Gifts Of The Furies
Toothless had eventually walked back to Edoras and jumped the wall with a short hop-flight. That was something he could do on his own. Where Moonbeam had flown off to he was not sure and did not care to know.
He walked alone, head hung and tail dragging, up to the high ledge above where the pack rested every night. Once there, he lay down and closed his eyes since he had nothing better to do and nothing he really wanted to do either. He did not seriously consider bothering Hiccup, wherever he had gone off to, about a flight or doing anything at all. Sitting up on the ledge, his head under his tailfin, and staring out toward the horizon was all he felt like doing to pass the day in peace.
Despite having eaten nothing, he was not hungry enough to get off his belly. Sleep was the best option.
But he could not even do that. His thoughts were too twisted and confused to let him peacefully fall asleep.
Her objections were entirely fair and true, and there was nothing he could do about the problem. He was a lesser dragon compared to all the other male Night Furies. It was not a matter of just trying more, being stronger in his soul-fire, or learning something new. Wanting alone and having a strong will would not make a lost tailfin grow back.
On the other paw, she did not reject him completely. She admitted that she did want him as her mate. Maybe she could eventually accept him even with his... limitations. All the power to choose was hers now, which left him powerless.
Well, there was one option he still had, even if it was not his first choice or what he wanted. He could go back to Jumps-At-Fire and... be with her if she would want that.
But that option felt very wrong and twisted because doing that would not give him what he truly wanted. Pleasure was not enough at all.
What did he truly want? Not just pleasure. Love and respect, such as he saw between his sire and dam, were more than only that simple want and neediness to act.
Why were his thoughts so easily grabbed by females? Was wanting someone with whom he could share all of life a bad thing or a sign of weakness? Probably not, but it was not warming to his soul-fire right now.
Toothless yawned and stretched before curling up again where he had lain and slept for part of the day. The rest of his packmates had been gradually returning throughout the day. A pawful of them were already helping with different types of work, such as keeping watch for any Uruks or other dangers. Those who were flying far away were not back every night. Everyone was settling into their routines without any serious problems so far.
Finally, the sun flew low over the western mountains as night approached. Then he heard approaching wings as his family returned.
"Found you!" Breath-Of-Sky bellowed.
He groaned and got to his paws as his little brother dove from the sky and landed next to him.
"Brother, where were you?" he yawned.
"I, sire, dam, and Mystery flew to the river with to hunt fish!"
He glanced aside and saw his parents glided down the slope to their chosen rock.
"Catch any?"
"A pawful. We also splashed in the water for fun!
"Not surprising."
"Then we had a long food-nap together!"
He forced a purr.
"Good for you all."
"It was. Hiccup wants to see you!"
"Does he?"
"Yes," Breath-Of-Sky eagerly nodded, "we saw him when we got back. He has a surprise for you!"
"A surprise? What is it?"
Breath-Of-Sky paused and grumbled, suddenly confused.
"I do not know, and it would not be a surprise if I knew and told you!" Breath-Of-Sky stuck out his tongue.
He huffed at how his brother could be very silly. But that was understandable since Breath-Of-Sky had not seen or felt any cruelty from life. That better fledgling-life probably contributed to why he was so silly, happy, trusting of humans, and warmed in his soul-fire. His little brother had lived a very different life than the one he had. On the other paw, it also meant that Breath-Of-Sky had not needed to learn the same strength he had... not through living it himself anyway.
"Alright, I will find him."
He stretched and then turned for the lower level of Edoras since Hiccup was probably in the forge or in his small den. Those were the first places to look for him.
But his brother hopped in his way and held a paw in his face.
"Hiccup is behind the golden-hall-den! He asked for you to go there!"
"Why is he over there?"
"Maybe it is part of the surprise!"
Breath-Of-Sky then bounded off to join their sire and dam, both of whom looked like they were planning on being back here for the night instead of off on their own.
He huffed in amusement at the reminder of what his sire and dam were doing: trying to make another cub. It would be very twisted to see his dam with a new cub and for him to eventually have another brother or sister. But those would only happen many moon-cycles from now.
Further, thinking about cubs was... slightly chilling and frustrating.
He walked around the golden-hall-den onto the far, isolated corner of the high ridge. There were no human dens over there.
Hiccup was sitting on the edge of the ledge, doing nothing except staring off into the distance. His furs-coat was on the ground behind him.
"Found you. How was your day?" he asked, sitting down beside Hiccup.
Hiccup, visibly very tired, groaned and slumped without looking over at him.
"Busy and tiring. I was... in the forge all day."
"Mine was busy also. I did a lot of... playing... feeling much... and trying to sleep..."
Hiccup slumped in place.
"I know. I saw you and Moonbeam... talking this morning."
"Yes, we had a lot of fun and... wait, you were watching us?"
"You kind of woke me up when you left. I was curious and didn't feel like sleeping."
"So you saw..."
"Yeah, you don't need to say anything. I know what happened."
At least Hiccup understood the truth. That much was obvious.
Hiccup then stood up and put his paws behind his head. The warm wind gently whipped his robe-furs around him.
"I almost wish this moment right now would never end," Hiccup whispered.
"Why?"
"Because... because..." Hiccup stuttered, "Because I have a surprise for you."
His ears lifted, and he softly hummed in wonder.
"Breath-Of-Sky said something about that. Do I have to guess the surprise? Wait, did you find a mate?"
Hiccup chuckled.
"No, but it's ironic you'd guess that. Alright, there's no waiting around for it anymore."
Hiccup took a deep breath and then started walking toward his tail. He knelt down and began working at the false-tailfin, wiggling it back and forth until it came loose.
Hiccup took off every piece of riding equipment, leaving his back and the length of his tail bare, and dropped all the riding-with stuff on the ground.
