I neither own nor claim any rights to "How to Train Your Dragon."

Jarin and the Riders of Berk
Chapter 8 – Revelations

Shadowhorn... That was his name now. Whatever he may have called himself before, or was once called by others, now had no meaning. It had been several days since he woke up in what felt like an entirely new world. His two-leg, Jarin, was true to his word, making sure that his healing wounds were kept clean and that he had plenty to eat. And that his resting spot was kept clean. Now that he was eating and drinking regularly, his other bodily functions were becoming just as regular. The despised ones never bothered to clean him up when he made a mess. That was partly why his wounds were so infected. They had allowed him to lay in his own filth. There was no dignity. He had felt so worthless.

Not anymore.

He felt bad that these kind two-legs had to clean up after him. He had been wishing that he could just get up and walk off somewhere to relieve himself. But he was so weak. He could shift his weight from side to side, but he could not stand. It rained the day before, and in spite of the cage roof of the training academy being covered over, there was a lot of water dripping all over him. The other Dragons and their two-legs took refuge. But to him it was wonderful. The cool clean water dripping all over his tortured form felt like a gentle massage. It was a reminder to him that he was at last free and needed only wait for his body to recover. And then he would walk about and see this remarkable place called Berk first hand.

Toothless visited him at least once a day. He turned out to be quite a conversationalist, answering his questions about the events leading to the peace between dragons and two-legs. About the benefits and drawbacks of bonding with a two-leg. About life in the free world in general and what to expect when mobility and flight were available again. Where he might settle down. Toothless explained that there were some dragons who were uncomfortable living among the... people. They made their home on Dragon Island, where they once served the Red Death, but had now made it a thriving and peaceful dragon society. People visited them to make sure all was well, but no attempts to were made to train the dragons there.

Brokenclaw also shared stories about Dragon Island. At times, dragons from that island took an interest in the people of Berk, and grew less averse to exploring the possibilities of learning to live side by side with them. Such it was with him. He had not yet bonded with a two-leg. He thought he would have eventually made the connection with Jarin, but the bond is more of the spirit than of the mind or raw emotion. The Creator-of-all apparently had a plan. Just as Toothless was meant to be bonded with Hiccup, and Shadowhorn was meant to be bonded with Jarin, Brokenclaw would eventually find the two-leg he was meant to be bonded with. Until then, he would enjoy the peace between dragon-kind and the people of Berk.

Shadowhorn saw a lot of Jarin. The man was punctual and responsible, and was seemingly totally devoted to caring for him. Whenever he gained enough strength to get back on his feet, he promised himself he would reciprocate in whatever way he could. Jarin talked a lot about the goings-on with the people. Something that Shadowhorn initially didn't really care about, but eventually began to take a genuine interest. Before, while in the captivity of the despised ones, the last thing he wanted to know about was what two-legs did when they weren't torturing him. The less he knew of their wicked ways, the better. But the more Jarin shared with him about his life and the lives of those around him, the more it fascinated him. These were a kind and generous people who really were putting forth an effort to bury their past grievances with dragon-kind and to strive for a bright future... together. He wondered if there might be some hope even for the despised ones. Hatred of them was beginning to melt into pitty. He offered up a silent prayer to the Creator-of-all that one day things would change for even those who had wronged him so badly.

Hiccup and Astrid returned the night before and the brought with them someone who reminded him of the leader of the despised ones in the way he carried himself. But the similarity stopped there. Perhaps that was just the way with leaders. The large two-leg actually bowed to him, which set him at ease.

"I am Stoick the Vast, Chief of Berk," he said. "In as much as my son, Hiccup, has welcomed you, Shadowhorn, I also welcome you. And I wish it to be know to you and everyone else that if we discover the people who dealt so harshly with you, we shall deal equally harshly with them. Be at ease here, friend." he bowed again, and Shadowhorn bowed his head in return. Two-leg speech was nonsense to him, just as dragon speech was nonsense to two-legs. But dragon-kind could sense the meaning of what two-legs were saying in their mind. And he sensed that this Stoick-the-vast-chief-of-Berk was speaking no falsehood. The nods of agreement from the other two-legs, and the waves of support coming from their minds affirming what the man had just committed to, if it came to it.

He wished that he could speak their tongue, to offer thanks for hospitality and healing. But he couldn't. So he resolved to extend his obligation of reciprocation to the entire village. He would stand with the people of Berk against any enemy and do all he could to care for the people who had so selflessly cared for him. It was an obligation he did not mind in the slightest. It was the right thing to do, and he knew that the Creator-of-all would smile upon him for doing it. And for him, that was more than enough.

