686Chapter 37: There And Back Again
There And Back Again
Hiccup stood a hundred paces or so from the rest of the dozing pack. He considered going to rest under one of Sky-Dancer's wings, but he was on guard duty right now which meant he had to stay alert. Resting with her would inevitably end in him falling asleep, so that possibility was out.
Just gotta wait for him to get back. Hope he doesn't take too long.
Why Toothless liked spending time on his own at night was a little strange, but the Fury had always been independent and able to take care of himself or at least keep himself occupied while on his own, such as in the cove and in the Shire. This time was different, since Toothless obviously had to talk to Jumps-At-Fire about something.
He shivered and rearranged his heavy coat. The cold here was not the same frostbite-on-the-spleen level it was further up north, but it was still very intense. Here it was more like frostbite-on-the-nose level.
Maybe Toothless and Jumps-At-Fire were reconsidering their decision to not be a pair. Toothless had seemed very sure that they were not meant to be together.
It was also frustrating to have no input or influence over such an important detail of Toothless's life, since that choice would impact his own life.
So he just stood there, silently staring out into the dark while waiting for whatever was going to happen. The two Furies wanted to be left to talk on their own, so he probably shouldn't invade their privacy... but still...
Jumps-At-Fire eventually returned alone from talking with Toothless. That she returned alone, looking very glum, and immediately went to sleep without even glancing at him was revealing. She had probably wanted to talk to Toothless about their decision to not be mates, and Toothless had turned her down because of... whatever his objections were. Was it something about her not being ready for that?
What else could they have been talking about that left her upset?
What am I missing?
A pair of green eyes appeared in the darkness shortly afterwards as Toothless strode to him.
"Hey bud, everything okay?"
"Can we talk?" Toothless whispered.
"Yeah, it's possible. We've been able to talk for a long time now."
Toothless snorted and gestured away from the pack, so he followed him. They walked in the darkness on the plain until they could not distinguish the individual Furies in the pack. Then Toothless stopped and lay down on his belly.
"What's up?"
"The stars, moon, and sky," Toothless grumbled.
"Excellent powers of observation there, bud. Good one!"
Toothless rolled his glowing eyes and then groaned.
"I am sorry, Hiccup."
"Uh, okay, apology accepted. What for?"
"I need to tell you something that I should have told you already. Far-Flight is the only other who knows this."
"Alright, I'm listening."
Toothless took a deep breath, got to his paws, and looked to him.
"Do you remember that Jumps-At-Fire wanted to talk to me after she first flew back to the pack?"
"Vaguely. That was... a couple months ago."
"I went with her into the woods, and she and I mated."
Hiccup nodded, blinked, and only then realized what Toothless said. Then he stood still and stared, thinking about that simple news that was so awkward to think about! His best friend had done that!
"Wwwwwhat?" he gasped.
Toothless nodded.
"Yes, I climbed on her and..."
"I understand that!" Hiccup quickly interrupted him.
"You sounded like you did not."
"Well, I... I... was just surprised and..."
Hiccup closed his eyes, held a palm to his forehead, and took a deep breath to steady himself.
"Well, okay, yeah, alright, that... happened. It was just that one time though."
"We did it many times."
"Did you really have to tell me that!"
Toothless snorted.
"I want you to know the truth."
"Great... which is? I'm not sure I want to know anymore..."
"She has a trust problem because of bad things that happened in her past. Her sire left her dam, and her first mate, whom she cared for, was killed by humans. There is more that happened to her, but that is the important bad."
"Alright, that is really sad..." Hiccup admitted.
"She wanted me to be with her because it is... warming and makes her feel wanted, but she could not trust me to be a true life-mate. She also does not want any cubs."
"But you two... did... you know."
"Yes, but she could not get a cub then. She made sure that we were never together when she could get a cub from it."
"How would she know... actually don't tell me."
"I do not know either."
Toothless then sighed.
"Her not being able to trust me is part of why I am not with her now and will not be. Not unless she truly changes."
Toothless looked back toward the pack and hung his head.
"I want her to be happy, but she must learn what it means to be happy. I thought I could give her mating, bond some with her, and that she might want more as I did... do. That was... twisted of me. I made... a mistake."