"What are you doing?"
"This is the surprise. You're going to like it..."
Oddly, there was a tear on Hiccup's cheek as he said this. Something very twisted was happening.
Hiccup lifted the coat-furs and grabbed another false-tailfin which he held like a cub in his arms. This false-tailfin was mostly black.
"What is it?"
"It's a new tailfin... that... doesn't need me... to work it for you."
His wings fell to the ground as he stared at the new tailfin.
No words came.
Only shock.
He remembered in the cove when he had felt balance return to his tail after his human did something to him. His desire to fly had been too much to resist, which had caused them to crash into the pond together. It was after that crash that he understood how shared-flight was the only way he would ever fly again.
He had asked the powerful Elves if they could use magic to heal his tail. Elrond and Galadriel had both explained that it was beyond their power. No magic could do that.
His friend-brother said that he had done the impossible, given him a way to fly on his own, so he must have done it without magic.
"What?" he gasped, wings and tail forgotten.
"Yeah, it won't be as good as the real tailfin you lost, but this will work."
"Are you sure?" he whined.
"Yes. Very sure."
Hiccup held out the new false-tailfin.
"Are you ready... to fly on your own?"
This would be so different from the flight he had known for moon-cycles. And Moonbeam...
All her remaining objections to him were because of his being grounded, not that she did not want him as a person. But now, with flight of his own restored...
This would fix everything!
He swept his tail over to Hiccup's side and left the tail there. Hiccup knelt down to the tail and put the new tailfin on him, tightening it to his tail with its holding-straps. The new tailfin felt a little heavier than the old one, though this one was smaller and had far fewer ropes on the outside. How it was supposed to work he did not know or truly need to know.
Hiccup tightened it one more time and then stepped back.
"What should I do?"
"Just use the real fin as if you were flying with me. This one should respond," Hiccup softly explained.
He unfurled the real tailfin, but nothing happened at first with the new one. Then he shook his tail slightly, impatient with it not moving.
"Maybe it's stuck. Let me..." Hiccup began.
The false-tailfin opened with a click and then unfurled.
He fanned both fins opened and closed, open and closed several times in succession. The new tailfin was a little slower than his remaining one.
But it listened as if it was alive also!
A different kind of true tailfin!
He slowly turned around to stare at Hiccup in total life-changing surprise and awe.
"Go on, give it a try," Hiccup whispered and gestured with a paw off the ledge.
He nervously turned away and perched on the slope, his wings spread wide to feel the flowing wind.
Why was he afraid of flight now? He had not done anything like this without Hiccup on his back in many, many moon-cycles. It almost felt like he was not supposed to fly without Hiccup.
Change was hard. Shedding old scales itched.
He had a very good reason to want such flight now: a reason beyond simply that dragons should be free to fly on their own.
He flicked his tailfin open and heard as the new one clicked to life and rolled, listening to and mimicking his remaining fin.
Hope flared to life in his soul-fire.
Then came a deep breath.
And he jumped for freedom.
Floating and soaring above the ground, up in the sky where dragons belonged!
A level glide and then a wide turn in a loop. It was so strange how different flight felt now. There was no weight on his back or holding him down at all. There were no silent signals needed for Hiccup to know to change the flight.
He rolled his tail and watched in awe as the new tailfin twisted and moved. His backfins split and helped to steady his flight as the wind flowed over his wings with their every beat.
With lift!
Flight and freedom!
And some wobbling...
It was not perfect, and his flight would need much practice before it was fast and smooth again. But it would happen!
Higher and higher into the sky!
He was free!
The roar of joy tore from his jaws and filled the sky as he spun up beyond the clouds!
Wild joy and freedom again!
All because of his amazing human brother!
Hiccup... you never stop amazing me.
He tucked his wings into a steep dive down for the golden-hall-den far below. The hill on which Edoras was built was now swimming in the red light at the end of the day.
Down with joyful spins until he threw his wings wide and glided in to where Hiccup was still standing.
He touched down and bounded over to Hiccup, dancing around his human brother with his soul-fire burning happily.
"Hiccup! I can fly! I can fly!"
He eagerly nuzzled Hiccup's head, settled down before him, beheld his gaze, and...
Hiccup looked chilled and twisted. That felt so wrong.
"Hiccup?"
"Oh Toothless..."
"What is twisting your tail?" he huffed.
"I..."
Hiccup closed his eyes and looked away from him.
"I'm so sorry..."
His tail stopped swaying.
What?
"Hiccup, what is wrong?"
"I... I've been so bad to you... brother."
His jaw fell open in total confusion.
"Bad? No, you are not bad to me!"
"I... can you... forgive me?"
"What for? I do not blame you for my tailfin. And you just fixed that now!"
"No, it's not that... I..."
Hiccup held his own head with his little paws.
"I knew how to make it... before now..."
What...
"I do not understand," he grumbled.
Hiccup, with tears dripping from his eyes, looked up at him.
"I knew how to make a tailfin that would let you fly on your own, but I didn't do it before..."
He blinked and grumbled while considering what Hiccup was saying.
The words had no lift. Hiccup knew how to make one of these tailfins, but he did not do it before now?
"What? Why not?"
"I was... am... afraid of losing you. Because... I'm nothing without you..."
He could not even growl at those twisted words of nothingness. The rest of what Hiccup said was so twisted and cold and...
"You were grounded, and I was..." Hiccup sniffled, "keeping you grounded because I didn't want you free..."
A creeping cold was stalking around his soul-fire. Something twisted was...
How could Hiccup say something so bad?
"What?" he barked in alarm.
Hiccup looked away from him, and a long, cold, and painful silence followed.
"You... did not want... me free to fly?"
Hiccup hung his head.
"Part of me did not. I... wanted to keep you needing me because... it felt safer for me."
