Night Furies: the Next Generation Chapter 4
None of the twins was wounded that seriously. But their injuries, and the stitches that bound them up, were painful, and all four of them were considered "off duty" until they had healed. Night-fury-makes-one-heck-of-a-bang and Agnarr both had trouble walking, Agmundr couldn't hold or swing any forge tools, and Night-fury-six-shooter was grounded until her tail was fully functional again. With nothing to do except sit around and talk all day, they worked on adding more words to their language, and helping the other Forge-speakers learn them.
Two mornings after the attack, as the smith twins were getting ready for breakfast, Agmundr told his brother, "I had a really weird dream last night."
"You, too?" Agnarr exclaimed. "Tell me yours, then I'll tell you mine."
"Okay," his brother agreed. "I saw a mountain – it was like a volcano, but it was full of water instead of fire – and there was a dragon standing on the edge. It looked like a Monstrous Nightmare, but it didn't have any wings, and it was red and gold colored. It looked right at me and said –"
"...'I can help you'," Agnarr finished.
His brother stared. "You had the same dream?"
"Exactly the same," Agnarr said. "Except for one thing – I noticed that the sun was coming up behind that mountain."
"Now that you mention it, I remember that, too," Agmundr nodded. "I don't think we need Gothi to tell us this could be important."
"For sure. The question is, where is this mountain, and what is this dragon?"
"For me, the question is, what kind of help do we need?" Agmundr replied.
"We're supposed to see Gothi after breakfast anyway," Agnarr said. "She wants to see how our wounds are healing. We'll ask her about it while we're there. They say she knows about dreams." They ate their meal, rounded up their dragon friends, and made their way to Gothi's shack. They hoped the visit would be uneventful, because Gobber wasn't there to interpret her picture-speech. She checked the dragons' wounds first, nodded, and put on fresh bandages. Then she cut away the bandage around Agmundr's arm.
She gasped in horror, and that needed no translation. The flesh around the edges of the wound was not pink or red. It was black.
She prodded it with a small blunt instrument; the flesh seemed to respond normally. She pricked it with a pointed instrument; Agmundr winced, and the new wound bled slightly, but there was no evidence of infection. Gothi was clearly mystified. The mystery deepened when she saw black around the edges of Agnarr's wound as well. Their dragons were concerned, but dragons knew nothing about treating wounds, except the extreme example of using their Power for a complete healing.
Finally, Gothi made some gestures that Agnarr thought he understood. "We should go get Gobber?" The aged healer nodded. "Agmundr, you've got two good legs; you go get him." Agmundr nodded and left at a run. He was back with the smith in fifteen minutes. They barely got in the door before she began drawing pictures in her sand table with her staff.
Gobber read the pictures and translated them into Norse. "She's wantin' to know if ye ate a live pigeon." Gothi whacked him with her staff. "Isn't that a pigeon? Oh, now I see. She's wantin' to know if ye did anything different or unusual to yer wounds since she bandaged 'em."
"No." "No, we didn't." Gothi shook her head again. Then she glanced out the door at the two Night Furies who were waiting outside. She suddenly looked a lot more serious. She drew more pictures.
"Now she's wantin' to know if ye got any dragon's blood in yer wounds."
"I probably did," Agnarr said. "We were a total mess by the time we landed."
"I know I did," Agmundr added. "The same bolt hit both of us."
Gothi shook her head once more, and drew one small picture in the sand. Gobber didn't even bother interpreting it.
It was a death's head.
The twins stared at it in silence. When they finally looked up, one looked at Gothi and the other at Gobber.
"Every now an' then during th' wars, a wounded man would get some dragon's blood on 'im," the smith said sadly. "Most o' the men suffered no ill effects. But with some men, dragon's blood acted like poison in 'em. With you two bein' twins, if it affects one of ye, it'll affect ye both." Gothi nodded solemnly.
"How long?" Agnarr asked in a small voice.
Gothi wrote quickly, and Gobber translated. "If it's a small dose, ye might have a few weeks. Big dose... a few days. The two o' ye are small an' wiry, so it wouldn't take much to make a big dose fer ye. How do ye feel?"
"I feel normal, I guess," Agmundr replied. His brother nodded. "What should we expect?"
Gothi drew. "Pain," Gobber said sadly. "Screamin' fiery agony in every part o' yer bodies. She says ye'll beg us to put ye out of yer misery; that means th' end is about two days away. There's nothin' she can do fer ye – even her best pain-deadeners don't work against dragon's-blood poisoning. She's sorry." He took a deep breath and let it out. "So am I."
"Maybe they can knock us out with dragon-nip grass, and make it easier that way," Agmundr wondered. "Hey, wait a minute! Agnarr, what about that dream we had?"
Agnarr related the dream. Gothi considered the matter for a few seconds, then found a leather pouch on a shelf. From inside, she pulled out a handful of small bones, shook them in her hand for a few seconds, then cast them on the floor. She squatted down and examined how they fell. After what seemed like forever, she drew some more pictures in her sand table.
"She says it's a true dream if ye both had it. If ye can find this dragon, that might be yer only hope. She suggests leavin' immediately, 'cause it'll be a very long journey, an' yer time might be short."
The twins nodded to each other. Agnarr spoke for both of them. "There's no one here we should say good-bye to, except you, Gobber. Thank you for all the kindness you've shown to a couple of former Berserkers. If anyone asks where we went, tell them we're chasing the sunrise."
"How are we going to get there, wherever 'there' is?" Agmundr asked.
"We'll start by asking our friends out there," Agnarr decided. They waited until Gothi replaced their bandages, then stepped outside.
"Big problem," Agnarr began.
"We hear everything," Bang cut him off. "We fly together, find answer together, you live."
"We fly now," Six added.
