TOWARDS THE END: Lives of Past and Present: this one has [spoilers]
Posted: 30 May 2014, 16:22
by draconicwyvern
CATALOGUE
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A Night Fury lay on the cushioned forest floor, sleeping.
A shadow advanced sharply, its dark mass trailing over the grasses. The Night Fury opened one eye wearily.
"Shaduinbaen, I know you're there."
Shadowbane approached the new mother carefully. He stepped on a twig, and it made a cracking noise as it snapped in two.
"Shh," Firewing cautioned. "You'll wake up the twins."
"Twins." Two forms emerged from the mother's embrace. Two pairs of eyes opened.
Something was wrong.
"Fyorawyn, this one has pink eyes. You know what that means."
"No!" Firewing shielded the infant with her wings protectively. "I'm not letting you take away my child."
"Firewing. Albinos are not allowed to be in the clan." He sighed. "If you really have the intent to keep the little one, I'll go see what the council says." And with that, he leaped away into the night.
She waited for her mate to come back.
---
"The Council has replied." Shadowbane came through the trees. "They'll let you keep it until the Naming Ceremony. Then it's exiled."
Firewing nodded, and watched pitifully at the female, who cooed when she realized her mother's eyes were on her. "Come here, fioka," Firewing urged. The dragon purred and crawled closer, pressing bodies with the mother and her brother, the maelson.
The family slept like that throughout the night.
---------
My mother went out on an excursion one day.
She didn't come back.
I was only three at that time. I remember I shed many tears that day.
I couldn't go to the Renaming Ceremony. My albino status kept me behind.
Sometimes I would sneak out and secretly fly. It calmed me and relieved me of grief. Flying, as well as any training, was not allowed for us drils. We were destined to be outcasts.
---
Naming Ceremony is today. I am five years old. I don't think I will be able to survive by myself.
My brother goes first, his head tilted proudly. "Young maelson, son of Shadowbane and Firewing, I declare your new name: Nyteri."
Nightfall. He bows before the announcer politely.
It's my turn.
I go towards the announcer filled with trepidation.
The name I receive is Bocaakindril.
White-skinned outcast.
---
I am about to be exiled. My father sees me for the last time.
He doesn't say a word, just growls. I am momentarily saddened.
Nightfall comes forward, and he whispers to me when no one was looking:" Don't be afraid, fioka. You'll be alright."
I nod solemnly as they take me away and abandon me deep into the bowels of the forest.
I stretch my wings and take off, trying to find an exit. As I'm flying, another dragon bumps into me, and I am knocked senseless.
---
Glowing eyes stared at me as I woke up. Two Night Furies.
I got a closer look, and was startled to find one of the dragons missing a wing, and the other with light skin patches over his backside.
"Who are you?" I ask.
"We're exiles. Just like you." The fioka smiled sadly. "My name's Avastelle."
Eveningstar. She's been through the Naming, and had gotten a good name. I wonder how her wing got torn off.
"And this is my friend-"
The maelson grunted. "Nescekin."
No-skin.
Just like me, he's been named because of something we couldn't control ourselves.
"Come, fioka. You're with us now." And I am reminded of my deceased mother, and how she had protected me. Now that I had a new family, joy ran through my veins.
"Which reminds me." Eveningstar pauses. "What's your name?"
I stand still with my back to the sun. And in that moment, I choose a new name. A name that wouldn't bind me to my disability.
My name is not fioka anymore.
Neither is it Boccakindril.
My name is Lytcille.
Daybreak.
A shadow advanced sharply, its dark mass trailing over the grasses. The Night Fury opened one eye wearily.
"Shaduinbaen, I know you're there."
Shadowbane approached the new mother carefully. He stepped on a twig, and it made a cracking noise as it snapped in two.
"Shh," Firewing cautioned. "You'll wake up the twins."
"Twins." Two forms emerged from the mother's embrace. Two pairs of eyes opened.
Something was wrong.
"Fyorawyn, this one has pink eyes. You know what that means."
"No!" Firewing shielded the infant with her wings protectively. "I'm not letting you take away my child."
"Firewing. Albinos are not allowed to be in the clan." He sighed. "If you really have the intent to keep the little one, I'll go see what the council says." And with that, he leaped away into the night.
She waited for her mate to come back.
---
"The Council has replied." Shadowbane came through the trees. "They'll let you keep it until the Naming Ceremony. Then it's exiled."
Firewing nodded, and watched pitifully at the female, who cooed when she realized her mother's eyes were on her. "Come here, fioka," Firewing urged. The dragon purred and crawled closer, pressing bodies with the mother and her brother, the maelson.
The family slept like that throughout the night.
---------
My mother went out on an excursion one day.
She didn't come back.
I was only three at that time. I remember I shed many tears that day.
I couldn't go to the Renaming Ceremony. My albino status kept me behind.
Sometimes I would sneak out and secretly fly. It calmed me and relieved me of grief. Flying, as well as any training, was not allowed for us drils. We were destined to be outcasts.
---
Naming Ceremony is today. I am five years old. I don't think I will be able to survive by myself.
My brother goes first, his head tilted proudly. "Young maelson, son of Shadowbane and Firewing, I declare your new name: Nyteri."
Nightfall. He bows before the announcer politely.
It's my turn.
I go towards the announcer filled with trepidation.
The name I receive is Bocaakindril.
White-skinned outcast.
---
I am about to be exiled. My father sees me for the last time.
He doesn't say a word, just growls. I am momentarily saddened.