Toothless seemed so melancholy, his ears fallen and a quiver in his voice, that Hiccup couldn't feel upset at him. This was also completely different from how he had seen his friend before.
"Bud, it's not like I know anything about making mistakes. Somebody was the village screw-up. Never like... doing that... but still," Hiccup chuckled.
Toothless groaned and stared at his paws.
"I understand if you think less of me."
What! Why would I...
Hiccup stood by Toothless's head and gave his neck a scratching. Toothless leaned into the scratching and gave a pleased sigh and purr.
"I don't. You made a mistake and then you learned. That's all anyone can do. Do you think she will... change?"
"She probably needs someone in her life to get to her to think less about herself and her own wants."
"Who else could do that?"
"I do not know. Not me. Not in that way. I told her my objections, and it is up to her to want to change."
Hiccup nodded, though he wondered about this whole situation. His own experience with Astrid, or more the lack of any experiences to count as a relationship with her, had been defined by her hitting him or belittling him. Not that such treatment was exclusive to him; she was like that to anyone who wasn't good enough. With others who might make true Vikings, that mocking could be encouragement to do better, but with him... not so much.
"Did she ever... do anything bad to you?"
"Bad?" Toothless warbled.
"Like... hit you or bite you or... that."
"Well, she bit some when we were being together."
Hiccup groaned.
"Not what I meant!"
Toothless huffed.
"Oh, I understand. She is not stupid or cruel, just not seeing her problems on her own. She never tried to hurt me if that is what you are asking."
"Okay, that's good; I suppose. What are you, uh, going to do next?"
"Next?"
"With her or... anyone else."
Toothless snorted and closed his eyes.
"Nothing. I will not chase after her or Moonbeam anytime soon. It would be better for me to think about what I have learned and focus on the pack and peace with Middle-earth."
Hiccup entirely agreed with that plan. Relationships were not really that important when compared to the great mission of getting the pack into Middle-earth in peace. Toothless being distracted by females would not end well for anyone.
"Sounds good, bud."
Toothless purred softly and opened his eyes.
"Hiccup, thank you for being understanding."
"What are friends for?"
"Other than teasing and playing with?"
"Yep, that too."
Hiccup finally beheld the Grey Mountains off in the distance in the south. Finally, something familiar and not the endless expanse of empty plains of ice, snow, and mud.
The flight had been slow between the cubs' slower pace and Lightning's need for more rest. The minimal hunting available on the plains was not a problem because of how well the pack had eaten before the flight.
Seven days. The storm did hold us back one full day. Gods, Toothless and I must have been very lost when we flew up there.
During a brief break while resting on a high ledge, he pulled out Bilbo's map and tried to guess at where he and the pack might be along the mountain range. All he was sure of was that they were far west of Vorunturth's territory. He and Toothless had no desire to ever see that place again.
Seeing nothing once they were among the highest peaks again, they continued along the mountains into the west throughout the day. Finally, they saw another, far more massive set of mountains on the far horizon late in the afternoon. There was no mistaking what that meant.
Got it! The Grey Mountains here and another mountain range heading further south up ahead. Those must be the Misty Mountains. Perfect. No getting lost now.
He glanced back over Toothless's tail and saw the entire pack still aloft behind them.
Probably only another three or four days at this pace.
"Know where to go, bud?"
"Those are the mountains of mist, yes?"
"Yep! Follow them south!"
Toothless knew that Night Furies could easily endure the cold. His own life around Berk and all the time with the pack far into the cold of the Northern Waste were proof of that.
The skies over the Misty Mountains were very, very cold because of how high they were. The pack was staying in the lower skies whenever possible, but that did not help much. It was just as cold at this height as it was on the ground in the pack's old territory.
They flew around snowcapped peaks that grew up above the clouds, along bare rock empty of any green, and through air that felt very thin.
Then the pack reached the western side of the Misty Mountains. All flew down the great slope and left the mountains behind as they descended over valleys most appropriately filled with mist.
The air gradually became warm again.
This is much better!
Flame-In-The-Night darted up to them and beckoned them to the ground, so they and the whole pack followed him down near a small stream flowing down the slopes. Everyone landed in the clearing amid the pines and started either resting or drinking. Everyone was very tired and thirsty after only having snow to munch on for water the last couple days. There had been some hunting, a few deer and elk, on the lower slopes along the way through the mountains.
