Night Furies: the Next Generation Chapter 16
The next morning, eight dragons gathered in a circle to make sure everyone understood their role in the plan. Agnarr sat outside the circle, trying to recognize any of the dragon words he'd learned so far. He had nothing else to do until it was all over; then he might have to bandage some injured dragons. He really hoped that wouldn't happen. He'd had enough of bandages and injured dragons.
There was nothing left for the Night Furies to discuss. They exchanged wing-taps (a gesture that they had to teach to the former Asian dragons) and took flight. Night-fury-six-shooter gained height until she could see the lake. There were no dragons in sight, so she turned in a quick circle – the all-clear signal. The others joined her, found a copse of trees big enough to hide them, and hid. Six-shooter was on her own. She flew down beside the lake and tried to figure out where the dragons' nest was.
After a few minutes, a solitary Gronckle hummed into view from a wooded valley and began looking for fish. When she saw Six-shooter, she started to flee, but the Night Fury easily overtook her. "It's okay!" she reassured the other dragon. "I'm not him."
"Whew! I can see that now," the Gronckle exclaimed.
"Gather all the fish you want; take your time," Six-shooter advised her. "When you go back to the nest, spread the word that a female Night Fury is here."
"Oh, dear. You're a pretty one. If Night-fury-ruler catches sight of you…"
"That's the whole idea," Six-shooter replied, trying to sound confident. "I've got friends waiting nearby to help me. We've got a plan. Today will be your independence day."
"Really?" The Gronckle was amazed. "We can't wait for that! I'll do my fishing later!" She spun in the air and buzzed back the way she came. Six began counting seconds. She knew how fast a Gronckle could fly, and she knew how fast a Night Fury could move, so the total time would be a good indication of how far away the nest was.
It took about six minutes; then a black blur shot out of the valley, did a quick climb, and zeroed in on her. "That rock-head was right – you are a pretty one!" he exclaimed as he glided toward her. "My destiny will be fulfilled before the sun sets today! Come to daddy, you black beauty!"
"Huh," she shouted back. "I heard there was a real male around here! Do you have a good-looking brother nearby or something? I won't waste an egg on the likes of you!"
"Oh, is that what you think?" he roared, and flapped to close in on her. "You've got some lessons to learn about males, and here comes your teacher!"
He was approaching her from her left, and slightly above her. She waited until he was almost on top of her, then made a fast left turn and dove underneath him. He looped quickly to chase her, but she'd gained some distance on him as she dove. He was heavier and more motivated, and he was slowly closing in on her. That was okay. All she had to do was stay ahead of him until they overflew the copse of trees, and give her friends time to get off the ground.
"Don't be shy!" he shouted. "Dance for me! Wiggle that tail!"
Keep talking, she thought. Keep opening your mouth and adding to your wind resistance. I'll take every advantage you give me. She whipped past the copse of trees and zoomed upwards; he followed. Friends, family, do your stuff and do it well, or I'll be facing a fate worse than death.
She took a quick glance back, and saw seven black shapes launching themselves into the sky. They were slow to gain airspeed in a climb, but the plan didn't depend on speed. It depended on marksmanship.
"What the…?" Night-fury-ruler was stunned when a small firebolt cruised up from behind him. It missed by several feet to his left, but he flinched away anyway. Then he flinched back when another firebolt hissed past on his right. He took a quick glance over his shoulder, and saw seven young Night Furies chasing him in a loose circle, firing ragged volleys as they went. They were terrible shots – all of them were off-target. He didn't realize they were missing him on purpose. Their shots were arranged to ring him in and keep him on his current course. He was flying up a tube whose walls were made of spots of light that would explode if he touched them.
They were no threat, he decided. They certainly wouldn't stop him from fulfilling his destiny. He was totally fixated on the lovely female who was now less than a hundred feet in front of him.
Six knew he was gaining on her. Now came the hard part. She had to find a gap in the pattern of firebolts so she could escape through it. That meant she had to keep looking back, which would slow her down and let Night-fury-ruler close the range. If she looked too often, he might catch her before her brother could spring the trap. She took a quick glance to her right; no gaps big enough for her. Then a glance to her left; no luck.
"Don't worry, my beauty, I'm still here!" the adult male called to her. "Wiggle that tail for me! Oh, I am going to enjoy this! Maybe you will, too, if you're lucky." She felt like throwing up.
Another glance to her left – a gap was approaching! She counted to three, then threw herself to the left. Night-fury-ruler couldn't turn to catch her because the firebolt pattern kept him right where he was. At the same time, Night-fury-makes-one-heck-of-a-bang fired a shot into the pattern. Ruler didn't worry about that shot, either; it would obviously miss ahead of him. He tried to keep an eye on his female. In a few seconds, he'd find his own gap, escape these annoying juveniles, and catch his prize! He didn't see Bang's shot slow down and spread into a swirling, colorful Vortex until he was barely six feet away from it. Dodging was impossible at that distance. He flew straight into it. With a flash and a clap of thunder, the Vortex vanished. The Night Fury fell, inert, until he splashed into the lake far below.
The shock of the cold water helped revive him. He paddled slowly to the shore, using his wings as oars, and pulled himself back on land. He shook himself dry and glanced up at the eight Night Furies who were circling him. He stared at them. Then, as if in slow motion, he flopped to the ground, sobbing, "What have I done? What have I done?"
The others landed near him; the two larger males were the first to approach him. "You're Night-fury-ruler?"
"No," he shook his head miserably. "I'm Night-fury-failure. What have I done to my nest? What have I done to those other dragons? How could a Night Fury do the things I've done? Please do all those dragons a favor and kill me. I've brought shame to my entire species!"