'Iss it norrmal forr a human to ensslave one they call a frriend?'
"I wasn't needed by Berk, and I wanted to be needed by you."
'A thing he ussess to feel ssaferr and morre powerrful.'
The old, hissing, and chilling words spoken by an ice dragon were painful to recall. Surely not...
"Why would you think that?" he weakly growled.
Hiccup looked over at him with weary, pained eyes that dripped tears.
"Because I was afraid that... we were only friends... out of need."
A cold wind poured into his soul-fire.
He stepped back from Hiccup in alarm and... betrayal.
Was this the real Hiccup all along?
Clinging to him with clever claws that he could never see? Not giving him free flight for many moon-cycles? Was it all a lie?
Were they a lie?
"Why!"
"I... screwed up. I'm... so... sorry."
Sorry.
Sorry?
As if words could so simply unmake moon-cycles of being wronged!
But...
Hiccup had wept before after they first started talking and were able to give words. That was when Hiccup had shown true sadness and pain for grounding him. Maybe those were false-tears, all a trick!
Was Hiccup just his master?
This foul-twistedness had some lift, now that he thought about it. Hiccup was small for a human, not a true fighter. Having a dragon always at his side to fight fights for him, to fly him places, and to protect him was understandable, especially after Hiccup had lost so much in his life. He lost his sire being in his life and turned his tail on his old pack.
He might be all that Hiccup had left.
Turn tail and fly away to freedom. Part of his soul-fire wanted to do it out of spite even though the pack was here.
But...
Hiccup freely gave him freedom again. Hiccup made a new tailfin that did not need Hiccup to fly it, to fly him. Hiccup saw the foul-twistedness of his thinking and tried to fix it.
"Can you... forgive me?" Hiccup whispered.
Losing the tailfin in fighting was understandable and without malice. That had been easy to forgive despite how frustrating being grounded had been at first.
This, however, was done for a long time, knowing fully what the other was. This hurt more. Far more.
But...
He met Hiccup's solemn, weary gaze and then looked away out over the plain.
"I cannot... will not hate you, but I do not..."
He sighed.
"I want to be alone for now..."
He flung out his wings and jumped from the slope without looking back. Looking back at him would have been too painful. He settled into a glide that carried him away toward the distant mountains on the twilight horizon.
The tailfin did not fail him or foul his calm flight except for a very small wobble.
His first free flight earlier had been filled with warmth, joy, and a burning soul-fire. This one was cold and filled with confusion. So much was uncertain now, drifting on the winds of life.
Onward he flew over the flowing ocean of grass as the orange glow of twilight filled the sky and as the stars appeared high above between the clouds. Edoras looked very small, the golden-hall-den only a tiny speck of light, when he finally looked back over his tail.
Then he arrived at a tiny stream in a small valley. It looked like as good a place to stop as any.
He landed there and smelled the water. It was clear and good for drinking, so he drank while trying to not think about anything. Then he sat down and closed his eyes, listening to the sound of silence around him while trying to not think about anything.
There was no distant clamor of humans working or talking. No shouting of play or roars of fellow Furies filled the sky.
There was nothing except the faint sway of the grass in the wind and the murmur of the small stream.
And the beat of wings.
He opened his eyes and looked up at the sky as the fellow Fury, shimmering as it appeared from empty air, dove into the valley, landed, and pranced up to him.
Her purple eyes were wide with awe and shock as the dear Light Fury dashed to him.
"Moonbeam..." he glumly muttered.
"Burning-Star, what was... you were flying on your own!"
"You saw me?"
She sat down and curled her tail around her front paws.
"Yes, but I did not think it was you. Where is Hiccup?"
His ears fell along with a sigh.
"Not here."
"Not here? I do not understand. How were you flying?"
He swept out his tail and wiggled both fins, rolling and flexing them in all directions.
"Hiccup made me a new tailfin that does not need him."
"He can do that?" her jaw fell open.
"Yes, I can fly on my own now. It is not very fast and quick-turning flight, but it is true flight."
She bent down and gently nosed at the new tailfin, touching it with a paw, lifting it up on her nose, and sniffing it.
Then she sneezed and stepped back.
He almost laughed at that.
She leapt in front of him and then settled down. Far from being very joyful, she looked solemn and wondering.
"You can fly again. Why are you so chilled? You should be flying, happy, and not... alone."
Her eyes were a little narrowed at him as she said this. He thought he knew why, but that reason felt very distant to him right now. That... was not important compared to...
"I had a fight with Hiccup."
Her ears went back, and her swaying tail froze.
"A fight? What?"
"I learned something about him. Something bad and rotted."
"Bad? What? There is no rot in his thinking."
"Yes, there is... was... I do not know anymore..."
She stepped closer and leaned in.
"Talk to me. What is the bad?"
"He knew how to make this new tailfin for me many moon-cycles ago, but he did not. He did not want me to fly on my own."
She gasped and growled.
"What? That... does not sound like... him..."
"He wanted me to be..." he growled, "trapped to him. He was using me to feel stronger and safer..."
"How do you know that?" she hissed.
"He told me."
She blinked and stepped back in surprise.
"He... told you that?"
"Yes, he saw us playing after dawn. After seeing us... he made me this new tailfin so I could be free and... do what I want with life. He gave this to me and told me what he did... before."
She stared at him for many wingbeats.
"He told you that he was being bad before? And he fixed the bad he was doing? That is..." she mumbled and stared at her paws.
"Twisted... rotted... sad..." he grumbled.
"Brave of him," she whispered.
He blinked in surprise as she got to her paws and glared at him.
"Hiccup made a mistake. He saw the rot in his thinking and then he bit out that rot," she said.
"Maybe he did..."
She purred.