Nightfall comes forward, and he whispers to me when no one was looking:" Don't be afraid, fioka. You'll be alright."
I nod solemnly as they take me away and abandon me deep into the bowels of the forest.
I stretch my wings and take off, trying to find an exit. As I'm flying, another dragon bumps into me, and I am knocked senseless.
---
Glowing eyes stared at me as I woke up. Two Night Furies.
I got a closer look, and was startled to find one of the dragons missing a wing, and the other with light skin patches over his backside.
"Who are you?" I ask.
"We're exiles. Just like you." The fioka smiled sadly. "My name's Avastelle."
Eveningstar. She's been through the Naming, and had gotten a good name. I wonder how her wing got torn off.
"And this is my friend-"
The maelson grunted. "Nescekin."
No-skin.
Just like me, he's been named because of something we couldn't control ourselves.
"Come, fioka. You're with us now." And I am reminded of my deceased mother, and how she had protected me. Now that I had a new family, joy ran through my veins.
"Which reminds me." Eveningstar pauses. "What's your name?"
I stand still with my back to the sun. And in that moment, I choose a new name. A name that wouldn't bind me to my disability.
My name is not fioka anymore.
Neither is it Boccakindril.
My name is Lytcille.
Daybreak.
Shadows in the Dark
He gulped and turned the page.
The flicker of candlelight distracted him immensely, but without it he wouldn’t be able to see in the darkness that surrounded him.
He found what he was looking for on the last page.
“Night Fury,” he breathed, “Speed: Unknown. Size-”
The wind whistled through the slim opening of the heavy doors guarding the entrance. A boom of thunder jolted the boy as a bolt of fiery lightning split across the inky sky in a vengeance that couldn’t match anything in the world. The boy paled and shivered with fright, but dragged his petrified eyes across the room and back onto the book in front on him.
“Night Fury. Speed…” His voice trailed off as his throat closed. A black sinew was crawling over the page, staining the paper with intricate loops and scratchy scribbles. His heart in his mouth, he watched silently, preparing for the worst as the words wrote itself onto the page.
“...Speed: Faster than your eyes could process. Size: Large enough to swallow you whole. Stay away from this…this dragon. If it happens that you find one...pray…”
The doors swayed open, letting in a fierce gale that ruffled the pages.
The boy held the pages together as he strained to finish the sentence. His voice trembled and his eyes dilated. “...pray that it does not find you…”
A low growl echoed in the empty room.
His hands fumbled, accidentally closing the book shut with a sharp bang. “Is...is anyone there?”
Silence.
Then pain-
eyes-
darkness-
...
The wind whispered in for one last time, gently shutting the door behind it.
The flicker of candlelight distracted him immensely, but without it he wouldn’t be able to see in the darkness that surrounded him.
He found what he was looking for on the last page.
“Night Fury,” he breathed, “Speed: Unknown. Size-”
The wind whistled through the slim opening of the heavy doors guarding the entrance. A boom of thunder jolted the boy as a bolt of fiery lightning split across the inky sky in a vengeance that couldn’t match anything in the world. The boy paled and shivered with fright, but dragged his petrified eyes across the room and back onto the book in front on him.
“Night Fury. Speed…” His voice trailed off as his throat closed. A black sinew was crawling over the page, staining the paper with intricate loops and scratchy scribbles. His heart in his mouth, he watched silently, preparing for the worst as the words wrote itself onto the page.
“...Speed: Faster than your eyes could process. Size: Large enough to swallow you whole. Stay away from this…this dragon. If it happens that you find one...pray…”
The doors swayed open, letting in a fierce gale that ruffled the pages.
The boy held the pages together as he strained to finish the sentence. His voice trembled and his eyes dilated. “...pray that it does not find you…”
A low growl echoed in the empty room.
His hands fumbled, accidentally closing the book shut with a sharp bang. “Is...is anyone there?”
Silence.
Then pain-
eyes-
darkness-
...
The wind whispered in for one last time, gently shutting the door behind it.
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"And that's the last one," Stoick said, giving the rattling cage a heave. He dusted his hands together.
"Phew. That last one was tricky. Two whole buckets of fish t' coax it out of its fuss." Gobber wiped sweat off his brow with a stained cloth. "Hopefully he won't be that tempr'mental when the visitors come in."
"Ah, Gobber," Stoick remarked, sitting on an empty cage and thus denting it slightly, "there's nothing to worry about. Night Furies are rare, remember? They'll attract them more than keep them away."
"Oh, alright," Gobber complied. He walked out of the shielded area. "Well, I'll catch ya later, I'm still forging cages, remember?" He gave the chief a wink, then limped out. "Remember to lock the doors!"
"Yes, yes, I know." Stoick stood up and made his way out, locking the gate shut. As he walked past his hut, he failed to notice two peeping eyes staring surreptitiously through the window.
Those emerald eyes belonged to Hiccup Horrendous Haddock the Third, otherwise known as the Chief's son and only heir. The ten year old stared dreamily at the blue sky. People always told him that his head was always in the clouds. Hiccup didn't understand; what was wrong with having your head in the clouds? Your mind would be closer to the heavens, and that was a good thing, right?
He really wanted to go outside. His left leg, however, stopped him. Hiccup was convinced he was born this way; his father never talked about it, only given him his metal prosthetic, which was handmade by Gobber. Outside was not an option for him; his father didn't want him to get hurt, and even if he were to be let out, he'll be far too weak in Viking comparison from lack of exercise. What's more, his father was the chief, and did not want his son to tag along. Hiccup reckoned his dad was just being overprotective.
