A/N: Oh my gosh, guys your patience is so awesome. Seriously, thank you. I appreciate the way that you guys are sticking with me, and hopefully my chapters make up for the wait whenever I do manage to get them out to you all.
-Heavy sigh- You have no idea how awesome it feels to type again.
By the way, this chapter will be a flashback collection. ;)
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The Nursery was filled to the brim for once, a blessing and a curse at the same time. This season many female Night Furies had crammed themselves into the cavern, either carting in with them younglings or waiting patiently for their eggs to hatch accordingly. Usually was it was just filled with the mothers and their little ones, the only talk being the squeaks of play from the children and the rumble of gossip from the mothers.
But today was different. Today, the Cavern was filled with a line of dragons young and old alike, excited conversations filling the stone walls as the rumble of speech went through. A new baby dragon egg had just hatched this morning, and the news of its arrival had spread like wildfire through the Pack. The new mother, Echosong, was widely respected throughout the entire group of Night Furies; so when it was heard that she was to have a youngling, every dragon had been on edge. Would the baby be like her? Would it take after her sweet looks? Her swift cunning? Or maybe her sharp flying skills? Those were the questions that floated on the breeze now in the damp cave, everyone in line to see the offspring of beloved Echosong.
The mother in question was at the end of the line, her newly-hatched baby curled up tightly at her side, oblivious to the fuss that she was creating. The little one was adorable and perfect: a light gray shade making up her scales and the peeking of shimmering blue eyes every now and then. She was the picture of her mother, not her father, who sat behind the two females, chest swelled with pride. Each dragon that came by offered their own sort of praise, and Echosong was already worn out before the line even reached halfway through.
She twisted back to look at her Mate, eyes flashing with irritation and humor at the same time. "All this fuss over something so little." She said in a small tease, looking down with soft eyes at her daughter lying in the crook of her belly. She swept her tail forward, wrapping it closely around her child and pulling her even closer at the thought.
Her Mate leaned over, nuzzling her ear fondly at the words. "It's not something little." He chastised her gently, voice soft and with no sort of spike at all. "It's our daughter! The Pack has the right idea in celebrating her like this." He purred, leaning over and pushing his nose against the little one's head, the youngling squawking loudly at the intrusion. He pulled back with another purr at this, his tail curling with tender amusement. "She's perfect." He said happily.
Echosong rolled her eyes with a small chuff. "You think everything is perfect, Talon." She said.
"I think you're perfect." He added, prodding her just as affectionately.
"She's perfect!"
The pair looked up at this, ears perking as they turned over to look at who had spoken. Recognition flooded through Echosong's gaze as she locked eyed with the newest visitor, the female unconsciously drawing her youngling closer to herself at the sight of the mother and her own little one standing at her feet. "Oh." She said, blinking rapidly. "Hello Mapleshade." She said, putting enthusiasm into her voice as she tilted her head to the side wearily. "I didn't expect you to be here."
Mapleshade purred at this, looking overjoyed as she leaned down close to survey the little one. Echosong shifted a little bit, but didn't object, only flicking her ears back and forth restlessly. Talon had sobered it seemed, the male souring a little bit as he looked at the newcomer with a different kind of look. She was unaware of the looks though, looking down instead and pushing her own child forward, looking just as proud as Echosong was. "Have you ever met my youngling?" She asked excitedly.
Echosong's eyes softened at the little one, her guard slipping in the moment as she dipped her head. "Hello, Nightflight." She cooed happily, voice tender as she spoke down to the little dragoness. Nightflight looked down shyly at her feet as she was addressed, hesitating a moment before leaning forward, ears twitching with interest as she bent over the small baby curled against its mother. Echosong found herself tensing yet again, and she gave a small cough, hoping to hide her paranoia with the expression. "Her name is Mistyeyes." She said kindly, purposefully only speaking Nightflight's way as she stared fixedly at the little one. "She's only a day old! Can you believe that?"
"She's tiny." Nightflight commented in a small squeak.
"Yes, but she'll grow big and strong." Talon said, seeming to get over his recent tightness.
"Very big and strong!" Echosong winced at this, having already been expecting it as soon as she saw Mapleshade approach. Fighting the urge to wince, she turned and looked back the mother's way, shifting a little uneasily. Mapleshade was bent forward, resting her paw lightly on Mistyeyes's back, who was grumbling angrily at the weight that was pressed lightly against her side. "I can see her already! This one is going to be big and important!"
