A bright, almost full moon shone that night. Akey was sitting on a rock at the edge of the clearing, peering up through the thick leaves. He knew what would happen soon. Hiccup was running very low on time, and they had no chance. Of course, they could hardly tell that he only had a few days to live. He wasn't even that upset. Hiccup was enjoying himself with the Nighli. Akey jumped slightly when he heard footsteps. He heard a grunt as a lean figure jumped onto the rock beside him. He turned to see a somewhat elderly Nighli.
'Can't sleep, little one?' Kemat asked. 'It is a bright night. Not many clouds.'
'Nope. I guess I'm not that tired.' Akey mumbled and shrugged. He avoided Kemat's gaze. Kemat shifted slightly.
'What's the matter? Didn't expect me to be old?' Kemat asked. Akey turned a wide-eyed gaze to the leader.
'I just haven't really seen you before. Do you ever leave your cave?'
'Obviously I do from time to time.' Kemat chuckled. He turned his kind and wise gaze to the boy. 'You're curious about me, aren't you?'
'A little. Is it true you lose the ability to change when you get... old?'
Kemat was silent for a moment. He shifted again, and stared up at the moon for a long time.
'It's true. To a point. I haven't reached that age yet.' He said quietly. 'I was injured in a battle with a mountain lion several moon cycles ago, and almost died. Once I recovered, I never changed again. It was a disappointment to lose it at my age, but my people still respect me.' Akey was shocked. He tried to imagine what it was like to be disappointed not to change, for one thing. He had always dreaded it. Kemat seemed to read his mind. 'Little one, it is alright. You will learn to enjoy your changing as we all have. You will fly with joy instead of terror. I promise.'
'I hope so.' Akey mumbled. 'I've always hated it for as long as I can remember.' He laughed spitefully. 'Heck, I've even hated myself for a long time.'
Kemat shook his head sadly. 'I'm sorry to hear that, little one.'
Akey didn't respond, and the both of them went completely silent. There was a lot unsaid in the air. Akey was miserable for many reasons. Kemat didn't usually open up much anyway. Akey tried very hard to think of a way to stop Hiccup from dying. He felt Kemat shift next to him.
'Tar got your venom, yes?'
'Yeah, I think he has some. He cut me with a stick or something and took my blood. I guess he has it somewhere. Not that it matters.' He murmured, sounding defeated. 'Just another victim of these stupid instincts of mine. Just like all the others.'
Kemat spoke after a moment. 'Not like all the others.'
Akey turned to him. 'What does that mean? He's changed and going to die like everyone else I got close to!'
'Tell me,' Kemat started. 'But wasn't he supposed to be mad by now, according to your calculations?'
'Yeah, all the people I've watched die to my venom have gone mad in a moon or less.' Akey confirmed.
'Then why isn't he?'
Akey shrugged. 'I don't know. We never figured that out. I guess he's just slow or something. But... he was starting to lose himself within a few weeks of his change... and then he was fine after-' Akey gasped. 'After he flew! After he flew, he was fine! He went back to being Hiccup! I- I can't believe I missed that!'
Kemat nodded slowly. 'What else is different about him?'
'He has Toothless. None of the others had a dragon or-!' Akey felt the world tilt. Hiccup wasn't in as much danger as he thought. Hiccup, instead of wallowing in despair and laying down to die, had tried to fight it. He had learned to embrace it. Instead of hating what he had become, like the others, Hiccup had learned to enjoy his new wings. He was learning to adapt. Unlike the other Vikings, who hated everything to do with dragons, Hiccup had a bond with Toothless and loved dragons. And so becoming one wasn't so bad as he thought. Hiccup didn't hate Akey, like the others. He had saved him.
Hiccup had said that if he wasn't going to die, being a dragon wouldn't be so bad, even if he was stuck as one for the rest of his life.
Hiccup hadn't gone mad. He was fine. He wasn't going to die.
Or at least, they had more time then they thought.
Akey felt limp with relief. He felt a hand on his shoulder, and looked up at Kemat.
'You knew.'
'I figured it out just by looking at him. He's in no danger currently, but you needed to learn that on your own. You wouldn't have believed me, had I just told you.' Kemat smiled down at the boy. 'Your friend is going to be fine. We will transform him back, and he will survive.'
Akey smiled and began to cry tears of joy. He leaned forward and hugged Kemat tightly.
'Thanks.'
Hiccup was relieved to hear the news relayed to him. He wasn't going to die. Toothless was as equally overjoyed as Akey to hear the news. The Night Fury pranced in excited circles around Hiccup.
'You're not going to die! This is wonderful! You'll be human again, and everything can go back to normal!'
Hiccup smiled, but secretly he sort of regretted turning human again. He sort of liked being a dragon, as weird as it was. The freedom of having wings was amazing. He felt as though he could handle this form, these instincts. But he knew that being human would be better. He couldn't keep it, as much as he wanted to. He sighed and decided to wait for a dragon rider to return so he could tell them the good news.