Sometimes, if he were lucky, his dad would bring some kids over to the house. Ruffnut and Tuffnut were twins, and double the trouble, always playing pranks on him. One time, they had scribbled over his precious drawings. Stoick had taken care of that matter.
Snotlout was the one who constantly teased him. Sometimes he'll say Hiccup had a weak immune system. Other times he'll taunt Hiccup, challenging him to races. After Hiccup's constant begging at his father, Snotlout refrained from coming.
Fishlegs was probably the one he could relate the most to. Quiet, timid, and with an interest in dragons, much like himself. They wouldn't talk, but they had a neutral relationship.
Astrid…Oh, why did things have to be so complicated? She was fierce and strong, deducted from the times Hiccup had spent craning his neck out the window for a glimpse of Astrid's axe throwing. But whenever she came over, she didn't talk, just sat there, sharpening her blade. Hiccup had sat in bed and looked at her long, nimble fingers sliding down the metallic iron rhythmically, and watched her sea-blue eyes as they drowned his. He didn't know what was wrong with her; maybe it was from her father pressuring her to become the greatest dragon trapper in all of Berk. Or maybe there was something wrong about himself, his sarcasm and arm gestures, and the way he looked at her with an emotion he'd never experienced before.
He wished he could visit her house. Maybe she was better in her own home, and would lighten up a bit, instead of the stern look of disdain she wore on her face all the time.
He heard a noise from the door, and was relieved to find his father standing there. “Hi Dad,” he greeted his father with a wave.
Stoick looked at his son, features brightening with a radiant warmth. “Hey, Hiccup. How’s it going?”
Hiccup chuckled. “Same as usual. I drew some dragons again, then played checkers with the metal set Gobber gave me. Do you think he could make me a wooden set? Because the metal will rust quickly, and besides, it’s way too heavy.”
Stoick busied himself by taking out papers. Those papers were to write down the stats of all the dragons at the “zoo”. That name was Gobber’s idea, and Hiccup disliked it; however he couldn’t do anything about it. Hiccup wanted to take a trip to the zoo someday. That way, he could draw them better, instead of drawing them from Stoick’s description.
After a minute of silence, Stoick lifted the stack of papers onto his desk. “I’ll see what I can do.” He took a good long look at Hiccup, and his brow furrowed. “Something wrong?”
Hiccup shied away from the question, looking towards the floor.
“Say it, I won’t judge you,” Stoick urged. He didn’t want to see his son unhappy, even as he slapped on some ridiculous rules. The rules were for his own good, anyways.
“Um...Can I come with you to work?” Hiccup’s voice was hopeful, although he knew his request was absurd.
Stoick’s forehead crinkled in surprise.
Hiccup twiddled his thumbs awkwardly, sitting through the silence. Finally, he spoke up. “I’ll stick with you for the whole time. Plus, I won’t do any jobs, like feeding the fish or anything. I just want to see the dragons, and outside,” he said softly.
He heard his father sigh. “Alright.”
Hiccup’s breath caught in his throat. “You really mean it?”
“Yes. I’ve been restraining you for so long, I just wanted to protect you-”
“That’s okay,” Hiccup interrupted.
“-and I would be a lousy father if I couldn’t grant you this wish, right?” Stoick finished. “In addition to that, I think that a breath of fresh air would do wonders for you.”
Hiccup smiled gratefully, giddiness creeping into him. "Thank you."
The door opened and Hiccup shielded his eyes against the sudden brightness blinding him.
"Open your eyes, Hiccup." Stoick grabbed all his paperwork and necessary items. Hiccup heard the paper crinkle. He also heard strange noises, of people talking, of water sloshing around in wooden buckets hefted on strong shoulders. He felt the warm sun on his face.
His eyes opened, and the view took his breath away. All the colours, vibrant and stunning, painted the enormity of Berk. Sunshine glistened and dappled the clear blue water. His hand reached up, as if to touch the soft clouds up above. It was more that he'd ever imagined possible.
"It's…" he managed to croak out, "…it's beautiful." Hiccup took an intake of fresh air, savoring the sharpness against his nostrils.
“I suppose so; it is my village, after all,” Stoick remarked. Seeing Hiccup like this also had a drastic effect on him, and he started to whistle a tune as he led his son towards the zoo. Fearing that he was cutting off the blood circulation of his son’s hand, he loosened his grip by quite a bit, while still making sure Hiccup’s lanky arm was attached to it.
Hiccup had his mouth wide open, looking through different eyes into a different place. Everything was absolutely perfect: the sun’s rays, the forest green, even the giggles of toddlers running from their patient mothers made him smile. He couldn’t hold his excitement, and his face showed it all: his anticipation and anxiety.
They entered the shabby door and past the training arena, where an older Viking was currently teaching a Gronkle to shoot its fireballs at targets placed along the wall. He felt a tug on his sleeve; Stoick was getting impatient, so he hurried his speed and walked alongside his father, eyes drifting back to the trainer every few seconds.
Next was the food rations. It stunk of fish, and Hiccup plugged his nose, breathing through his mouth graciously. The viewing area was next. Squawks were heard, chiming noisily through the bars of their cages. A few Vikings were already there, watching amusingly at a baby Nadder sprawled on the ground of its cage.
The food vendors outlined the “auditorium”, a place where people could watch dragons perform all sorts of tricks. He made a mental note to tell his father to take him there.