"….Is she….now?" Echosong asked awkwardly, clearing her throat a little with the question. This was a routine that new mothers always had to go through: listening to Mapleshade claim to know all about their new arrival with just one glance. She had always seen the odd female perform the feat with other mothers and their newly-hatched, and wondered what in the world she would do in such a weird conversation. And here she was, finally able to face that question for real. And now she was wishing, with all the eyes on her that she could sink through the floor.
"Don't you see?" Mapleshade asked happily, looking thoroughly enthralled in the little baby by now. "She's such a little Leader! I can see every part of you in her already." She flashed a happy look Echosong's way, and the mother smiled uncomfortably back. "She'll grow up to be quite the charmer, too, I think."
Nightflight blinked, looking put-out as she glanced from Mistyeyes to her mother. She leapt to her feet, bouncing up and down now as she craned her neck to look up at her mother. "What about me, mother? What about me?" She asked, shuffling her feet rapidly as she tried to rally the attention back onto her. "What about me? What will I be in the future?"
Mapleshade completely ignored her daughter for the moment, turning a pleased look Echosong's way. "You'll be proud of this one." She promised the uncomfortable dragoness. "Her path goes many different directions, and it entwines with many different sets of footprints as well. You'll have to watch where this one goes, because she'll make history."
"Right." Echosong said, reaching over and bundling her daughter closer to her, glancing Mapleshade up and down as she did so. "I'll make sure to do that. Thank you, Mapleshade. I appreciate it." Her words were short and clipped: a sure sign of dismissal. Then, wanting to make it clear that she wanted her to leave, she added: "I'll see you later, perhaps; you and your daughter." Nightflight was sulking by now at the thought of being ignored, looking as if she wanted to start wailing for someone to pay attention to her.
Mapleshade nodded kindly, never the one to pick up hints. "Of course." She said with a dip of the head. "I'll see you around the cave, Echosong. And I'll make sure to keep a watch on Mistyeyes as well. I have a feeling she'll live a very interesting life." And with that, she gave one last nod to the proud parents before turning, carting Nightflight along with her as they trudged away back into the crowd. Nightflight glanced back every once and a while, looking with jealousy and something else towards Mistyeyes, only turning and running away when she was forced to catch up with her mother.
Echosong blinked, looking over with confusion at Talon, who held her own puzzlement in his own expression. He shrugged listlessly, leaning over and putting his nose to her ear comfortingly. She sighed softly, rolling her eyes as she looked down kindly at her daughter, leaning over and rasping her tongue caringly over her little one's head.
She did her best to ignore what Mapleshade had said, as strange as it was. Mistyeyes was just going to be…well…Mistyeyes. She was going to be a normal little youngling, who's only worry was when they would be able to play and for how long. There was nothing odd about her daughter, and she would make sure that she was sheltered from danger. Tightening her hold on her youngling, she gave another tender embrace to the baby.
Nothing different. Nothing wrong. She'd make sure of it.
(~**~) (~**~) (~**~) (~**~)
Mistyeyes watched intently, blue eyes narrowed just slightly as she rounded forward, the tip of her tail twitching in the dark of the cave. Behind her, the rest of the Pack was gathered, eyes wide with confusion, loss, grief, and shock. The air around the gray Night Fury trembled with the emotions as the last effects of the human attack on them slowly ebbed away. The leader of the other dragons stood against the mouth of the cave, a light outline in the blackness that hung like a shadow over the large group.
She was facing forward intently, eyes flashing with untold stories as she kept her feet rooted to the ground. Her blue eyes, luminescent in the dim lighting, were trained intently on the form that was retreating towards the exit of the caverns, his panicked footsteps the only noise in the cave at the moment as all attention was fixed on his leave. Mistyeyes's last words hung in the air, the female having just spoken them only a few moments before the male had dashed away like a wounded animal. "If you speak the truth, you will not need this, but if any of my dragons see you on this island again, we will take action. Leave our island, now."
Those were her final words, her final judgment. And as Mistyeyes listened to Toothless's rapid footfalls gradually fade away, she could not help but feel as if she had made a terrible mistake. Behind her was a mob of grief-stricken and shell-shocked group of dragons, all looking at her as if she had just let a murderer leave empty-clawed. And now, once she found Toothless to have left the premises, under the assumption that he would never return again, she had to wonder if she had done just that.
