[Author's Notes:
You guys might be wondering, "Why is Heather in this chapter?" Well, for one, this story's an alternate universe. And second, I did not like the idea of them being long-lost siblings in canon. I wanted them to stay as a family with their father. So that's the reason why I put Heather in the chapter. I hope you guys are enjoying the ride so far.]
Dagur walked through the village of Berserker Island, with his hands behind his back as he made his way through the crowded area. His green eyes were scanning the village. Most of the villagers were minding their own business, which suited him fine. He weren't much for being very welcoming nor have any greeting purposes.
It had been a couple of years since the Berserkers have received word from the Arctic Scar tribe that they had lost two of their own children. Dagur was intrigued and had listened in on the message. They explained they had lost their chief's son and nephew to dragons. It fascinated Dagur to a point where he demanded his old man, his father Oswald the Antagonistic, to assemble a fleet and lead their men to the northwest of the Archipelago.
Dagur was satisfied when his father agreed. Sitting on a rock nearby, he noticed his sister, Heather, who was sharpening an axe. He walked closer to her. "So," he began in his voice that sounded normal, "how are we today, sister?"
Heather continued sharpening her weapon. "I'm fine, Dagur. Why are you asking me anything?"
"What? Do you really think I would let my dear sister be sitting by herself all alone?" Dagur smiled, spreading his arms out dramatically. "I thought you would be thankful to have my presence nearby!"
Heather sighed. "If you will please be less dramatic, brother, then we could actually get this mission done."
"Oh, you'd think Father will let you in on the mission, do you, sister?" said Dagur. "Well, let me break it down to you so you can hear it clearly: our father only allows me to go on with the fleet. You are to stay behind in the village and make sure none of the other villagers break anything."
Heather stood on her feet. "So he finally finds me useless after all."
"Useless?" repeated Dagur. "Why would he think of you like that?"
Heather groaned. "Come on, Dagur. You know Father only let you in the fleet because you are a man."
"That's right!" beamed Dagur. "And it is us boys and men who are true warriors. Women should stay back and watch as we carry out the order of retrieving the Arctic Scar chief Magnus's son and nephew."
A punch hit him in the face. Dagur staggered back, holding his cheek.
"Why'd you do that, sister?" he asked her.
"See? That is exactly my point!" growled Heather. "I will not be sitting back and watch as my family let themselves be killed by those beasts." A short breath before she continued, "And I will not allow my brother to get taken from me either."
"Who says I will, sister?" said Dagur. "I promise you that I won't be killed. Nor will our father. We will be back alive."
"Oh that makes me so much more relieved," said Heather, rolling her eyes.
"Dagur!" called Oswald's voice.
"I'm coming, Father!" responded Dagur. He looked at his sister with a smug grin. "I'll tell you that you've got guts. If we do get back unscathed, then I will take you over to your favorite spot on the island. How does that sound?"
Heather's eyes softened. "Fine," she muttered. "I would like that."
Dagur nodded, pleased. "See you, sis!" He turned around and left her. Once he was near his father, Dagur stopped. "I am here now, Father."
"Good." Oswald looked pleased. "Then let us not delay any longer. We are preparing the last ships in the fleet with the weapons. Once that is done, we set sail to Dragon Mountain, where I am certain that the dragons are."
Dagur said nothing while he walked side by side with his father down to the docks. I am going to enjoy this, he thought. Just you wait, Chief Magnus. We will rescue your son and nephew in no time. I promise you that.
•••
Murtagh rode on Razor as he and the rest of the Draconids were flying in the air above the endless ocean. It had been a couple of days since they had rested, and they were now getting ready to negotiate with more tribes of the Archipelago.
Murtagh stared out to the sea stacks of small isles in the ocean. The lapping waves clashed with the rocky islands. "Which island are we going to next?" he called out to Valor.
"We are going to the Isle of Eagle," replied Valor, patting his dragon on the neck. "Once we are at the island we are going to negotiate with their chief about our alliance."
Just like with the Lion Tribe, thought Murtagh. He looked onward, letting the name of the island sink into his mind. Don't you worry, cousin. I will find you soon enough, he promised.
It was then Saxa called out, "We are going to let our dragons rest for a moment, before we continue the journey."