Finally, they reached the hangar, a storage room for dragons that hadn’t been tagged. Tagging was essential, because of the increase of dragon stealers, a group of dragon trappers who stole other people’s dragons for their own zoos in their separate islands, trying to encourage visitors to go over there, and therefore increasing their profit. So far, tagging had provided useful, as it was easier to see the missing dragons.
The room was dark, and Hiccup’s eyes had to adjust to the blackness that surrounded him. He could see the outlines of the cages, and hear the ruckus in there, irritating his ears. Stoick was talking to one of the Vikings working there, so Hiccup decided to look around, stretching his hand from his father’s as far as it would go. The small vicinity that he was able to reach had a blue and pale yellow Nadder, its spines drooping due to the diet given to her, so that she wouldn’t launch her spikes on her tail at anyone. Hiccup could tell it was a female; it had an overbite, and Stoick had told him that the ones with underbites were the males. She looked...sad, miserable, even. Hiccup immediately felt sorry for her.
There was also a flaming orange and red Monstrous Nightmare, its back doused with water every half minute to prevent it from catching on fire. It growled suspiciously. Hiccup retreated; he didn’t like its feisty attitude.
The last one that Hiccup could see from his spot was a plain brown Gronckle. It lay on the ground, sleeping peacefully. When Hiccup saw it turn, he almost gasped at the red bumps on its back. Gronckles were supposed to have light brown warts, but these were shining red.
“Where did you put our prize dragon?” Stoick asked the caretaker, pulling Hiccup behind him. Hiccup saw a shadow of a Zippleback to his left, both heads’ mouths clamped with sturdy muzzles.
“Prize dragon?” Hiccup inquired.
Stoick turned to face him. “Yes, it’s a rare breed. A Night Fury.”
“Wow.” Night Furies were very rare; you could hardly see them in the wild. Some people even thought they were extinct. It was a prize indeed.
Hiccup’s father went to the deepest, darkest corner of the room. He swung his arm around to lift up a lantern from its hook, then struck a match and lit it. Two glowing eyes stared out of the gloom. A vicious growl emanated from the dragon. Hiccup breathed in awe.
The dragon was unlike anything that he’d seen before. As black as night, he had six prominent nubs on its head. Lighter spots dotted his wings in splotches curving on his back. His wingspan was huge in comparison. Due to the clamps, he couldn’t open his mouth much, but Hiccup could see the pinkness of gums. No teeth. Huh.
“Careful, Hiccup. This one has a large temper. You don’t want it to shoot a plasma firebolt at you, even though its jaws are clamped together,” Stoick cautioned, placing his heap of papers onto an empty cage beside him. Hiccup nodded.
The Night Fury clawed at his barriers, and produced a sound similar to a wail. As he writhed in his cage, there was something that caught his eye. “Dad, what’s wrong with his tail?”
“Oh, nothing,” Stoick waved it off with his broad hand, “one of the dragon trappers working here shot it down, and it accidentally ripped the left one off. It won’t be able to do any aerial tricks anymore, but many people will pay a lot to see a dragon so precious as 457 here.”
“457?”
“That’s its code. Number 457.”
“Oh.”
“Well, would you look at the time!” Stoick pointed to the sun. “Come on Hiccup, I’ll take you to the food vendors.” Hiccup was once again dragged to the exit. As he left, he couldn’t help but look back at the lone Night Fury watching silently at his departure.
“Goodbye...Toothless.”
“Mind if I come with you again?” Hiccup asked at breakfast, eager.
Stoick didn’t look up. “You were alright yesterday, so I suppose so.”
The way to the zoo was same as always. They entered the storage once again. This time, Stoick sat down and began tagging the dragons by number, punching holes into their wings and hooking a small tag to it. The Night Fury was there still, making low rumbles of sadness. His eyes looked almost lifeless, no spark left in them.
The table that Stoick was working on was close to the black dragon, so Hiccup drew a rope off a hook on the wall and tied it to his wrist. The other end was knotted to his father’s wrist. That way, he could go much further in.
He approached the dragon tentatively. “You okay, bud?”
The dragon snarled disapprovingly.
The boy leaned closer to examine its wounded tail, then shifted his wandering eyes back to the dragon’s soft green ones. His gaze locked onto the boy’s, curious.
“You want to fly, don’t you?” he sighed.
The dragon didn’t respond, then whimpered. Hiccup felt pain in his chest. He turned away, ashamed that he couldn’t help. He could never help much anyways, with his nonexistent leg…
Hiccup whipped his head back. Nonexistent leg… nonexistent tailfin…stuck at home… stuck in a cage...
They were more similar than he’d thought.
As he lay in bed, Hiccup could not stop thinking about the Night Fury. His left leg dangled over the side of the bed.
He tossed and turned, wrinkling the covers.
It was morning, and he’d barely had any sleep. He rubbed his sleep-encrusted eyes drowsily, then sat up with a jolt. Oh the gods hate me, he thought as he remembered what day it was. Tuffnut and Ruffnut were coming over once again.
The twins were bursting with excitement as they came in. “Let’s go see how many bugs we can find on the ground,” Tuffnut shouted happily.
“I bet there are a lot of mosquitos squashed dead on the window,” Ruffnut exclaimed. They exchanged a head-bump.
“Awesome!” Tuffnut said. “I can see stars. And it’s only in the morning!”
“Hey, Hiccup,” Ruffnut said. “Do you want some of my breakfast?” She held up a bundled package.
It was probably filled with worms. “No thank you,” Hiccup politely replied. He could feel his face turning green at the thought.