Slowly the female turned in a short circle, twisting around and looking around with a mournful expression. Now that the distraction of Toothless's exile had been dealt with, the attention was fixated once more onto her. Younglings cried in the back of the crowd, and mothers desperately tried to shush them, in fear of interrupting words from Mistyeyes if she decided to speak and give out orders. But for once, Mistyeyes was mute. Her pretty blue eyes just flickered down, getting caught in the sight of Nightflight lying slack against the ground before her. She was unable to look away, and for a moment, she just stood still, gaze resting heavily on the dragoness as she remained silent.
But she should have spoken first. A beat of tense silence passed, weighing on Mistyeyes's shoulders like a million tons. But she as the leader was not the one to break it apart. She should have snapped into action, going forward and dealing out rapid instructions on how to fix this situation that they had been in. After all, they had just been attacked and left by a band of humans quicker than even she could try and wrap her mind around. Her Pack needed guidance now on how to react. But she was quiet, and that allowed another voice to speak up.
"How could you have let him go like that?" The demand came from a familiar voice, Mistyeyes ducking her head low as she listened to Fleetfoot advance up to her. His voice was laden with sorrow and grief, but they were not nearly as prominent as the anger that was flooding off of him in waves. The male stood stock in front of Mistyeyes, having moved so that he was in between her and Nightflight. Finding her vision disrupted, Mistyeyes looked up reluctantly, meeting Fleetfoot's gaze with her own expectant one.
"Why would I have kept him here?" Mistyeyes asked blankly. "He didn't belong here; you know that as well as I do." Her tone was measured, clipped short and business-like as she locked eyes with the male. The others around here had perked at her voice, her scales burning as eyes went to train hungrily onto her. There wasn't a friendly face in this crowd, she realized. All of them were either heavy with remorse, or blank with shock. She could even feel a few angered glares shot her way. Feeling uncomfortable, but refusing to show it, the dragon swallowed back her uneasiness as best she could. "What would you have rather me done? He's gone now, and if he appears again, then we will-"
Fleetfoot broke through her words curtly, eyes blazing now as he leaned forward slightly. "He brought these humans to us!" The male yowled angrily, furious as his anger slowly mounted, threatening to spill over. Mistyeyes's jaw locked backwards at the words, but still, she forced herself to remain calm as he went on. "He brought the humans here, joined their side, and then he killed one of our own himself!" Fleetfoot's voice sharpened towards the end, Mistyeyes's ears perking forward a little at the odd tone of voice. But he swept on before she could get a word in edge-wise, shaking his head violently as he spoke. "You let a traitor and a murderer get off scale-free! How can you call yourself a leader if you let things like this happen?" At this question, he used his tail to gesture widely at all of those who were around them, Mistyeyes following his point as her eyes flickered over the dragons gathered around. Quite a scene was being created at the moment, and even the younglings sobered as they realized that something important was going on now.
"I call myself a leader because I do not let bias and judgments cloud my vision." Mistyeyes replied, keeping her voice in check and making sure that her tone did not escape her. With this much intensity fixed on her, she did not want to seem prickly or touchy. But even as the thought crossed her mind, she realized that she wasn't doing such a good job of it probably. "What did you suppose we should have done, Fleetfoot?"
"We should have killed him when we had the chance." He growled harshly. "Now he's gone and he won't be back any time soon. We let him walk away bathed in the blood of all our friends and family, and you're just going to sit back and take it? We should go hunt him down now! We should go show him how you can't mess with Night Furies! We should-"
"If you wish me to assemble a search party to track down Toothless and kill him, you will be severely disappointed." Mistyeyes said at once, cutting through his words swiftly as she took a small step forward. Fleetfoot's mouth went into a small line at her interjection, and she could see the way he tensed significantly at her warning. But she refused to let the detail bother her. "In killing Toothless, we would merely stoop his level; therefore, making ourselves no better than him in the first place." She said adamantly. "If you want real justice, Fleetfoot, this is what it is. We're letting Toothless go because we're better than him. We don't need to make sides equal in order to come out on top. We're better than that."
