Sorry for the long wait, but several things are going on with the family as well as school… Like I said, I cannot promise consistent updates…
A quick rundown of what the dragons have named their species.
Monstrous Nightmare: Firekin
Zippleback: Doublekin
Nadder: Quillkin
Gronkle: Stonekin
Night Fury: Nightkin
Humans are the most fascinating animals in this world. Their behavior is unpredictable and different from any other region. They vary in color, shape, size, and intelligence. In some human packs, they put down the females, and in others, like the one I observe now, they are treated no different from the males.
The humans are most interesting because of how they survive. Their ingenuity serves them to no end. Everything they lack, they craft something to cope. It is incredible. They are soft, fragile creatures, so they cover themselves in hard materials. They lack claws, so they create large sharpened objects. They cannot attack from a distance, so they create launching machines that can throw things at great distance and force.
I, however, have never really seen one up close in my short life of 400 years. I have only seen from a distance, and my eyes are able to see a lot. This includes human's tactical behavior, although most charge in without plan. Some, however, show tactical value. One of the tactical humans I speak of is the alpha male; he shows brute strength and force, as well as cunning intellect. A deadly combination, not unlike I. This is why he is the alpha, so he may lead all of the other hopeless brutes who would charge in without plan.
RING-DING- RING-DING- RING-DING- RING-DING- RING-DING- RING-DING- RING-
Their noise maker sounded, another invention that astounds me. They use something as simple as sound to warn all of their pack that my kin are coming. They all scurry out of their nests with their sharpened death objects. The human's variety astounds me more when I began to notice that some of the same humans were changing their body fur. It ranged from really furry, to really short and changed colors, and some of them removed their horns! They only preform these actions inside of their nests, so I do not understand how they do this. How they tell different from each other, I will never know, especially since they change every day.
I still do not know why my kin attack this insignificant human pack so persistently… And I have never seen so many different species of kin work together to do so. Although they do kill several humans deliberately, it seems that is not their ultimate goal in most occasions… They seem to kill many humans, sometimes fly off with them or what's left of their bodies with them… But they all seem to go after the white things- sheep, they're called. The humans defend these so brutally, killing themselves in the process… This animal must be extremely tasty to cause such conflict.
I have watched, and sometimes participated in these conflicts for eight years… I never attack directly; I would rather not draw too much attention to myself. I stick to the natural strengths of a Nightkin; precision, flight, and stealth. I am still unsure of human lifespan, since most of them are killed rather quickly, but also because every time they emerge from their little structures, they seem to change. It's impossible to keep track of one. Although there is one notable human that only comes out in peace, and it looks much different from all of the others. It is small, has white hair, and carries a large stick. This human seems to have lived the longest of them, so I estimate their lifespan as about… 200 years. Maybe 300. Creatures almost as intelligent as dragons always live for more than at least a century.
As for the attacking kin, as I said earlier, I'm not sure what provoked such a passionate hatred for the humans, besides the guess that lamb meat is very delicious. But upon inspection, they all seem to be young-bloods. And they all seem to act rather feral. I had confronted one at one point, but it got rather crossed with me.
Maybe some things are better left unanswered. Curiosity is not very healthy for any creature. But these humans never get boring to watch.
RING-DING- RING-DING- RING-DING- RING-DING- RING-DING- RING-DING- RING-
The noise maker sounded again, waking up any stray humans. My kin were close now, and as usual, the Firekin is first to enter the fray. Immediately attacking a human, it had already grabbed it, held it to the ground, as it bit its limbs off, with blood gushing from each wound. The human screamed until the Firekin removed its head, causing crimson to spray over the ground.
A hatchling made the mistake of opening the entrance of its nest to take a look. On the sight of the hatchling, the Firekin dropped the human head, and spit its fire at the hatchling.
I had thought the hatchling was dead for a moment, before it had jumped out of another exit in its nest. Clever humans, even at such early ages do they show cunning.
But the hatchling will not survive for long, if he does not go to another nest. I directed my attention to the rest of the kin joining the fray.
The humans lit large fires, and pushed them into the sky, to illuminate any hidden fliers.