“Whatever. You’re missing out.” She spotted the makeshift birdcage on Hiccup’s desk just then. It had been another gift from Gobber. There were no birds in it, but there was a toy metal dragon, its eyes painted so that it looked cross-eyed. “Hey Tuff, wanna do something crazy?”
“Why not?” Tuffnut agreed. He picked up a piece of wire, most likely from Gobber’s forge. Hiccup watched in amazement as he jabbed it into the small keyhole of the cage. The wire bent and nearly snapped under pressure.
“Not like that, you dummy,” Ruffnut complained of her brother’s stupidity. “Like this.” She snatched it away from him and jiggled it around the hole. It didn’t work, and she threw it onto the ground. From her pocket, she drew a stronger, thicker piece, and positioned it back in. A faint click was heard, and the cage swung open. “Got it!” Ruffnut pumped her fist into the air. She took the toy dragon out if its roosting spot.
“Now let’s melt it at the forge!” Tuffnut said, and the twins ran away, cackling with glee.
Hiccup was somehow not angry. He stood up shakily on his prosthetic, and fingered the piece of wire left behind. A plan was forming in his head.
“Dad, can I ask you a favour?”
“Sure, say it,” Stoick said gruffly, rubbing his temples.
“Can you give this to Gobber?” He handed him a piece of paper. Stoick paused to examine it.
“You really think this would work?” Stoick said, with a surprised air.
Hiccup nodded solemnly.
“Well, whatever you say. I’ll give it to him, and see what he says.”
“The boy’s a genius. This would solve our problem!” Gobber exclaimed excitedly, pulling the prosthetic tailfin open and close. “Now we can finally train ‘im.”
Stoick took the tailfin in, and beckoned Gobber in as well. “Hiccup would love to see it first,” he explained, “though he’s taking a short nap right now. He said he’ll give it back tomorrow.”
Hiccup opened his eyes and carefully eavesdropped at the door. When Gobber had left, Stoick knocked on the door, and Hiccup quickly sprang back into his bed.
The door swung open. “Hiccup, are you fine?”
“Yes, Dad,” he said in a muffled voice, under the covers. “I’m just a little tired, that’s all.”
“Alright, then. I’ll um… leave this here, then.” Hiccup heard a thunk on the desktop, then the shutting of the door.
It was night, and Hiccup leaned his ear against the door. Satisfied with the response of his father’s snoring, he snuck out the house, carefully closing it. His heart beating against his chest, he tiptoed to the zoo quietly, with the tailfin beneath his arm.
The night view was different than in the day. The moon was shining brightly overhead, glowing a pale blue over the young boy’s head. Twinkling stars stone in the night sky.
The boy limped to the entrance. It was bolted shut, but he knew of a secret entrance from the back, from spying on Stoick’s papers. The thin wire twisted inside and nudged the gears, allowing it to open up effortlessly. Silent as the whispering wind, he walked in. There were no guards present, only at the front door, and the one guarding the back had thankfully gone off to get a snack. Hiccup crawled down to his hands and knees. He reached the hangar and again used the lockpicking technique to open it. It was dark, with a musty odour to it. Careful not to wake the dragons up, he stood on his tiptoes and went in.
There was an ingidant squawk. “Shh,” Hiccup cautioned. “It’s alright.” There was a lever at the far end, for opening a large hole up top. He pulled it with all his might, sweat running down his nose, until the gears squeaked and the two halves slid open, revealing the moon gazing softly upon the dragons’ tired heads. The thin wire jostled open the blue and yellow Nadder’s cage, and it flew off with a beating of wings.
He did the same with all the others. They amazingly did not protest, but let him come to close proximity to him, sensing what he was about to do. He reached the Night Fury last. Opening the cage, the Night Fury huffed warm air onto him in surprise. “Don’t you worry,” Hiccup grunted, as he attached the tailfin onto the dragon’s tail, “I’m going to get you out of here. There,” he said, admiring his handiwork. “Go on,” he urged, but the dragon did not budge.
Hiccup watched nervously as his head came closer. The boy extended a shaking hand, and stroked the dragon’s coarse head. “Whoa,” he breathed. The dragon seemed to smile at him, purring as his shut his eyes.
Then with a flurry of movement, the dragon leapt up, up into the starry sky, its powerful wings beating rapidly as he ascended. Hiccup smiled widely, an unexplainable feeling coursing through his heart: the same one that happened whenever he looked at Astrid’s eyes. He knew that there were many other dragons captured in other zoos, but this moment was precious to him. The dragon twirled in the night sky, leaving a streak of blue in the dark as he broke free of his bonds and returned to his home at last.
There were dragons when I was a boy.
SINGLE POST VIEW
"Phew. That last one was tricky. Two whole buckets of fish t' coax it out of its fuss." Gobber wiped sweat off his brow with a stained cloth. "Hopefully he won't be that tempr'mental when the visitors come in."
"Ah, Gobber," Stoick remarked, sitting on an empty cage and thus denting it slightly, "there's nothing to worry about. Night Furies are rare, remember? They'll attract them more than keep them away."
"Oh, alright," Gobber complied. He walked out of the shielded area. "Well, I'll catch ya later, I'm still forging cages, remember?" He gave the chief a wink, then limped out. "Remember to lock the doors!"
"Yes, yes, I know." Stoick stood up and made his way out, locking the gate shut. As he walked past his hut, he failed to notice two peeping eyes staring surreptitiously through the window.
