Dimmadreki Chapter 10

"There are no signs of Night Furies anywhere!" Fishlegs wasn't happy. "We're wasting my day off!"

"Berk is a big island," Astrid replied, "and we just started searching today. Dragons are big animals; they can't hide forever. If we don't give up, we'll find him eventually."

Astrid was in full battle gear, with her axe sharpened to a deadly edge. Fishlegs carried a shield but no weapon. They'd spent the day tramping through the woods, looking for signs of a dragon that no one had ever seen (except for Fishlegs, and that was in the dark, so it wasn't much help). Astrid remained upbeat, even though they saw absolutely nothing that even the most cock-eyed optimist could interpret as a sign of a dragon.

"Astrid, it's really not that big a deal," he protested. "I mean, I wasn't going to win in dragon training anyway, right? I'm doing okay with the baking, and... well, look at me. You can tell I like to eat. Working in the kitchen all day might be my perfect career! Maybe it's for the best."

"It's the principle of the thing, Fishlegs," she replied. "You're under suspicion when you did nothing wrong, and I can't stand that. We'll find Hiccup, don't you worry, and we'll clear your name. You can come back to dragon training if you want to, or you can go on kneading dough, but it will be your decision to make."

"I don't know," he answered. "It sounds like you're making all my decisions now."

"Well, somebody's got to do it! You're too easy-going." They kept walking.

"Do you think Hiccup is happy being a dragon?" he suddenly asked.

She considered that for a few seconds. "Who knows?" she finally said. "Nobody ever understood the way Hiccup thought. He might be happy beyond words, or he might be on the edge of suicide, or he might just be stumbling around, making a mess of things like he always did. I can't guess. Hey, look at this!" She stooped and picked up something small and round. "Could this be a dragon scale?"

Fishlegs examined it for a moment. "It could be, but it isn't. It's just a flat rock."

"Well, the flat rocks are starting to look like dragon scales, so we must be getting closer," she decided. "If we don't find them today, we're sure to find them on your next day off. Keep looking."

o

That evening, Hiccup and Myrkrid awoke together. "Do you think you're ready to catch your own breakfast tonight?" she asked brightly.

"Will I starve if I mess it up?" he asked nervously.

"Of course not," she chuckled. "On second thought, maybe I should let you go hungry if you can't catch your own fish. That will motivate you!"

"Actually, I'm up for the challenge," he decided. They took wing and flew out to sea, looking for signs of fish in the water. It took about half an hour before Hiccup thought he saw something.

"Okay, drop your fire in the water and see if you're right," she suggested. He climbed higher, folded his wings, and dove. He started a firebolt on the way down, and released it at about two hundred feet, just before he pulled out. His shot penetrated the water about eight feet deep before it burst, throwing spray high into the air. He circled the area, with Myrkrid right next to him, watching for stunned fish to float to the surface.

After half a minute, she said, "It looks like you guessed wrong."

"Wait for it," he replied. "This was a deep-running school." About ten seconds later, the first bream floated to the surface, followed by others. "Breakfast is served," he smiled. "Ladies first?"

"That's not a dragon-like attitude, but thank you," she replied, and swooped down along the trough of a wave. When she caught up with her prey, she reached out a forepaw and scooped the fish out of the water. She held it with both paws until she gained some height; then she flipped it into the air, caught it in her teeth, and swallowed it.

"Your turn," she called, but he was already closing in on his own fish. This one wasn't completely stunned; it wriggled when he scooped it, and he had to juggle it a bit before he got it under control. She was already lining up on her second helping by the time he got it down. It was delicious, and especially tasty because he'd caught it himself. He checked to see where she was, so he wouldn't hit her in mid-air when he went for another fish.

He watched in horror as an unusually tall wave caught the tip of her wing and spun her into the water.

All her usual self-confidence vanished; she was thrashing the sea in a panic. He quickly closed in and circled her tightly. "Hang on – I'll get you out of there!" he shouted.

She flapped frantically, but couldn't generate enough lift; her wings hit the water long before they could complete a downstroke. "It can't be done!" she cried back. "Other dragons have –" She stopped to cough when a wave broke across her face. "They've tried it, but no one can pull up hard enough. I'll just drag you down, too." She held her breath as a wave broke right across her head. "Dimmadreki, I'm so glad I got to know you, but I'm afraid I'm done. The sharks will be here soon, even if I don't drown first."

"No!" he shouted. "I can't accept that!" After a moment's desperate thought, he exclaimed, "Maybe pulling up isn't the answer. If lift doesn't help, we'll try airspeed. Myrkrid, I'm going to pass right in front of you. Retract your teeth and grab my tail, and don't try to fly up. Fly forward."

"That won't get me out of the water!" she screamed.

"It will let me pull you without getting dragged down," he called back. "Once we've got some speed built up, I'll pull you right across a wave, and that should catapult you into the air. Here I come!" He flew as close to the water as he dared, lowered his tail, and braced himself.

He nearly fell out of the sky when she clamped down on his tail, and the strength of her bite hurt even without teeth, but he kept flapping for all he was worth. He felt the drag lessen as she began flapping as well, and they began moving forward. They weren't going fast enough for him to stay in the air… and then they were. It was working! They were slowly speeding up. He nearly caught a wingtip on the waves several times, but he kept flapping. He saw a good-sized wave headed their way. "Get ready," he called. As the wave passed beneath him, he swerved hard toward it. "Up! Now!" He felt her full weight on his tail as she splashed clear of the water. She nearly pulled him back down. And then she let go. He glanced back, fearful that she'd given up and fallen back in the sea. But she was in the air just behind him, water streaming off of her, flapping for her life. She was up. They'd done it.

For nearly a minute, she said nothing; she was gasping for breath. At last, she said, "Dimmadreki, I thought I was dead. I should have been dead. I owe you my life."

"I guess that makes us even," he replied quietly.

"Do you understand what you just did?" she continued. "I've never heard of a Night Fury surviving an ocean downing. Never! I really thought I was going to die." After a second, she added, "That would have been your perfect chance to get out of mating with me."

"Myrkrid, how could you think…?" He shook his head. "Are you suggesting I could have left you to drown? Do you really think I could do that?"

"If I was in your paws, I think I'd do anything to escape," she said quietly.

He looked across at her. "You're not someone I want to escape from anymore. You're not just a flight teacher or a fish provider. I'm thinking with a dragon's brain and looking at you with dragon's eyes, and that's been changing things for me. You're a genuine friend... and somehow, I don't know how, but maybe you've become even more than just a friend."

She didn't answer. She just pointed her nose at the sky and raced straight up. He followed her easily, unsure what tonight's lesson would be about. She kept glancing back at him; after a few seconds, he overtook her so she could watch him without looking back. They were getting close to the clouds, and it didn't look like she meant to slow down. He'd already been through the clouds once or twice, so he knew what to expect, but he was still mystified at her intentions.

Then they were in the clouds, still headed straight up. They burst into the clear after about fifteen seconds, up in the moonlit places where only Night Furies go. It was a beautiful starry night. A strange exhilaration burst over him. He began doing a long series of vertical barrel-rolls around her. After a moment, she began slowly spinning so she was always facing toward him. They leveled off after climbing some more; still they continued their unscripted aerial dance. She gazed up at him as he rolled above her, with an expression on her face that he'd never seen before… and he suddenly knew what tonight's lesson was about.

The idea didn't fill him with horror, like he'd thought it would. The dragon side of him was responding to her aerial moves, and the Hiccup side of him was drawn to her heart. Yes, she could be a little harsh now and then, but she really cared about him. He really cared about her, too.

A thought flashed through one part of his brain. Hiccup, have you forgotten one small detail? She's a reptile.

So am I, another part of his brain replied. I'm getting used to that, one step at a time. This is just one more step in the process.

It's not a small step, said the first part. It's a freakin' huge step! You're seriously going to get intimate with a lizard?

She's a very nice lizard, said the other part. She treats me better than most humans I've known. She's pretty, once you get used to seeing her through dragon's eyes. She's sensible, smart, brave, honest, willing to admit when she's wrong… and she likes me. She's everything I ever wanted in a woman, except she isn't, technically, a woman. I can live with that.

The first part didn't give up. Hiccup, this isn't a quick roll in the hay with some half-drunk Viking wench, the kind that Snotlout always brags about but everyone knows he's lying. She wants to be the mother of your children! If you do this, then forget about that "just one egg" stuff – it's a permanent commitment. You're about to get married up here!

I guess that's supposed to scare me because men are afraid of commitment, the other part answered. But I was never much of a man anyway, and now I'm not a man at all. I've always wanted to belong to someone; I've always wanted to find someone who wanted to belong to me. I'm old enough for marriage, both by Viking standards and by dragon standards. I'm ready. I want to do this.

The first part was astonished. Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III, son of Stoick the Vast, heir to the chieftainship of Berk, you're going to marry a dragon? Are you serious?

He glanced down and saw her gazing up at him expectantly. Yes, he decided, and that was the end of the mental conversation. He let himself fall straight towards her. She rolled upside-down, they wrapped their wings around each other, and…

…and the next thing he knew, they had fallen nearly two miles together, and the sea was getting close. They broke away from each other and spread their wings to stop their plunge. As soon as they could, though, they rejoined each other in close formation. He felt completely drained, in a good way. All he wanted to do was fly home to their cove, lie down next to the beautiful dragon who was flying next to him, and fall asleep with her. He glanced to his right; she was smiling at him.

"Now that was a mating flight," she whispered contentedly. "I wasn't sure if you were ready; I'm glad you were. You've kept the first part of your promise."

"This had nothing to do with promises," he murmured back. "This was all about you and me."

"But now I know you'll keep the rest of your promise," she replied. "Whoever turned you into a Night Fury, I ought to thank them."

"Me, too," Dimmadreki whispered after a moment.