survived because of the choice of one person. One person whom no one would have expected would change the course of the future.
Down through the glowing green light and deeper into the depths until he flew out into an impossibly large chamber with spires that reached hundreds of lengths into the sky, unearthly and glowing trees and plants, tall mushrooms and shining flowers, bright crystals, flowing waters, and flying dragons. Every dragon he passed lifted a roar of greeting to him, remembering well his highest of status among them all.
Down into a familiar passage, around corners, and through the hidden skies of a corridor filled with crystals of glowing dark colors embedded in the many spires and cliffs.
Well, I am back.
He could not help but lift his ears, rumble happily, and throw eager glances at certain of the caves and ledges as he passed.
I wonder if they are all at home.
He took a deep breath and roared with delight. A moment of silence passed as his roar echoed through the passageway.
His call was answered by raised voices from all around, from ledges, caves, spires, the open air, perches on high rocks, and down among the strange forest that led into the deeper parts of the chamber. They threw themselves into the sky from wherever they had been and roared joyful greetings. Night Furies, Dawn Furies, and even several other true Light Furies who had joined the flock followed his flight to the very large, high ledge that stood as if on that boundary between two worlds.
He touched down and folded his wings away on that familiar ledge that had seen so much life through the years between two families. Valka hopped off his back and stepped aside to make more room. It had not been even a few seconds later when all those who had followed also began to dive to land and greet him. Many tongues found his face and left their marks without him complaining at all. Valka held many heads in turn and whispered words of greeting. It was clear how thankful and relieved they were at his and Valka's safe return. His heart burned with warmth at seeing them all and hearing their dear voices again.
Dawn-Singer and Flies-With-Sun with Moon-Pinner, a six cycle female, and Hides-In-Clouds, a four cycle female.
Moon-Dancer and Aurora with Sky-Singer, a three cycle and dark scaled male, and Dark-Hunter, a new male hatchling without any words yet.
Rain-Eater and Flies-Bravely, a Light Fury who joined the family four cycles ago, with Fire-Singer, their two cycle male with white scales and a very mellow temper.
Mist-Wings and Light-Hunter, a male Light Fury who had also joined the flock, and Star-Wings, their one cycle female.
Rock-Climber and Wind-Dancer, his brother's last two children, had no mates of their own yet.
His own other four unpaired children: Hidden-Hope, his pure white daughter; Night-Light, his second son and his first child to have both white and black coloration; Flower-Eater, his dark-scaled third son; and Solveig, a four cycle female whom he and Luna had adopted as an egg and raised as their own.
Lastly, he bowed slightly to the two other adult Light Furies who lived with them now. Both of Luna's parents, Hope-In-His-Liver and Paws-At-Bright-Flowers, were there to greet him with a warm nuzzle. They had been found four cycles ago and were brought here with the promise of again flying the winds of life with their first two lost daughters. Also with them was their newest child, Burns-Brightly, a four cycle female begotten after their arrival in New Haven.
The purring was an almost tangible force on that massive ledge. But there were a few Furies still missing and not present at the moment.
"Where are the others?" Shadowwing rumbled.
"Down in the nest with the ground-kin!" was the general response.
"They are having a ceremony!" Moon-Dancer explained.
"A ceremony? What ceremony?" Shadowwing eagerly asked.
"A ceremony for those who are flying above." Moon-Dancer hummed.
Shadowwing, purring deeply, looked around at the extended family.
"But now we are here! We should join the ceremony!" he roared aloud with delight.
He bounded over to Valka, invited her again onto his back, and many of the others joined behind him into a single flight that turned for the deeper, brighter chamber. Down over the strange trees, forest, ledges, and waters and through the glowing spires the massive flight passed. Several wild, freely flying dragons raised their voices to greet and acknowledge him.
The world built through the years gradually came into view before them. Small and simple homes had been constructed throughout from the tough trunks of the mushroom-trees and the larger other types of foliage. There were no stables because there was no need for any without rain or bad weather. Rope bridges went between some of the ledges. The waters down below had no ships. Catching fish was an activity that had become somewhat of a challenge and contest through the years among the Furies and certain other of the dragons. The fields down below grew the hardier edible plants and had pens of domesticated livestock from this world and from the above.