Murtagh could see Valor nod his approval. Why are we going to rest again? It's the second time today! He mumbled something to himself, which Razor heard, as the Raincutter warbled worryingly to him. Murtagh let an assuring smile on his lips.
As soon as the group landed on a medium sized island enough to allow all of them to land, Murtagh got off Razor and walked to the edge of the island.
He heard footsteps of heavy, metallic clang from boots coming up beside him. Murtagh noticed Aragon standing next to him. "What is it?" he asked.
"Is everything alright, Sir Murtagh?" spoke Aragon. "You've seem…a little off lately."
"Me? A little off?" Murtagh blinked. "I have no clue as to what you are talking about, Aragon. I am perfectly fine."
Aragon raised his brows. "Is that so? I seem to have noticed you've been awfully quiet a lot in these past few days."
"I am fine," insisted Murtagh. "There is nothing wrong with me."
"That's not what I'm asking," corrected Aragon. "Your silence makes me a bit concerned for you. We all are concerned about you."
"Oh, really?" hissed Murtagh suddenly.
Aragon stepped back, holding his hands in the air. "What's with that attitude?"
"What's with my attitude?" continued Murtagh, now snarling. "I have been doing nothing but sitting back, watching you guys negotiating with the Viking tribes of the Archipelago, and what have I been doing? Nothing."
"If there's anything you'd like to say—"
"There is something I'd like to say," interrupted Murtagh. "And I will be more than pleased to be making progress on my search for the lost cousin I have not seen in six years."
"We are doing our best—"
"Your best in what?" growled Murtagh. "Is it about not letting me go on my quest to look for my cousin? Or…you are preventing me from doing something."
"We are not doing that."
Murtagh looked back to find Valor standing nearby. "Then what?" he demanded.
"If you would be so kind not to let your anger blind you, we can sort this thing with your cousin out," said Valor.
Murtagh gritted his teeth, firmly locking his fist. "I will not sit idly around and do nothing to be reunited with my cousin," he said. Beside him, Razor shifted nervously. "If you Draconids think you will help me in my journey, then I have something to say about it."
"And what is that?" asked Valor.
Murtagh glared at him. "I will continue my search for the only family I have. Alone." He walked toward Razor, getting on his back in the saddle.
"If that is what you wish, Murtagh," began Valor, "then we shall not stop you from achieving your dream. But if it take you years, we will no longer take you in if we cross paths again."
"I am fine with that," said Murtagh decidedly. He patted Razor's neck, and the Raincutter spread his wings and took off from the island.
•••
A.D. 738, 7th MONTH, DAY 15
20 YEARS AGO
Scales was flying through the air in his attempt to avoid the flaming rocks thrown by the horned humans. His eyes were sharp, and his teeth baring as a warning at the horned humans. He roared to the colony, "Avoid their rocks and traps, my dragons! We cannot afford to give them the advantage here!"
"As you wish, Alpha!" roared the dragons in understanding unison.
Scales beat his wings and soared skyward before a human had caught him with a rock trap. He growled, screeching a high pitch scream as gas filled his lungs, before he fired a plasma blast at the human, who was flung back onto his feet by the impact.
Scales looked over to one of the Night Furies, who were struggling to fend off the horned humans. He roared and flew toward the Furies. As soon as he was within range, he landed firmly on the ground and slapped his tail at one of the humans, knocking him on his back. When he noticed three humans running at him with their sharp claws raised, Scales ducked under one swing, smacking the front human in his face with a paw.
Then, Scales let gas fill in his lungs before he fired a plasma shot at the other two humans, knocking them off the ground as they drew their last breaths. "Are you all right?" he called to the Night Furies.
"Yes, Alpha!" was their response. "Thank you!"
"Thank me later when there are no more humans on this island," he told them in his sharp voice. Scales turned around and ran to a small group of Deadly Nadder hatchlings, who were huddled in a corner, while they were confronted by a large human.
Scales knocked him off his feet with his tail, pinning him firmly on the grassy ground, and sank his teeth in the human's neck. The taste of blood was metallic, almost delicious to him. "Get to your parents," he ordered the hatchlings. "I shall take care of these humans."
"Thank you, Alpha!" The hatchlings scurried off to find their parents in the chaos.
