Hey y'all! I'm so sorry for not posting for a while, I started EMT school so it's been taking up the majority of my time. Luckily I have a lot that I wrote prior to school starting, so I'll do my best to remain consistent if I can. Anyway, onward!
Zyrah wasted no time and desperately raced after her dragon.
"ZYRAH WAIT!" Hiccup cried out.
"Great she's gonna get herself killed!" Rurik groaned, chasing his sister.
"C'mon gang!" Hiccup gestured.
Up ahead, Zyrah had little issue with jumping over the various boulders and fallen trees. It was sort of fun, but she was just desperate to catch up to Blueheart. She didn't run off like that very often.
"Blueheart! Wait! Where are you going?!" Craning her neck up, she could barely make out Blueheart's silhouette as she grazed over the treetops, and she was getting deeper and deeper into the forest. How far did this island go?
Eventually, the grass, moss, and dirt turned into gravel and flat rock. Looking ahead, she skidded to a stop when she realized it was a cliff.
"WHOA WHOA!" She cried out, barely managing to stop in time. Briefly peeking down, she could see that the cliff sloped down towards the ground, which had to be at least a 50-foot drop. At the bottom was an arena-like space.
She didn't get much time to take it in before she caught the sound of the gang catching up to her.
"Guys wait! Slow down!" Her warning came too late, and she was accidentally knocked down the cliff, barreling down to the bottom.
"Shit! Zyrah!" Rurik called out, following her once again, sliding down the cliff face.
"Idiot!"
The moss and dirt sort of helped break the sibling's fall as they made it to the bottom.
"OWwwwwwwwww…" Zyrah groaned, "that is definitely gonna leave a few bruises."
"No kidding, maybe a dislocated shoulder…" Rurik mumbled, wincing when he touched his arm.
"Why'd you follow me, you moron?" Zyrah exclaimed in frustration.
"I dunno! Lemming instinct! I wasn't gonna let you fall down by yourself." Zyrah clenched her teeth in outrage at her brother's choices, but without the dragons, they couldn't get out of this.
As her frustration began to subside, she took a moment to take in her surroundings with a new perspective.
It was truly like an arena, with the towering cliffs surrounding the circle. Cave entrances of varying sizes dotted the cliff walls, the monochromatic gray volcanic rock was covered with blooming lichen and moss, even vines. And small shrubs grew on the clifftops. It was imposing, but oddly beautiful.
Glancing up, Zyrah called out to the others.
"We're fine! Come on down!" She assured. There were no signs of dragon activity besides the new Night Furies she had just met, but given they were here, there had to be others. Possibly just hiding from the intruders.
With the gang and the dragons rejoining them, Blueheart also landed a short distance away. Zyrah sprinted to her dragon's side, hugging her.
"Don't you just fly away like that, you scared me."
"I think she's okay, Zyrah."
"Now what?" Snotlout groaned, "we're just gonna stand around and wait for the Night Furies to show up again?" Zyrah looked around, frowning.
"We're not waiting… they're already here."
"Huh?"
"Guys, look!" She pointed to a cave where several pairs of eyes glowing from a cave entrance.
The same Night Furies from earlier, Toothless's family emerged from the forest and stopped near the young Alpha. But it wasn't just them here to greet the riders.
It was like they emerged from the shadows, Night Furies… of all shapes and sizes, emerged from their spots in the woods and within the caves. It was a sight to behold, not a word nor a sound was uttered. And Blueheart reacted to a particular set of Night Furies that eyed the group. Three of them appeared to be the same age as Toothless's younger sibling.
The bigger of the older pair lead the way down from the caves, landing in front of the group.
"No sudden moves…" Hiccup quietly warned.
Mom! Dad! Blueheart cried out. She bounded over to the male that was twice her size, and next to him, was an older female, only slightly larger than Blueheart.
Thank Thor… I thought we'd never see you again… Her mother tearfully said, nuzzling her daughter on the cheek.
It's long overdue… I know. Blueheart redirected her attention when her father started growling at the dragons and riders.
Myrai… what are humans doing here? Blueheart stepped in front of her father, snarling defensively.
Still defiant. Even as an adult.
Dad, enough. They're not here to harm us.
I can verify that. Came Ayry from the side, standing near Toothless and her daughters. The male raised an eyebrow, Dainom, easy.
Still naïve, Ayry.
Nope. Maybe a little dumb, but not naïve. Toothless finally spoke, opening his spines, letting them glow blue.
"Uh oh… that's not good." Ana gasped.
"What is Toothless doing?"
"Hopefully not challenging the colony leader… their Alpha." Fishlegs observed in fear. Alpha's challenging each other never had positive results. And this male was evidently much older and more powerful.
"Shit- Toothless!"
"Hiccup! Don't get in the middle of it! We need to back away slowly."
"Blueheart clearly knows them."
"Well, the female nuzzled Blueheart the same way Toothless's mother did with him. I think that's Blueheart's family… and her father… is an Alpha." Astrid said, causing Zyrah's breath to hitch in her throat.
"Damn…"
"Give them space, guys." The dragons slowly pulled their riders back against the steep slope behind them, hoping the Night Furies wouldn't pay them much attention.
Myrai, what is this?
You can call me Blueheart, actually. She corrected, earning a puff of smoke being snorted out of her father's nose.
Blueheart?