Hiccup hopped down from Toothless, took off his heavy coat, and started stretching his legs after another half-day of flying.
"Gods, it's good to have that off."
Toothless just collapsed in place and started snoring.
"Sleepy?"
Toothless didn't respond.
"You don't mind if I tickle your ears, do you?"
Toothless didn't respond, which meant he was truly asleep. There was no way he would respond at all to such a tease.
Not a bad idea really...
Far-Flight, Sky-Dancer, and Breath-Of-Sky trotted over and lay down with him after yawning.
"You all too?"
"We are tired," Sky-Dancer said.
"That was a long flight," Far-Flight added.
"I am not tired!" Breath-Of-Sky yawned.
Far-Flight just flopped a wing over his son's back.
"Yes, you are, my son."
"Maybe a little..." Breath-Of-Sky relented.
Sky-Dancer nudged Hiccup's shoulder.
"Hiccup, the Alphas were looking for you," she said.
So Hiccup went looking for the Alphas and found them resting with Free-Flight and Snowflame on the other side of the stream.
"Alphas, you were looking for me."
"Yes, we wanted to talk now that we are in these ranges," Flame-In-The-Night said.
"Fair enough. What do you think of these lands so far?"
"There are no humans yet, and we see no other dangers. It is very green. We do not know where good hunting is in these ranges."
"That shouldn't be a problem. The humans will help with that once we meet them."
Flame-In-The-Night got up and began walking after gesturing for him to follow. They walked through the forest and stopped on a rocky overhang which revealed the distant southwest and more mountains directly to the west. The land beyond still looked rather barren and harsh.
Is that ancient Angmar?
The sun felt slightly darker and the day cooler as he imagined a shriek echoing on the wind. Then the moment passed.
"How far is the flight now?"
"To Rivendell, no more than a day or two," Hiccup answered.
"And what will happen there?"
"I don't know. It depends on what the pack wants to do and what has happened while we've been gone. There might not even be any fighting at all, and we could find the whole pack a new home somewhere."
Flame-In-The-Night huffed.
"That would be good. I hope there is enough hunting for us all."
"I'm pretty sure there will be."
"We will wait here for a while. The pack needs rest."
"Yep, Burning-Star is already sleep."
Together, they turned back to return to their families. His mention of hunting reminded Hiccup that food was going to be, if not a problem, at least a consideration when planning where the pack could live.
We will either need to settle down by the ocean, by a large river, or somewhere that there are large herds of livestock. Gods, I really don't know what's going to happen next.
He was so completely lost in his thoughts that he didn't notice the Fury who stepped into his path. Deep blue eyes narrowed on him.
"Oh, Growls, you spooked me..."
Growls-At-His-Shadow huffed in his face and then stepped back. Dreamcatcher and Tail-Hunter also stepped up next to Growls-At-His-Shadow. Then the cub hopped on his back and curled up there even though she was perhaps a little big to be doing so.
Despite the anger that Growls-At-His-Shadow had shown to him and the... terrible... things that this Fury had done to humans in the past, he could not be angry with him right now. Growls-At-His-Shadow was being a loving father for his daughter.
Even with that though, he needed to be sure that this Fury wouldn't do something that might hurt the whole pack. Growls had said that he enjoyed hunting and even eating humans before out of revenge.
"Growls, we need to talk."
"What about?" the Fury growled.
"About... the past and where the pack is going. It might be best to talk on our own..."
Growls-At-His-Shadow huffed, turned around, and nuzzled his daughter's muzzle while purring to her.
"My brave hunter, can you go to your dam?"
"Must I?" she warbled.
"Yes, I must talk with Hiccup."
Tail-Hunter stood up on his back and hop-flew over to Dreamcatcher's back where she curled up.
Growls-At-His-Shadow then followed him a few paces away from the rest of the pack.
"What?"
"I... know that you and Dreamcatcher do not really trust humans and that... bad things have happened between them and you. You two didn't want the pack to do this."
Growls-At-His-Shadow flicked an ear and flashed his teeth while yawning widely. It was one of his usual, halfhearted displays.
"But," Hiccup continued, "the humans and others where we are going do not have reason to hate or fear the pack."