"And he gave you your freedom. He knows that you could fly away or be angry with him, and he still did this for you."
"So what?"
She walked up before him and snorted in his face.
"So why are you being tail-twisted?"
The way she said that sparked to life his cold soul-fire. How could she understand what this meant! He growled freely in her face.
"Because I learned that my friend was lying to me! He grounded me! Kept me on the ground! Kept me from you!"
He breathed heavily to catch his breath.
"I do not know him. He did not trust me..."
She also growled in his face.
"Burning-Star... Toothless, you know your words are twisted! He does trust you. He gave you your flight and told you the truth! That is great trust! So what if he had some rotted thinking? We both know you have problems also!"
"I... I..."
"Problems with gold and twisted hoarding-wants!"
"What would you know! You do not feel that like I do! You are not fouled! You do not have a twisted soul-fire! You are not unwanted! You..."
She licked his face and silenced him. All his anger paused as the fight with Hiccup did not matter.
There was only her. Jump at her. Pin her. Take her now! Add her to his hoard!
But...
That was not him.
That wild wanting was strong, but it was not him. That whispering and nudging to give in was... foreign and not what he truly desired. He could ignore it and say no.
"Did Hiccup do anything to help you with gold and hoarding-wants? Anything at all?" she hissed.
He froze, staring up at the clouds high above.
'You should know that I'll always be there to help you. That is what family does.'
'Until then, just remember that I trust you always. You're my brother.'
'I'm sorry, brother, I shouldn't have... doubted you. I don't know... what I was thinking.'
'Can you... forgive me?'
He fell to the ground and weakly sobbed. All his anger and twisted-thinking toward Hiccup had withered in a single wingbeat.
Hiccup was patient with his faults and struggles and especially with his twistedness around gold. Hiccup trusted him even when he was afraid that a Night Fury might have thought-control over humans. Hiccup did not turn tail on him after learning about his mistakes with Jumps-At-Fire.
It was only fair to do the same for Hiccup's problems, whatever was the cause of those problems.
Neither of them were perfect, but their growing out of their problems did not mean losing everything else that was good about what they were.
He did not move when he felt Moonbeam's chin on his head as she purred peace to him. He very much liked her being with him like that.
"So? Will you forgive him?" she hummed and whispered.
"Yes... he is... part of my family."
She huffed and stepped back from him.
"Good. I would not want you to have rotted thinking toward one who is your family," she said.
Then she started walking in a circle around him; her gaze was narrowed on him almost in challenge. He hopped to his paws and fell into the slow dance without thinking about it. Theirs was a slow spin in the long grass, neither looking away. Narrowed green eyes gazed into narrowed purple eyes as he thought about her.
She had been hurt much in her past life and had to do things that no fledgling should have needed to do, but she had accepted that responsibility. She had also carried much hate for humans, but that hate was gone now. She bit that rot out of her thinking. She changed because she learned about herself and what was pushing her life-flight.
He wanted her, not only because she was female and strong but far more because of who she was and because he wanted to make her life happier. He had no doubt that she would do the same for him.
"What happens now, Burning-Star? What do you want?" she teased.
He growled with warmth as his eyes followed hers.
"You know what I want. I want to fly the winds of life with you. I want you to be the dam of my cubs. I want you, Moonbeam."
She stopped in the dance and sat down with her tail curled to her paws. He stopped moving also, leaving them a length apart from each other.
"Do you? How can you show me?" she chuckled.
She was probably being teasing, but he thought she deserved to know a truth he had not told her yet. It was only fair that she should know an important detail about his recent past.
"By telling you a truth that might hurt me."
"What?" she blinked.
"Jumps-At-Fire and I were seeing each other in the cold range. We were... false-mates..."
"I knew you were," she answered without pause.
He started in surprise.
"You knew? How?"
"I saw you leaving the pack at night. I followed you from above one time and saw you go to her."
He knew not to ask if she had stayed around to watch. Knowing her as he did, she probably had not after she realized what was happening.
"What I want to know is why you stopped being with her. I know that you stopped," she continued.
"She and I could not be happy and warm in life. She has problems trusting and respecting any male, and she does not want any cubs. I want cubs and a warm life-mate who will respect me."
She purred.
"So do I."
He still ignored the flame in his soul-fire and the wanting to take her. As strong as that wanting was, there was something else he still wanted to do first.
"I can also... do a chase for you," he said.
She laughed while stretching her wings and flicking her tailfins.
"Do you remember what I told you about the sky dance? You cannot catch me!"
"I can try."
"Yes, you can. Is that a challenge? Do you wish to chase me?"
He looked up at the orange evening sky and the clouds that rolled above.
"The chase starts when you accept the challenge, yes?"
"True, that is the rule," she answered.
Is that so...
"Fine. Do you accept my challenge to catch you?" he asked.
"Yes," she crouched down, wings spread wide, to leap for the sky.
"Wait! There is one more ceremony I must do!" he cried.
She settled down and folded her wings away.
"What ceremony?"
"I heard that the male should show her his wings first."
He fanned his wings wide as he said this. This was probably a display meant to show how strong the male is or maybe to get some initial interest from the female. The display ceremony had some lift from when life was in the wild and a potential pair had just met for the first time.
None of which mattered to him now.
She hummed in confusion at why he was doing this.
"I already know that you can fly," she grumbled.
It had worked perfectly.
He jumped with a single sweep of his extended wings. He barely saw her eyes narrow in surprise as he crashed into her and tackled her. They tangled, rolling heads over tails until he pinned her fully on her back.
"What!" she barked in shock.
"I caught you..."
She snarled.
"You did not! We never flew!"
He dodged the toothy snap at his neck. She whipped her tail wildly, but his held hers down. She was truly pinned and helpless. Then he hopped off her, letting her roll onto her paws and spin to glare at him.