"That won't be necessary," one of them answered. "I've healed your mind. You're not off-center anymore. You can start over!"
"The other dragons will never forgive me," he retorted. "I've betrayed everything a Night Fury is supposed to stand for. It could take years before they trust me again."
The others all looked at each other. He was probably right.
"Then come with us!" Night-fury-smallest-girl exclaimed. "No one knows you in Berk. You can make a fresh start in life, without having to undo anything."
"Would you let me do that?" All eight of the others nodded enthusiastically. He shook his head in disbelief. "Well, I need to apologize to the whole nest, and then I can go to wherever Berk is."
"We'll stand beside you," Six said in reply. "We aren't ashamed of you."
"You should hate me more than anyone," he said, unwilling to look at her.
"Even a dragon's life is too short for hate," she answered. "You weren't thinking straight. Now you are. I'll stand beside you. We're all Night Furies."
"All eight of you," he said. "I haven't seen another Night Fury in forty years! Where did you all come from?"
"That's a long story!" Agmundr answered. "It would take days to explain it all, especially when you don't have any idea what our background is. We're a few days away from home; we can explain it all while we're in the air."
"All right. In that case, let's get my public humiliation over with." The nine of them flew up the valley, following the newly-healed male's lead. He brought them to a cave entrance in the side of a mountain, partially hidden by trees. The cave soon opened out into a huge underground grotto, complete with a glowing blue lagoon, whose walls were pockmarked with smaller caves. About forty assorted dragons stuck their heads out when they heard the rustle of multiple wings, and kept them out at the sight of so many Night Furies.
They landed on a rock that jutted out of the center of the lagoon. "Dragons," the male shouted. "I'm here to tell you all, I have been wrong. Totally wrong." That got their attention. "I'm sorry for all the things I've done to you, and I promise you, it won't happen again. I know you think these are just empty words to deceive you, but I mean it, and I'm going to prove it, the only way I know how. I am leaving this nest. I'm sure you'll be a lot better off without me. Farewell." He turned and flew out the exit without another word. The other black dragons prepared to follow him.
"Do you all have to go?" came a voice from behind them. They stopped. Four young Nadders and the Zippleback they'd met before were gliding down to join them. "We know you probably have important things to do, but… we really need a Night Fury here. There are so many of you! Could one of you stay, just for a while?"
"Most of us have homes we need to go to, and parents who miss us," Six began. "One of us could visit now and then, and help keep order, but I'm not sure any of us can stay."
"Does it have to be an adult Night Fury?" Pu-lao asked suddenly. They all looked at him in surprise.
"Any Night Fury is better than no Night Fury," Sterno answered. "Within reason, of course. Are you any good at solving problems?"
"I come from a culture that values wisdom," he answered politely. "I am new at being a Night Fury, but I have been considering hard questions all of my short life."
"Are you sure you want to do this?" Bi-xi asked. "This is an unfamiliar place, and you are still very new at being a Night Fury."
"We were all raised to take our duty seriously," Pu-lao replied with dignity. "The Night Furies have given me a new life. I owe them much for that. I will fulfill my duty by leading a nest and helping other dragons, the way a Night Fury should."
"When you put it that way," Chi-wen cut in, "all three of us should stay."
"I have a better idea," Bang suggested. "All three of you could take turns. One will spend, say, three months here as the nest's Night Fury, while the other two spend time in Berk, learning more about Night Furies and what we do. Then it could be Chi-wen's turn to spend three months here; then Bi-xi would take a turn. This could continue until you reach adulthood. At that time, you could find a way to choose who will stay in this nest for life."
"That might be the best of all possible worlds," Pu-lao said, and the other two nodded.
"Is that acceptable to you?" Six asked the local dragons.
"You're offering us Night Furies who will get better at their jobs every time they change places? How could we object to that?" Arson exclaimed. "Thank you, all of you!"
"In that case," Bang said decisively, "Night-fury-pu-lao, welcome to your new nest! Govern wisely with a light hand, and don't hesitate to come and ask us for help if you need it." Night-fury-pu-lao nodded. The twins gave him directions to Berk if he needed help, and the others said their farewells to him, knowing they'd see him again in about three months. As they left, he was searching the cavern for an unclaimed cave to call his own. Several of the local dragons were quietly marveling that he didn't just order someone else to move so he could take their cave.
The newly-sane Night Fury was waiting for them outside. "Could I ask you something? I know it's asking a lot, seeing how you barely know me, but could you help me pick out a new name? I chose Night-fury-ruler for myself, and I will never go by that name again!"
"Hmmm," Six said reflectively. "A good name should reflect who you are, or something noteworthy that you've done."
"But I haven't done anything I want to be remembered for!" he burst out. "What should I call myself? Night-fury-nothing?"
"Actually, you have done something noteworthy," Smallest-girl suggested. "How about Night-fury-new-beginning?"
They all glanced at each other. "I like it," Bang decided. "What do you think?"
"Night-fury-new-beginning? I can actually live with that. All right – that's my name. Thank you, all of you. And thank you for healing my mind. I'm totally ashamed of the thoughts I've been thinking, but now I don't have to think them anymore. Shall we go to... wherever it is we're going? Berk?"
"Not yet," Six exclaimed. "We have to pick up Agnarr and his gear first."
"Who's Agnarr? Another Night Fury?" New-beginning wondered.
"No, he's a human and a friend of dragons," Agmundr answered. "He's also my twin brother."
New-beginning stared at him. "I know I didn't hear that right."
"Like we said, it's a really long story," Bang said.
New-beginning shook his head hard. "You aren't kidding! Okay, lead the way." They flew back to the stream, gave Agnarr a quick description of what had happened, let him pack his gear on their backs, and took off. Their final destination was still four days away.