Those emerald eyes belonged to Hiccup Horrendous Haddock the Third, otherwise known as the Chief's son and only heir. The ten year old stared dreamily at the blue sky. People always told him that his head was always in the clouds. Hiccup didn't understand; what was wrong with having your head in the clouds? Your mind would be closer to the heavens, and that was a good thing, right?
He really wanted to go outside. His left leg, however, stopped him. Hiccup was convinced he was born this way; his father never talked about it, only given him his metal prosthetic, which was handmade by Gobber. Outside was not an option for him; his father didn't want him to get hurt, and even if he were to be let out, he'll be far too weak in Viking comparison from lack of exercise. What's more, his father was the chief, and did not want his son to tag along. Hiccup reckoned his dad was just being overprotective.
Sometimes, if he were lucky, his dad would bring some kids over to the house. Ruffnut and Tuffnut were twins, and double the trouble, always playing pranks on him. One time, they had scribbled over his precious drawings. Stoick had taken care of that matter.
Snotlout was the one who constantly teased him. Sometimes he'll say Hiccup had a weak immune system. Other times he'll taunt Hiccup, challenging him to races. After Hiccup's constant begging at his father, Snotlout refrained from coming.
Fishlegs was probably the one he could relate the most to. Quiet, timid, and with an interest in dragons, much like himself. They wouldn't talk, but they had a neutral relationship.
Astrid…Oh, why did things have to be so complicated? She was fierce and strong, deducted from the times Hiccup had spent craning his neck out the window for a glimpse of Astrid's axe throwing. But whenever she came over, she didn't talk, just sat there, sharpening her blade. Hiccup had sat in bed and looked at her long, nimble fingers sliding down the metallic iron rhythmically, and watched her sea-blue eyes as they drowned his. He didn't know what was wrong with her; maybe it was from her father pressuring her to become the greatest dragon trapper in all of Berk. Or maybe there was something wrong about himself, his sarcasm and arm gestures, and the way he looked at her with an emotion he'd never experienced before.
He wished he could visit her house. Maybe she was better in her own home, and would lighten up a bit, instead of the stern look of disdain she wore on her face all the time.
He heard a noise from the door, and was relieved to find his father standing there. “Hi Dad,” he greeted his father with a wave.
Stoick looked at his son, features brightening with a radiant warmth. “Hey, Hiccup. How’s it going?”
Hiccup chuckled. “Same as usual. I drew some dragons again, then played checkers with the metal set Gobber gave me. Do you think he could make me a wooden set? Because the metal will rust quickly, and besides, it’s way too heavy.”
Stoick busied himself by taking out papers. Those papers were to write down the stats of all the dragons at the “zoo”. That name was Gobber’s idea, and Hiccup disliked it; however he couldn’t do anything about it. Hiccup wanted to take a trip to the zoo someday. That way, he could draw them better, instead of drawing them from Stoick’s description.
After a minute of silence, Stoick lifted the stack of papers onto his desk. “I’ll see what I can do.” He took a good long look at Hiccup, and his brow furrowed. “Something wrong?”
Hiccup shied away from the question, looking towards the floor.
“Say it, I won’t judge you,” Stoick urged. He didn’t want to see his son unhappy, even as he slapped on some ridiculous rules. The rules were for his own good, anyways.
“Um...Can I come with you to work?” Hiccup’s voice was hopeful, although he knew his request was absurd.
Stoick’s forehead crinkled in surprise.
Hiccup twiddled his thumbs awkwardly, sitting through the silence. Finally, he spoke up. “I’ll stick with you for the whole time. Plus, I won’t do any jobs, like feeding the fish or anything. I just want to see the dragons, and outside,” he said softly.
He heard his father sigh. “Alright.”
Hiccup’s breath caught in his throat. “You really mean it?”
“Yes. I’ve been restraining you for so long, I just wanted to protect you-”
“That’s okay,” Hiccup interrupted.
“-and I would be a lousy father if I couldn’t grant you this wish, right?” Stoick finished. “In addition to that, I think that a breath of fresh air would do wonders for you.”
Hiccup smiled gratefully, giddiness creeping into him. "Thank you."
The door opened and Hiccup shielded his eyes against the sudden brightness blinding him.
"Open your eyes, Hiccup." Stoick grabbed all his paperwork and necessary items. Hiccup heard the paper crinkle. He also heard strange noises, of people talking, of water sloshing around in wooden buckets hefted on strong shoulders. He felt the warm sun on his face.
His eyes opened, and the view took his breath away. All the colours, vibrant and stunning, painted the enormity of Berk. Sunshine glistened and dappled the clear blue water. His hand reached up, as if to touch the soft clouds up above. It was more that he'd ever imagined possible.
"It's…" he managed to croak out, "…it's beautiful." Hiccup took an intake of fresh air, savoring the sharpness against his nostrils.
“I suppose so; it is my village, after all,” Stoick remarked. Seeing Hiccup like this also had a drastic effect on him, and he started to whistle a tune as he led his son towards the zoo. Fearing that he was cutting off the blood circulation of his son’s hand, he loosened his grip by quite a bit, while still making sure Hiccup’s lanky arm was attached to it.
Hiccup had his mouth wide open, looking through different eyes into a different place. Everything was absolutely perfect: the sun’s rays, the forest green, even the giggles of toddlers running from their patient mothers made him smile. He couldn’t hold his excitement, and his face showed it all: his anticipation and anxiety.
