Lightning and Death Itself Deleted Scene 03
A/N I've gotten multiple requests to write sequels, epilogs, etc., for this story. At this time, I don't have any ideas to add; the book is pretty well closed. But in the interest of keeping my readers happy, I can offer you something a little different: deleted scenes.
Like the deleted scenes from a movie or TV show, these are chunks of dialog and action that I considered writing, but ultimately left out or glossed over because I thought they distracted from the flow of the story. But they have merit, and since you want to read more from this story, I'll write them out and let you enjoy them. They will appear in no particular order.
This scene takes place near the end of Ending 1-b.
o
COULD WE SPEAK WITH YOU?
Guana was not expecting this. For one thing, no one ever paid any attention to the burn-scarred shepherd girl, and most people talked to her as little as they could without being rude. For another thing, the dragons who were writing in the dirt in front of her were the town's Night Furies, their most revered and prestigious dragon citizens. Who was she, that they would even notice her?
"Yes, certainly! I haven't been overfeeding your little ones, have I?"
They laughed. It was an inhuman sound, and yet a familiar one.
NO, THIS IS ABOUT YOU
"Oh. I'm sure I haven't done anything bad to a dragon. I love dragons!"
WE KNOW
THAT'S WHY WE WANT TO TALK TO YOU
WILL YOU JOIN US IN OUR HOME?
She looked at the Nest. "Climbing stairs is very hard for me. I'll try."
ASTRID CAN FLY YOU UP THERE
"Thank you! But... climbing onto dragons is also very hard for me. I think. I've never tried it before."
I'LL HELP
The Hiccup-dragon used his broad snout to lift her up until she could scramble onto the Astrid-dragon's back. Astrid sprang into the air and, rather than land on the second floor of the Nest, she kept going up. Guana had a moment of panic when she realized there wasn't much for her to hold onto. But Astrid stayed level, and she noticed that Hiccup was flying just underneath them, probably so he could catch her if she fell.
When Astrid leveled off, she stretched out her wings and glided. Guana made herself look down... and gasped. "What a view!" she exclaimed. "I can see my pastures, and all the houses, and everything! This is just... just wonderful."
Hiccup flew up next to her and gave her a quizzical look, accompanied by a rising croon. She took her best guess what he meant.
"I almost said this is just like I dreamed it would be, but that would have sounded stupid."
She flew in wide-eyed silence for several minutes. At last, Astrid put a wing over and spiraled down to the Nest, landing lightly on the edge. Hiccup joined her a moment later; his landings were never as smooth as hers, and even less so now that he had only three legs to land on. He helped Guana slide off the other dragon's back, and the three of them walked over to their sand table.
It was filled with columns of numbers and scrawled notes; the Night Furies had been negotiating with the humans of Berk to get more high-quality fish for their dragonets. Hiccup wiped the sand smooth with a sweep of his tail, and Astrid wrote the first message.
WHAT DID YOU MEAN,
JUST LIKE YOU DREAMED IT WOULD BE?
"Oh... it's silly," Guana stammered.
PLEASE
"Well... when I was little, I used to dream that I could become a dragon, and I'd fly over Berk and see everything from above. I could just spread my wings, and fly away, and... and my arms and my legs wouldn't hurt anymore." She sighed. "It was a stupid dream. I've learned to stick to reality."
REALLY?
YOU REMEMBER THAT DREAM WELL.
WHAT IF IT CAME TRUE?
"That's even more silly," she snapped. "I don't mean to be disrespectful, but you're kind of wasting my time with idle daydreams."
DON'T YOU RECALL HOW WE
USED TO BE HUMANS?
"Oh. I'm sorry, I forgot about –" She was suddenly staring at them intently. "Are... are you suggesting that I could...be a...?
YOU'RE BRAVE
YOU'RE SMART
YOU LIKE DRAGONS
WE THINK YOU MIGHT BE WILLING
"Yes!" she exclaimed. "If you're offering me the chance to be a dragon like you, then the answer is 'yes.' I don't know how you'd do it, but... yes!"
IT CAN BE A VERY HARD TRANSITION TO MAKE
"Yes! I'll adjust; I'll find a way."