"Why should I care?"
"You are not stupid. If anything happens that makes the humans and others hate us, it might get the cubs hurt also. Do you want that? Do you want Tail-Hunter to get hurt?"
"No!"
"Same with me. Do not do anything to provoke the humans or others like them. We both know how dangerous they can be."
"You would know..."
"Yeah, I do. Right now, we are possible allies to them. Don't make them our enemies."
"Why are you doing this?" the Fury then asked.
"Doing what?"
"Bringing the pack into the teeth of dangerous humans."
Hiccup groaned.
"Because humans are not only dangerous. They just need to peacefully get to know you dragons. And this is also for your own good. There are enemies that would hurt and use you."
Growls-At-His-Shadow huffed and stared toward the rest of the pack gathered by the stream. The Fury's backswept ears fell slightly.
"I have been talking with the Alpha pair. They shared many words with me and Dreamcatcher. We will not do anything to hurt the peace, if the peace is growing. As... as much as I want to hurt humans for the wrong of being humans... I want Tail-Hunter to be safe even more."
"She is more important than revenge?" Hiccup clarified.
"Yes, she is."
Growls-At-His-Shadow then stepped over to him and gently nudged his side once before trotting away to return to his mate and daughter. This was the first time that the male had displayed any kind of affection or acceptance toward him. It was not much, but it was something.
I won't complain about it. That's one more pair that won't be a real problem. So that leaves only... one more dragon who has issues with humans?
He looked toward the two Light Furies resting among the pack.
Leave it to a Light Fury to be the most suspicious of everyone. Why is that not surprising?
While he was frustrated with how obstinate Moonbeam was, there were still signs of progress with her. She admitted that he was not a terrible human, so there was hope for her to come around eventually.
The very familiar set of foothills west of the Misty Mountains came into view up ahead. Toothless knew where to lead the pack. Then, at mid-morning, they arrived at the place where the river spilled out over a gorge in a set of waterfalls into the hidden valley of Imladris.
Hiccup beheld the sight with a fond warmth in his heart. There were so many good memories of weeks in Rivendell, bonding with the Hobbits and Elves, and learning about the history of Middle-earth.
Just follow the river and look for the gorge. Very safe and hidden from anywhere on the ground.
He sighed, amazed that they were back.
We did it. We went there and back again.
"Let's land up here outside the valley. We don't want to scare the Elves with the whole pack flying down on them at once," Hiccup explained.
Toothless purred in agreement.
One by one, the pairs and young followed their lead and dove for land on the shore of the river. Everyone stayed close together down on the ground.
Hiccup and Toothless approached the Alpha pair first.
"Alphas, the... nest I wanted us to fly to is down in the valley. That is where we can meet the Elf... Alpha who told me and Burning-Star to look for you," Hiccup said.
"And going down there will help the pack find a new range to live in?" Snowfall asked.
"Yes, it will. I want you both to fly with us as the Alphas. The rest of the pack should stay here and wait for us."
Flame-In-The-Night hummed.
"That is good thinking. We will tell the pack."
Rivendell looked almost the same as it had before. The waterfalls sparkled with rainbows from the ever-present misty spray. The walls of the valley were a mix of rock and green, untouched by the passing of seasons. The buildings were covered in green and unchanged. There was only one difference.
The city looked far more empty. There was barely any movement at all inside, and they could not see any Elves out and about.
"Where is everyone?" Hiccup asked while he and Toothless glided, the Alpha pair following closely behind him.
"I do not know. Maybe they are hunting," Toothless offered.
"Maybe. Only one way to find out."
Toothless then dove for the clearing inside the main gates. It was the same place the Fellowship had set out from and where he had parted with the dear Hobbits, Strider, and Gandalf.
Flame-In-The-Night and Snowfall circled overhead for several moments while observing the place for any signs of danger. Seeing none, they dove as well and touched down behind him. Then they came forward and stood at his shoulder. They stared ahead warily and also in amazement.
"I did not know that human-Elf nests looked like this..." Snowfall breathed.
"Most human... nests do not look like this. Elves and humans are different," Hiccup explained.
"They both make their own dens like those homes over there," Toothless added.
