So here we are again, with a new story. Think a few weeks between the last one and this one, so Hiccup has a fair knowledge of the language. He still needs Wrenlou to help him sometimes, but he can express himself quite decently.
So, next story. Hiccup and Wrenlou go to Crystal Cove, even if they are totally not supposed to. Screams trouble...
Enjoy!
The Adventurous Adventures of Hiccup and Wrenlou
Crystal Light, Part I
"We will be in so much trouble if Dale ever finds out about this," Wrenlou muttered as he stared at the cave opening.
"I know," Hiccup said, "so I really don't want to get caught."
Wrenlou nodded and took a deep breath as he stared at the entrance to Crystal Cove. They had snuck away after training, because Hiccup had practically begged him to take him to the Cove. Now they were standing at the entrance, staring into the dark.
"Alright," Wrenlou said, turning in the saddle, "stay away from the nests, stay away from the wild dragons, make no sudden moves or sounds and don't touch anything, okay?"
Hiccup nodded, his heart beating in his throat. He felt a knot in his stomach that couldn't be described as a nervous one, not the way he had felt before the first sword training anyway. Very carefully, they nudged the dragons forward and soon, they were surrounded by darkness. The dragons lit their glow, startling Hiccup at first when the blue glow stretched along Toothless spine. When he glanced at Snowflake he saw her soft golden glow lit Wrenlou's face with a warm light.
In the gentle light Hiccup could vaguely see the rough walls of the rounded tunnel which the Night Furies fit in with ease. He saw side tunnels, stretching away from them into a deep darkness he could not see in, but they followed the main tunnel, winding deeper and deeper down, to the very heart of the Night Fury community.
At one point, the tunnel got smaller and they could no longer walk side by side. Wrenlou went ahead, leading Toothless ever down. More and more tunnels sprouted from the sides like leaves on a plant, each one spiraling away into the darkness. Hiccup squinted, trying to see something in the darkness, any hint of a dragon, but he saw nothing.
Suddenly, the tunnel widened again, the walls seemingly falling away and now a light could be seen in the distance. Hiccup held his breath as they came closer and the light became clearer, brighter, shining bright blue, casting shadows on the walls that made it seem like they were underwater.
They came out on a ledge, overlooking the biggest cave Hiccup had ever seen. As far as they could see there was an enormous underground space, stretching wide in every direction, the high ceiling that rose up for miles above them the only indication how far underground they were. The cave was so big and so spacious, he didn't doubt that the entirety of Dragoncity would fit into it easily and with plenty of room to spare.
The luminous blue light that they had seen and that lit up the wide space came from large blue crystals that jutted up from the ground and covered the walls. Hiccup's jaw dropped when he looked around. Some of the crystals were small and could fit into the palm of his hand, while others were so large that they even brought the highest tower of Lightcity to shame. He reached out to the crystal nearest to him, completely forgetting Wrenlou's warning, and ran his hand over the smooth surface. The moment he touched the crystal, he found it was warm, like a living being and he could feel a buzzing, as if it was alive. The smooth, blue stone hummed with what seemed its own heartbeat and Hiccup marveled at the way the stone felt, amazed by the fact that it seemed to be much more than just a rock.
He was so intrigued by the stone that he didn't see the two Night Furies that had crept closer, curious to meet these intruders. He only noticed the dragons, a large adult and a small baby from no more then a few months old, when the young dragon shrieked excitedly and ran all around the two strange dragons and the boys on their back.
Smiling widely, he withdrew his hand from the stone and reached out to the dragons instead. The small baby cocked its head, inching closer to the strange thing it had never seen before. The adult uttered a low growl, but his attention was quickly drawn away by Snowflake, who crooned softly and assuringly. Looking back and forth between Hiccup and the adult dragon, the baby's curiosity won from his fear and he crept closer again.
Sniffing Hiccup's hand carefully, he didn't press his nose into the palm as Toothless had done. Instead, it opened a tiny mouth and closed its gums around Hiccup's fingers. The baby was really toothless, and the bite didn't hurt at all. Hiccup giggled when the baby dragon started sucking on his fingers, coating them with sticky saliva. He shot a quick glance at Wrenlou, and saw the adult Night Fury circling him, all the while keeping an eye on its baby.
The little dragon had decided it didn't like the taste of Hiccup's fingers, and had let go of his hand, now pulling on his boot. Since it had no teeth, the little dragon couldn't get a grip on the leather and he kept tumbling backwards, only to jump up with a growl and charge the boot again. It quickly lost interest when the boot didn't budge and turned to Snowflake, carefully creeping closer to the strange, white dragon.
When she saw the baby coming, she lowered herself onto the ground, laying her head on her paws and tucking her wings in tighter, to make herself appear smaller and less threatening. The young dragon sniffed her, then Wrenlou's fingers, then it shrieked again and jumped into the air with all four legs. It ran around the White Fury, chasing her tail when she swished it through the air and Hiccup could not contain a laugh. The moment the sound broke the air, the baby froze for a moment, before rushing towards the adult and crawling onto its back. The adult dragon wailed long and hard, then spread its wings and flew away. They watched it go, disappearing into one of the side tunnels, then Hiccup took a deep breath.