Yes, my rider named me that, and I bear it with pride. And so does he. That is Toothless.
As expected, humans are shit at naming things.
Dainom! Please! There are hatchlings in earshot! Blueheart's mother scolded.
They can watch and learn how an Alpha defends his colony. Dainom snarled.
Absolutely not, dad. I won't let you harm any of them. Not the riders, not the dragons. They're not the threat.
And how do I know that? I can see their weapons, and we know how all humans are. For generations, we've been hunted, and they've never changed.
Yes. They have. Toothless defended.
You stay out of this.
No. I won't. I don't answer to you, nor any other dragon. Those idiots answer to me, and if you want to harm them, you go through me. Dainom glared at Toothless, a different kind of snarl coming from deep within his chest.
Ryvir, don't. Do not challenge him. Blueheart warned.
Ryvir? Dainom echoed. Ayry stood in front of her son, willing to challenge her Alpha in defense of her son.
Yes, Dainom. Ryvir, the son I thought I lost all those years ago.
But- how… what? Ayry turned to the riders.
They saved him. They saved him from the Red Death, and he even defeated a Bewilderbeast, something no dragon has ever done before.
We were all there! Hookfang called from behind the others.
Is this true? Dainom turned to Toothless, who relaxed slightly, though the blue glow from his spines did not yet fade away. Rage turned to mild curiosity.
It is. I sent that Bewilderbeast back to the cold depths from where it came. I lead an island of dragons myself. And for years I thought I was the last Night Fury left… until I met your daughter. And she proved me wrong.
The archipelago is not the same, in the best ways. More and more islands are accepting of dragons. Working together to defend each other. Blueheart said with a smile, eyeing Toothless gratefully. A glance that did not go unnoticed by the others.
I… I don't believe it.
Well, believe it, dad. It's our new world now.
What about the other colonies? Dainom asked. Both Toothless and Blueheart shook their heads.
This is the last one dad… we're the last ones. She somberly confirmed. She turned to face the hundreds of Night Furies observing from the cliffs, we're all the last of our kind. We've protected and defended each generation for centuries, and even though it hasn't turned out as we hoped… we're all we've got.
Dainom was still frustrated, at the same time he was proud of his daughter for stepping up, giving their kind some assurance.
I'm sorry, Myrai.
It's alright dad, I know why you were angry. But this isn't the time to be angry at each other.
You're right…
I do want to get some introductions out of the way if you'll let me. Dainom paused momentarily, then gave Blueheart a nod of approval.
Toothless, this is my mother and father, Vorri and Dainom. As you've noticed, my father is the Alpha of the colony.
Welcome home, kiddo. The two Alphas shared a nod of respect as Blueheart moved on.
And those three are my brothers and sister, Kivar, Sothyn, and Covrin.
We're so happy our big sister is back! Sothyn exclaimed, playfully nudging her sister. Toothless couldn't help but chuckle. He nudged Blueheart as well and shifted the attention to his mother and sisters.
That's my mother, Ayry, and my sisters, Irmessa and Vekyss.
It's so wonderful to finally meet you… Ryvir has told me about you, though not as much.
Memory loss, we know. But it's comforting to know our son's mate is our Alpha's daughter.
Whoa whoa, what? Blueheart exclaimed.
What?
I-I, I'm not his mate! She defended.
Wait, you're not? I could've sworn… your scent is all over him. If dragons could blush, Blueheart would be bright red.
"Uh oh…"
"Uh oh, what?"
"I dunno what Toothless's mom said, but I don't think Blueheart liked it," Zyrah said, wincing slightly.
Toothless was a bit taken aback by his mother's comment, though the idea of Blueheart being his mate was a wonderful idea, and a part of him was certain she felt the same. But maybe this wasn't the best approach.
H-hey, let's uh, not focus on that too much. We do wanna introduce you guys to our friends and our riders, who made this visit possible.
Especially our riders. Blueheart emphasized. She and Toothless pulled Hiccup and Zyrah forward, nudging them to their respective families.
"Hiccup…"
"I know…"
"Gods this is incredible! Night Furies have such a strong sense of community!" Fishlegs squealed.
"They truly do. Just like us Vikings."
"And just as stubborn, too!" Konall laughed.
"It's uncanny. Who would've thought our lifestyle had so much in common with a single species?" Ana remarked.
"Never would've imagined in my wildest dreams that this day would come." Hiccup breathed, holding his hand out, palm facing up for the Alpha Night Fury to sniff him.
This is the twig you mentioned, Ayry?
Aye, it is. He's very friendly though. Harmless. She confirmed with a smirk.
Toothless and Blueheart took a few steps back to allow their friends and families space to get to know each other. Toothless, however, couldn't keep his eyes off of Blueheart.
So… uh… mom thinks we're mates… apparently… He awkwardly began.
Yeah… um… She couldn't look at him, as even glancing at him got her heart pounding.
What is it, Myrai? He questioned softly. Her breath caught in her throat, unsure of how to proceed. Should she confess? Finally, tell him how she felt? She did love him, that she knew. But what was she afraid of? Something deep down frightened her.
I… I don't know how to put it into words.
A few meters away, Stormfly, Meatlug, and Lightbolt caught their conversation, straining their ears to hear it.
Do you think they're finally gonna confess? Lightbolt inquired.
Let's wait and see. We can't let them know we're listening though. Stormfly warned in a hushed tone.