Fleetfoot scoffed, clearly unsatisfied with the answer. But it had been expected of him to be so, Mistyeyes was not the least bit surprised. "You're crazy." He growled angrily, lashing his tail in an agitated swoop her supposed-near-sightedness. "You're crazy and you obviously don't care about what happens to us! The humans came in and killed as many as they could! The only reason they succeeded was because they took us by surprise! And now you're just going to roll over and take it? Like some kind of pet?" He curled his lip at her, sensing as the female grew a little defensive at the jibe. "Why don't you run off with Toothless and become a part of Berk? I'm sure the humans would be more to your taste, considering the way you care so much more about them!"
Mistyeyes snarled impatiently at the dragon's ignorance, feeling her frustration rolling like the tide. It would break soon if she wasn't careful, and then she would be in even hotter water than she was at the moment. And that was saying something, taking in the situation that was in right now. "Please, Fleetfoot." She said each word slow and weighted as she tried to persuade herself not to snap out like she wanted. "Are we really going to fight about this?"
She turned, addressing all of the dragons around her now as she raised her voice. She was more than aware of the unsure looks and challenging glares on her, and she felt yet another prickle of unease crawl its way over her spine. But she buried the emotions, clearing her throat and tilting her chin up slightly, an indication of confidence that she used well to mask her growing unease. "Are we all going to fight over this? When the spirits of our loves ones still linger in this cave?" At her words, most of the glares smoothed out a little bit, the unsure looks melting away into sober ones. Fighting the urge to let out a huff of relief, she went on smoothly, going over closer to Nightflight's body. "This isn't how we should honor those who are gone; you all know that as well as I do."
There was silence in the cave now, all eyes on her as dragons waited earnestly for her guidance. But Fleetfoot's words had irked her more than she would like to admit, and the dragoness found herself blanking as she stared at the crowd before her. It bothered her with the fact that they had been so easily riled at the speech that Fleetfoot had given out of anger. What did that mean for her? Did it mean anything for her? What should she do first? She was never the one to wonder what to do in situations. Ever since she was little, she'd had a head for knowledge and quick thinking. But now she was like a fish out of water: floundering and unable to hold herself upright accordingly.
Suddenly, a dragon stepped forward earnestly from the rest, eyes flashing in the darkness around them. Mistyeyes turned, feeling a guilty rush of relief as her eyes landed on Talon. Her father cleared his throat a little loudly, as if to draw attention away from Mistyeyes's small stumble, the dragoness's ears flattening as she realized that it worked. All eyes switched to him, and, as customary, he gave a small nod towards the gray female. "Would you like us to assemble a burial? For the perished?" He offered.
Mistyeyes straightened, the small offering of a motive helping her brain to kick into gear. She dipped her head gratefully towards her father, almost a little embarrassed at the fact that he'd had to help her in order for her to start up once more. She hoped nobody else caught onto the small nudge, for she surely did not have any kind of retort if one were to arise. "Yes." She said, clearing her throat again as she started to speak. "We've lost some dragons today, and that is a truly terrible thing." Fleetfoot scoffed where he stood, but Mistyeyes ignored him swiftly. "We need to send them off properly, as all Night Furies deserve. Friends and families should be the first to-" She broke off, blinking rapidly as she perked, becoming silent as she narrowed her eyes down at Nightflight.
Talon shifted uneasily at her lack of focus, eyes clouding over with both concern and confusion for his daughter. "Mistyeyes?" He prompted ears flat against his head. His daughter had gone forward, stiff-legged now as she looked down at Nightflight, who was still sprawled against the cave floor. Her blue eyes were wide with something that seemed like surprise now, her ears perked as she came to a stop in front of the body. "Mistyeyes, what are you-"
"She's still alive!" Mistyeyes said in a sharp gasp, looking perplexed by the words as she let the exclamation pass her. At once, others around her perked, ears flicking up and eyes brightening a shade more as they looked at her with confusion. "S-She's breathing!" Mistyeyes shouted, barging forward now as she pushed forward. She crouched down quickly at the gravely injured dragoness's side. "Somebody find Juniper!" Mistyeyes ordered sharply, not looking up before she leaned over, reaching out and applying pressure to Nightflight's worst injuries, trying to keep her together until Juniper came. "Juniper has knowledge for herbs! Quick, somebody find her! Juniper!"