They entered the shabby door and past the training arena, where an older Viking was currently teaching a Gronkle to shoot its fireballs at targets placed along the wall. He felt a tug on his sleeve; Stoick was getting impatient, so he hurried his speed and walked alongside his father, eyes drifting back to the trainer every few seconds.
Next was the food rations. It stunk of fish, and Hiccup plugged his nose, breathing through his mouth graciously. The viewing area was next. Squawks were heard, chiming noisily through the bars of their cages. A few Vikings were already there, watching amusingly at a baby Nadder sprawled on the ground of its cage.
The food vendors outlined the “auditorium”, a place where people could watch dragons perform all sorts of tricks. He made a mental note to tell his father to take him there.
Finally, they reached the hangar, a storage room for dragons that hadn’t been tagged. Tagging was essential, because of the increase of dragon stealers, a group of dragon trappers who stole other people’s dragons for their own zoos in their separate islands, trying to encourage visitors to go over there, and therefore increasing their profit. So far, tagging had provided useful, as it was easier to see the missing dragons.
The room was dark, and Hiccup’s eyes had to adjust to the blackness that surrounded him. He could see the outlines of the cages, and hear the ruckus in there, irritating his ears. Stoick was talking to one of the Vikings working there, so Hiccup decided to look around, stretching his hand from his father’s as far as it would go. The small vicinity that he was able to reach had a blue and pale yellow Nadder, its spines drooping due to the diet given to her, so that she wouldn’t launch her spikes on her tail at anyone. Hiccup could tell it was a female; it had an overbite, and Stoick had told him that the ones with underbites were the males. She looked...sad, miserable, even. Hiccup immediately felt sorry for her.
There was also a flaming orange and red Monstrous Nightmare, its back doused with water every half minute to prevent it from catching on fire. It growled suspiciously. Hiccup retreated; he didn’t like its feisty attitude.
The last one that Hiccup could see from his spot was a plain brown Gronckle. It lay on the ground, sleeping peacefully. When Hiccup saw it turn, he almost gasped at the red bumps on its back. Gronckles were supposed to have light brown warts, but these were shining red.
“Where did you put our prize dragon?” Stoick asked the caretaker, pulling Hiccup behind him. Hiccup saw a shadow of a Zippleback to his left, both heads’ mouths clamped with sturdy muzzles.
“Prize dragon?” Hiccup inquired.
Stoick turned to face him. “Yes, it’s a rare breed. A Night Fury.”
“Wow.” Night Furies were very rare; you could hardly see them in the wild. Some people even thought they were extinct. It was a prize indeed.
Hiccup’s father went to the deepest, darkest corner of the room. He swung his arm around to lift up a lantern from its hook, then struck a match and lit it. Two glowing eyes stared out of the gloom. A vicious growl emanated from the dragon. Hiccup breathed in awe.
The dragon was unlike anything that he’d seen before. As black as night, he had six prominent nubs on its head. Lighter spots dotted his wings in splotches curving on his back. His wingspan was huge in comparison. Due to the clamps, he couldn’t open his mouth much, but Hiccup could see the pinkness of gums. No teeth. Huh.
“Careful, Hiccup. This one has a large temper. You don’t want it to shoot a plasma firebolt at you, even though its jaws are clamped together,” Stoick cautioned, placing his heap of papers onto an empty cage beside him. Hiccup nodded.
The Night Fury clawed at his barriers, and produced a sound similar to a wail. As he writhed in his cage, there was something that caught his eye. “Dad, what’s wrong with his tail?”
“Oh, nothing,” Stoick waved it off with his broad hand, “one of the dragon trappers working here shot it down, and it accidentally ripped the left one off. It won’t be able to do any aerial tricks anymore, but many people will pay a lot to see a dragon so precious as 457 here.”
“457?”
“That’s its code. Number 457.”
“Oh.”
“Well, would you look at the time!” Stoick pointed to the sun. “Come on Hiccup, I’ll take you to the food vendors.” Hiccup was once again dragged to the exit. As he left, he couldn’t help but look back at the lone Night Fury watching silently at his departure.
“Goodbye...Toothless.”
“Mind if I come with you again?” Hiccup asked at breakfast, eager.
Stoick didn’t look up. “You were alright yesterday, so I suppose so.”
The way to the zoo was same as always. They entered the storage once again. This time, Stoick sat down and began tagging the dragons by number, punching holes into their wings and hooking a small tag to it. The Night Fury was there still, making low rumbles of sadness. His eyes looked almost lifeless, no spark left in them.
The table that Stoick was working on was close to the black dragon, so Hiccup drew a rope off a hook on the wall and tied it to his wrist. The other end was knotted to his father’s wrist. That way, he could go much further in.
He approached the dragon tentatively. “You okay, bud?”
The dragon snarled disapprovingly.
The boy leaned closer to examine its wounded tail, then shifted his wandering eyes back to the dragon’s soft green ones. His gaze locked onto the boy’s, curious.
“You want to fly, don’t you?” he sighed.
The dragon didn’t respond, then whimpered. Hiccup felt pain in his chest. He turned away, ashamed that he couldn’t help. He could never help much anyways, with his nonexistent leg…
Hiccup whipped his head back. Nonexistent leg… nonexistent tailfin…stuck at home… stuck in a cage...
They were more similar than he’d thought.
As he lay in bed, Hiccup could not stop thinking about the Night Fury. His left leg dangled over the side of the bed.
He tossed and turned, wrinkling the covers.