IT IS IRREVOCABLE
"I said yes! If I could be a perfect dragon, instead of a crippled human... yes!"
WE JUST HAVE TO –
Guana reached out and grabbed Astrid's paw, stopping her from writing any more. "If you make a dragon out of me, will I still be burned?"
YOU'LL BE AS PERFECT
AS WE CAN IMAGINE
"Then either do it, or stop tormenting me with the thought of it! Please!"
FOR A LITTLE SHEPHERD GIRL,
YOU'RE KIND OF FEISTY
"I'm sorry, but... I feel like you're offering me all my dreams on a platter, and then you keep edging the platter away. I never had anything to hope for, so I'm not very good at handling hope now."
WE HAVE TO BE SURE.
WE DON'T WANT TO FORCE
YOU OR TRICK YOU
"How many different ways can I say 'I want this with all my heart' before you believe me?!" she exclaimed.
She stepped awkwardly in front of Astrid and laid both hands on the dragon's muzzle. "Look at me! Look at what I am! I'm never going to get better. I have nothing to hope for, nothing to look forward to. You're offering me a new life! A chance to be just like you!" She looked upward. "A chance to fly..." After a long pause, she looked back at Astrid. "Just do one thing for me. Take me to Pusboiler's house so I can tell him he's going to need another shepherd girl. After that... I've limped long enough. Please let me fly!"
WHAT ABOUT YOUR PARENTS?
"They both died years ago. I'm leaving no one behind."
Astrid carried her to the house of the town's biggest sheep-owner. He was surprised at the news that his shepherd was quitting her job. "What else do you think you can do to earn a living?" he demanded.
"I'm pretty sure I'll come up with something," she said demurely.
"Once I replace you, you can't get your old job back," he threatened.
"I'll chance it," she answered. She and Astrid returned to the Nest. She found that Hiccup had a message waiting for her.
THERE'S ONE MORE THING.
THIS MIGHT BE AWKWARD.
BECAUSE NIGHT FURIES ARE SO RARE,
YOU'LL BE EXPECTED TO TAKE A MATE
She stared at that for a few seconds. "As I am now, that isn't even an option. I'd never even thought about it. Would I wait until your son is full-grown?"
YOU COULD, BUT YOU DON'T HAVE TO.
OUR FRIEND TOOTHLESS IS SINGLE.
HE'S BEEN A BACHELOR FOR A LONG TIME,
BUT HE'S A GOOD DRAGON
"I... I guess I'll have to meet him," she stammered.
YOU'LL MEET HIM.
HE'LL GIVE YOU YOUR FLYING LESSONS.
HE'S VERY PATIENT WITH BEGINNERS
" 'Patient' is good," she nodded. "But I confess, my own patience is running low. Can we do this thing?"
ASTRID WILL CREATE A
COLORED DISC IN THE AIR.
WHEN SHE NODS, STEP INTO IT.
YOU'LL BE KNOCKED SILLY FOR
A FEW SECONDS.
THERE'S NO TURNING BACK.
"I'll be just like you?" she asked hopefully.
YOU WILL BE A PERFECT NIGHT FURY
"Then do it! Please! Save me out of this body, and make all my dreams come true! I couldn't be more sure about this, no matter how many times you ask me. Please, do it!"
Hiccup stepped out of the way. He'd coached Astrid in how this was done; she knew her part. She breathed out a small fireball that stopped in mid-air and stretched into a disc about seven feet across. Rainbows of color swirled across it. Guana stepped up to it and felt her hair standing on end. She looked back at Astrid, who was concentrating hard. The light and colors drew the attention of several dragons who were resting nearby. They knew what was about to happen.
Astrid nodded. Guana stepped forward. The disc vanished with a clap of thunder, and the girl blacked out. Literally. She was unconscious for the few seconds it took for her body to stretch, deform, and reform itself into a jet-black dragon.
She shook off the side effects of the transformation slowly. The first thing she saw was her own left hand, now a black, clawed paw. She flexed the claws curiously, then looked at her right paw.
"Am I really –" She stopped in surprise. New-night-fury remembered what a shock it was when he heard himself speaking like a dragon for the first time.
He nodded. "The transformation worked perfectly. Welcome to the Nest, Newest-night-fury!"
