Sagan Mörgum
Morning came earlier than Hiccup remembered. Ragna shook him awake;
"Wake up, boy," She said, "The seals will not stay long."
Rubbing his eyes, Hiccup sat up. It took him a moment to remember what was going on.
Right. He thought, Hunting.
At least an activity would give him some time to learn more about his host. Ragna was a strange woman, independant. Her warmth gave him a reason to trust her, however. Yes, she was trustworthy, but she seemed to be hiding something…
Suddenly, Hiccup remembered.
"Toothless!" He gasped, looking over to his dragon. He had forgotten to tend to his wing!
"Your dragon is just fine." Ragna assured him. "He is at the mouth of the cave watching the seals with Mörgum."
"...But his wing, I didn't-"
"His wing is fine. He may have torn a muscle, but there were no broken bones." She said, picking up the string of hooks she had been fiddling with. "...You're lucky he didn't end up like poor Mörgum." She murmured, slinging the rope over her shoulder. She nodded at a spear on the wall. "Grab that javelin. We must be swift."
xxx
Ragna had been right. Toothless sat at the mouth of the cave, his wing looking like normal again. Seeing his rider, the dragon pranced in a happy circle, showing him. However, when he tried to stretch the wing out, he yelped, snapping it back in.
"You're gonna have to let that heal, bud." Hiccup told him, rubbing the dragon's head. Toothless sighed, knowing he wouldn't be able to fly for some time.
Meanwhile, Ragna slung the rope of hooks over Mörgum's back, looking over her shoulder at them.
"Come on, boys, we haven't much time!"
xxx
The dragons walked on foot in the snow, their human companions trudging beside them. Toothless went slowly, trying to get a grip on the pack ice, while Mörgum forged ahead. She had done this before, her weight and long claws giving her an advantage.
They came to a gap in the ice, a deep crevice that separated them from the seals that lounged on the other side, oblivious to their hunters.
Mörgum cleared the gap with ease, Ragna following close behind. For an older woman, she was agile.
Hiccup stared at the gap, licking his lips. Toothless bent down, looking at his rider.
"Yeah," Hiccup said, climbing into the saddle. "Maybe we should do this together."
Toothless got ready to jump, muscles tensing. However, when he left the ground, instinct told him to spread his wings. In mid-jump, Toothless cried out, dropping like a stone. There was a screech from above, and jaws clamped down on Toothless' neck.
Tail lashing with the effort, Mörgum dragged the two out of the crevice, unharmed. Ragna helped Hiccup stand.
"Are you alright?" She asked, "I should have told you. Not even Mörgum can clear this ravine with a rider weighing her down."
Mörgum shook herself out, as if agreeing. Toothless stared at her, somewhat in awe. For an old, beat-up dragon, she was strong. Despite her sullen disposition, she seemed… protective. Almost motherly, in a strange sort of way.
Hiccup shook his head, still not quite able to figure it out. Mörgum looked just like a Night fury… but he had been so sure that Toothless was the last.
As if reading his thoughts, Mörgum glanced at Hiccup, swishing her tail.
What are you? He wondered. What is your secret?
xxx
Hiccup lay on his belly, looking down at the small group of seals below. Toothless crouched beside him. They had climbed up onto a small ledge, just tall enough that the pack wouldn't notice them.
Ragna and Mörgum lay nearby.
Ragna spoke;
"See the one on the edge of the group?" she whispered, pointing to a fat old seal lying farther away from the others. Hiccup nodded.
"The best catch I've seen all season. You have come at a plentiful time."
Mörgum shifted, watching the same seal. Ragna placed her hand on the dragon's neck, stilling her.
"Come." She whispered, "Before we are noticed."
xxx
The hunt was swift and clean. With Mörgum's experience, and Ragna's good aim, the fat seal was loaded onto the string of hooks on Mörgum's back. As Ragna cleaned her javelin, Hiccup couldn't help asking;
"So… what's up with Mörgum, anyway? She seems…"
"Bitter?" Ragna suggested. "Yes, she is not the same as she once was. Ever since we were stranded here, her sorrow has been her downfall."
"Whoa, what's wrong with her? Besides the obvious, I mean."
Ragna sighed. "I'm afraid she's grieving."
"... Grieving?"
"Aye. Every season, when her time comes, she lays her egg. When they do not hatch, she is lost in sorrow. She will not even allow me to comfort her. Years of loss have hardened her old heart."
Hiccup stared at the dragon in sympathy. He knew the pain.
"That's sad…" He murmured. Ragna nodded.
"She is one of the last of her kind," She added in a low voice. "A genuine Night Fury, from the times of old."
Hiccup gasped, "She is a Night Fury!"
"You seem to know a lot about dragons for your age." She commented, smiling. "Yes, a Night Fury. She was the last female."
A million thoughts raced through Hiccup's head at that moment, most of them involving saving a species. Ragna chuckled, breaking his thoughts.
"I know what you're thinking." She said. "You want to save their species by pairing your dragon with Mörgum."
"You say that like it isn't the greatest discovery of the century." Hiccup told her. Ragna laughed.
"I said she was the last female. Mörgum has already chosen a mate. Besides, Night Furies have a strict policy of not reproducing with offspring."
"...Offspring?" Hiccup inquired, supremely confused.
"Mörgum recognizes him." She said cryptically, nodding at Toothless. "Though it may be hard to tell, she is being kind to him. A mother always remembers her children."
Hiccup's head spun with the reality that Ragna spoke. She said it so plainly, as if Night Furies were so common that one could easily reunite a mother and son.
They arrived at the ravine again.
"It seems that you know less about dragons than you think." Ragna mused, not unkindly, however. "I will tell you more when we get back to the cave."