I see a Quillkin get hit by a wooden object, in which splintered into its eyes. It flew out of control and fell into a group of humans. One of them immediately used the longer wooden weapon with a sharpened stone top to impale its leg into the ground. The other took a smaller tool to cut open the Quillkin's stomach, and pull out its entrails. The human then showered it's self in the Quillkin's blood, to show dominance to the other humans.
As for the alpha human, he was currently making his way to a tall structure with a wooden launcher on the top. He had a large weighted tool, capable of smashing kin bones with a sickening crack.
He treated all kin that had been assaulting him as he journeyed to the tall structure as mere annoyances, swatting them out of the way with the tool.
He was stopped by a Doublekin, the alpha then used the tool one of the Doublekin's necks, the sheer force clearly breaking its neck as its normally flexible neck snapped into an odd angle. The rest of the creature lost control, and was disoriented by the lack of a second mind.
The alpha then used the tool again on the remaining alive head, with enough force to break the neck, fracture and break the skull, and had enough impact to dislodge the eye from the head, only dangling from the stem of the socket.
The alpha then simply jumped over the corpse, and continued. He made it to the structure, went inside, and reappeared on the top of the structure as well as a few other humans. They began to operate the wooden launcher, and they launched a stone at one of the Quillkins, with enough force and weight to cave it's ribcage in. The Quillkin died shortly afterwards.
Then, the Firekin that had begun the fight saw the alpha on the tower. He set himself on fire to install fear, which was not possible with the alpha, for he was fearless. He attacked head first, a grave mistake, that he was unfortunate enough to commit.
Today I feel merciful, I will distract the alpha.
I leapt from my perch, and instantly folded my wings in, with the wooden launcher as my target. My keen eyes seeing the Firekin get hit over the head, but his species has a very thick skull, a fracture at the most.
Both the Firekin and the alpha saw the danger as they heard me screech towards my target, in which they shouted what they named me in their language.
"Nótt heift!" The humans below shouted.
"Fá niður!" Shouted the alpha as he leapt from the structure, as well as the other humans.
I let loose my fire, in which destroyed the launcher completely. I flew away, before realizing how little the amount of damage I had done.
I swooped around, and prepared for another blast. I zoomed by, letting lose another bolt of fire, knocking the supports from the structure.
I swooped around, and let out a frustrated moan to see that the structure was still standing. I didn't attack again immediately. If I repetitively attacked the same target within a small period of time, the humans would be able to predict my next move too easily.
I waited for a very brief moment, and the battle seemed to have cooled off.
I flew towards my target again, aiming for the remaining support that keeps it standing. I fired the bolt, and just before I was able to turn around to observe the damage, something happened.
First thoughts; pain. Pain. Pain. PAIN!
I was hit by something, something heavy, something fast, and something with a human scent.
Before I had time to think, it had entangled my limbs, and my wings, the two weighted spheres spun around my entire body, connected to some kind of vine. The two spheres smacked two different places of my body simultaneously, one hit my left front leg, dislocating it, and the other hit my lower left ribs, breaking at least two with such force. But the worst was far from over.
Because the vine had entangled and crushed my wings in such a disfigured position, I could not sustain flight. I hurtled towards the surface, screeching in terror all the way down.
Once I had hit the ground, the real agony begun. A sickening crack sounded from my ribs upon impact, and I continued to plow through the forest, hitting anything in my way. I found myself being stabbed, beaten, and brutalized by rocks and sticks that I hit as I passed by. My tail seemed to take the most abuse, or I thought so since it was in constant pain since impact.
When I had finally stopped, my entire body was in agony. One of my front legs were dislocated, and several of my ribs were fractured. Rocks had cut up my chest, and I was bleeding all over the dirt. I was still trapped, and disfigured, and there was still this incredibly painful sting on my tail, but I couldn't even move my tail due to the sheer pain and shock I was in.
I heard roaring nearby, and it took me a minute to realize it was me, screaming in pain.
Eventually, I lost consciousness, I was unsure if I had fainted or if I had lost too much blood, but I was dying, and if I cannot treat my wounds, then I am dead…
I awoke several hours later, perhaps even days, time was unsure, but it was daylight. I am not currently hungry, so it has not been past a day.
I can still feel which I am unsure of if that is a good thing or a bad thing. Pain lets me know I'm alive, but it also makes me want to die.
My eyes look beneath my head, and I notice a rather notable bloodstain.
My blood, as if it could be anyone else's.
It's okay… It's going to be okay. I just need to find a way out of this constraint, treat my wounds, and it will be okay…
The vine is too far away from my head or my claws, so cutting and burning is out of the question. I am bound to tightly and am too weak to break the vine… And because of my awkward positioning and entanglement, wiggling out is impossible.
Why was I so stupid to attack the same target! Three times! They could predict my movement! Stupid stupid stupid!
The humans will come to claim me as a prize; they will cut me apart, skin me, and use my scales for… Whatever they use scales for! I've seen them after the battles! They tear the dead and the wounded apart! I'm still alive! They'll capture me, imprison me, cut me apart, and starve me!
And if they don't find me, then I'll die from my injuries, die from a Firekin who wants an easy meal, or die slowly from starvation…
(A/N It is not cannibalism, since the types of dragons are different species. Dragon is a classification, much like how you classify both snakes and crocodiles as reptiles, but they are different species.)
I feel sleep taking me… I need to stay awake… The humans will come for me soon…
I'm going to wake up dead…
I woke up to a sudden pressure on my left forepaw. I shook whatever small creature was nudging me away, and opened my eyes.
A human met my gaze, not a normal one, but a human none the less.
It seemed to be a mere hatchling. It was slightly exiting to see one this close, yet all the more frightening.
It seemed rather small and frail. Perhaps underfed. It smells of sweat, and its eyes grow ever wider as they meet mine. It almost seems to be more afraid than I am, even though I am completely at its mercy.
I never knew human eyes had color, let alone such deep green, like mine. It's arms are so small, and it's killing stone is smaller.
But then it raised the killing tool above its head… And I was reminded of my grave situation…
I'm too wounded to break out of these binds and thrashing about would only make me look like a feral animal…
I really do not want to die, I really, really, don't.
I suppose not all lives are meant to be long. I sighed in defeat, and lowered my gaze from the mere hatchling, ready to take my life.
I had rested my head, and closed my eyes, and awaited piercing pain, and peace to come.
Yet it never came, just an ongoing silence, and the hatchling seemed to murmur something in it's language.
It is probably waiting for me to react, wishing to kill me hono-
Fzfzfzfzfzfzfz-snap!
I opened my eyes in alarm as I felt my binds loosen.
Fzfzfzfzfzfzfz-snap!
It's giving me a fighting chance! Perhaps to claim me as a proper prize! It will soon see it as a grave mistake…
Fzfzfzfzfzfzfz-snap!
I was free from my binds, and I was on the human in less than a second, claws squeezing its neck as I pinned it to a nearby rock.
This is nothing but a mere bug, much smaller than any of the other humans, it must be the omega. I'll give it the mercy of a quick death!
Just as I was about to finish him, I met his gaze yet again. This was obviously no gaze of hate, but rather, one that I had only moments ago. Pure, indisguisable fear…
This is not the face of someone who was expecting a fight… His intensions were otherwise.
Perhaps he felt pity for me; perhaps he knew how young I am. This is slightly insulting, but none the less, a pure act. It would be wrong of me not to repay it.
He lives, but he needs to learn not to cross me again.
I inhaled deeply, and let out a deafening loud roar in his face, before running off in the opposite direction, and jumping for flight.
I had been flying for a few seconds, glad that I will live for much longer than anticipated. Humans are possibly more merciful than I give cred-
Suddenly, I was unbalanced, and I crashed into a nearby rock, and plummeted into a small clearing.
…Just a light mistake, not a problem. I am obviously distracted…
I jumped into the air, took off, only to fall yet again, and again, and again, until one of the falls made my dislocated forepaw twist into an abnormal direction.
I hissed at the pain for a moment, and knew something was amiss. It is not a problem with my wings, or I wouldn't be able to get off the ground in the first place… Something is causing me to be off balance…
I brushed my tail against the ground, and hissed at the stinging that followed.
No.
No, no, no, no!
I moved my tail into view to see…
The shredded, blood drenched remains my left tailfin…
The pain numbed from my shock… Pure shock… I had just sat there, staring at the crippled tail… I know what this means, I know all too well what it means…
It means I'm going to die on this island…
No, nononono, I just need to relax. I've never heard of a LIVING Nightkin with a missing tailfin, but it doesn't mean it's not possible…
I can live without flight; I am the most dangerous thing on this island. I just need to get to high ground, single humans are no problem, but they hunt in packs. They will be looking for me soon.
I looked around my area… I seem to be in a medium canyon, a lake is in the middle, a tree, and walls. I notice one easy way out of this, a small crack that can lead out, but I am too big to fit through it.
None the less… I can make it out of here, I just need to jum- OW!
I collapsed to the floor, and looked at my dislocated forepaw. I'm not going to climb out of here with this…
I sighed as I wondered over to the lake. I need to examine my wounds…
Dislocated forepaw, fractured-not broken- ribs, several large gashes in my chest, some of which are still bleeding, I noted from the small trail of blood drops that followed me.
The bleeding wounds are too low for my head to reach; I'll lie down in water, and clean my wounds there.
I should heal in the course of about four or five days, then I'll be able to escape this canyon.
I sighed as I lied down in the water.
I looked at my forepaw, and snorted. I need to snap this into place…
I can't bite it, unless I feel like tearing my forepaw off… I need a solid object to place it in, so I can twist it correctly…
I have an idea.
I leaned onto my forepaw, ignoring the pain. I then lodged the forepaw far into the mud of the shallow water. I twisted to the right, and flipped upside down.
SNAP
I hissed in pain, then flipped upright, and pulled my left forepaw from the mud.
One problem solved…
I stepped out of the water, and looked at the gashes on my chest.
They're clean, and I need to keep it that way.
I trotted over to the tree inside of the cove, and jumped into its leaves. I then twisted my tail around it, and let myself hang from a thick branch.
…Only for my tail to ache in pain, and for me to fall ungracefully to the floor, smacking my head.
Ah, yes, mangled tail… I really need to stop forgetting this.
I blew a light stream of fire underneath the tree, making a nice, warm, decontaminated area to sleep.
I curled up in the spot, and drifted off to sleep.
I need rest, a lot of it.
Hopefully by tomorrow, I should be able to get out of this canyon. With my forepaw fixed, I should have no trouble climbing.
Everything will be alright… Nothing to worry about.
Denial is unhealthy, but I can't think about my tail…
Everything… Will be… Alright…
Yes, slightly shorter than the first, but i'm very busy, and i'm surprised I got this out now at all. Again, I apologize for the wait.
Review Replies for this Chaper
TreepeltA113
2011-10-12 . chapter 2
Very well done; very gross, but this is rated T, so it's my fault, I guess...:) You don't have to excuse the cannibalism, either. If it's part of your story, it's part of your story. The human gore was slightly overused, it was passed off almost casually. I enjoyed your description of humans by Toothless, and I hope that the Forbidden Friendship scene will be happy, at least!
My Reply
I'm glad you like my story. I know that it is my story, and I may do whatever I damn well please with it, but I feel that just writing whatever comes to mind with no explanation is not fun for the reader.
Imagine writing like eating. I have to describe, and and context for you to chew this story, and read it. Otherwise, I would just be cramming it down your throat, and you would be choking so much that you would just be turned off of this story all together... Yes, this metaphor is weird.
And, yes, I did exaggerate the gore, and I did make it so Toothless is not very interested in it. There are two things I want to depict here, the fact that this village is a very brutal and violent one, and that Toothless has spilled his fair share of blood, and isn't very phased by the display of gore. In the summary, I did say this is a darker look at the HTTYD universe, something that a kids movie doesn't deliver. In the movie, they say a lot about gore and violence, yet they never show it because of rating. Simply this depicts just how dangerous the life they live is.