Ghost's Reign Chapter 27: Scribbles in the Sand, a How to Train Your Dragon + Big Hero 6 Crossover fanfic

Chapter 27, everybody! Good news, last week I finished this chapter and in doing so connected to a big section I had written ahead—we're now good on updates through to mid-February. :D

In other news, rewatching How to Train Your Dragon is why we get this chapter. As for the sea glass, that's formed by glass debris (like bottles) being torn up by the water and sand until it finally comes back ashore all polished and rounded. It's very desired for jewelry (warm colors like red are the rarest), and there's actually a beach north of San Francisco near Fort Bragg where a bunch of it washes up (although you're no longer allowed to collect sea glass there due to overharvesting). It's a nice moment where trash dumped into the ocean becomes treasure and doesn't negatively impact the environment (now if only the rest of the garbage that finds its way to the ocean were that productive…).

Honey Lemon couldn't deny that this was a very intriguing concept, the idea that the Yokai could doodle a bunch of squiggly lines and have them actually mean something. Did they know about art? Did bigger squiggles have different meanings? So many questions that left her puzzling how to figure them out.

It was why she was tagging along on Tadashi's morning flight—hopefully they'd get a chance to tease some more information out of Obake.

"This one's going to be a while, he brought the carry-thing again," Tadashi told her. "And Little-Brother has opinions about me doing corkscrews with his Yokai on my back."

"Because you act like you're trying to get rid of him," Hiro pointed out.

"I'm okay with a calm flight," she assured Tadashi, flying close enough to layer her wing over his. Prumm at him, prompting him to prumm back, lift up a bit to look at Obake. "Plus we get to study Obake a little—he never seems to sit still, have you noticed?"

"Yes," Tadashi grumbled. "It's like dealing with two Little-Brothers, only one is murderous."

"Hey," Hiro protested.

"I was talking about Obake."

"I know—be nice, Older-Brother."

Obake seemed as interested in studying her as she was in him, head movements reminding her of a curious hatchling or bird—angle a bit further so she was directly above them, huff a little at Obake; his muzzle scrunched up at the hot air but otherwise he still seemed intrigued.

"You know," she said when she was on Tadashi's other side. "They seem really nice when they're not in some murdering frenzy."

"Yeah," Tadashi sighed. "It's just hard to forget the murdering frenzies."

"That was their old alpha making them do that, I told you this," Hiro said. "Have you seen them kill a dragon since then? No you have not I told you they eat fish and—and weird maggot stuff and they soak it all in these weird liquids their diets are really, really gross."

"I've noticed that," Honey Lemon said. "But they're shaped differently than us, so it makes sense that their diets are different than ours."

"AND they sit weird because their legs bend weird."

Honey Lemon tipped her head, looked back at Obake still watching her—not predatory, she didn't feel like he was coiling up to attack her, but…hungry, maybe? Not for food, she didn't think, but she wasn't sure what it could be. Curious, definitely.

"Maybe we're baffling and weird to them," she suggested. "Maybe the way we are is so foreign to them that they can't comprehend it either."

"Honeysuckle, please, I can't lose you too," Tadashi sighed.

"Tadashi's just upset because my plan is SUPER-cool and he doesn't want to admit my superiority," Hiro said, puffing up. "Oh wait that reminds me I need to figure out how to talk you into teaching me like, awesome descriptive words like Fred wants," he added, looking at Obake.

"I'm sure your brother will be nice and fish for you whenever we get where we're going," Obake told him.

Honey Lemon drifted forward and down a little to look at Tadashi better. "Obake doesn't pick the location?"

Tadashi's look was repressive indeed. "Occasionally he tries to steer," he said flatly. "We've established that's not gonna happen."

She considered this. "Follow me."

She had found this beach with the strange multicolored pebbles a while back and was happy to show it off, even if it didn't have any sand you could get to (digging had shown that the sand itself was a good foot beneath these pebbles).

"Ah," he noised as he slipped off of Tadashi's back, crouching and scooping up a pawful of the colorful pebbles. "Sea glass."

"It's weird, isn't it?" Honey Lemon asked them, gently padding along, ear flaps tipped at the soft crunching noises the pebbles made. "I don't think I've seen pebbles like this."

"This beach is windward—maybe the storms push these up from the sea—hey," Tadashi groused when Obake grabbed the carry-thing and started putting different pebbles in. "No—I draw the line at hauling a bunch of rocks around."

"They're tiny rocks," Hiro protested. "Ooh hey get this one this one's cool."

Obake hummed pensively as he examined one of the rocks, showed it to Hiro. "Try to find more like this one—sea glass on its own is favored for jewelry so it'll go for higher—colors like this will fetch an even higher price and—" Shut down with a scowl.

"What's the matter with him?" Honey Lemon asked—licked Obake on the side of the head, startling the Yokai. "Don't worry, we'll help you find the prettiest ones."

"Honeysuckle," Tadashi sighed.

"No, maybe it's important—maybe it's like—you know there's birds that woo mates with shiny objects—maybe it's the same basic principle."

Tadashi's ear flaps went flat at that. "I'm not sure I like the concept of even more Yokai."