The Great Hall was truly great, serving both as a gathering place for festivals and also as a potential refuge against attacks. The Hall had been built into the base of the cavern wall around a very large cavern recess. The tireless work of masons and the labor of many willing dragons had built up an inner chamber larger than either of the Halls before. Despite being built with wood in some places, the Hall was structurally resistant to fire. Inside were most of the relics from the world above: the books, communal goods, and rescued tapestries of past leaders, now adorning the wall for as long as the building would stand.
He saw the gathering outside the Hall and around a large fire on which there were piles of fish and other roasting meats. Dragon riders, for they had forsaken having any other such name, were dancing with each other, joining and departing the ceremony, and telling stories. There were also far more of them gathered here right now than there usually were. He would need to greet them all as their Chief, but that could wait until later.
However, those people he had truly come to see were resting together just away from the main gathering. Down to the ground he dove and touched down with a roar of greeting. Valka hopped off him, unstrapped and removed his riding harness and packs, and wandered off to share news with the tribe.
Luna, shining as brightly as the moon itself would, hopped to her feet and strode toward him without hesitation. He went to nuzzle her and was completely defeated by the attack of her rough tongue on his cheek, deep purring, and her tail wrapping around his as she fell in beside him. A wing went over her back as they lay down together in the grass and softly hummed without any words. None were necessary or sufficient at the moment.
Was-Grounded and Green-Wings stepped up before him and briefly greeted him, also without any spoken words. Luna started nuzzling him a bit more vigorously and nibbling on his ears and neck.
"Luna, what is it?" he hummed with amusement and a warm heart.
"I am warmer with you here now," she whispered back.
"I am not going anywhere else. That is liver-truth."
He saw Valka talking with Thorvald and Elder Gobber, certainly sharing the results of the mission with them.
"Someone should fly to the above as we did after many season-cycles or life-cycles pass. But being at your side in this hidden world is my place, now and always," he nuzzled her neck.
"Yes, this is our home-range," Luna softly answered.
Shadowwing hummed and had an idea as he looked from her to the other dear pair.
"We should fly," he grinned.
They growled in agreement and followed him up into the hidden sky in a smooth, calm flight as they soared higher over the village and up toward the glowing spires.
They alighted on the largest glowing crystalline ledge that lay high above the ground, and they packed in together. Shadowwing stretched his wings out over all of them. They sat together in peace and watched the various happenings down below. People working at their tasks, or joining and departing the feast. Riderless and bonded other types of dragons were off in the distance.
Life had changed so much in the years since they all flew into hiding. Most of the humans had adapted rather well to their new, somewhat harsher world, despite having generally lost weight between them all. That was an occupational hazard of living in the new world and needing to change lifestyles. Adapting had been harder for the adults than for the children. It was wondrous to see how naturally those few born in the hidden world or those who had done most of their growing up in it took to their surroundings from the earliest of ages: the gliding off cliffs; navigating great heights; harvesting mushrooms, potatoes, and other edibles; swimming; climbing; tending to pet Terrors and other small dragons; and talking with Furies as equals.
It was all they knew. Nothing was better at making a shared world and building the peace than to have always lived together from the earliest ages.
Many of the bonded dragons had returned to their freer life, though they always remembered their humans when they did stop by. And every time that they brought back a mate or fledglings of their own, that meant that a few more dragons in the hidden world learned that these humans were not all deserving of fear and mistrust. It was slow change, but that was how progress worked: one nose-touching of trust at a time.
Peace had been eventually established with the other Light Fury packs. It had involved some violence years ago, but those encounters had also been the source of great joy because it was in those adventures that Flies-Bravely, Light-Hunter, and both of Luna's parents had been found and convinced to fly to New Haven. The main Light Fury pack in this region of the hidden world was now an ally of New Haven, and both packs aided each other in many ways.