"What was that!" she barked.
He smugly purred.
"You said the chase starts when you accept. You accepted, and I caught you... on the ground."
"No! You! You. You..."
Shock and realization appeared in her now-wide eyes. She saw his trick, and words failed her.
He knew he could never catch her in the sky. If other males with both tailfins could not catch their mate then he certainly could not. So he had not let it become a chase in the sky. There was no rule that the catch could not be on the ground.
He nuzzled her head, breathed in her scent, and gave her many affectionate licks. Familiar in many ways to the first times he had done this with another, but so different this time. She returned the attention, licking his cheek while purring deeply and nuzzling him.
Taking her right now would be good, and they both wanted it. But wanting alone was not enough. Everything that had happened between him and Jumps-At-Fire had taught him that. There was a way he could completely give in to that wanting in the most warming way possible for them both.
So he stepped back from her.
"I want you now and always. What do you want?" he whispered.
He spread his wings and looked to the clouds high above.
A free choice. No trickery or test of strength or speed, none of which was a measure of who he was.
She flung out her wings and crouched down.
"I want you," she growled.
He jumped, beat his wings, and raced up into the dimming sky. She caught up to him and ascended at his side toward the clouds filled with an orange glow. Spinning higher, touching wingtips, tagging tails, and soaring through small clouds of fire which did not make her fade.
Their first time freely flying together.
Up into the clouds and then soaring up around them higher on the winds that flowed above. A burning fire poured unfading strength into his wings. This was the first day he had soared so high on his own in many, many moon-cycles.
Beyond the clouds that rolled and flowed as an ocean below. Toward the stars and the moon, all shining brighter as the sun's light faded. Higher and higher into the air filled with a chill that he could barely feel.
A deep knowing from inside his soul-fire. This was a ceremony that his kind had flown for countless winters. But it was different for him because there was no chase or uncertainty, and she had already decided.
He leveled off and started gliding, circling across from her a short dash away. The distance separating them faded as they circled closer, staring hungrily at each other as the fire burned hotter. Then he dashed for her as she raced for him. He caught her, embraced her, and let the fire burn away all thought as they fell from the sky under a bright moon.
Toothless woke up shortly after dawn, down in a valley far outside Edoras. A small stream flowed nearby, and the grass was warm on his side. But he did not want to move a paw, now or ever.
Everything was perfect as he curled around Moonbeam with their tails woven together. Her head nestled under his chin as she purred softly in peaceful sleep under his wing.
He was not sure when they had fallen asleep, and it did not matter anyway.
She was his now.
Just as he was hers.
Two, but also one life. It was a twisted thought, but no less true.
He yawned.
We really should go back and tell Hiccup, my sire and dam, the pack, and...
Then he held in the chuckle when he knew how twisted life might easily become. His sire and dam might have a new cub when he and Moonbeam do also.
She was so playful with cubs, and that was part of what he most liked about her, along with her sharp thinking and lack of fear. Maybe her kindness to the young had always been because she deeply wanted one, no... a pawful, of her own, but she knew that there was no one in the pack for her, at least until him. He hoped that he would eventually be a sire, a good part of life which he had long thought would never happen.
It was scary.
He would need to protect her and provide for her and the cub while she could not. However, providing would be much easier in life with humans. There was no desperation and emptiness of the wild in the world that the humans made. Their ability to make food be instead of just find food was one of the smartest things humans did.
She would not go hungry. Nor would their cubs. None of the pack ever would go hungry again. They would not face dangers alone; rather, they would have others fighting for them.
He gently nuzzled her exposed ear.
It would be so good to lay there with her all day, just feeling her breaths, the rise and fall of her back under his wing, and her tail around his. Everything was perfect.
But he was hungry after a full day of not eating anything and a night of not resting much.
He nuzzled her forehead until she woke up and faced him. They stared long into each other's eyes before either of them spoke.
"Burning-Star..." she purred.
"Moonbeam, my life-mate, I like that."
"So do I," she softly chuckled.
Then she blinked and barely tilted her head, as if considering what to say.
"I want you to know that you are my first."
He nuzzled her nose.
"And you are the only one I will ever have from now on."
Nothing else needed to be said about that part of the past.
"As warming as it is to be here with you, we should start this day," he whispered.
"Yes, we should. Our kin should know about us!" she agreed.
He reluctantly stepped away from her, got to his paws, and waited as she did the same. They walked together to the stream and drank their fill of the cool water. He kept glancing at her as they drank. Her eyes were closed in peace.
She looked happy, warm, and unsuspecting, so he sprayed a mouthful of water at her face.
Her bellow of false-alarm and surprise was very soul-fire warming as she hopped back from the water.
"You... you... you!"
He toothlessly grinned.
"You said that before, my mate..."
She huffed and crouched low to pounce, tail swaying and her ears swept back.
Great skies...
She pounced with a roar, beating at his head with a paw and nipping at his nose and neck. He had never played like this with any of his kin. He had played much with the cubs, Breath-Of-Sky, and his sire plenty of times. But none of them played as she did with a mix of fun, teasing, a little violence and biting, and tenderness that he suspected only mates share.
He fell when her jaws closed around his neck. Though, he had not been truly resisting in the fight. Letting her win felt like a good thing to do.
"I am grounded!"
She chuckled deeply and let him go. Her gaze was filled with warmth and teasing.
"No, my mate, you are not grounded. You were grounded."
Then she lifted her head and laughed openly.
"Should we make your name Was-Grounded?"
He snorted and curled his tail around to his front paws, gently rolling and flicking both tailfins.
"No, I am Toothless to Hiccup, and you may call me Burning-Star, or Toothless, or my dear mate..."
She snorted, stepped up before him, and nuzzled his neck.