Dragons started to mill around at once, sharp yelps of surprise and fright washing through the assembly as they all turned and twisted, trying to find the dragon that they were in need of. Mistyeyes made sure that pressure was applied correctly, having picked up a minimal amount of knowledge on healing. But mostly she just knew how to stall what was coming. Her wings trembled at her sides, and she shifted from foot to foot with an occasional murmur of discomfort.
Shadowclaw piped up from where he sat on the edge of the circle surrounding them, always the most forward out of the younglings on the island. His tiny voice squeaked where he sat, and his wings flapped at his sides excitedly. "What do you mean she's breathing?" He demanded, eyes wide as he craned his neck to the side, getting up on his claws in an attempt to see more. "She's still alive?" His eyes were round with conflicted feelings, as if he was unaware of what exactly he felt in accordance to the news.
"Shadowclaw!" One of the mothers in the Pack rushed forward, her own children herding themselves behind her anxiously, eyes wide with fear at the new involvement. The dragoness leaned over, wrapping a paw tightly around Shadowclaw's waist and tugging him backwards sharply. The youngling yelped tightly at the sudden pull, an indignant squeak snapping itself from him in the process. "You shouldn't be sitting out here watching all this! Let's get you back to your mother, dear."
The little male wailed in response, immediately trying to claw his way out of her reach. To no avail though, as he was slowly dragged back into the thick of the crowd. "No, wait!" He pleaded, leaving sharp white lines in the rock floor as he dug his claws into the stone. "I wanna see what's going on! I wanna help too!" He tried in protest. Mistyeyes turned, giving out a sharp, impatient roar towards his way. Her piercing blue eyes clashed with his own, and immediately, Shadowclaw snapped his jaws shut. His eyes rounded out with surprise at being signaled out by her, as well as a hint of hurt as well. He went limp at her sudden snap, letting himself get pulled back obediently.
Mistyeyes growled fussily under her breath, looking down and giving out small curse as she realized that her attempts were only helping a little bit. Nightflight's flank was just barely twitching with breath, and pretty soon, Mistyeyes knew that it would cease altogether. Beside her, there was a small thud, and she turned over quickly to look back, realizing that it was her father who was standing beside her. "She'll be fine." She started quickly, voice breathless as she whispered sharply underneath her breath. She didn't even notice the way that Fleetfoot was flanking her other side, tense with just as much worry as she was. She was just focused on gathering together everything that she could. "She's got a few nasty wounds….one right across her neck. But Juniper can fix it if she comes here quickly. They're not fatal right now, but they could have the potential to bleed out. Oh gods…hurry, Juniper."
Talon looked at her oddly, as if just seeing her for the first time. He opened his mouth to ask her something, but bit it back quickly. Instead, he leaned over, helping to aid Mistyeyes in her plight as he helped to support Nightflight in the moment. "Juniper is coming." He assured her, though he still sounded a little bit lost at her sudden change in mood. He glanced at her, eyes flashing. "So you think she'll make it?"
"I checked all the dragons before coming here." Mistyeyes said tensely. "She's the only one that has a chance of making it."
"How big is that chance?"
Mistyeyes didn't answer.
Suddenly, through the crowd of dragons, a pair rushed forward. A smallish female, a little bit younger than Mistyeyes herself, followed by a much older, mottled Night Fury. "Here she is!" The younger of the two yelped, having been the one to find the wiser dragon. Juniper rushed at her side, jaws full of a few small leaves and remedies. Mistyeyes looked with despair at the meager pickings held in Juniper's mouth, feeling her heart plummet straight down her claws.
"That's all you have?" Mistyeyes demanded desperately, giving out a small squeak as Juniper pushed her away irritably from Nightflight's side. By now the black female was starting to howl with pain, semi-conscious as she thrashed weakly against the cave floor. Mistyeyes stumbled backwards, large blue eyes fixed distantly on the injured dragon with every step she took. The leaves were a small amount, nothing at all that could possibly assure her that things were going to be alright. "Will it be enough?" Talon pressed to her side comfortingly at her frantic tone of voice.
"It better be." Juniper growled tersely, sitting herself down in front of Nightflight and doing a quick once-over. Her ear flicked suddenly, and she turned up to face Mistyeyes. "These are my last herbs." She said flatly, watching as the message seemed to sink into the leader. "If you want me to heal Nightflight, then there will be none left for anyone else. Not until we can find more on the Island. And that could take a while." She paused before titling her head to the side intently. "Are you sure you want me to do this?"