It was morning, and he’d barely had any sleep. He rubbed his sleep-encrusted eyes drowsily, then sat up with a jolt. Oh the gods hate me, he thought as he remembered what day it was. Tuffnut and Ruffnut were coming over once again.
The twins were bursting with excitement as they came in. “Let’s go see how many bugs we can find on the ground,” Tuffnut shouted happily.
“I bet there are a lot of mosquitos squashed dead on the window,” Ruffnut exclaimed. They exchanged a head-bump.
“Awesome!” Tuffnut said. “I can see stars. And it’s only in the morning!”
“Hey, Hiccup,” Ruffnut said. “Do you want some of my breakfast?” She held up a bundled package.
It was probably filled with worms. “No thank you,” Hiccup politely replied. He could feel his face turning green at the thought.
“Whatever. You’re missing out.” She spotted the makeshift birdcage on Hiccup’s desk just then. It had been another gift from Gobber. There were no birds in it, but there was a toy metal dragon, its eyes painted so that it looked cross-eyed. “Hey Tuff, wanna do something crazy?”
“Why not?” Tuffnut agreed. He picked up a piece of wire, most likely from Gobber’s forge. Hiccup watched in amazement as he jabbed it into the small keyhole of the cage. The wire bent and nearly snapped under pressure.
“Not like that, you dummy,” Ruffnut complained of her brother’s stupidity. “Like this.” She snatched it away from him and jiggled it around the hole. It didn’t work, and she threw it onto the ground. From her pocket, she drew a stronger, thicker piece, and positioned it back in. A faint click was heard, and the cage swung open. “Got it!” Ruffnut pumped her fist into the air. She took the toy dragon out if its roosting spot.
“Now let’s melt it at the forge!” Tuffnut said, and the twins ran away, cackling with glee.
Hiccup was somehow not angry. He stood up shakily on his prosthetic, and fingered the piece of wire left behind. A plan was forming in his head.
“Dad, can I ask you a favour?”
“Sure, say it,” Stoick said gruffly, rubbing his temples.
“Can you give this to Gobber?” He handed him a piece of paper. Stoick paused to examine it.
“You really think this would work?” Stoick said, with a surprised air.
Hiccup nodded solemnly.
“Well, whatever you say. I’ll give it to him, and see what he says.”
“The boy’s a genius. This would solve our problem!” Gobber exclaimed excitedly, pulling the prosthetic tailfin open and close. “Now we can finally train ‘im.”
Stoick took the tailfin in, and beckoned Gobber in as well. “Hiccup would love to see it first,” he explained, “though he’s taking a short nap right now. He said he’ll give it back tomorrow.”
Hiccup opened his eyes and carefully eavesdropped at the door. When Gobber had left, Stoick knocked on the door, and Hiccup quickly sprang back into his bed.
The door swung open. “Hiccup, are you fine?”
“Yes, Dad,” he said in a muffled voice, under the covers. “I’m just a little tired, that’s all.”
“Alright, then. I’ll um… leave this here, then.” Hiccup heard a thunk on the desktop, then the shutting of the door.
It was night, and Hiccup leaned his ear against the door. Satisfied with the response of his father’s snoring, he snuck out the house, carefully closing it. His heart beating against his chest, he tiptoed to the zoo quietly, with the tailfin beneath his arm.
The night view was different than in the day. The moon was shining brightly overhead, glowing a pale blue over the young boy’s head. Twinkling stars stone in the night sky.
The boy limped to the entrance. It was bolted shut, but he knew of a secret entrance from the back, from spying on Stoick’s papers. The thin wire twisted inside and nudged the gears, allowing it to open up effortlessly. Silent as the whispering wind, he walked in. There were no guards present, only at the front door, and the one guarding the back had thankfully gone off to get a snack. Hiccup crawled down to his hands and knees. He reached the hangar and again used the lockpicking technique to open it. It was dark, with a musty odour to it. Careful not to wake the dragons up, he stood on his tiptoes and went in.
There was an ingidant squawk. “Shh,” Hiccup cautioned. “It’s alright.” There was a lever at the far end, for opening a large hole up top. He pulled it with all his might, sweat running down his nose, until the gears squeaked and the two halves slid open, revealing the moon gazing softly upon the dragons’ tired heads. The thin wire jostled open the blue and yellow Nadder’s cage, and it flew off with a beating of wings.
He did the same with all the others. They amazingly did not protest, but let him come to close proximity to him, sensing what he was about to do. He reached the Night Fury last. Opening the cage, the Night Fury huffed warm air onto him in surprise. “Don’t you worry,” Hiccup grunted, as he attached the tailfin onto the dragon’s tail, “I’m going to get you out of here. There,” he said, admiring his handiwork. “Go on,” he urged, but the dragon did not budge.
Hiccup watched nervously as his head came closer. The boy extended a shaking hand, and stroked the dragon’s coarse head. “Whoa,” he breathed. The dragon seemed to smile at him, purring as his shut his eyes.
Then with a flurry of movement, the dragon leapt up, up into the starry sky, its powerful wings beating rapidly as he ascended. Hiccup smiled widely, an unexplainable feeling coursing through his heart: the same one that happened whenever he looked at Astrid’s eyes. He knew that there were many other dragons captured in other zoos, but this moment was precious to him. The dragon twirled in the night sky, leaving a streak of blue in the dark as he broke free of his bonds and returned to his home at last.
There were dragons when I was a boy.
Links
It came out longer than I had expected 
Anyways, this story may be a "prequel" or side story to my WIP fanfic Forest Guardian, but for now, I'm leaving it as a oneshot.
