5 - Released

Some nightmares never end. At least, that was how things seemed for a certain sad, forlorn dragon as he watched the shadows slowly, ever so slowly, crawl up the stone walls. The sun had grown tired and was starting to fall into the ocean to rest, giving the shadows the confidence to rise up and claim the land.

It was the most entertaining thing he saw all day long, just like almost every other day.

Skullcrusher couldn't wait until he was able to kill something again. At least, he determined that must be his name because any time a land-strider looked at him and made their guttural sounds they seem to use for communication when thinking with their lips, they always project imagery of his paws crushing a desiccated skull to dust. It was quite fitting considering the dragon lives up to his name on the occasions he gets to fight a land-strider.

Today, though, was turning into yet another maddeningly boring day of unwanted inward reflection. He thought about his past, as was his usual fallback routine when there was nothing to see, nothing to eat, nothing to do, and nowhere to go. For most of his life, he had been living a nightmare. Not in a nightmare. No, this was far worse. The nightmare had been the soul and substance of his life. The very essence of misery permeated every scale of his being.

The former part of his nightmare started the day he cracked his egg. His mind was never his own. It was hers. The queen. That filthy demon! The dragons were all mindless thralls under her mind snare. She couldn't be troubled to hunt for herself, so she made dragons raid the land-strider nests and haul back food. If she was still hungry afterward, she would make the older dragons fly right into her massive maw. The most aggravating thing was that, while under her mind snare, it was all quite euphoric.

However, that nightmare did eventually end. The queen was mad. She lost her grip on her dragons. The haze in Skullcrusher's mind parted to reveal the ugly truth. Taking advantage of his newly acquired free will, he escaped alongside the other dragons, fleeing from the demon that had ensnared his mind. He scattered away as fast as his wings could carry him, heedless of where he went.

He did not fly for long, though, before he found his wings and legs ensnared in some sort of vines and land-striders poured around him. He escaped one nightmare only to fall and be thrust into another. It was a dreary place full of stone, iron, starvation, and pain. Still, this prison was better than having no free will. Never again did he ever hear the call of the damned demon again.

It was times like this, when all he could do was dwell on the past, that he wished he was a land-strider, who seem to have a knack for forgetting things all the time. A perfect memory can be quite the burden to bare. He'd even settle for the ability land-striders seem to possess of inventing new memories. Then, he could imagine he wasn't stuck in this miserable place.

Skullcrusher let out a heavy sigh that sounded from deep in his chest as he lay on the ground, stirring up a cloud of dust around his cage from the air forced out of his large nostrils. One of the land-striders that usually walks past his prison briefly looked at him, startled by the noise, only to go back to whatever he was doing.

On some occasions, Skullcrusher's life would become infinitely more interesting for a short moment. He could tell when such an event was approaching when they stopped feeding him for a few cycles of the sun, causing him to become ravenously hungry. At the peak of starvation, when he was desperate enough to start gnawing on stone, he would gain access into some larger cage, but that would remind him of his exodus from the queen's mind snare: out of one prison and into another. There would always be a land-strider inside there with him, wearing removable scales and carapace and holding a shiny claw that glinted in the sunlight. Sometimes, there were two or three.

All Skullcrusher could see was prey to kill and eat. Most of his prey exuded an aura of fear and regret. Skullcrusher could relate to the regret and the land-striders had every reason to fear. They would fight back, of course, but in such an enclosed space, their speed and wit counted for almost nothing. Their shiny claws would just bounce off the hard carapace plates that protected his head and neck. Their cries for mercy always fell on deaf ears as he impaled them with his horns, crushed them against the ground, or tore them apart with his teeth. Sometimes, just for fun, he would even tenderize them with the massive lump of spikes at the end of his tail.

There would always be many land-striders watching from above, beyond the iron web that held the dragon in. They would watch and roar and mewl at the spectacle, reminding themselves of just how dangerous a dragon can be when bored to insanity and starved to the brink of death. Land-striders never tasted good, but at least they were filling.

However, one day, something happened that was very… different. The sky beyond the iron web was dark and angry and the rain fell heavy, but that was not too uncommon for that season. The prey he was presented that day, though, was unlike any other. The little thing exuded the usual fear of most of his prey, but this one also had some strange presence of mind that demanded attention. Skullcrusher sensed something he had never noticed on any other land-strider. There it was, plain as day. An emotion that stole his breath away and stopped him in his tracks mid-charge. It drained all of his rage in an instant and absolutely defeated him.

Pity.

This creature felt pity. Not for himself. For Skullcrusher!

Skullcrusher had no clue how to respond to that. He was not just hungry; he was starving. Even the iron web above looked appetizing. However, he could not bring himself to charge at this beautiful creature.

This land-strider felt pity for the dragon...