Motion caught their attention as a small group of Elves approached from further within Rivendell. At the head of the group was the familiar Lord Elrond himself, clad in his flowing robes as he always was. Elrond approached without hesitation, though he visibly noticed the two other Night Furies now present.
"Masters Haddock and Toothless, welcome back to Rivendell."
They bowed to him.
"It is good to be back here, Elf-lord," Toothless purred.
Elrond similarly bent his head and then gazed at the Alphas.
"I take it from the presence of our guests here that you were successful?"
"Yes," Toothless answered, "we found them living far in the Northern Waste. A full pack of my kin and others that are like me."
"A pack? How many of you are there?"
"Twenty-three now and one more soon. Everyone else is waiting outside the valley just to be safe," Hiccup explained.
Elrond looked momentarily concerned or amused by something.
"Twenty-three of you now? And who are these two who are with us?" Elrond wondered.
Hiccup pointedly nodded to them and beckoned them forward. Flame-In-The-Night and Snowfall stepped closer after fully folding away their wings. They held their heads proudly and confidently.
"I am Flame-In-The-Night."
"I am Snowfall. We are the pack Alphas."
"Basically they are the leaders for the pack," Hiccup explained.
"I understand. Flame-In-The-Night, Snowfall. I am Elrond... the Alpha of these lands. First, let me assure you that no harm will come to you or any of your pack while you are in my lands. All Elves here already know of Toothless and know that he is a free, good creature."
"We are afraid of humans because of bad pasts with them. We were hunted and killed much before we... were brought here," Flame-In-The-Night said.
Elrond looked expectantly at Hiccup and Toothless for explanation.
"The same as what happened to us. They heard a... voice and then flew into strange skies. They made a pack for safety and have been living together in hiding for... decades... probably," Hiccup said.
Elrond nodded and then considered the two Alphas after folding his arms behind his back.
"May I ask you why you and your pack flew to us?"
"We want what is best for the pack. Humans hunted us in the past, and we hope that this world can be... different," Flame-In-The-Night answered.
"Hiccup and Burning-Star told us that there is an Enemy that would try to control and use us. The same Enemy sent the living shadow to us winters ago," Snowfall added.
"Burning-Star?" Elrond wondered.
"That's Toothless's other name. And the living shadow was probably a Nazgul," Hiccup explained.
His mention of a Nazgul visibly surprised Elrond.
"And you rejected it?"
The Alphas snarled.
"The bad shadow-thing threatened us with bad words and things we do not want. We want to be free, always," Flame-In-The-Night growled, though with a distant look of sorrow in his eyes.
Snowfall nuzzled his neck in comfort.
"And you will be. You are all welcome here. Would you bring the rest of your pack? I can have some fish and meat brought to you all," Elrond then proclaimed.
The Alphas blinked in surprise and purred with approval.
"We will," Snowfall hummed.
They both flew off toward the waterfalls, and Elrond watched them fly. Despite his having been alive for thousands of years, Elrond's ancient face was alive with wonder.
"Lord Elrond, I thought that you Elves didn't eat meat," Hiccup observed.
"True, we do not, but Night Furies do. I anticipated that I would have at least one guest at some point, even after over two months, so I made some provisions. Even if I have woefully underestimated how many provisions I would need."
"Wait, two months?"
"Yes, it has been two months since the Fellowship departed."
Elrond looked very weary or worried for a moment. Then he hid whatever that worry was.
"How was your journey? I see that you found others of your kind."
"Yes, I found my sire and dam and a little brother also! They live!" Toothless struggled to hold his tail still.
Elrond had a sad but also pleased smile after hearing that.
"I am happy for you. There is little more painful than a family separated. The wounds of such do not fade in one generation. Did anything... interesting happen on your journey? Galadriel spoke to me of your meeting with her and the gift she gave you."
"Yes, something did," Hiccup frowned, "We met another dragon: an ice dragon on the northern side of the Grey Mountains."
He and Toothless shivered and snarled as one.
"I didn't think that a dragon could be that... cruel," Hiccup frowned.
Elrond looked amused.
"You met a Middle-earth dragon and lived to tell the tale. That is impressive. I must ask, do either of you know if these dragons you found are the same as you, Toothless? Do they feel temptation?"