Talon looked his daughter's way, a small wince coming over his face, as if he were already guessing her refusal. But Mistyeyes only glared sternly Juniper's way, her voice having an odd ring to it as she said firmly: "Make sure she survives." The father jerked with surprise at the order, his forehead creasing somewhat with confusion as the act registered in his mind. But his daughter refused to look his way, only giving a small nod of her head the Healer's way. "Please." She added. "Do whatever you can for her."
Juniper hesitated a moment before nodding slowly. "I will." She promised turning and arranging her small stack of leaves accordingly. The younger one who had brought her forward looking around aimlessly, looking confused on what to do now as she hesitated. She bore a rather large gash on her head, right over her eye, and Mistyeyes half-expected her to ask for herbs herself. But Mistyeyes must have been staring her way expectantly, for the younger female jerked with surprise, backing away rapidly with a nervous sort of gait. She leaned over awkwardly with a small bow, muttering a useless apology before turning and rushing away.
Mistyeyes watched Juniper carefully, like an irritating hawk that would circle over you and never leave. Her paws and legs were sticky with Nightflight's blood, but she tried not to pay much heed to all of it. Instead, she lingered on the edge, looking stressed and worried. But then there was a small cough behind her, jarring her out of her inner struggling as she turned to face the noise, startled. Talon was behind her, as well as a few members of the pack. Her father turned, nodding their way as he looked at her carefully from the corner of his eye. "These four say that they're well enough." He explained, Mistyeyes realizing with a guilty stroke that she had probably missed them saying that themselves when she was too preoccupied with her own thoughts. "Would you like them to go out and search for more herbs for Juniper?" He asked softly, once again nudging her along with her process.
Mistyeyes blinked rapidly, having to hesitate for a few moments before being able to reply. Her thoughts were like leaves flying away in the wind, and it was a while before she managed to pin down a few. "Uh….no." She said finally, the group before her straightening at her words. "I'd like you all to take a few laps around the island." She said finally, finding thinking to get easier once she got started. "Go out and make sure that all the humans have gone; T-Toothless too." She added, stumbling a little bit over the name. "Pick up herbs on the way if you find them, but the safety feature should be your first priority."
"Yes, Mistyeyes." They chorused, dipping their heads obediently at her orders. Then they turned, the small cluster of dragons heading quickly out of the cavern. Mistyeyes watched them go, feeling a small spark of relief at the fact that this cave was slowly thinning. Mourners were leaving to be beside their friends and families, and mothers were herding their children away from the mess and gore, chastising the rebellious ones like Shadowclaw on the way out. The worst patch was over it seemed, and yet Mistyeyes couldn't make herself sag fully.
She knew that she hadn't done her best in sticking up to Fleetfoot, she had just been so jarred by what had gone on before and after this whole mess, not to mention what had gone on before. She'd given Toothless an order to attack that human, and yet pretty soon, both Nightflight and Fleetfoot were in on the brawl as well. And no matter what happened, Mistyeyes had been unable to make any of them stop and heed her instructions. She'd lost control in that moment of chaotic fighting, and that disturbed her deeply. Was this just the start? Fleetfoot seemed more than open to challenging her now. Would he stop now that Nightflight could live and make it thought this? Or was this just the mark of something bigger that was going to happen?
"Mistyeyes." She turned at her name, looking back uncomfortably at her father. The pair of them were a ways away from Juniper and Nightflight; just far enough for Mistyeyes to keep watch on what was going on. She knew in the back of her mind that she should probably be making her own rounds of the cave, making sure that the humans were gone but also making sure the Pack was recovering from the ambush. But she hadn't left yet, staying still and merely looking around at the cave walls that already surrounding her.
Her ears flicked nervously at the tone of voice her father used, but she turned anyway. After all, she had nothing to be ashamed of. She just saved the life of one of her own, and there was nothing wrong in that…right? The question was meant to be rhetoric, but she still felt as though it conveyed a sense of internal bickering. "Yes?" She asked, voice low in hopes that Juniper would know not to listen back to them two. Besides, the elder dragon had her paws full with Nightflight at the moment; she would hardly make time to listen back with idle gossip.
Talon stared at her closely, making Mistyeyes's scales itch from the scrutinizing look. It was a moment before he spoke, and when he did, his voice was carefully level and calm. "What was that?" He asked, nodding over Nightflight's way.