"Six, you're not allowed to fly with your wounded tail!" Agmundr protested.
"I not fly, I get better, you die. Do not want!" Six said firmly. "I fly, I hurt, you live. We fly together."
"We should pack some food first, and a change of clothing," Agnarr decided. "That won't take long, and it might be important. I have a feeling our dragon on the mountain is a very, very long way away from here." They all nodded. They also packed extra bandages, some rope and other useful tools, heavy coats, a tent and sleeping rolls, and some dried fish for the dragons.
They were stowing everything in large leather drawstring bags when New-night-fury and Night-fury-mother-of-twins overflew them and quickly spiraled down to join them. They took in the scene at a glance.
"And where, precisely, do you two think you're going?" their mother demanded.
"Agnarr and Agmundr got some of our blood in their wounds," Night-fury-six-shooter explained. "It's going to kill them in a matter of weeks, maybe days. They had a dream about a dragon in the east who can help them. We're going to take them to find that dragon."
"We have to," Night-fury-makes-one-heck-of-a-bang added. "They're our friends."
"Where is this dragon?" New-night-fury wanted to know.
"We don't know. Somewhere in the east," Night-fury-six-shooter answered. "Mother, Father, please don't tell us 'no.' This is something we have to do."
"You're going into unknown territory, far away from any help, probably surrounded by dragon-hating humans!" Night-fury-mother-of-twins burst out. "I could lose both of you at once, and I'd never even know what happened! Hiccup, help me out here."
Hiccup didn't dare let himself smile, but he was smiling on the inside. "Could this be the Viking girl who couldn't wait to face battle and win glory? When did you get so nervous?"
"It's different when we're talking about my own children," she retorted.
New-night-fury was more thoughtful. "Astrid, I was a human who rode a dragon once. If my dad had found out about Toothless, he would have disowned me and put me out of the tribe. I ran a huge risk for Toothless' sake, and I know he would have done the same for me. That human-dragon bond is a rare and amazing thing. Of all the Vikings in Berk who ride dragons, only Fishlegs has come close to that.
"Now we're seeing the same situation played out in our twins' lives. They've bonded with humans, and those humans are good ones. All of a sudden, they're facing a mortal threat together. I know they're our children, Astrid, but they aren't children any more. They're almost two years old! They've been in battle, they've endured hardship, they've learned all the lessons we can teach them. We can't hold them back any more."
"Hiccup, I laid their eggs! I watched them hatch, and greeted them at the shore when they called me 'Mama!' You act like it's an easy thing you're asking of me."
"No, I know it's not easy," Hiccup said slowly. "I love them too. But they're Night Furies. We'll have to let them fly someday. That day just came."
"And if I refuse?" she demanded.
"Then two fine young men are going to die," Hiccup said.
"One of our children could use his Power to heal those fine young men, couldn't he?" she asked. "That would solve the problem without anyone going anywhere."
"Would it, Mother?" Night-fury-six-shooter cut in. "I thought the Power always involved dragons in some way – either healing a dragon or turning a human into a dragon. No one knows if healing a human would work."
"And if it doesn't," her brother added, "then one of us has wasted his Power, we've all wasted some time, and we'd still have to fly to the east to find our dragon on the mountain."
"I totally do not like this," Astrid said reluctantly. "Hiccup, one of us should go with them."
"Have you forgotten you'll be laying an egg in a week or so?" Hiccup reminded her gently. "I have to stay with you so I can help feed you and our new little one. We can't go with the twins."
"Then I will," came a voice from overhead. Night-fury-smallest-girl landed neatly, folded her wings, and stood beside her big sister and brother.
Both her parents nearly exploded.
"Oh, no, you don't, young lady!" Astrid exclaimed. "You're still a yearling!"
"This isn't your quest, Smallest-girl," Hiccup said at the same time. "You're staying right here."
"How are you going to make me stay – sit on me?" she challenged them.
To her amazement, it was her brother who dropped a paw on her tail.
"Little sister, I used to dream of excitement and battle and having fun, just like you" he told her. "Then I went into battle for real, and it wasn't much fun at all. Adventures don't just make you late for dinner. They can be scary, and they can be dangerous. This is the third time I've been attacked and hurt. Trust me, you won't like it. I know you're bored and you want something fun to do, but this isn't it."
"If anybody had told you that beforehand, would you have believed them?" she demanded.
"No, I probably wouldn't," he admitted.
"So do you expect me to believe you now?"
Night-fury-makes-one-heck-of-a-bang sighed. "I wish you would, but realistically, I guess you won't."
"It doesn't matter if you believe him or not," her father said. His tone was mild, but there was a threat behind his words. "You are not going on a joyride with your brother and your sister."
"Can you give me one good reason why not?" she challenged him.
"Because if something bad happens to all three of you, that doesn't just mean three dead Night Furies and two grieving parents," her mother jumped in. "It means a huge setback for the entire Night Fury species." She crouched down to look her daughter in the eyes. "I'm not trying to be cruel. Believe me, I know exactly how you're feeling. Your father is right about me and glory and the thrill of battle. But my life isn't just about me, and your life isn't just about you. We both owe it to the Night Furies to be responsible, because we are the transmitters of life. The same duty that's keeping me here is going to keep you here."
"Doesn't my sister have that same duty?"
"Yes, but she also has a duty to help her human friend. Any of the three of us can lay eggs, but only your sister can help Agmundr. Your father is right – I can't go on this mission, and you can't, either. No backtalk, young lady!" She gave Smallest-girl a mild swat. "That's the end of the discussion."
Night-fury-smallest-girl looked to her father, who shook his head. She stalked off indignantly as her parents shared a TrueSight with their son and daughter. The human twins secured their bags on the backs of the dragon twins, mounted up, and they soared into the midday sky. In a matter of minutes, they were out of sight.