"Oh come on, I bet they're cute when they're little."

"Yeah—I mean I'm cute," Hiro said.

"You're also trouble," Tadashi told him.

"Yeah but I can be both."

Obake, meantime, had stood up, was scanning the beach like he was missing something. Honey Lemon crooned at him questioningly—

"What was this island?" Obake wondered. "If the Yokai had known about this they would have scraped it bare for funds—who was here before?" Turn, frown at the little bowl formed by shallow cliffs around them—

Followed a thin, overgrown path up.

"Okay guess we're exploring now," Hiro yipped, bounding after him.

Tadashi sighed heavily. "Come on, we'd better make sure they don't hurt themselves."

"Admit it, you do care," Honey Lemon teased as they leaped into the air and circled overhead, watching the two's progress up the cliff and along a plain dotted with tree stumps, a few saplings at the same stage of growth here and there. Baffling, but then again most of the islands in this area were.

There were also square imprints marking where a not-dragon nest used to be, and it was here that Obake finally stopped. Honey Lemon touched down nearby, crooned again hoping for a response—

"Of course," Obake sighed, rubbing his face. "I thought the concept of a tribe that traded exclusively in sea glass and jewelry sounded familiar."

Obake knew this not-dragon nest? Look around, trying to figure out how long this nest had laid fallow, Tadashi carefully picking through it and looking concerned—

Obake abruptly turned and stalked right for Tadashi, startling all of them and prompting Tadashi to back up several feet before how Obake was behaving caught up with him. "I'd like to go back now," he said, sounding very tired and done.

"Is he okay?" Honey Lemon asked Hiro.

"I'm…not sure," Hiro said—padded over to Obake, stand up on his hind legs and paw at him for attention.

"I'm fine," Obake said, body language saying he was not. "I've just…had enough for today."

Exactly no one bought the first part of that, Honey Lemon looking at Tadashi with concern when he finally let Obake in the saddle.

"Probably he had his past catch up with him," Tadashi said, giving a meaningful toss of his head as Hiro hopped on—Honey Lemon followed as he launched up, looked back down at the ghosts of old nests—Obake had known this place, but what—

Felt the knowledge hit her, adjusting her flight quickly so Tadashi wouldn't notice. Obake had known this nest, but if it was anything like the rest of the islands it had been stripped bare by the Yokai. Had his past catch up to him—possibly, probably he had never given this island a second thought after leaving its burnt husk behind.

But then there was Hiro's theory, that Obake was only half a Yokai—the other theory that had much more weight, that they too had an evil alpha and were forced to do things that they hated. She knew she had hated raiding…maybe it was the same for them.

Maybe they needed to do the same sort of destressing she was fond of.

So when they neared the island, Honey Lemon flew in front of Tadashi, waggling her wings before diving down for the beach. Heard Obake protesting behind her, knew that Tadashi was following—swooped low over the beach, cantered along before starting her sand art.

"This is not my house," Obake groused at Tadashi.

"Yeah whatever get off," Tadashi said, standing and hitting the gold disk on his chest—Obake and the saddle both went tumbling off.

"You're supposed to be nicer, Older-Brother," Honey Lemon reminded him, going back to her sand art.

"This is actually me being a lot nicer than I have been," Tadashi said, circling around. "Is there a plan here or is this one of your 'feeling' pieces?"

"Definitely a 'feeling' piece," she said, looking over at Obake and warbling encouragingly; currently he was trying to untangle himself from the saddle as Hiro bounced around him. Look around, considering—run over to a piece of driftwood, pick it up in her jaws, run over and start tracing around them, swoops and swirls and jagged bolts as she poured all her emotions into it. It was how she had often detoxed from those complicated tangles before—if she poured it all into the sand, then it could no longer plague her, and she'd be able to lift off without worry, her problems washing away with the next tide. It didn't always work, but it made her feel better.

Obake had finally managed to untangle himself and stand when she finished, was watching as she worked—flip the piece of driftwood over to him, bounce up and down on her front paws before indicating the stick encouragingly; maybe croon and flutter her wings a little, make this look like a good thing—growl a little when he stepped on one of the lines, there were certain boundaries you just didn't cross.

Obake arched an eyebrow, lifted his foot—tipped his head when she went back to prumming, tested that again—started picking his way through the piece once he got it.

"Bad news, that didn't trap him," Tadashi said, coming over and sitting down next to her as they watched him. Hiro ran around the circle once before bounding over, landing near them with a splash of sand. "Was that necessary?"

"YES," Hiro said, flinging a pawful of sand at him. "That was a jerk move."

"Uh-huh," Tadashi noised, watching Obake look back at the saddle. "So's this." Bound over once Obake was halfway back to the saddle, scoop it up and fly to the opposite end of the beach.

"I've decided I don't like you!" Obake hollered after him. Looked over at Honey Lemon when she warbled at him again, gestured after Tadashi. "You see what I have to deal with?"

"Here!" Hiro barked, bouncing around. "Over here over here—Honey Lemon—do this." Scrape out one of the squiggles he had showed Fred the other day. "This one is 'fish.'"

"Oh, the language-scribbles!" she exclaimed, copying him—both of them looking at Obake expectantly when he came up to them.

"If you want one, talk to him," he said, gesturing to where Tadashi was now sitting on the saddle. "Any I packed went with him and the saddle."

"That's mean, Tadashi!" Honey Lemon called over. Looked at Hiro, excited about the prospect etched in the sand between them. "What other words can we say to him?"

"Uhhh…ah. This one is 'dragon'—that's us," Hiro said, sketching it out. "And this one is 'Night Fury'—that's us specifically."

Honey Lemon nodded, imitating, both of them looking at Obake, who was crouching next to them now and looking pensive. Consider their scribbles, reach over and sketch a simplified version of Hiro above his sketch of Night Fury—

Did an imitation of Honey Lemon before writing a different scribble beneath the first part of Night Fury.

"Light Fury," he said, pointing at her. "Night Fury." Hiro. "Light Fury." Back at her.

"Oh this is a new one," Hiro said, wiggling.

"Light Fury," Honey Lemon said, patting the scribbles before patting herself—put a paw to Obake, down to pat the sand. "Yokai?"

"Yeah I haven't learned that one yet," Hiro said, pondering. "Oh wait I know how to get it hold on." Bounded off to Tadashi as Obake sighed, sitting crosslegged as he sketched something new in the sand.

"Obake," he said, tapping the scribble before pointing at himself. "Obake."

"Obake," she repeated, copying the scribble. Watched as he did a new one, ears flipping up when he tapped it and then indicated her, saying "Honey Lemon." Happy to learn this one as he grumbled under his breath about Carl gives such daft names but at least they're not what DIBS does do you KNOW what he's calling that one Zippleback oh he thinks I don't know but I heard about it—both of them looked over when Hiro came back, Obake's Fury-imitating mask in his mouth.

"Bleh," Hiro noised, spitting it out before nudging it at Obake. "Okay. Yokai."

Obake considered it before writing something in the sand, tapping the mask. "Mask."

"Okay, cool but not what I wanted," Hiro said, imitating. Tapped the mask again and then pointed at him. "Yokai."

Hmm, maybe…wave a paw at him, pat Light Fury and indicate herself, Night Fury and indicate Hiro, a bare patch of sand and then himself.

"Person, human, idiot with no sense…." Deep sigh when they both patted the mask again. Sketch something out, slouch back as he indicated it. "Yokai."

"Yokai," Honey Lemon repeated as she and Hiro copied Obake's scribble. Did it a few more times as Obake repeated it, working to get it as close as possible…looked over when Tadashi dragged the saddle by.

"No fish," he said, dropping the saddle. "Someone made a pig of himself when he found them."

"Yokai-taming is hard work," Hiro protested, trying his best to look innocent as Obake dug through the saddlebags before glowering at him.

"Well there goes the reward I had planned," Obake sighed; perked when an intrigued Gogo cruised in for a landing, bringing her Yokai with her. "I don't suppose I can beg some fish off of you."

"Seriously?" Momakase asked, slipping off as Gogo strode over. "All these years of accusing me of trying to poison you and now you want something from me?"

"It helps that I'm not planning on eating it," he said, standing up and dusting the sand off of himself.

"What are you guys even doing?" Gogo asked, looking the whole thing over.

"The scribble-language," Honey Lemon told her as the Yokai talked. "Look, see? This one is my name, and this one is Hiro's name, and this one is Obake's name—"

"It's—here hold on we'll start from the beginning," Hiro said, bounding under her jaw so she'd see the scribbles right-side up. Gogo watched, bobbing her head a little, keeping one eye on the Yokai…not out of suspicion like Tadashi did, Honey Lemon noticed. No, instead she seemed to be reevaluating them as she slotted new information away in her head.

"Okay fine," Gogo said when Hiro had her caught up with what they learned. "So how do you say 'hello' with this?"

Hiro considered this, scratched out a new scribble in the sand. "This one—this one is 'hello.'"

Gogo nodded, returned her attention to the Yokai—Momakase started when Gogo tapped her with the tip of her tail—

Looked floored when Gogo then used the tip of her tail to sketch out hello in the sand.

"Smarter than you thought, aren't they?" Obake asked, apparently enjoying her expression.

"I don't—you did this, didn't you?" Momakase accused, pointing at them. "You worked with them and—"

"I worked with Hiro. Apparently Hiro's been sharing what he's learned."

Momakase's expression was interesting as she pondered this. "Well that's horrifying."

"Isn't it?"

They watched as Momakase looked at Gogo like she was reevaluating her, finally crouched and did a sand-scribble.

"Gogo," she said, pointing at the sand-scribble but looking at Gogo. The Nadder tipped her head—

Momakase tipped back in surprise when Gogo copied the sand-scribble, Obake barking a laugh at her reaction—but this was success, Honey Lemon felt. It was like Hiro said: if they could fully get their thoughts across, if the Yokai could see that they were equally intelligent species...if they could explain that they both shared foul experiences with bad alphas...

Yes, they could make this work.