"What was what?" She asked, blinking at the odd question. "I saved her."
"You put her before others."
"Did I?" Mistyeyes asked softly, looking away rather pointedly. "I didn't notice."
"You didn't notice when you ordered Juniper to use all she could to help her?" Talon asked softly, knowing his daughter far too well to know that she would never overlook a detail. Mistyeyes looked away, ear flicking as she realized that she didn't have a very good answer for that. He nodded a little bit, as if confirming his own mental question at her lack of reply. "I see." He said, watching as she gave a small sigh. But instead all he did was nod Nightflight's way a second time. "What about what Toothless said?"
"What about what Toothless said?" She asked, feeling like a mere echo of her father as she seemed to repeat everything he said.
"Well, he told us that she tricked hi m. That she was liar. That technically she was the reason that the humans came to attack us. Frankly, after hearing something like that, I was rather surprised to see you so keen on helping her. Especially since you and her have never really gotten along together at all before now." Mistyeyes refused to say anything, so he leaned over yet again. "Is there something you're not telling me?" He asked gently, trying his best to nudge her into speaking.
"No." She said sharply, flicking the tip of her tail dismissively. "No, I've said everything I need to."
Talon's eyes narrowed slightly at her tone, as if he knew that she wasn't sharing everything. "…Alright." He said simply, getting to his feet and starting to walk away from her. The younger perked at this, ears flattening to her head as she watched her father leave with a rather anxious sort of feeling. But Talon didn't stop at her look after him, merely marching his way down the cave corridor without a glance back at her. "Well, you come and talk to me when you feel like it." He called back, parting words as he rounded the corner and disappeared.
Mistyeyes found herself alone besides Juniper and Nightflight. Her ears slicked back to her head, and she gave a small shuffle of her feet, suddenly letting herself feel the full-force of her anxiousness as she looked across the clearing. Juniper was mumbling under her breath, not even aware of Mistyeyes's presence as she sorted through her small pile of leaves. She was making quick work with Nightflight, and Mistyeyes could see that the black dragoness was already starting to look better.
She'd done something good. She'd saved Nightflight. There was nothing wrong with that.
…So why did she feel so scared?
(~**~) (~**~) (~**~) (~**~)
"Good morning, Nightflight!" Mistyeyes called, the customary greeting between them as she squeezed into the rather narrow entrance of the cave in which Nightflight rested inside. Juniper was off to the side, sorting through more herbs now that the other dragons had collected more for her. It had been weeks since the human ambush, and Mistyeyes was just now starting to hope that things could actually get back to normal for once. She walked with a skip in her step, blue eyes bright and cheery as she made for Nightflight's nest. "How are you feeling this morning?"
To her surprise, Nightflight actually responded this time. Usually the female would abruptly ignore her, and leave Juniper to relay her case to the Leader. So when Nightflight actually raised her head to look Mistyeyes's way, the gray female felt a small stroke of hope. But it was immediately crushed as Nightflight gave out a short sniff. "Do you have to come here every morning?" She asked scathingly, looking more than fed-up with the Leader. "It's really annoying. I'm fine."
Mistyeyes's mouth remained open for a moment, the dragon fumbling mentally at the uncalled for retort. But then she cleared her throat, going forward awkwardly as she tried to pretend that she had not heard the sharp jab. "Err- you've been in here for a while. I was wondering if you wanted to go out and about today." Before now, she'd given Juniper strict instructions to keep Nightflight inside her split in the cave wall. She'd told herself back then that it was purely for the reason of much-needed rest. But after weeks had gone by and she still refused any leave of the caverns, she realized that it probably had more to do with the fact that she simply did not want Nightflight out of her sight or having herself unable to track down the female accordingly. But now she was starting to come to the conclusion that she couldn't pin Nightflight forever, lest the other dragons begin to talk about things such as 'unfair treatment' or things of that nature.
But Nightflight seemed to think along the same line as she was, pushing herself up to a sitting position with a small wince before saying anything. "It's about time." She said tartly, looking at her with a distrusting sort of stare. "I was beginning to think that I would rot away in this nest. It took you quite a while to decide that I was fit to get up and move, didn't it?" Mistyeyes blinked rapidly, narrowing her eyes as she started to reply, but Nightflight wasn't even bothering to listen to her as she got up to her feet next. "Do you doubt the skills of your Elder so much?" The words came out as teasing, but Mistyeyes felt a stab as she realized that Nightflight was throwing her a meaningful look.