O O O

After Stoick-the-vast-chief-of-Berk left, Toothless came by again.

"Welcome, Darkwing-Toothless," Shadowhorn said, with formality. "What brings you here into the shade this fine day?"

"I came to offer an apology, Flamescale-Shadowhorn," Toothless responded just as formally.

"Oh?" asked Shadowhorn. "For what?"

Toothless sad on his haunches. "When I first caught your scent, I smelled something that set me on edge. Like something from my past. A memory of danger. In fact, a remnant of that smell is still upon you. It makes me nervous."

Shadowhorn snorted. "It has to be that place I was in before. I was there for so long. You say it triggered a memory?"

Toothless huffed. "Sort of. More of a feeling."

"What if it was a memory?" Shadowhorn offered. "What if you were once there, too?"

Toothless narrowed his eyes. "I think I would remember such a place and such a horrible people."

Shadowhorn shook his head. "The despised ones used to tell stories, bragging about the dragons they had captured and tormented. There was one story about how they once had a female Darkwing and her young offspring in captivity. They claimed to not have been as good at holding Dragons in those days and both managed to escape. The mother was badly wounded which was how they were able to capture both of them. They figured that she would be dead soon, but the baby was healthy so they figure he was still out there somewhere. I think this baby might have been you."

Toothless' eyes widened. Could it be possible? It made sense. If he HAD been to that horrible place at an age too young to fully remember, it would explain why the smell of it would trigger such feelings. He remembered his mother, and the journeys they took. They covered a lot of ground and had visited many lands before she dided, leaving him alone. It was his solitued that drove him into the seemingly-welcoming embrace of the mind of the thing-which-made-him-and-the-others-do-what-they-d id-to-the-two-legs. Seeking belonging, he willingly embraced servitude.

With the scent of danger clear in his mind from what was clearly from a suppressed memory of his childhood, it was clear that there was another enemy out there that needed to be defeated just as much as the Red Death. And if that enemy came to Berk, he would stand firm against it.

Toothless regarded Shadowhorn gravely. "I have a feeling that your theory may be correct."

O O O

Later that day, Jarin came to see Shadowhorn.

"How are you feeling, friend?" he said to the dragon.

Shadowhorn made a sound like a grunt that turned into an almost-purr. Jarin had come to associate that sound with contentedness on the part of Monstrous Nightmares. Similar to how Toothless would croon to Hiccup when he was contented.

"That's great!" he exclaimed. "I know you are still weak, and I have put this off far too long. We need to try to get you on your feet and into one of the shade rooms."

Shadowhorn bowed his head, clearly not sure if this was a good idea. But then he showed determination by putting forth the effort. He put his right leg out slightly in front of him, and strained against his own weight to then put his left leg forward. Summoning all the strength he could he pushed up onto his haunches and sat for a moment, panting.

"Well done!" shouted Jarin. "Now try the back legs," he coached.

Shadowhorn let out a long sigh and a deep whine. But then he pushed himself up with great effort, growling in pain, clearly from the stiffness of joints that had not moved very much at all for a very long time. He was standing. He threw back his head and roared triumphantly."

"Yes!" cried Jarin. "Very well done!"

The victory was short lived, though. Shadowhorn's knees buckled and he collapsed back into a sitting position. A moment later his front legs began to quiver, and then they, too, gave out, and he was back in a prone position again. The sound that escaped his throat was so pitiful, as if he had failed the world and was so deeply and mournfully sorry.

"No, no..." Jarin soothed. "Don't be upset, friend. You just stood for the first time in Thor only knows how long. We'll try again tomorrow.

The mournful moan turned back into that almost-purr sound. Jarin couldn't be sure, but he thought for a moment that Shadowhorn actually smiled.

Okay... When I first started writing this series, I wanted to give Toothless a reason to be uneasy about Shadowhorn. I figured something he smelled on him would be enough, but then I had to ask myself what that would be. Going strictly on the movies, we no nothing about Toothless before he was brought down by Hiccup. I thought I would explore a possibility that might have occurred when he was a very young dragon, years before he came into the service of the Red Death. I also wanted to flesh out Brokenclaw a little bit more as well, and also to move Shadowhorn's recovery forward another step. I really would like to know what you all think of what this chapter explores. What do you guys think of how I am handling the characters. Is there something you feel is missing? Let me hear from you. I welcome your feedback.

God bless...