There were also certain others who did not take up the invitation to live in New Haven. There had been other incidents involving dragons in the years immediately following the arrival, but everything had worked out so far even if some tears were shed along the way.
By far the most dramatic change that had befallen all dragons was something that few people ever spoke of. Something happened to make fire breath rarer or more difficult to manage among almost all the newer dragons, though it was not gone yet. The hope was that the magical nature of dragons, since it seemed to be dying or fading, could be allowed to be lost and forgotten entirely. Magic had been completely removed from the story that had been shared in the above.
The one main comfort against both the continued departure of dragons and the fading of magic was the greater involvement of the Furies in normal life with the dragon riders even from the earlier of ages. There were also certain other events that left everyone wondering at times. Some of the other dragons that did stay around longer had apparently started learning to understand more spoken words. No one was quite sure what was going on, whether this signified growing actual understanding or not.
The four of them lay there together for a long time in purring peace until Was-Grounded turned to Shadowwing and gave a very wry grin.
"Brother, are you going to ask how many eggs there will be this life-making cycle?" Was-Grounded teased.
"I do not know if there are more," Shadowwing truthfully answered.
His departure over two months ago had come well before either Luna or Green-Wings could have known if they had gotten new eggs, though it was definitely the plan. Both pairs wanted another after having none in the last six years, as the above would count. They were also more able to have another pair of children now, given certain changes that had happened in their part of the hidden world.
"You should already know for us. What can I say? I saw my mate flying and I had to go... catch her. That's who I am," Was-Grounded toothilly grinned.
Shadowwing rolled his eyes and stuck out his tongue in amusement. Was-Grounded's answer was to swat him with his tail and nuzzle Green-Wings. She had laughed with mirth sparkling in her eyes throughout the teasing.
What about us? I hope.
Shadowwing warily glanced over at Luna and lost himself in her soft croon and light blue eyes. A gentle nudge of her side followed in a wordless question.
"Yes, we have another," Luna softly purred while stroking his tail.
He purred deeply back to her with pride in his eyes.
"I saw you catch her! That was well flown! We will need to slow this life-race if we want to be able to fly in these skies," Was-Grounded laughed.
"Yes, we will after these eggs. These will be our last for many cycles. We should also send more fliers to other far ranges in the hidden world to find new ranges some might live in. Doing that might help us and the ground-kin even more," Shadowwing answered.
He warily hummed.
"Some of our young and the ground-kin young already talk of the beyond. To them the world above is the hidden world. I think much about if sky-kin will ever truly fly in the above again. There would be two-legs and two-leg nests in the beyond that fear us and think us Monsters from their stories."
"And that is why you and Kin-liver flew beyond, true?" Luna asked.
"True, I and Kin-liver did what we said we would do. She met with many two-leg nests in the beyond. She shared the no-powers life-story where I stayed a ground-kin who was life-bonded with Toothless. That story will help the two-legs know us sky-kin not as Monsters if we are ever to fly beyond in the sun's light," he explained.
"Will it change anything? How long do you think it will be before we can fly in the above?" Was-Grounded asked.
Shadowwing paused and thought for a moment before answering.
"Do I think the story will change all two-legs? No. Will it change enough of them? I do not know. I want to say yes, but I fear it will not. Two-legs have rock-head problems and do not want to fly from what they are to be something new," he whispered.
"Your old nest did, and they all became our ground-kin," Green-Wings kindly offered.
He lay his head down on the glowing rock. He spotted several of the young Furies playing and conversing freely with a small group of human children that included Skald's and Thorvald's. The young Furies' spoken speech was far clearer than any he could do himself.
"The two-legs from my home-nest-island knew sky-kin even from the life-cycles of fighting against them. Sky-kin were always part of normal life for them. That is not true for many other two-leg nests. There were many two-leg nests beyond that did not want to listen to the story. Stories take many life-cycles to make changes. Stories are better than not knowing anything, but they are not the same as playing together, learning, fighting, laughing, and living as one nest. The four of us might not be alive when the above world is safe for sky-kin again... if..."