"That was awesome!" he stated, "I've never seen baby Night Furies before!"
"Not many people see them, besides at the Choosing, and the ones that really see them are the new riders. I guess that's something you missed out on since you befriended Toothless as an adult."
"Wow..." Hiccup whispered amazed as Toothless took a few more steps forward, towards the edge of the ledge.
The ledge they were standing on was wide, and now that they were at the very edge of it, they could really see how far down the floor was, and how high up the ceiling. The largest crystals were spotted with black as the dragons that inhabited this cave slept on them, reveling in their warmth. And there were so many dragons. They were everywhere he looked. It was like there were no dragon-free spots along the cavern anywhere, not even on the walls.
"Come on, let's go down. But remember, be careful."
Hiccup nodded and clenched his hands around the saddle as Toothless spread his wings and followed Snowflake down. The moment they landed, the Night Furies turned their heads towards the strange intruders and Hiccup found himself surrounded by black dragons. The blue light from the crystals reflected off their scales, creating sparks of light as they moved. It also shone in their eyes, eyes in many colours that stared back at him curiously. Looking around, he saw green eyes, but also blue, golden, even crystal white, red and orange eyes. There were even a few dragons with brown or black eyes, creating the illusion of them not having any eyes at all. Now he realized that although the dragons may looked the same, all black, all the same shape, their eyes were very different and reflected the many different characters they had.
Snowflake stood out like a sore thumb, her white skin a stark contrast against the black scales of the dragons, even if the soft light gave her a blue coat that sparkled like tiny crystals when she moved. Wrenlou slid off her back, keeping his hand on her neck as he looked around to the ever growing circle of Night Furies that surrounded them. Slowly, Hiccup slid to the ground as well, staying close to Toothless, almost pressed into his side. The black dragon crooned, his eyes as wide as they possibly could be as he saw how many Night Furies there still were in existence.
The baby dragons were the least apprehensive and were the first to bounce over to the strange people and soon they were being swarmed by little dragons, the creatures crawling all over them, the sharp claws digging into their bare arms. Hiccup giggled when Toothless was also swarmed by the dragonets, crawling all over his back and chewing on his tail.
The adult dragons quickly ended their shenanigans with a mighty roar and the little ones flew off in every direction. The adults dispersed after sniffing the riders and probably deeming them non-threatening, leaving them alone on the middle of the gigantic cave.
Hiccup spun around on his heels, turning circles in the cave, just to see it all. When he looked up, he felt incredibly small, seeing how far and unreachable the ceiling was above them. He stretched his arms upward, trying to reach for the sky which he knew he would never touch from the ground. Toothless crooned and he turned to the dragon.
"Isn't it amazing bud? So many Night Furies! Maybe your mom and dad are here..."
"You know," Wrenlou said from behind them, "that is entirely possible. We don't know much about Night Furies, but we do know that they can get pretty old, and that couples stay together their whole live. If his parents weren't too old when he hatched, it's perfectly possible for them to still be here."
"What about Snowflake's parents? I mean, how are the eggs for the Choosing selected?"
Wrenlou shrugged. "Only the Queen knows that. I have no idea. We do know that they are given up willingly, because the dragons also see the benefit from a relationship with humans."
"Would they still recognize him?" Hiccup asked pondering.
"Who knows," Wrenlou shrugged, "they might. A Night Fury mother can find her eggs between thousands of others. How does she do that? No idea. But since he was most likely raised by her when he hatched, she'll most likely remember him. If she's still alive. Care to find out? If we can?"
"Eh..." Hiccup looked around the cave, gazing up at the ceiling, and he shook his head, "that would take days, right?"
"Months even," Wrenlou said, "this is just the main cave. There are hundreds more, including miles and miles of tunnels."
"Maybe some other time," Hiccup said, scratching Toothless' chin, "or do you want to find them now bud?"
Toothless cocked his head while he looked at Hiccup, his pupils fully dilated, then he huffed and shook his head. He pressed his nose against Hiccup's chest, humming softly. Hiccup smiled while he hugged the dragon.
"I love you too bud."
"What's thi... oh..."
Hiccup turned to Wrenlou, to see that he was holding a bone. There was a baby dragon before him, looking up with big blue eyes, wagging its tail like it was a dog. Wrenlou waved the bone in front of the dragon, and the baby chirped happily, jumping up and down. Wrenlou smirked, then he threw the bone. With a shriek the baby dragon scrambled after it, clambering over the rocks while violently flapping its little wings. Only a few moments later, it returned, dragging the bone along with it, the thing almost as big as the dragon itself. It dropped the bone in front of Wrenlou and nudged it closer, then it looked up with a questioning croon.
"Dragons play fetch? I had no idea that they play fetch!" Hiccup exclaimed as Wrenlou threw the bone again.
"It's actually how they learn to hunt," Wrenlou answered, "we played fetch with our dragons too, didn't we girl."
