Ch12: Night Train
Warning I don't own HTTYD. The characters however might be a tad OOC because of me.
Toothless with Hiccup on his back flew thru the cold night sky. Behind him are the recently freed Uverworlders.
They remained in this formation for some time simply flying in one solid direction, straight.
"You don't have to follow me you know." I inform them just in case they didn't know.
"We know." The Rainbowscale answers.
"You're free. You should hurry back to your nest and your family's." I tell them again.
"We will." "The Hardtail answers.
"Anyone sees us like this and you could also be charges as traitors as well." I tell them.
"Fuck you." The Heavywing answers.
"We don't need sympathy." I tell them.
"And we're not giving any, right brother." One of the Twinnecks answers.
"It's pointless." I tell them.
"Very pointless. We're just going our own way." The other Twinneck answers.
"You've got a hundred directions to go that's not my way." I tell them.
"Keepz Flyingz Keepz Flyingz Keepz Flyingz. Forwardz Forwardz Forwardz. Togetherz Togetherz Togetherz."
I'm getting mouthed off by a mobflyer. Fuck me.
"You're all being stupid." I tell them.
The Rainbowwing flys up next to me. "Nothing wrong with that every now and then. Especially since we just got free. Oldest and truest Uverworld way, right."
"That coming from one of the Queens minions? I'm insulted."
"Right now we are nothing more than a group of escapees with nothing but our wings in the wind and the vast sky before us."
"Flowery word for you I'm sure. But they mean nothing to those of us that have nowhere to go."
"I thought you already discussed that with Hardtail. Try going south-east."
"Unfortunately theirs a lot of south-east to go to. And you guys?"
"Like you said. We've got family and responsibility's to return to. Unlike you Darkwing, were all work and no play."
And like that we just keep gliding forward in quietness for a while.
The Heavywing comes up to my other side. "Our debts paid back just so you know."
"I know." I tell him.
"Next time we meet" He begins.
"All bets off. Open season on all Darkwings." I finish for him.
"And their allies." He really finishes. Forgot about that part.
Hiccup is my ally. He's now free game too.
Humans and dragons will be after us both.
And now Hiccups only protection from it all is me.
We are so screwed. Whatever that human saying means.
"Seriously how long do you intend to stay like this by me?" I ask them again.
"We'll leave at first light. We got a second chance. We want to let it all soak in." The Hardtail answers.
Our flight speed has dropped from the rapid rush we first had, to a cool down skim of the sky, to our present slow and gentle glide. We pass a few islands, some had human villages. We stayed clear of them. It'd be embarrassing to escape only to be caught again be another group of humans.
We're all tired. Hiccup, the Uverworlders, and myself. Hiccup himself has just been quietly sitting and holding the position of our united tailfin, letting me go wherever I want. I'm worried about what comes next, about that 'wherever' we are going to now.
"People are dead because of us." I say outloud.
"And others are free as well. You included." The Rainbowscale responds.
"This really is all my fault. It happens every time. I try to help and my rewards are bodies. This all happened because I wanted to cheer my brother up, but all that got him was captured and hurt." I tell them. It all just pent up regret from over the years.
I've told my problems to Hiccup when he tells me his own problems. Despite the language and culture differences we both understood three thing about each other; Pain regret and loneliness.
"Darkwing around here we use a different word for what you call 'reward'." The Heavywing starts telling me.
"What's that?"
They all answer the same thing at the same time. "War."
"That won't ever stop, will it?" I ask them.
"Not till one side completely falls." The Heavywing replies.
"Or another side rises above the other." The Rainbowscale adds.
"Just kill them all huh? Then what?"
They're all quiet at my inquiry. Sure why would they answer. It's probably the first time they've ever thought of such a thing.
The Rainbowscale answers. "Around here they'd call that peace."
"And others call it genocide. It not an answer. It's not the right one at least." I respond.
"But it their answer. It's the Ningen answer. Look at what they did to your brother." The Hardtail responds this time.
"It's still not right. There are other ways. Just look and me and Hiccup. We just needed to start understanding each other just a little and we are now better because of our unity. Fighting is just an interlude; it's not an end, or anything."
"But no matter what 'to raid and kill them' are our orders. Right or wrong it's our way as well as theirs." The Rainbowscales answers.
It really is just a misunderstanding like Hiccup theorized. All because of the Queen. Without any real endgame, she just continues sending thousands on both sides down a bloody path. In the end she's the real one at fault here.
And no one can stop her.
"May I ask Darkwing. Is this antiwar characteristic of yours, yours alone or is it a Darkwing trait in general?" The Hardtail asks me something personal. Talk about getting personal.
"I like to think it's just my nature, but I'm not sure. For the most part I've been flying solo since I was just a first age. I met other different Uverworlders along the way who taught me most of my current survival skills. Mostly on tactical flying and how to shoot without blowing my teeth out of my mouth." Again. I leave out that last bit because personally that was not the finest moment of my life. That along with when I first got shot down by Hiccup and what happened these last two days.
"Would those Uverworlders not be able to help you?"
"I'll just say this. The bounty your Queen has on me is not the only one I have on my tail. I used to get around a lot. That drew a lot of attention to me; so now anyone I used to know has either met their time, or wants to end mine because of that attention. Believe me when I say I've got some past. None of it I'd rather catch up to me anytime soon."
Saying it vaguely like that make me think of all the Uverworlders that still hunt me. Some for personal reasons like that mysterious landflyer who keeps chasing after me but never says a word. Others would hunt me for some bounty or reward like the dragons in this territory.
The others just stare at me looking like they couldn't believe me.
"So then mister wanted, where does that leave you and him?" One of the twinnecks ask.
"Like humans like to say 'we're screwed'."
Once I say that we see first light.
"Ok then fuck ya'll later!" The Heavywing is the first to depart.
"I wonder how are nest is doing Huh brother?" "It has been a long time hasn't it?" the Twinneck splits form the group.
"Freez Freez Freez!" the Mobflyer fly's away in zigzags.
"So much time to make up. Let's start out with Breakfast. That should be interesting. My first breakfast free." The Hardtail drops away to find the nearest land.
Flying higher into the air the Rainbowscale makes one last call before disappearing into the clouds. "And everybody remember: We never saw any Darkwing's or Ningen flying together!"
I hear them all give a roar in agreement.
Now it's just me and Hiccup. The two of us flying together to who knows where.
"Looks like your new friends have left bud. You alright with that?" Hiccup finally speaks. I was worried if he would again, but it seems he's a bit better. I look behind me to check. There were no more tears. No look of fear or regret. I'm sure their all still in him but for now they've subsided.
'That fine. It's more important to me that we're back together as one. Besides you're the one that just went thru hell. You're the one that needs to rest.' I let him know. I know that what I told him will only sound like a low pitch whining noise to him but it's the emotion in what I said that matter.
"Yeah we should probably get some sleep now. We've been thru enough for a while. What do you say we find a nice calming island and sleep till uhhhmmm let's say till the ice thaws in the archipelago?" He responds to me.
'Sounds good to me.' And the two of us begin flying till we find such a land.