"I asked if they know anything about gold, and they didn't know about it," Hiccup answered for him.
Elrond looked genuinely surprised and very thoughtful.
"No? Curious. Maybe they have not had a chance to be exposed to it yet, or maybe there is something that we have missed."
A chorus of roars echoed from above, and all looked up as a swarm of dark shapes dove in a storm of wings. Far-Flight, Sky-Dancer, and Breath-Of-Sky landed first and walked behind Toothless. The various families landed together, cubs and fledglings staying close to their parents.
Elrond beheld them all in open awe and amazement.
"By the Valar, how are we going to feed them all..."
Toothless chuckled.
"They can hunt for fish and other prey," he explained.
"There are only so many fish in the river," Elrond grumbled.
Then his eyes went very wide as he must have noticed something about the pack.
"Are those white Night Furies or another kind of dragon?"
"Those two sisters are Light Furies; they are like me but a little different," Toothless answered.
"They are very beautiful," Elrond softly said.
"Yes, they are," Toothless agreed.
Elrond then turned to his attendants and gave them some commands in Elvish. The other Elves began to depart to attend to their duties.
"Hiccup, Toothless, would you please walk with me?"
They followed him up a single flight of stairs where Hiccup and Elrond then leaned against the railing and looked out over the courtyard filled with the resting Furies. The cubs and fledglings were curled up on the ground to rest more after the long flight. However, some of them were eagerly looking around at what they could see of the city.
"You probably want to know what has happened since you departed," Elrond began.
"Yes, we do," Hiccup answered.
"The Fellowship was forced to take a different path than they intended. They went through the Mines of Moria, inside which they met a fell being."
A shadow passed across Elrond's face for an instant.
"They met Durin's Bane: a Balrog of Morgoth," he whispered.
Hiccup couldn't recall any mention of such creatures in the stories he had heard. But there was a lot of history he had missed or not learned about.
"What is that?" Hiccup warily asked.
"Imagine a living tempest of fire and shadow as large as a dragon."
Hiccup and Toothless glanced at each other; both of them knowing what the other was thinking.
They had seen something that vaguely reminded them of that description. Further, the one they saw was also deep underground... just like the one that was apparently in Moria.
"What happened?" Toothless then asked.
"It killed Gandalf."
Both of their jaws fell open in shock and disbelief at that impossible and terrible news.
"What?" "No!"
Elrond grimly nodded.
"He fell..."
Hiccup hugged Toothless's neck and almost sobbed while the Fury also mourned softly. He remembered how kind Gandalf had been to him and to Toothless and everything that he had done to help get Toothless accepted in the Elven lands. This was terrible and completely unexpected, not to mention problematic.
"How could... that happen? He was... a Wizard..."
"Gandalf is not like you or me. It is not my place to explain how and why only he among the Fellowship could slay such a being, but it is enough to know that he and the Balrog killed each other."
"And he is gone now..." Toothless whispered.
Painful, heartrending silence followed as the significance of this news sank in. Perhaps the most powerful person opposing Sauron had fallen. They couldn't go find him and get guidance or...
"Not truly..." Elrond added.
They both blinked in confusion.
"What?" "What?"
"He truly died when he killed the Balrog, yes, but he was also returned to life because his work was not finished yet. A Great Eagle bore him from the mountain where he fell and took him into Galadriel's care in Lothlorien."
"Wait, so... he... is... alive?" Hiccup asked in confusion.
There was a lot about what he heard which was strange. Why was Gandalf on a mountain... underground? Why was he dead and then not dead?
"In a way, he is alive as Gandalf, but he is a different Gandalf, if you can understand it," Elrond frowned.
"I don't," Hiccup answered.
"That is twisted," Toothless agreed.
Elrond closed his eyes.
"He could not return himself to life. It is enough for us to know that he lives again."
"Okay, what about the Fellowship?" Hiccup asked.
"I do not know what else has befallen the Fellowship since they left Lorien. Their path led them to Rohan and that Saruman has moved to strike Edoras and the people of Rohan. Beyond that, I know nothing more."
"Saruman, the bad Wizard?" Toothless asked.
"Yes, he was secretly in league with the Enemy and was creating a hidden army. An Eagle told me that army of Uruk-hai is marching against the people of Rohan now hiding in Helm's Deep."