"Yes, welcome!" chorused the dragons who were watching. She stared at them.
"I can understand you! You're talking to me!" she exclaimed.
"We've all been talking to you for a long time," came a voice that was somehow familiar. It was Small-boy-night-fury, who had been resting on the roof with his sister, but who glided down when he heard the thunderclap. "Now you can understand us and talk back to us."
"Oh, my..." She was speechless. They weren't exaggerating when they said it could be a hard transition to make! She rose –
...and stopped, and lay down again, and rose again. Her eyes filled with tears.
"It doesn't hurt anymore," she sobbed.
"Do you know what this means to me? It doesn't hurt anymore! My knees, my elbows, my feet... it doesn't hurt anymore!" She slumped to the ground and cried for joy. Night-fury-mother-of-twins lay down next to her, New-night-fury covered her with a wing, and the two little Night Furies lay right in front of her, ready to rub noses with her if she needed it.
"Even if I never learn to fly," she sniffled, "even if I never breathe fire or do anything else that dragons do, just being free of pain will be worth it all. I've never been without pain. I couldn't imagine what it would be like to take a step, or brush my hair, or do anything without making it hurt worse. Now I'm feeling nothing, and it's the most wonderful feeling in the world!"
"We can't imagine," New-night-fury answered. "But just wait until you do fly. That is the most incredible feeling in the world!"
She stretched out her wings and looked at them. She swished her tail and fanned her tail fins and looked at them. She ran her tongue across her pointy teeth and tried to retract them. Everything about herself was new, and she wanted to learn it all at once. Even walking was new to her, and it took a bit of practice to amble around the floor of the Nest without stumbling. Some of the dragons who were watching ran to tell all the others that a new Night Fury had just joined them, and she was soon inundated with new friends without having to go anywhere.
All the draconic commotion aroused some curiosity among the humans as well, and many of them came out to see what was going on. Hiccup had to fly down and write in the dirt so they could understand. The idea that poor little Guana had suddenly ceased to exist, and another sleek black dragon had taken her place, was hard for some to accept. But they all knew about Hiccup and Astrid. The town would adjust.
Guana had only one question. "When can I fly?"
"Flying takes practice, just like learning to walk," Night-fury-mother-of-twins told her. "The best advice I can give is the advice I had the hardest time following – just let your reflexes do all the work. Night-fury is a great flight instructor. He'll have you up in the air in two or three days if you listen to him."
"Then what?" she wondered.
"Once you're a strong flier, you can fly out to the nest where Night-fury lives, and meet all the other dragons," New-night-fury said. "If you decide you like Night-fury, which we hope you will, then you'll live there with him. Otherwise, you're welcome to stay here. Either way, we'll help you adjust to your new form and learn how to live as a Night Fury."
"I'm almost shaking with excitement," she replied. "Everything is going to be new!"
"Almost everything," Night-fury-mother-of-twins replied with a grin. "Night Furies lead the nest, look after the other dragons, and settle any problems that arise. You're still going to be a shepherd. Only now, your 'sheep' will be big and scaly and will breathe fire!"
Their children laughed at that mental image. She chuckled quietly. "Maybe I should go and tell Pusboiler I've found a new job already?"
"All things in time," New-night-fury said. "It's already well after midnight. In the morning, we'll help you get adjusted to eating like a dragon and walking on all fours, and you'll meet the dragons who live in Berk. Tomorrow, we'll walk down to our cove with you, and you'll meet Toothless and take your first flying lessons. For tonight, you should probably stay right here. You're adjusting well to the transformation, but your mind and body have just been through a huge change, and none of us knows how you'll respond to that."
"I just want to fly," she sighed.
"Dad says you have to walk before you can fly," Young-girl-night-fury said.
"And you have to sleep before you can walk," New-night-fury added. "We've had a busy night. Let's get some sleep, all of us." They lay down together, with Guana in the middle and the two adult Night Furies on either side of her.
Guana didn't think she'd be able to sleep at all, she was so excited. But her body had been through an extraordinary change indeed, and it took a lot out of her. She fell asleep quickly. That night, she dreamed the most wonderful dreams.
The very next day, those dreams began coming true.