"I can do that, Burning-Star, my toothless dear mate."
He laughed at her wit. It was not a surprise that she had clever-thinking also.
"As much as I want to stay here with you, I am hungry."
"I am also," she agreed.
They jumped as one and flew from the valley together into the sunlight. Their calm flight carried them up into the eastern wind flowing across the golden plain of grass and toward the distant city of Edoras. She flew close to his tail and watched the new false-tailfin as it listened to him. Her eyes were wide in awe at the amazing thing that almost had life of its own. She had probably been too interested in everything else last night to give much attention to how it worked, which he also did not know. It was enough for now that the false-tailfin worked for him, though Hiccup might be able to explain it eventually.
He decided to show off just for the warmth of it, so he flipped in a loop and a spin with tucked wings. Her joyful roar joined his as they flew slightly higher.
But, his flying was not perfect with the false-tailfin. His turns were not as tight and fast as they should be. The difference was probably too small for Moonbeam to notice. Hiccup could probably help with even that slight flight-fouling which remained.
His soul-fire burned with warmth for her and for his human brother. Hiccup had given him this new tailfin, which was his very freedom, and that freedom had helped him and Moonbeam become one.
There were still words that needed to be said and maybe some tears to be shed, but neither he nor Hiccup were perfect people. Moving on and letting go of past wrongs and hurts was not easy, but if both Moonbeam and Hiccup could do so, he certainly could also.
Hiccup rolled over in bed, remaining under the rough wool blanket and not really having any desire to go anywhere or do anything. He had decided to rest on his own in a proper house and bed that he had been given to store his few supplies in. Being around any of the other Furies or even the Fellowship, faithful to each other and valuing loyalty as they did, would have been too much. Too shameful.
It had been the longest, most fitful night of sleep he could remember.
I screwed up... such a failure...
There had been no tears after Toothless flew off across the plain, wanting time to himself to think. That was completely fair of the Fury. He himself would probably have wanted to be alone also if Toothless had come to him with some terrible revelation about his past actions.
He had turned away, numb to all feeling and remembering nothing but the look of shocked betrayal on his best friend's face.
Maybe I shouldn't have told him the truth... just let it be hidden forever and... no, that's so wrong of me...
He briefly considered wandering up to the Golden Hall for breakfast. He wasn't really hungry though, so he stayed in bed. Having a possibly friendship-breaking fight was not good for the appetite, little that his was anyway.
Would Toothless even come back now? Probably.
Life probably would never go back to how everything was before. On the one hand, life should not go back to how it was... but still...
What would happen next? Just how badly had he screwed up?
Maybe another one of the Furies would be willing to let him fly with them, if they never found out the truth of what he had done. Could he bear that himself? Never flying again with Toothless?
Settle back into a normal life on the ground, doing whatever it was that people did here? Riding horses, herding, and a simple, menial life, probably.
Find a woman and have some kids to distract himself and keep himself busy, maybe?
As if anyone would want pathetic me...
Bang. Bang.
Something heavy crashed against the front door.
"Yes?" he yawned and stretched.
There was no answer except more crashing on the door.
"Alright, alright, I'm coming!"
Great, what went wrong now?
It was just after dawn, and he didn't really expect to be having guests. Maybe Gandalf, Aragorn, Theoden, one of the Hobbits, or someone else? He threw on his robes and shoes, and then opened the door.
Wide purple eyes, a bright white shape, and a soft purring greeted him as Moonbeam sat on her rear just outside the front door.
"Moonbeam! Uh, hi there! Wasn't expecting you..."
She leaned closer and nuzzled his head. That still struck him as a strange display of affection from her, though she had been thawing a lot in her time in Edoras and tended to show him a lot more affection now.
"Hiccup! I am glad I found you."
"Yeah, sure did. Where were you last night? I checked in the pack, but you weren't there."
She growled softly and stepped back from him. Her eyes looked very devious or amused.
"I was busy. Follow me!"
He followed her as she trotted through Edoras. They walked through the streets and past the thatched homes and barns, all without her showing any concern at all. She never stopped purring.
She looked and sounded very happy.
"Where are we going?"
"To a surprise!" she hummed and playfully whipped him with her tail.
A surprise? Great, like my last surprise worked out so well.
He didn't even pay much attention to where they were going.
At least, not until they passed the Golden Hall. Then he realized where they were going: to the same ledge where he had given Toothless the new tailfin.
Why there?
He ran up the gentle slope with her, got to the top, and froze when he saw that Toothless was sitting there, staring out over the plain.
"I found him!" Moonbeam barked.
Toothless noticeably stiffened, his swaying tail going still as he turned around and stared at him.
Hiccup had no idea what to say or how to go about this.
Moonbeam then bounded over to Toothless's side, and she freely nuzzled his neck.
It was so obvious that something had happened between them.
Moonbeam whispered to Toothless, and they both started slowly walking toward him. Toothless refused to meet his eyes though, even after they stopped only a couple feet before him.
"Hiccup, we wanted to talk to you," Moonbeam said.
"What... what about?" he whispered.
"You gave Burning-Star his freedom again: freedom that you were not giving him before," she calmly said.
He winced and closed his eyes, again feeling the weight of guilt at what he hadn't done for so long. He didn't want to see her accusatory glare. She definitely had to hate him; she valued freedom very highly.
"Yes. That's right."
"You did a good thing for him. We are mates now," she said.
Despite the situation, he still stared in shock at the confirmation. She had a wing over Toothless's back, and their tails were wrapped together.
They looked very happy. At least she did. Toothless looked unsure and hesitant, though he was purring softly while nuzzling her neck.
"You are... mates?"
"Yes," she purred, "that is why I was away last night. We flew in the sky as one."