Shadowwing weakly sighed, feeling the oppressive darkness that frequently seemed to hover in his thoughts.
"Knowing two-legs as I do, no, I do not think sky-kin will ever fly free in the above again."
A quiet and solemn moment passed between them.
Luna started humming, and Shadowwing quickly lifted his head in response. All his fears and concerns scattered in that moment as he closed his eyes and felt her warmth at his side and the slow sway of her tail with his.
Words learned from Valka and sung through the years rose almost unbidden at Luna's familiar hum. They had become his and Luna's shared refrain whenever the winds of life were especially hard to fly.
"I'll glide and soar on great skies… with not a fear of falling... and gladly fly the winds of life... if you will be my mate... no burning sun or biting cold... will stop me on my flight... if you will promise me your love... and fly with me for all time," he sang.
Luna hummed softly before picking up her lines.
"My dearest one, my Shadowwing... your great words amaze me... but I've no need of such great things... if I feel your wings around me."
He continued.
"But I will bring you piles of fish... I will even sing you songs... and I will keep you always safe... if you will fly beside me."
She laughed.
"I do not need your piles of fish... I care not for your songs... I only want your tail to hold... I only want you with me."
Their voices mingled.
"To love, to hum, to closely hold... for the dancing and the dreaming... through all the chills and warmths of life... I will keep your love beside me."
"I'll glide and soar on great skies… with not a fear of falling... and gladly fly the winds of life... if you will be my mate..."
They both looked back out over the hidden world while humming softly in peace. Luna gently rubbed his neck with her cheek while purring peace to him.
"Good, no more singing," Was-Grounded grumbled while covering his ears with his paws.
"I have heard you singing to Green-Wings, if that noise of yours can be called singing... Your flight now!" Shadowwing grinned.
He got a very heavy shove in the side, a mock-growl, and shared laughter in response. Was-Grounded turned to Green-Wings and hummed at her.
"Green-Wings, do you love me?"
"Do I what?" she blinked.
"Do you love me?"
"Do I love you? With our little ones making nests, and the problems in the range... you are tired and sleepy, go to our ledge and lie down... maybe you had too many fish," she grumbled.
Was-Grounded huffed softly and nudged her shoulder with his nose.
"Green-Wings, I am asking you a question. Do you love me?"
"You are a rock-head," she groaned.
"I know," he grinned, "but do you love me?"
She sighed.
"Do I love you? For so many cycles I have licked your hurts, cleaned our den, helped you hunt, given you eggs and little ones. After so long why talk about love now?"
"Green-Wings," he nuzzled her nose, "the first time I saw you I was lost. I was chilled."
"I was scared," she whispered.
"I was alone."
"So was I."
"But I hoped that in time we would learn to know and... love each other. And now I am asking... Green-Wings, do you love me?"
"I am your life-mate."
"Yes, but do you love me?" he again asked.
She sighed softly.
"Do I love him? For so long I have lived with him, fought with him, starved with him, for so long my den is his, if that is not love... what is?"
"Then you love me!" Was-Grounded eagerly barked.
"I suppose I do," she warbled up at him.
"And I suppose I love you too," he answered with a very smug grin and brush of her nose.
Both of them shared a warm look and sang together.
"It does not change a thing, but even so... after so long... it's good to know..."
Their voices trailed off into a constant, warm purr.
"And you tease me for singing with my life-mate," Shadowwing chuckled.
They all hummed together and looked out over all that they could see of their little corner of the hidden world.
"What are we doing?" Shadowwing suddenly growled.
"Sitting?" Was-Grounded asked.
"We are sky-kin, true?"
"I wonder about you," Luna grumbled.
Was-Grounded and Green-Wings laughed heartily while he rolled his eyes.
"We have wings, true?"
They all hummed, seeing clearly where he was going with this.
"Why are we sitting on our tails?" he grinned.