Did he even know that Skullcrusher's life was a sequence of nightmares? Was his mind damaged? He must know how this is supposed to go. Land-strider attacks dragon. Dragon is unphased. Land-strider attempts in vain to flee. Dragon kills land-strider. Dragon eats land-strider. Simplicity itself!

Instead, the land-strider just threw his shiny claw to the side and sat down against the stone wall, accepting his fate. He was not the first to try that. Others have thought that such a gesture would grant them mercy from the starving dragon. They were wrong. Dead wrong.

This one, though, was nothing like the others. Even in the face of death, this creature felt pity – not for himself, but for Skullcrusher. This was indeed a very oddly specific projection. Skullcrusher had to learn more about this land-strider and what made it so different. His devouring hunger ebbed as he was overtaken by curiosity.

As he padded his way up to his prey, he noticed that the critter did not make any sounds from his mouth. All the other prey would roar, cry out, and mewl, but not this one. He just sat there in silence, contorted in a painful-looking twisted leg position, staring at the dragon with eyes full of sorrow. Dumbfounded, Skullcrusher stood there, towering over his prey, watching the land-strider stare back at him under his waterlogged hair.

The dragon remembered that physical contact was a good way to add clarity to projected thought, allowing him to peer into the heart and soul of another. He needed to learn more about this creature, so he pressed his snout against the appendage that had previously held a shiny claw.

He expected nothing to happen. He was wrong.

At that moment, the two were connected in a way that Skullcrusher had never experienced with any land-strider before. This creature called himself the Dragon Whisperer. He said he saw dragons differently than all his fellow land-striders and realized that this imprisonment was wrong. In exchange for sparing his life, the land-strider vowed that he would free Skullcrusher when he could, although he could not commit to any time frame. If the dragon had the slightest hint of a doubt about the Dragon Whisperer's sincerity, the confrontation would have had a much bloodier ending.

However, because this prey was so unique, Skullcrusher decided he could endure hunger a little longer and spared him. He was rewarded shortly after when this Dragon Whisperer was removed from the arena and replaced by two other prey, much more plump and dripping with hatred and derision. They were mad. They were frantic.

They were delicious!

After that day, the Dragon Whisperer would visit Skullcrusher occasionally. With time, the land-strider's receptivity improved and he could converse with the dragon more often because he didn't require physical contact. Skullcrusher relished this distraction from his caged nightmare. He would talk about his previous nightmare, when his mind was dominated by a demon, since that was all he knew in life to talk about.

What Skullcrusher enjoyed the most about their conversations, though, was when the Dragon Whisper talked of dragons who could fly about freely, living their own lives without any interactions with land-striders. He also talked about an island where the land-striders were friends to the dragons. It was a place where the dragons chose to live with them by their own free will and not by compulsion. At least, that was the Dragon Whisperer's suspicion. He had no proof, but an opportunity was drawing near to confirm these suspicions.

However, that was all in the past. Such little comforts were now relegated to memory. It felt like a lifetime since Skullcrusher had anyone to talk to. All the other dragons were too far away to be heard and these miserable land-striders were completely deaf. Skullcrusher presently contented himself to simply enjoy the sight of the shadows slowly crawling up the wall, distorting as they progressed over the rough and uneven surface. He has done this fifteen times since he last saw the Dragon Whisperer.

Another sigh shot out of his large nostrils. The shadows had finished their slow ascent and faded away as his very small view of the sky started to darken.

Then, he felt it.

His heart jumped.

There was a presence nearby - a voice he had not heard for a while.

It was the Dragon Whisperer!

Skullcrusher roared with excitement, but the Dragon Whisperer reproached him for that. He said that he would free Skullcrusher, but needed him to be quiet. Soon after, a two-legged form materialized from the shadows and a large sack with a feast of fish was forced into his cage - more food than he had ever seen at one time, excluding his prey. The dragon hungrily devoured the meal as quietly as he could, at the insistence of his friend, while they discussed an escape plan.

{Dragon Whisperer! You came back! I am so glad I didn't kill you when we first met. I missed you. Life between prey is boring.}

The land-strider smiled at his winged friend. {It took me a while to get mobile. I have good news, though. I can set you free later tonight.}

{Why not now?} Skullcrusher grabbed three fish at once and swallowed them whole, eager to devour everything as quickly as possible.

{You're not fit to fly. You need some time to digest the food. Also, I need to find that young, little female. You remember her, right? She's the other one who can also hear dragons.}

Skullcrusher gagged on a fish. {The Little Butterfly. I like her! But unlike you, she cannot hear me unless she's touching me.}

He had also noticed that she makes those guttural, sing-song noises that all the other land-striders make to communicate when she talked to him, but her projections were as crisp and clean as a dragon's. He figured it must help her focus her thoughts or maybe it's just a habit.

As Skullcrusher inhaled the fish, the Dragon Whisperer scanned the area, looking for any other land-striders that would interrupt them. He spared a moment to flick his eyes towards his winged accomplice.

{She's getting better. It will take time. Can you fly?}

{I cannot tell for certain. I can fly the very short distance to my prey and I do so whenever I can, but I haven't flown any more than that since I was put in this damnable cage.}

{I think you should be fine.} The Dragon Whisperer sounded confident. {The leaves have hardly fallen from the trees twice since you landed in there. You couldn't have lost too much. Besides, there's a reason I chose this night. I think you can rest after a short flight if you are willing to fight off a few land-striders.}

Skullcrusher licked his maw at the thought. {Only if I get to eat them.}

After a short time, the fish was all gone. The Dragon Whisperer promised to return later that night. After watching him fade away into the shadows, Skullcrusher paced around his small cage, channeling his excitement into the beat of his legs and wings.

Later that night, one of the land-striders stared at Skullcrusher, curious at this display of pacing back and forth and beating his wings against the walls of the cage. Then, his face went blank as a small, shiny claw was pressed into his throat. Skullcrusher had to admit he really admired those small shiny claws. They were so effective on these fleshy creatures.

The Dragon Whisperer stepped forward and leaned against the cage. {The area is clear.} He shook the blood off of his claw and wiped it clean on his victim's arm. {Do you remember her?}

As the Dragon Whisperer bent down to remove a shiny carapace from the head of his prey, a little female land-strider ran past, jumped over the prey, and slid her small frame between the bars of the cage. The Dragon Whisperer looked up suddenly, startled by such a sudden move, but Skullcrusher bowed his head to his friend as she hugged his maw. He was still covered in sticky blood from a fight only the other day, but Butterfly was never concerned by such trivial things.

Skullcrusher gave her a lick. {How can I forget my Little Butterfly?}

{I am not a butterfly!} the Little Butterfly insisted as she made a face at the dragon. {I don't have wings. Besides, I've told you my name is-} and then she continued in her vocal singsong way.

Perhaps the noise of her name made sense to these land-striders, but Skullcrusher could not discern anything intelligible from her projected thoughts aside from the fact that she was referring to herself. However, he didn't care at all and gently nuzzled his Little Butterfly, watching the curls of her golden red hair dance with the puffs of air from his nostrils. Each strand delicately caught a glow of the moon's light above.

{Are you up for a flight?} the Dragon Whisperer asked as he turned some artifact that opened the cage. Skullcrusher noticed his friend was now wearing the removable scales and carapace from his prey to take on his appearance. Interesting. Maybe clever, but definitely interesting.

{Yes. We'll see what little strength I still have in my wings.}

Skullcrusher squeezed out of the opening to his cage and into the arena. Slowly extending his wings to their fullest, he craned his neck around to look down the length of his body to inspect his physical condition. He had never done this before, but it was clear that strength was lacking from all the inactivity. There was definitely some rippling in the musculature along his ribs as he beat his wings up and down, but it felt... lacking. While his legs didn't seem to be too weak, the scaled hide clung with a death grip to the strands of muscles along his flank.

Finishing his self-inspection, Skullcrusher shifted his gaze to the prey in front of him, lying face-down in its own blood. He resisted the temptation to hungrily devour it since his friend killed it and deserves it more than him.

Instead, he bent his head down and licked at the blood dribbling out of the prey's neck, just so it wouldn't go to waste. {Are you going to eat this or can I?}

The Dragon Whisperer was moving to open the arena gate that presumably led to ultimate freedom. He puffed his cheeks as he turned something that allowed access to the outside world and spared a glance at his hungry escapee. {No, and neither are you. You need quick energy, not a heavy meal that will put you to sleep.}

Skullcrusher plaintively prodded and gnawed at the prey, coyly sinking his teeth in, but the Dragon Whisperer frowned. Eating so much red meat would make him sleepy and he knew it, but the prey was so delicious and… and… there! It took a great focus of will to restrain himself.

The Dragon Whisperer continued, {I will have more fish for you soon, but this prey will only make flying more difficult. Trust me.}

Skullcrusher snorted his annoyance, but the Dragon Whisperer went on, regardless. {You are now free to leave. Be careful to avoid anybody else or you will be shot down and captured again. Before you go, may I ask you to carry us with you?}

The dragon pawed at the stone floor, confused. Their weight wouldn't even be noticeable compared to his own bulk. While under the demonic queen's mind snare, he had carried land-striders back from the islands they raid to feed her, most of them much bigger than his two friends put together. He twisted one of his front legs around next to his head and flexed his claws experimentally.

{I'd be happy to take you with me and spare you from this accursed place. However, I don't think I would be able to carry you. Not without hurting you. My claws aren't large enough to wrap around your body without digging into your flesh.}

Skullcrusher suddenly felt the Little Butterfly crawling up his tail, giggling all the way. He resisted the reflexive urge to shake her off since he really liked her and he knew she was harmless up there.

{Not in your claws, silly.} The Little Butterfly radiated mirth. {That would hurt! We could sit on your back.}

The Dragon Whisperer confirmed this as he projected memories of dragons he had seen with land-striders riding on the top of their backs or necks. It would seem he had been to this island where dragons are friends to land-striders and both parties enjoy flying together.

{You are welcome to my back, then,} Skullcrusher said. {You save me from this cage and I shall deliver you from this depressing place.}

He turned to his friend and was about to lower himself to allow him to climb up, but snarled with shock and anger at the sight of an instrument of subjugation. It rested in the Dragon Whisperer's hands, coiling with malice, like a serpent ready to strike. The dragon's eyes widened and his nostrils flared as he suddenly jumped back, eliciting a startled cry from the Little Butterfly on his back. It took him a moment to realize that he was growling threateningly and clawing at the stone below. That thing reminded him of his capture and enslavement by the land-striders - a transition from nightmare to nightmare. It represented bondage and others having control over him.

However, the reassuring calm from the Dragon Whisperer quelled his doubts. {Easy, Skullcrusher. I need to put this vine around you so that we can stay on your back. Without it, we would simply fall to our deaths. It's the only way to take us with you without injuring or killing us.}

Skullcrusher grunted and sniffed at it suspiciously. It smelled like salt and rock. He liked these two land-striders and wanted to deliver them from this depressing place, but he feared such things that bind and restrict. Still, if it would help them to avoid falling to their deaths so high in the sky...

He huffed his consent and stood still, allowing the Dragon Whisperer to loop the thing around his neck and forelegs. Picking up a silent cue, he crouched down on his stubby legs, resting his belly and chin against the ground. The Dragon Whisperer vaulted up, grabbing the edges of the carapace plates to climb up to the back.

Skullcrusher craned his head to the side to watch the Dragon Whisperer settle himself down and sit the Little Butterfly in his lap, using the vines to secure them in place. Seeing such a thing made him wonder whether his friends were bound to him or if he was bound to his friends.

Who controls who?

His musings were interrupted by the Dragon Whisperer. {We are ready, Skullcrusher. Your freedom lies just beyond. Before we go, I have one more small favor to ask of you. If the body of this prey I killed is found here with a gash from my own shiny claw, my friends may suffer unwanted consequences. Grab that prey and take it with you. We'll drop it in the ocean after some time - I'll tell you when. }

Skullcrusher looked up at his cargo as he plodded to the prey. {Are these the friends of dragons? The land-striders who do not trap or kill?}

The Dragon Whisperer smiled and nodded as he affectionately thumped Skullcrusher's carapace plates with his fist. {Yes, I think you will like them. I'll show you where to fly to rest, eat, and plan where you want to go from there.}

With the prey that sadly will not be eaten securely held in his maw, Skullcrusher cautiously crouched through the gate, mindful that his riders on top don't bump their heads.

{I want to go anywhere that isn't here, Dragon Whisperer. You tell me where to go and I'll take you there.}

With that, Skullcrusher took a deep breath of cold air in his nostrils and leaped into the air, beating his wings into the night.

A/N:
Well, this one took a bit longer than the others. Don't worry, I know exactly how to handle this. I've read lots of other fanfics from different websites, so let me give this a shot.

Ahem!

Hello, fellow Night Furballs. It's me, FizzleMcSchnizzle. Sorry this chapter is late. Life happened and stuff. On that note, though, if you could give me more stars and comments, it would really, ya know, stroke my ego. Oops! I really meant to say it'd help me find the motivation to keep on writing this story. What can I say, I'm a servant to the public! Let's all try to get me up to 10% more likes than I currently have. You can do it! I'll see you next time!

Ach! Uggh! Night furball?! Yeah, sorry. I really dunno what got into me, there. Anyway, I think that's about how an author's note is supposed to go. Not here so much as elsewhere.

For realsies, thank you for reading and I really do take all feedback to heart, whether it's a pat on the back or a slap in the face. Last chapter, I was 45% convinced to remove that whole first-person Toothless POV part, but then I started playing with it and considering ways to make it less of a dumb, derpy, drivel. I kinda felt it turned out alright, I guess, but hearing that some people got a kick out of it really made my day. Writing silly little stories has been an interesting little hobby and the fact that you think it's worth your time to read my stuff tickles me pink.

Now go run outside or do your homework and stuff! I wanna see your TPS report on my desk tomorrow morning - and don't forget the cover sheet! :P