Juniper straightened at this, turning back and looking with bewilderment at the two behind her. Mistyeyes finally managed to jump over her mental hurdle, clearing her throat a little shakily as she forced herself to find her voice. "O-Of course not." She stammered. "I know Juniper is fully capable of taking care of you. I was just trying to make it easiest on her as I could. She needed time to recover from the attack as well…I just thought….that it was best to keep you in one place…"
"For four weeks?" Nightflight asked with a roll of her eyes. Juniper glanced the female's way, blinking once before turning back to her work. Mistyeyes flared a little bit at this, feeling somewhat perplexed by what was happening. How could she do that? How could she talk so conversationally but mean something so out of the ordinary? And how was it so easy to pick up on? She shook her head clear quickly, trying to jar her out of the thoughts and focus.
"Well…that's what I came here to tell you." She said, voice tight and formal now as she straightened somewhat taller. "I came to let you know that Juniper and I think you're well enough to be allowed leave every once and a while. You'll still be expected to spend the night in this cave with her, but during the day you're allowed to roam as you wish." She paused a moment before adding a little hastily: "As long as you aren't doing anything too strenuous. We don't want you to get worse out there."
"I think I'll manage." Nightflight said dryly, stretching for a brief moment before brushing past her roughly. Mistyeyes stumbled, looking down at the ground in surprise for a moment before turning back and looking after the female with a hard look. She opened her mouth, readying herself to order Nightflight to stay inside anyway because of that. But the black dragoness was gone before she could get another word out, and Mistyeyes found her mouth snapping closed, her words going unspoken as she bit them back furiously.
"That one's a piece of work." Juniper commented finally, surprising Mistyeyes as she forgot that she was not alone. Mistyeyes turned, blinking curiously at this as she looked the older one's way. Juniper gave a small shrug, still concentrating on her supplies as she mulled over numbers and stacks. "I'd watch her if I were you, Mistyeyes. She's an odd one."
Mistyeyes blinked slowly, twisting her neck back around to watch the spot where Nightflight had disappeared. "….Yeah…" She said softly, voice muted and thoughtful. "…Yeah, I know. I'm trying, but it's not that easy." She was glad that someone else seemed to share her concerns about Nightflight; it made her feel less paranoid and more stable. At least she knew that she had at least some ground to go off of this way, it wasn't just her hating the dragon for no reason.
"So why'd you want to save her so badly?" Juniper asked mildly.
Mistyeyes turned to look at her with surprise.
"You know what I'm talking about." The Elder said, eyes flashing. "I heard what you said to your father a while ago, but I don't believe a word of it. You had to have some kind of reason in that head of yours when you wanted to save her. You practically screamed at me to shove every single plant in the world down her throat."
"….I guess….I guess I thought I had a reason. Back then, anyway." She mumbled thoughtfully.
"And now?" Juniper asked curiously, looking at the female closely.
Mistyeyes went silent for a minute, contemplating the answer before she spoke aloud. But when she did, her answer was less than satisfactory. "…I don't know." She whispered, ears flat as she looked after Nightflight. "…I guess I had something in my mind before; it was something important, otherwise I wouldn't have acted the way I did. But….I can't remember it now. Not anymore."
"I'd remember if I were you." Juniper offered. "Before she tries anything more than she already has."
Mistyeyes didn't answer, staring into the darkness of the tunnel that Nightflight went into a feeling a pang of dismay and worry shake through her. Her shoulder sagged at the words, and she gave a slow nod in response. "I will." She promised softly. "I'll make sure to watch her. She won't do anything out of the ordinary; I'll make sure of it."
Looking back on it, she was never really sure which scene in her memories marked the exact time.
But either of them were the bearers of bad news.
And they all marked the beginning of the end.
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A/N: There's shadows on the walls…of moments far too troubling to recall….
All the settings and the scenes that signal suffering and passion pleas that ended in a whisper
Whisper – Dear Hunter
Once again! Thanks for the wait! I hope this long chapter makes up for it, and I hope that you all like it as much as I do! I really hope I can hear from you all again! It's been WAY too long, right? D: