Eagle-eyed readers will note we are now at the same amount of chapters as Two Worlds: One Family. Hehe, quess what, we are still not done with this book. So despite my hopes at the begining, the characters wanted this one to be longer. Also the Dramatis Personae will be updated with a new dragon name for known species.
Getting to Fishlegs and the Gronckles proved easy. Rock blossoms grew in crevices along cliff faces so they found him at the bottom of the cliff Astrid and Gyda were on. Getting Fishlegs calm when he heard about Toothless proved a bit trickier. Fishlegs had come a long way since the Red Death battle and his love of dragons rivaled Hiccup's. Getting Fishlegs to stay put with Gyda while Hiccup borrowed Shadowfire to go get the tea's ingredients proved harder. Fishlegs, naturally curious, wanted to know everything. It actually took Gyda telling Fishlegs about Shadowfire's tendency to sunbathe to give Hiccup the chance to slip away.
That Fishlegs did not know about the tea meant Gothi had not trusted him with it. Hiccup was loathed to hurt his friend's feelings over it but Gothi had sworn him to secrecy over what went into the tea and how it was prepared. It was better to distract him with a dragon's favorite habit that he could put into the new Book of Dragons. Hiccup would later ask Gothi if Fishlegs could learn the tea's recipe.
Shadowfire's wings beat, driving them through a low flying cloud. Hiccup frowned. Riding upon the big dragon made Hiccup confused and thrilled at the same time. When he went to mount Moondust, something within him heavily resisted the action. Hiccup felt that resistance again with Shadowfire, but not to the same level. Instead of his soul planting its feet and leaning back like a yak against a lead when it did not want to go forward, whatever this was only seemed to grumble like Toothless when Hiccup had to wake him from a nap upon leaving smithy after a time of working with Gobber. Hiccup wondered if the Changewing elder would know what this was. She had already promised to find out what coated his words with power to make the nest dragons freeze. Hiccup resolved to ask Gyda as well. The future had to know more of dragon/rider bond. His father did not want to know the path the tribe walked but this was different than that.
It was also vastly different riding a dragon built just for power rather than power, speed, and agility. Toothless was the fastest dragon known to the Vikings and could perform tricks in the air that caused Hookfang to once exclaim his tail would tie in a knot if he tried the same trick. Toothless was also powerful, but his power lay in the accuracy of his shot and the fact that his flame seemed to denotate rather than just burn. His fire was deadly when Toothless dove and fired at the same time. The Red Death found that out, though her hide only caused her to tumble over instead of burn. Shadowfire's power came from the fact his wings were large enough he plowed through the air and clouds. Riding Shadowire right then, Hiccup realized why Gyda had Meatlug fly behind him that first day. Nothing less than a tornado could stop Shadowfire.
At Hiccup's tap upon his neck, Shadowfire banked and dove to land on a large enough ledge near to the top of tallest mountain on the island. The dragon lowered to his belly and shifted his leg out. Hiccup dismounted, careful not to put all his weight upon his metal leg. He did not want to hurt Shadowfire. He then moved over to a clump of mountain buttercup, the main ingredient and the last one had to get from the island. He could get the last two ingredients when he got back to Eel Island. The tea had to be served hot so he would brew it there with a mix of ocean water and the water from his capped water jar when they had Toothless contained.
[Frost will not believe this,] Shadowfire said as Hiccup used his dagger to cut several of the yellow blooms off the small shrub.
Hiccup frowned. He placed the petals with the other ingredients he had collected and folded the piece of leather, securing it with a strand of sinew. Why the ingredients had to be placed in such a crudely made, and smelly, pouch was something Hiccup knew he would never understand, but Gothi insisted. Once the wrap was secure, he turned to Shadowfire.
"I thought you and Frost knew everything your mother did about us. Why would Frost be surprised by Toothless' illness?"
Shadowfire shook his head like a human answering in a negative. [Not that, my alpha. Though with the changes between what we know and what has happened, we all thought this would not occur. Frost would not believe you rode upon my back.]
Hiccup climbed into the saddle. Shadowfire stood. The dragon moved to the edge of the ledge and dove. It was not until they were in the air and level did Hiccup question Shadowfire's statement.
"Why would me riding you be so surprising to Frost?"
[You and Toothless were Mom's favorite characters from the tale we knew. Frost's favorite was just you, Alpha. When your gods approached Mother, Frost was torn between going through the mate-hood ceremony or postponing it enough that he could meet you. Mother and the one you call Loki convinced him to go ahead because the arrangements would take time.]
"You met Loki?" Hiccup asked, his eyes wide.
[Aye, we all were in the room when your gods asked Mom to be their messenger.]
"Who else was there?"
[The one you call Thor and the mate of Loki.]
"Any others?"
[If they were, I did not see or smell them.]
"Your mother never told us who she met. I thought it was all of them or at least Odin, the All-Father."
[Loki said that Odin was busy when Mom asked if he would be joining.]
"Ah. So, do you know why your mother doesn't believe in the gods if she's met them?"
[I don't. It never bothered Frost and I what Mother believed. Though dragons take guidance from Elders and our ancestors, we never made Mom believe what we do. I think she believes different, but it doesn't matter. She's still my mother. You believe different, but you are still my alpha.]
Hiccup chuckled. "You hold a lot more wisdom than you show, Shadowfire."
Shadowfire chuckled. [I'm like an onion. I have layers.]
Hiccup blinked. "I get the feeling that was something I should know but because I'm not from your time I don't."
Shadowfire laughed before circling around and heading down towards his mother, Fishlegs, and the Gronckles.
[Yes, my alpha, it is,] he said before his paws touched dirt.
They reached Eel Island soon after. It took longer than with the Night Furies because Meatlug and Boulder were both slower dragons, but they still made it to the island just as the sun reached the mountain Hiccup told Sharpshot to look for.
It was not Shaprshot's flame they saw that clued them to where Toothless was. A bright red ball of fire detonated against a rock wall at the bottom of the mountain. Hiccup spied Moondust hovering in the air above the clearing at the base of the wall. She faced off against a green dragon Hiccup had only saw pictures of in the old Book of Dragons and one Bork had not named or given much details upon.
"What is that?" Fishlegs exclaimed.
[A Fire-spiraler,] Meatlug answered. [It spits fire then spins at a high rate of speed. That causes its fire to become claw-like extension beyond its body. It can make for beautiful marks on the ground as well.]
"We have to get over there," Hiccup exclaimed. "That thing looks like it's mad."
[Fire-spiralers do not like to be disturbed,] Meatlug said. [Toothless' illness certainly qualifies as a disturbance.]
"Fish, you, Meatlug, and Boulder go help Moondust keep that thing away," Hiccup ordered. "Shadowfire, we're going after Toothless."
"Me, Meatlug, Boulder, and Moondust against something that big that spins while spitting fire?" Fishlegs asked. "Does that seem fair?"
"No," Hiccup said, staring at his friend and grinning. "That dragon doesn't stand a chance."
Prince: Yep. Gyda and Astrid have become close and Astrid trusts her with a lot. Glad you liked the description of their relationship.
Kirika: Hey, welcome back. Hehe, yep, we are at Eel Effect.