Scales looked forward just in time to find another large horned human swinning his sharp claw at his face, shattering the weapon, and caused him to roar in pain as he fell to the ground. As soon as he was getting back up on all four paws, he growled at the human, who stood with his claw ready for another strike.
Scales allowed gas to fill his lungs, then a high pitch screech escaped from him, and he fired a plasma blast at the horned human, sending him off his feet by the mist in the impact.
Scales ran toward a group of Gronckles who were having trouble with the opposing group of twenty humans. Scales fired a few plasma blasts at the humans, knocking them off their feet. He smacked one human with his tail, before sinking his teeth into the human's flesh. Once he was free, he looked at the remaining, charging humans who let out their battle cries.
"Get your shots ready!" he commanded the Gronckles.
"As you wish, Alpha!" one of them responded.
Scales turned his gaze back to the humans, who were getting closer by each passing second. He opened his mouth, gas filled his lungs as a high pitch screech erupted from him before he fired a plasma blast at the humans. Around him, the Gronckles were firing their flaming rock shots at the enemy, knocking him dead on the bloody ground.
"Alpha, watch out!" cried someone.
Scales blinked, turning to the right, as a large, berserk human ran toward him with his metal claw raised in the air. He watched, while the human swung his claw at him, scarring the side of his head.
Blood spilled on the ground.
•••
PRESENT DAY
Scales awakened, gasping. His body trembled while he looked down at the crystal, which made him able to watch his body in a clear view. He took a deep breath, inhaling some hot air in his nostrils, then his shoulders returned to their vigilant composure. Why did I have that dream from twenty years ago? Is there something it's not telling me? he wondered. Then, a more disturbing thought crossed his mind. Could it be…that horned humans are on their way to this island?
Scales thought of the possibility, but he couldn't be certain right now whether they are coming or not. If it was true, then it would be possible that Arne had told them their location, but was that true or false? He did not know.
Scales sighed. He stood on all four paws before stepping down from the plateau. He would think about the dream later, he decided. Now was not the time to remind himself of the warring days with the humans.
As he turned around a corner to the Night Fury nest in the tunnel, Scales stayed in the shadows and watched the family.
Bright was getting older, he noticed. The boy was growing up, and it made Scales proud of the human. He continued to watch him getting love from his Flashwing and Penumbra, while Luna was playing with their aunts, Umbra and Antumbra.
Scales could only help himself but smile at the scene. He turned and left the shadows, leaving the Night Fury family alone. He would be with them once the time called for it.
While he was making his way back to the Alpha nest, he stopped in his tracks and noticed Arne sitting by himself in a corner. The man was holding a horned human's protector. He tilted his head before stepping over to him. "What is that?" he pointed with a stubby claw at the protector.
Arne looked surprised for a moment. "This is what we humans call a helmet," he explained.
"A helmet…" repeated Scales. "Why do you have it?"
"I was thinking of giving it to Bright," replied Arne. "It belonged to a female human from the Arctic Scar tribe's island." He sighed. "It was supposed to be a gift to Bright when…"
"When?"
Arne stared into his eyes. "When he would grow up under the care of his human family." He let the helmet rest by his feet. "However, now that he's here in Dragon Mountain and has a dragon family, I will wait until he has grown older."
Scales looked curiously at the helmet. It bore the symbol of the Night Fury in the middle. "May I suggest something?"
"Of course," Arne nodded.
"Give it to Bright," said Scales. "If he's going to get it later in his life here, then it would be too late for him to wear it. It's best to give him as a present now."
Arne blinked. "You know…that is not such a bad idea." He hummed, rubbing his chin. "I will do it," he decided. "Thank you, Alpha Scales. For reminding me of the present time to give him a gift."
"Don't mention it," said Scales with a waved paw. "It's the least I will do. In case you did not know, Bright was the one who opened my blackened heart about your species."
"Oh, is that so?"
"Yes," Scales said. "He helped me see that not all humans are bad. And I think it was the correct choice to have him adopted by Flashwing."
Arne smiled, standing up with the helmet in hands. "I'm glad you have realized it, Alpha. Now, if you don't mind, I need to give Bright his present."
"Have a good day, Arne," said Scales, watching him walk through the Night Fury tunnel.