Hiccup decided to not question whether he had heard correctly that an Eagle had spoken to Elrond.
As long as this world doesn't have walking and talking trees...
"Wait!" Toothless barked in alarm, "If the Fellowship went to that place in Rohan, then they are in danger!"
Elrond looked up to the sky.
"Yes. The time of the Elves is fading, but we would not abandon our friends to their fates. Elves and Men fought together against the Enemy before, and we have not forgotten. Galadriel and I sent a company of our finest warriors to aid in the coming defense."
"What is this enemy?" Toothless asked.
"Uruk-hai. They are larger than men, are clad in steel armor, and bear pikes, cruel swords, and crossbows. They have quite a taste for Man flesh. My last report has their number at over ten thousand marching on Helm's Deep."
"Ten thousand?" Hiccup gasped at the thought of so large an army.
"Tell me about that Helm's Deep place," Toothless added.
Hiccup spun on him and stared.
"Toothless, are you thinking what I'm thinking?"
"Yes, if you are thinking about helping defend that place. Elrond, what is that place like?"
"It is a fortress set deep in a valley. A very high wall blocks the main courtyard that hides the Glittering Caves, and there is only one high causeway at the main gate. It is very defensible, but Saruman's army is numerous and more advanced than any army of common Orcs. Saruman's craft will surely have given them weapons that we know not of."
Toothless stood tall and looked down on the courtyard where the Elves had returned with buckets of water and several fish as well as some dried meat. Everything was peaceful between them and the pack, many of whom were already resting or cautiously approaching the Elves.
"It has been too long since I flamed something that needs flaming!"
He looked down on the pack and snarled.
"Maybe the pack should fly this flight!"
"That would be very dangerous," Hiccup pointed out.
Toothless snorted and turned on him while grinning with his teeth showing.
"Think about it. We fight to protect the humans, and we will save many lives and show the humans that we are good."
"But it is an army we'd be going against. We would need to be very careful."
"And we will be. No dragon is as fast as we are. You know that our fires are hot, and we fight from the shadows."
"You would do that? Fly to the aid of a different people?" Elrond asked.
"I would, yes. The pack... I hope they will. There is nothing better they could do to help the humans trust them."
Elrond leaned against the balcony while considering the pack.
"I cannot ask that you and your kin do such a thing. You know your own strength and abilities."
Toothless nodded.
"We will talk to them. Not all will fly there. The cubs and fledglings will not fight, and one female is heavy with a cub."
"Of course. Those should not be in combat. They are welcome to stay here."
"How long do we have until the battle?" Hiccup asked.
"The army should arrive at Helm's Deep three nights from this evening," Elrond answered.
Hiccup paced while thinking about the distance.
"Alright, we rest here today and have three days to fly with any of the Furies willing to fight. We arrive at night, which is perfect for us," Hiccup mused.
Elrond stepped away with a slight bow.
"I will have provisions brought for you. Though, I do fear what twenty-some dragons will do to my store of supplies. It might be as damaging as was a specific company of Dwarves many years ago..." Elrond muttered as he left.
Hiccup and Toothless returned to the pack after Elrond's departure. They immediately sought out the Alpha pair first.
"Flame-In-The-Night, Snowfall, we need to speak with you," Toothless beckoned the Alphas away to speak.
"What did the Elf Alpha say?" Snowfall asked after the four of them sat down together a short distance from the pack.
"We are all welcome to stay here as long as we need. But he told us that a human pack is in danger now from the Enemy," Hiccup explained.
"The Enemy sent a very big flight of ground-hunters to attack the humans hiding in their mountain-nest. We should fly to help the humans," Toothless added with a growl.
"It would be a flight of three more days after we rest here today," Hiccup added.
Flame-In-The-Night and Snowfall silently thought about it.
"I do not think all can fly much more now," Snowfall worried.
"They do not need to. The whole pack should not fly to fight. Lightning and Hunts-In-Deep-Waters can stay here because she needs rest. The Elves will provide for them. The cubs and fledglings could stay also," Hiccup offered.
Both Alphas hissed softly.
"No. Mated pairs and young should not part over much distance. Not in these strange ranges," Snowfall explained.