He sat next to Toothless that afternoon, watching as the Nighli danced and celebrated, a setting sun meaning their transformation would come soon. Akey was curled close to Hiccup, quivering slightly. Hiccup almost felt like asking him what was wrong, because ever since his sudden freak-out at the nursery, Akey had been sort of... weird. Hiccup instead decided to just hold his little friend closer with a soft hug. Akey responded with a small purr of comfort.
'Thanks, Hiccup.'
"Any time, little buddy."
Hiccup turned at movement from the side somewhere. Tar came out of a den and stretched out, standing on two legs and yawning. Perhaps he had been napping. Another Nighli came up to him with a greeting, and they moved off and joined in the dancing. There was a bright fire in the middle of the camp, and a lot of Nighli danced and sang around it, enjoying themselves. They sang in a perfect harmony, as if connected by one mind. Hiccup smiled and watched them, their movements almost hypnotic. He noticed Akey shift next to him.
'Hey, Hiccup...'
"Yeah?"
'I... I kind of like this.'
"What do you mean?" Hiccup asked, curious. Akey looked up at him, eyes wide.
'I like having a... family. I mean, I know I don't have an actual family, but now... I have a people. They're going to take care of me, and I'll fit in. Things aren't going to be bad forever. And you're going to live. You're going to go back to normal. You'll go off and have a life again. I... I'm happy that things are improving.'
"That's the spirit!" Hiccup hugged Akey tighter and ruffled his messy black hair. Akey giggled happily and started purring. After a moment, though, he stopped and backed away. "Hey, you alright?" Hiccup asked, confused. Akey had just been happier than he'd ever seen his friend before.
'I'll miss you.' Akey murmured. 'Since I can't live with you, and you can't stay here... I'll miss you.'
"Hey, I'll visit, who said we'd never see each other again?" Hiccup smiled, ruffling Akey's hair again. Akey smiled, a wonderful joyful smile that lit up his face.
"Y-yeah."
'Hey, Akey!' A young voice chirped. Akey turned and saw another young waving at him. 'C'mon! Get over here and have some fun!' Akey suddenly felt nervous. He didn't know anything. How was he supposed to...
"Go on." Hiccup nudged Akey toward his people. "You'd better start learning how to be a Nighli, hmm? You've got some catching up to do." Akey gave Hiccup a nervous grin and walked unevenly to what would be his first time really getting to know his people. His species. Hiccup felt joy in his heart for Akey. He had found him a home. "Pretty great, huh bud?" He murmured to Toothless, who huffed in agreement. "He's going to be okay. He's going to finally get to be happy."
The celebration went on into the evening, and then the moon began to rise. Hiccup felt a shift in the atmosphere. Some of the more experienced Nighli moved over to the youngsters and formed a circle around them. Some of the young looked nervous, some excited. Most of the adults hovered in groups, waiting for the transformation and the joy of flight. Then, it began.
The singing started up again, louder and more of a thrumming as wings and tails and ears grew, all of the Nighli growing to twice their size, and springing into the sky immediately. The young all transformed with more pain and difficulty, and Hiccup caught a glimpse of a scared Akey among them, but before long, the adults had them flying up into the sky. Hiccup watched in wonderment at the Nighli flying as if they belonged in the sky, swooping gracefully and all the while, that song was sang.
He listened and watched as the moon rose up and up. He almost imagined something even more beautiful about the song, like a meaning to it more than notes. Something magical.
'We fly at night under the moon, fly, fly, fly, swoop and open your wings. Up and up, rise to the stars, touch the sky above. Feel the freedom the wingless don't have, feel your night heart racing. Like the great dragons we once were, we fly again, again each moon. Wind and sea, sky and wing. Fly, fly, fly...'
He stopped suddenly, realizing that he had been singing along without meaning to. It had filled him, and he had opened his wings slightly. Toothless was asleep, unaware of the activity around him. Hiccup smiled bravely and got into the crouch position, ready to fly. The sky felt like it was alive, calling him. He sprang up and joined the flocks of Nighli, the entire tribe filling the sky above their island. He went up and up, flattening his wings and soaring above the bunch of them. The song continued.
'Fly, fly, fly, fill the sky. Dive, and up, loop the loop. Spin. Spin.'
Hiccup enjoyed the crisp night air on his skin, his wings, his tail. Up here, he felt complete. Secure. Free. He let himself sing along with the song, enjoying the feeling tingling through his body. Eventually, he got too tired to fly anymore, and began to circle back down.
'Our night is almost complete. Sing, sing, one last time, fill your lungs with fire. Let yourself free, children of the night, let yourself fly, your hearts soar. Never forget where you came from.'
At that point, Hiccup had landed clumsily, and crawled over to Toothless for the rest of the night. Soon, he'd be human again, and he'd never get to fly like that again. He'd have to make the most of it.