Shadowwing jumped forward and fell from the crystal. He let himself tumble in freefall for a moment and threw out his wings only to see three other pairs of wings diving after him. White joined his side on one wing and black and green on the other. The four of them joyfully flew, cried aloud, and tagged tails, taking simple pleasure in the fun of a game of tag before future egg-tending duties or tribe-related duties would prevent such flights.
There, high over a small village and the alien wilderness in the hidden world, peacefully flying together with Luna, Was-Grounded, and Green-Wings, and watching the peace, trust, and life that their families enjoyed, Shadowwing again felt that sense of belonging that had been absent throughout so much of his life. This was home, not because of where it was or the memories the place carried with it, but because of who was there to fly the winds of life with him.
Shadowwing happily growled to himself as he spun in a loop and looked down on the world below.
This is New Haven. We are in hiding now, all of us vanished completely off the map. We came early into the world, and it was not ready for us. We almost did not make it. We might never fly up there again, and that is fine with us. We are happy to live in peace: dragons and our humans! We will fly the winds of life together! It is not safe or easy, and we do not care! Bit by bit, we will change our hidden world! We do not know if the world above will ever be safe for us, but we hope that we will live to see it!
Shadowwing roared aloud with joy. His resounding cry was answered by three other voices which united into a roar that echoed through the whole chamber.
The End – Volume III
Brothers Of Night
Closing Author's Note: Congratulations to all who have made it to the end of this very lengthy journey.
Gratitude: My special gratitude goes out to those of you who have left the most regular and meaningful reviews throughout. You know who you are. It is readers like you who help make the story better by thoughtfully musing on characters, noticing things that the author does not, suggesting scenes or dialogue, and giving the writer reassurance that it is worth continuing to write. My thanks goes out to all the other readers who took the time to contribute reviews and favorites. I consider it my duty to leave reviews for stories that I find deserving of my time. Doing so as I go through each chapter is a way to engage with the author, gather my thoughts almost like taking notes, compensate the author for their time, and help the story get the publicity that it deserves.
Edits: I have edited Volume III of this story since initial posting. All the edits were to fix recurring grammar flaws. I might do the same for the first two volumes if I have the time.
Beta: VigoGrimborne assisted me by beta reading much of the final volume and definitely helped improve the quality of the final result. I highly recommend that you check out his writing. He has several very worthy and original HTTYD stories from humor one-shots, to a multi-volume adventure/family epic, to a psychological/supernatural drama and sequel, to a modern sci-fi, and many other stories.
General Thoughts: A few overall thoughts on the entire story. Some readers objected to the non-standard language of 'Fury speech' by saying that it was too difficult to understand. I always intended to make their speech feel different from human speech to help reinforce that these are not human characters. There were tragic elements to the story, and some beloved characters were lost along the way. Happily-ever-after endings where there are no permanent sacrifices or losses are asinine. Part of the plot of volume III was precisely that of moving on and finding life meaningful again after a devastating loss. I also wanted to not make this a 'magic' story in as much as I could avoid it having an 'unnatural' feeling. What 'magic' there is portrayed, the two Fury powers and the two ancient, mystical dragons in the background, is 'exiting the stage' so to speak. I am definitely influenced by Tolkien's writing, if that were not clear from many of the quotes, in these two regards: the permanence and necessity of some sacrifices and the fading away of the magical or mystical. Good always prevails in the end, but the triumph is at such a cost that the world is left somehow 'less' than it was before. As is alluded to in the prior chapters, I do see these dragons eventually losing everything truly 'magical' about them, including fire-breath. But is that such a bad thing?
Sequel Story: The Fury children were not focused on much in Brothers Of Night, save for Dawn-Singer at the end, because this was not their story. However, there is a sequel, Children Of Dawn, which was hinted at in a prior chapter. The sequel begins a couple years after the departure from the above, well before the events of the epilogue chapters, and focuses more on the Fury children, their adventures with their human friends, the practical workings of how life would continue in the hidden world, struggles to keep the dream alive, and other events. The four main Furies we know will still be key players throughout. There are some plot threads intentionally left dangling from this ending, and the sequel will address them all. The sequel story is fully posted.