Accepting Anguish

Toothless' POV

It was a long time before I woke up. And then after my injuries had healed, Jaiden still slept in a comatose state.

It was finally that I got to visit him that I managed to nudge him awake.

Stepping on Jaiden's belly had seemed to always wake him, so I tried it again and he flew awake, clutching his stomach.

"Hey Toothless," Jaiden said softly.

I jumped around the small enclosed space, knocking things over.

His eyes widened. "I'm in my house." He looked at me as I hung from the rafter. "You're in my house! Does dad know you're here!?"

He went to get up and suddenly stopped.

I landed in front of him, tilting my head to him.

He breathed heavy and swung his feet out of bed.

I instantly noticed the presence of a fake limb attached to his body.

He gave me a disbelieving look and I gently nudged him.

I had lost half my tail after all. I knew how it felt.

He took a deep breath, tried to stand and fell.

So I nudged myself under his arm and helped him walk until he got used to the fake limb.

He opened the door and blinked in disbelief.

I went to follow him, but the door slammed in my face. I whined to let hum know I was trapped, but it seemed like he wasn't paying any attention.

I could hear things outside. There was a commotion happening.

I scratched at the door lightly. Then finally, I backed up and burst through the door. I jumped over two warriors and roared lightly at Jaiden. I saw the new fake tail in his arms and it made me pleased.

Jaiden went about setting it up on me and then jumped on my back.

"Ready?" He asked and he clicked his prothetic limp into place on the newly adjusted equipment.

I roared and shook my ears. As if he needed to ask.

He nudged me lightly and I took off into the sky.

Jaiden's POV

After my flight, I landed where my dad was looking serious.

I jumped off Toothless and headed to my dad.

"After we shipped Toothless and yourself back, some warrior stayed back to inspect the nest," he said.

Oh, please don't tell me there was more.

"The nest was empty of dragons," dad said, "They all come and go from here now and many people are riding them."

He gestured to one of the previous torches filled with fish for the dragons.

"I think we'll need your help to manage this now," he said, "I'm putting you in charge."

My eyes widened a little. Was I ready to do such a thing as take care of swarms of the dragons?

"Well, I could try," I said slowly.

My dad pat my back and I stumbled under the force.

"Good," he said, "Now, we brought some things back from the dragon nest that me found that I think you should see."

"What is it?" I asked.

"Are you ready?" dad said seriously, "It will not be easy."

I tilted my head slightly.

"Its from the warriors," Dad explained.

I thought for a moment. Did I want to face something that would tell me for certain what happened to those five elite warrior?

I took a deep breath.

I was ready to face to truth now.

I had other friends now. No, they would never replace Mina. She was something no one would ever be able to replace. But they were still my friends now and I had support.

I looked back at my new friends; Harley, Ash, May, Gary and Leaf and I smiled.

They were goofy.

I nodded at my dad.

He took me to a more secluded place and gestured to a trunk.

I shook my head. "You open it and show me."

My dad opened it and took out a long, bent item with a sharp pointed end.

A lance. Not any lance.

This was Solidad's lance. That particular head and the patterns engraved over it were signature to her.

It was bent and the middle seemed melted. Melted in the place where she would've held it.

I swallowed thickly.

Dad pulled out a small ring next. It was also Solidad's. It was her signature ring. The metal was scorched, but not melted. The amber coloured gem was still in tact. It was almost in perfect condition.

"Harley wanted to keep this," dad said, "But I told him I needed to show you first."

I nodded wordlessly. I couldn't speak.

These items were like saying Solidad had gone. For her not to be wearing her signature ring, for it to be here…

Dad took out a tiny looking hair pin. It was mostly scorched, but recognisable.

"Dawn's," I said, recognising it.

Dad nodded.

He laid it in front of the box where the bent lance and ring was.

Then he added another item, two short axes. The wooden handles were gone, but the metal was still recognisable. These were… Paul's own handiwork. I could pick that anywhere. Those were two of his finest axes. And they were made specifically for Dawn before she left.

Paul seemed to have had a strong connection to Dawn. She was two whole years younger than him, and had lost her father the same way Paul had lost his parents. Paul always had said that he felt responsible for taking care of her. Paul himself had taught Dawn personally how to use the axes at a young age and by the time she went on the raid with the other 5 warriors, she was already more skilled than most warriors and her small size and agility came in handy.

I touched the blade of the axe without cutting myself.

How could someone so young deserve to die at the hands of a dragon?

That was yet another person Paul and Reggie had lost.

The next item was a hammer head. A large hammer, ornately carved and I recognised it because the user of such hammer, also tended to use a smaller version of it on Ash.

Misty's well known mallet. Her hammer was a large version of her famed mallet and she was one of the few strong enough to wield such a heavy weapon.

"I think Ash broke down," dad said, "He hasn't come back here to collect it."

Misty had been Ash's best friend. She'd had a big crush on him back then, but like Leaf, she felt responsible for keeping Ash in line.

I'd seen them around. All four of them seemed to be a group of great friends back then. It was Leaf, Misty, Ash and Gary.

The next item he took out belonged to the warrior with a giant crush on May. It was Drew's sword.

The leather around the handle was gone, but other than that, it seemed to still be in good condition aside the few kinks in the blade. If Paul or Reggie were to straighten it and sharpen it, it would be a useable weapon again.

"May hasn't come to see yet," Dad explained, "The last two things… I think you should get out yourself."

I stayed still.

"I will give you some time alone," dad said, getting up to walk away.

I looked at Toothless who was, strangely, glaring back.

I shook my head and bent to look in the box, holding back a strangled sob when I instantly recognised the items inside.

A black and red recurve bow, a quiver of arrows… And a smooth grey stone broken in half.

I knelt and ran a finger along the bow.

It was something Mina had always slung over her shoulder, ready for an attack. The quiver was scorched badly and there were no arrows inside, but it still reminded me of the times it was packed full. It reminded me of the way Mina would stand in front of me and pick away at the dragons from afar with deadly accurate shots.

She had always been better with her bow and arrows and she loved it, but she was never so good at close combat, barely struggling to hold her own.

And the rock…

It looked like just an ordinary rock, but I knew what it actually was. It was the other communication stone. And it was broken in half and useless.

I shook slightly and brought the items out of the box, hugging them close and trying not to cry in anguish.

This was all that was left. No Mina. She really was gone. For so long I had fooled myself.

Toothless let out a fierce growl and knocked me over. He swiped the weapon from my hands and jumped off. I screeched in horror as Toothless jumped on the weapon and stomped down, splintering it. Then he reeled back and shot a plasma blast at it. He growled, slapped me in the face with his ear and darted away.

I knelt, stunned and numb. All that was left was a blacked mark on the ground. There was not even any ash. It had disintegrated into nothing.

And I wept in anguish.

Me: Toothless is so cruel.

Jaiden: Why would you do that? I already knew Mina was dead

Me: Aw sorry Jaiden.