He felt a poke on his face. It was to early, and all he wanted to do was sleep. The poking continued, and his sleep was being chased away. He grumbled sleepily, trying to ward off the attack on his rest. Darn these hatchlings, always getting in your sleep and under-paw. All he wanted to do was rest, then hunt a little, perhaps... then a nice flight. Or did he want to work in the forge? He wasn't sure. He peeked open an eye.
'Ah! He's awake! Run!'
'Go!'
He lifted his head and saw two younger Nighli dashing away full speed, laughing. He twitched a wing, then another. Then he stood and stretched. Hiccup looked over to Toothless, who was still snoozing. There was no sign of Akey. He got up on two legs and wandered over to the food pile. He stared at it for a moment, then chose a rabbit. He then gave Toothless a poke.
"Sorry bud, but I need you to cook this for me." Toothless let out a grumpy mumble and opened one eye, staring at Hiccup. He sighed and spat a plasma blast at the rabbit, blasting most of its fur off and causing Hiccup to drop it. "Hey!" Toothless gave him a draconic laugh and made a big show of turning around and going back to sleep. "Okay, sorry, mister grumpy lizard." Hiccup picked up the rabbit and sat down to eat it, munching on it. "Needs seasoning."
'Hiccup!' Akey's cheerful grunt reached his ears. Hiccup looked up and saw his friend trotting up with a big grin. Tar was following directly behind.
"Hey, buddy. How was last night?" Hiccup asked.
'Great! I've never felt so alive! I guess being with these guys really helps!' Akey did a happy little twirl and purred loudly, never once losing the happy expression. Hiccup laughed and felt a tingle of joy. Akey was happy and that mattered a lot to him. Tar nodded at Hiccup.
'We have two of the three ingredients to turn you back to your human form. The last one is pollen collected from a flower that only blooms under the darkest moon, so we have a half-moon to wait before we change you back, so you might as well enjoy some flight until then. Kemat told me perhaps you would enjoy becoming one of us temporarily.' Tar gave Hiccup a smile. 'I for one would love to see if you can hunt.'
"Afraid not." Hiccup stated. "I'd like to go back to the others of my group and tell them what's going on. Astrid's gonna kill me, but it's gotta be done." Akey turned and translated to Tar, who sniffed softly.
'All right, your choice. Be sure to come back soon so we can change you, okay? I'll tell Kemat. Good luck, okay?' Tar gave Hiccup a respectful nod, and Hiccup returned it, smiling.
"You too." Hiccup stood and nudged Toothless as Tar walked away. "C'mon bud, we're going back to the edge." Toothless sat up and yawned.
'Okay. Right now?'
"Yeah." Hiccup stopped and turned to Akey. "I guess you're staying here."
Akey shook his head. 'I want to come too. It'll probably be my last visit to the Edge for a long time, so why not?'
"He's WHERE?" Stoick boomed. Astrid winced at the volume.
"On an island full of apparently friendly Were-Dragons. Living out his last days." Astrid said plainly. "He told Fishlegs that he wasn't coming back and that we shouldn't go find him."
"Well where is this island?" Stoick asked firmly. Astrid glanced back at the others. The twins were strategically ignoring everything around them, Snotlout was trying to pretend he hadn't heard a thing by staring at his shoes, Fishlegs looked uncomfortable. Astrid took a deep breath.
"Chief, I don't think we should go there." She said firmly. The chief's gaze hardened.
"Why not?"
"As much as I want to get Hiccup back here and have him with us, I don't think all of us going to the Were-dragon's island is a good idea. They were nervous about Fishlegs, and Thor knows how they'll react with a large party of angry vikings landing on their island." Astrid stated.
"She could be right, Stoick." Gobber piped up. "...'sides, don't worry about Hiccup. You should get back ta Berk and let me handle this mess." Stoick sighed.
"I don't know, Gobber." He motioned for the blacksmith to follow him outside to talk, or something. Astrid balled her fists and stood there for a good minute, conflicted. What had happened to staying together? She was still mad at Hiccup for doing this to her. Not the transformation, that was hardly his fault. But deciding to live with a bunch of strangers for his last time alive instead of her? Why?
"So, we're going back to that island, right?" Snotlout asked, cutting into her thoughts.
"Why? Hiccup told us to stay here?" Fishlegs protested.
"Well, we'll want his body for the funeral, won't we?" Ruffnut pointed out.
"And I'll make sure it's one heck of a fire show, don't worry!" Tuffnut added.
"Not without me you won't!" Ruffnut snapped.
"Of course, my dear sister. I would love your input."
"You two mutton-heads, shut up!" Snotlout groaned.
"You, sir should appreciate the beauty and intricacy of some funerals!" Tuffnut proclaimed, holding up a finger. "Like our great uncle Thornhair Thorston, twice removed! They had him-"
"Okay, stop right there." Snotlout said. "I don't even want to know."
Astrid turned to the rest of the group.
"Of course we're going."