Snowflake opened an eye and huffed. She had curled up on one of the smaller crystals, soaking in the warmth that vibrated from the smooth stone. The luminous blue light gave the thin membrane of her wings and tailfins a blue hue and they looked like they were translucent.
The baby dragon came back, and this time he had brought a friend. A slightly larger dragon was biting down on the other end of the bone, and together they carried it towards Wrenlou. He smiled and took the bone, but the larger dragon growled and hung on, shaking his head to get the bone out of Wrenlou's hands. Wrenlou, in turn, pulled harder and it turned into a tug-o-war, and eventually the baby dragon let go, plopping on the ground. He sat for a moment, then he jumped up and shook his wings. Wrenlou made a throwing motion and the dragons took off, but Wrenlou doubled over, laughing. He was still holding the bone and when the dragons found out, they came back scowling, and chewed on his boot as punishment.
He just laughed it off and threw the bone again. It was the larger one that carried it back, the smaller one carrying the older dragons tail as a substitute for the bone. Before he could throw again, three more dragons came running. They picked up on the game and wanted a part in it.
"Do you want to throw it?" Wrenlou offered Hiccup the bone.
"I can't really throw that hard..." Hiccup hesitated.
"That doesn't matter to them," Wrenlou said with a gesture to the baby dragons dancing around his feet, "they just want to play."
"Alright." Hiccup took the bone from Wrenlou and immediately the dragons swarmed around his feet, jumping up and down, shrieking in excitement. He smiled widely and threw the bone as hard as he could. It sailed through the air, clattering on the ground and bouncing over some crystals until it disappeared from sight. The black wave of baby dragons dove after it, shrieking loudly.
The one that came back with it held his head high, trotting towards Hiccup proudly before delivering the bone to his feet. Hiccup picked it up again and threw it in the other direction. Again the flock of baby dragons dove after it and when he followed them with his eyes, he suddenly spotted a few adult Night Furies in the shadows, their eyes glistening.
"Eh, Wren?"
Wrenlou looked up when he tugged his sleeve and followed his outstretched finger. "The mothers, most likely. Don't worry Hiccup, if they deemed us a threat, they would have attacked already."
"That's reassuring," Hiccup mumbled softly as he threw the bone again.
They walked between the nests, slowly to not disturb the nesting mother dragons, chased by baby dragons and they took turns in throwing the bone. After a while, the baby dragons grew tired of the game and went back to their mothers, leaving the two boys and their dragons alone.
While they were walking, Hiccup suddenly spotted a rock that was different from the rest. It was round, a perfect orb and when he picked it up, he realized it wasn't a rock at all. It was too smooth, too warm and he felt something that could be a heart beat, and his own heart skipped a few beats as he realized that he was holding a dragon egg. A Night Fury egg.
"Hiccup? Where did you get that?"
There was something in Wrenlou's voice, something he had never heard before and he looked up. "It was just laying on the ground. It's an egg, isn't it? Do you think it's abandoned?"
Wrenlou shook his head. "That's it's mother, and she is angry."
He pointed to something behind Hiccup and the boy turned around. He was suddenly face to face with a very angry Night Fury. The dragon was growling, her teeth bared and her eyes narrowed into slits. Hiccup gulped and carefully held the egg out to her. The dragon growled again and Hiccup flinched away. He didn't want to drop the egg, but he didn't want to get hurt either. He heard Toothless growl behind him, but didn't dare turn around. Very carefully, he took a step closer to the dragon in front of him, until he was at the edge of the nest.
"I don't mean to hurt him," he whispered, while he extended the egg towards the mother dragon again, "here's your baby."
The dragon growled and kept her teeth bared, but allowed him to slip the egg into the nest, with its siblings. After he had let go of it, she sniffed it, like she was trying to check if he had done something with it. Walking backwards, Hiccup stepped away from the nest, keeping his eye on the mother dragon. After she was sure that her egg was fine, she crooned softly and blew a steady stream of blue fire over the shell, until it was glowing. Then she curled around it, tucking her head under her wings.
Only when he was safely next to Toothless again, did he dare to breath. He felt a hand on his shoulder and looked up. Wrenlou was staring at him with worry.
"Night Fury eggs are seldom far from the mothers. You know you were lucky, right?" Hiccup nodded. "Have I told you how Rico lost his hand?" He shook his head. "He tried to engage a wild dragon, much like you just did. She didn't take it very well. He lost a hand, he could have lost his life. Our dragons maybe big cuddly creatures, but dragons are not something to be messed with. Especially wild Night Furies. So next time you see an egg, back away from it, okay?"
Hiccup nodded, his heart was still racing. Only now did he realize how wrong it could have gone if the dragon had reacted differently. Following Wrenlou and Snowflake, they went ever deeper into the cave, and the soft light from the crystals shone calmly around them, like the cave was underwater. His heart calmed down and once again, he could enjoy the wonders of the cave, the many dragons, the blue crystals, and the smile wouldn't leave his face anymore.