He really didn't want to think about that and what they had definitely done. On the other hand, there was something about the idea of such a flight in the sky that was... sweet. At least, it was a meaningful, important custom for them.
He took a deep breath and relaxed. There was no hiding from the truth, so all he could do was be honest and say what he felt.
Where before he had been afraid and clingy, he was now truly happy for them both. They could make each other happy in a good and natural way that they both deserved. Further, he was certain that this was very different from what Toothless and Jumps-At-Fire had been doing. This was far more.
"Well, Moonbeam... Toothless... I'm happy for you."
Toothless blinked and avoided looking at him while Moonbeam stepped forward and walked around him until he stood between the two Furies.
"I know that you are. Will you... help me with the cub as you did for Lightning?" she hummed.
Hiccup sighed.
Toothless's mom, now Moonbeam, gods...
"Are you sure that you'll need... no, ignore that... Sure. Why not? Why not help the whole pack with that..." he threw up his hands.
Moonbeam purred, visibly pleased.
"Good. Bond now!"
"Huh?"
She stepped forward and gently butted into his belly, knocking him back a couple steps toward Toothless.
"You and Burning-Star, bond! Do your thing!"
"What are saying?"
She huffed.
"What I am saying is that Burning-Star is my life-mate, yes, and you are family to him. That does not change. Bond!"
He warily turned from her and faced Toothless. The Fury had his head hung and a tear slowly falling down his muzzle.
"Toothless?"
Toothless stepped forward without saying anything and then grabbed him in a hug. He threw his arms around Toothless's neck and wept freely, unable to do anything except feel.
Toothless did not hate him.
Neither of them found any words for a very long time. They didn't even bother with the hand to nose of trust. It simply wasn't needed for this.
"I... I'm so sorry, Toothless..."
"Me too, Hiccup. I should not have gotten angry..."
"You don't have to apologize for anything! You did nothing wrong..."
Toothless let go of him and stepped back with a soft sigh. The Fury lay down and lifted a wing to let him rest at his side, which he gladly did.
"Yes, I did. I forgot that you trusted me and that you have been there to help me with my... problems. I want to know... why did you fear that I would fly away from you if I could fly on my own?"
Hiccup winced and stroked the wing's leading edge. Moonbeam padded over and lay next to him, purring softly. He glanced between the two Furies sitting around him and purring with encouragement.
He knew beyond any doubt that he could trust them both completely and that it was not worth hiding anything from them. They would surely be part of his life for the rest of his life. His own prior and very flawed motivations were also terribly clear now.
He still looked up at the morning sky above.
"I was useless for so long in my tribe. Helping them to fight dragons would have made me useful to them, but then I became useful to you in another way. You needing me for flight meant that you needed me at all. It was... safer for me to be needed. I wasn't truly... trusting."
He winced.
"And it's true that you are more powerful than me. I'm not a fighter because of my size, or a leader because I don't understand humans that well. I'd never have been a good chief."
Toothless nuzzled his head.
"I am not sure about that. You could have become a good chief-Alpha. You are good with us dragons and would have made an island-nest of peace."
"Only with dragons, with you, helping me. I... I'm not so strong without you. I am... not much on my own," he countered.
Moonbeam leaned in and gently poked his side with a paw.
"You are not nothing on your own. You are the bravest, warmest human I know."
"I'm the only one you really know..."
She huffed.
"That also. You are kind to cubs, you make good things be with your clever paws, and you help make peace for us in the world that you know. You want a better life for us dragons. That is all true now and would be even if Toothless was not in your life."
Her words brought his thoughts back to his mission, which was far more than only to bring the Fury pack out from the wild; it was to change the world into a better place for everyone.
"My place in the world? I guess so."
"You have the heart of a human and the soul-fire of a dragon. You will bring our kinds together; that is who you are, brother of my mate. And I name you my kin," she said.
"Oh Moonbeam..."
Toothless also purred in agreement.
"You will change the world, and I will always be there to help you do it."
"As will I," Moonbeam purred and nodded.
A cold or fear that had been in his heart, perhaps all along, melted and shattered under Toothless's and Moonbeam's reassurances. He felt like crying, but there were no tears, probably because he had no more to give.
They sat there together in a long silence, staring down at Edoras as the city came awake. Furies rose into the sky to fly off over the plains or get a drink of water from the wells and streams. The Rohirrim began to go about their duties or filter up into the Golden Hall or the city square for breakfast. The clang of hammers began sounding as the smiths started their labors.
Everything was peaceful.
Then he was struck with an awkward thought regarding how life would have to change now.
"Uh, now that you two are... together, how is that going to work for sleep? I mean, you've been sleeping with the rest of your families until now."
"I do not know," Toothless hummed.
Moonbeam reached over and gently batted Toothless's nose with a paw.
"We are a pair now, so we will get a rock of our own to sleep on. Neither of us would stay in piles with our old family-packs now."
Hiccup nodded, seeing what that meant.
"You will want to be on your own now."
"Who said that?" she barked and flicked an ear with confusion.
"Well, you don't want me there when you... you know..."
"No, I do not know. What?"
"When we are together as mates," Toothless explained.
Moonbeam burst out in laughter at that, stamping a paw on the ground and thrashing her tail.
"Uh, what's so funny?" Hiccup warily asked.
"We don't join as mates around the pack! That would be twisted of us!"
"True, my sire and dam are trying to make another cub, and they always fly away from here to be on their own," Toothless added.
"Yes," she nodded, "letting others see a pair together as one can make the others feel twisted wanting also."
Hiccup frowned, not understanding that at all but also being curious despite how awkward it all was.
"Sorry, I don't understand."
Her ears went back as she spoke.
"There are stories of males who attacked pairs to kill the male and take the female. Other stories say that females would kill other females to keep the males to themselves," she explained.
"What!" "What!"
Toothless growled softly as Hiccup stared in shock and horror. Moonbeam purred sadly.
"Yes, seeing that life-making can put rot in the soul-fires of those who are not strong in thinking or do not have a mate already. All of us in the pack trust each other much, but we avoid doing things that might make rot grow in our soul-fires."
Hiccup and Toothless gave each other a thoughtful, worried look. He was not sure if these stories she related were based on actual events, or if they were rather just stories with protective life lessons.
"Is that related to what Gandalf was talking about," Hiccup whispered.
"Maybe so," Toothless answered.
"What?" Moonbeam mumbled in confusion.
Another quiet look followed, and they both nodded in agreement. It was fair to tell Moonbeam more of the truth.
Toothless again wove his tail around Moonbeam's.
"Something happened to us dark wings and to you light wings when we flew into these skies. Do you remember the skies going... twisted?"
"Yes."
"Did you think it strange that we can speak with humans?"
She grumbled softly in thought.
"No. I never knew good humans, or any humans, up close until you, Hiccup."
"We could not talk with humans before. We learned how when we flew into these skies because... we were... touched by another soul-fire."
"Another soul-fire?" she whispered.
"A bad one that is part of the world. It gave us the knowing to speak as we are now, but it also gave us twisted wants, like the gold hoarding that I have..."
She blinked in confusion.
"I do not understand. Why did we not have those twisted wants before?"
"Maybe because we are not from this world at all. We were brought here from another world," Toothless explained.
"But that twisted fighting happened before we flew through the twisted skies," she objected.
"That..." Toothless went silent and glanced at Hiccup, "... now that you say that, there was much fighting for mates and territory in the Monster's nest too."
"I don't know," Hiccup frowned, "maybe dragons could be like that in the first world also. It doesn't make sense though. Maybe we have missed something."
"We were still changed when we were brought here," Toothless added.
"Do you know why we were brought here?" she asked.
Toothless snarled softly.
"The Enemy we are fighting against brought us here to be fighters for him. He wants us to hunt and kill humans and bend our wings to him as our new Alpha. His winning the fighting would let him control us and twist our thinking."
"And," Hiccup added, "that is part of why we wanted the pack to come back here to help with the fighting. It is truly for our own good to be free, even though I hate fighting."
"I think I understand, and I will help you however I can," Moonbeam whispered.
Hiccup then grinned.
"So, going back to what we were talking about before... you two don't mind me resting with you?"
Both Furies toothlessly grinned.
"You should! You are family!" Moonbeam nudged him in the shoulder.
"And we will go fly on our own when we want to. Because of you, brother," Toothless added.
"What about Mystery?"
"She..." Moonbeam paused and grumbled, "would stay with her sire and dam until she grew up or found a mate, but..."
A solemn, awkward silence followed.
"I have an idea..." Hiccup began.
"What is it?" she asked.
"Is it true that she and Breath-Of-Sky will probably be a pair?"
Moonbeam purred in thought.
"There is no other she could take when she is grown. She is not old enough to have any wanting for a mate, and she will not be old enough for several winters. But they like playing together much already and should have much trust when they are ready."
Hiccup nodded.
"Them trusting and knowing each other is good, but we wouldn't want them to be like siblings."
"True, that would be twisted," she agreed.
"Okay, I say that we let her stay with us. She is family also. I can stay in my house whenever I need to."
"I agree. She is my kin now," Toothless said.
Toothless then stood up and stretched his wings.
"I am hungry."
"Yep, same here," Hiccup agreed as he got up.
"Me also," Moonbeam purred.
"But there is something I need to do first," Toothless added.
"What is it?"
Toothless turned to the ledge, stretched his wings wide, crouched down, and then sharply nodded to his back.
"Get on."
"Toothless... you don't have to..."
Toothless huffed and rolled his eyes.
"You twisted human! You did not think that we would stop flying together just because I can fly on my own now, did you?"
Hiccup did not get a chance to refuse because Moonbeam gently headbutted him from behind.
"Alright, alright, if you insist..." he objected as he climbed into his familiar place, only this time without a saddle or any other equipment at all.
Moonbeam laughed and flung herself into the sky with a spin and joyful roar.
Toothless then crouched down to jump for the sky.
"Toothless..."
"Hiccup..."
"I love you, brother. Thank you for everything..."
Toothless glanced back at him over his shoulder and softly purred.
"I love you too, brother. You gave me a very good gift."
Hiccup grasped the base of Toothless's wings, being the best handholds available.
"You both gave me a pretty good gift too."
Toothless roared aloud with joy and leaped from the ledge to ascend on the morning winds sweeping across the bright, golden plain. Higher and higher until he leveled off in a steady glide with Moonbeam floating at his side and Hiccup on his back.
This felt perfect to him, flying freely with the two most important people in his life here with him.
It was not a wild flight, such as he and Hiccup flew much in the past. He knew that using a saddle for planned flights was probably best because that made flight safest and let them carry other things.
On the other paw, flying without a saddle or any human-made things on his back felt very freeing also. At the very least, it was faster flight without him needing to carry as much weight.
He glanced back over his shoulder. Hiccup was sitting there, arms stretched wide to embrace the wind, his hair whipping wildly, his robe-furs fluttering like wings, and his eyes closed in peace.
If only he had wings of his own. That would make this even better!
Hiccup's arms were flung wide to embrace the sky as his robe-furs flapped almost like wings in the wind.
Idle thoughts took the flight of possibility.
Hiccup made him a new tailfin.
Maybe Hiccup could make something else.
This is crazy enough that it might be a Hiccup idea! We can talk about that later...
Now was the time for peaceful flight as it should always have been: free to fly on his own.
That he could do so with his new life-mate and with his human brother made this a far warmer flight than it could possibly be alone.