"Okay, so everyone flies there, but the cubs and fledglings stay with one of their sire or dam up in the mountains? That could work to keep them out of the fighting. I don't really know what the place looks like, but we could plan the attack when we get there, if we are going to do this," Hiccup added.
The Alphas looked at each other, silently coming to some agreement.
"We will talk to the pack," Flame-In-The-Night declared.
They both bounded away and glided over to the resting members of the pack.
Hiccup stood at Toothless's shoulder and watched as the Alpha pair spoke to the pack. Ears lifted and flattened. Tails went still and swayed.
A creeping fear was growing within his heart, especially as he saw the cubs and fledglings under their parents' wings. The reality of what he and Toothless were suggesting was more apparent in that moment.
"Toothless, what are we doing?"
"What do you mean?"
"What if something happens to them? We are leading them into battle where they have to kill and might be killed..."
Toothless purred softly.
"We are Night Furies. We know how to fight from afar and stay away from danger."
"Yeah, it's not like a Night Fury has ever been downed by bad luck before..." Hiccup muttered.
"Good luck," Toothless snorted.
"Whatever... and you know what I meant..."
"We will lead the flight with care. Our fire and wings and your planning."
"I just hope nothing bad happens..."
Flame-In-The-Night and Snowfall eventually hopped back over to them.
"What does the pack say?" Toothless asked.
"Helping the human pack might make peace between us and them, yes?" Snowfall asked.
"It would," Hiccup answered.
Flame-In-The-Night then flashed his teeth.
"Then we fight!"
Bilbo leaned on his crutch as he shuffled along, being helped by Hiccup giving him a hand. Bilbo stepped up on the balcony, leaned against the railing, and gasped in amazement.
"Well, here's a sight I've never seen before. And that is them, Toothless's family?"
"Yes. His father, Far-Flight, on the left; his mother, Sky-Dancer, on his right; and his little brother, Breath-Of-Sky," Hiccup smiled.
The Fury brothers decided that was a good time to start playing tail-tag, and they were hopping and leaping around in play with their tongues hanging out.
"Yeah, they're a little silly together."
"Amazing. How many of them are there in the pack?" Bilbo breathed.
"Twenty-three with a baby on the way."
"A baby Night Fury? Now that is something I have to see."
"You might see it. That pair, Hunts-In-Deep-Waters and Lightning," he pointed out the Furies in question, "will be staying here in Rivendell for a while. It's not easy for her to fly, as you can imagine."
"No, of course not. And where are the rest of them flying to, dear lad?"
Hiccup frowned.
"Helm's Deep. We are going there to fight a battle."
"A battle? Good heavens. I was in a battle once, you know. Five armies, that one had," Bilbo sighed.
"Was that up at Erebor?"
"Yes, it was. War is terrible and those who survive come back changed. I sure did. As terrible as it was, it did help to mend the bonds between the Elves and the Dwarves."
"Really?"
"Yes, fighting together against a common foe builds a deep trust between people. I saw it happen, long ago."
Hiccup still grimaced.
"I hope the people of Rohan will trust the Furies. I feel responsible for them since Toothless and I led them down here."
"Is it the right thing to do?" Bilbo asked.
"Yes. I just wish that it had not come to this, to needing to fight and being in danger."
Bilbo put a wrinkled hand on his shoulder.
"I imagine that anyone who lives in such times wishes that. But that is not something you should worry about. All you can do is fight for what is right and try to make the world a little better with the time you do have. I take it you do not want your journal back right now?"
Hiccup blinked in surprise, only then remembering that he had given Bilbo his old journal for safekeeping.
"Actually, you better hold onto it. We'll be back here eventually, I'm sure of that."
"Very well, then. Now, how about you introduce me to some friendly dragons?"
While Bilbo greeted Toothless's family, Hiccup settled for silently reflecting on what was going to happen soon. He knew that bringing the pack down into the world was for the best. It would hopefully not be tragic for anyone he had come to care about.
Toothless was resting with his family as all the pack began gathering on the clearing inside Rivendell. The small meals had been eaten, and everyone was settling down for a night of sleep. Everything was peaceful.
But he noticed something that chilled his soul-fire. Jumps-At-Fire was keeping herself further away from the rest of the pack. That was almost normal for her, but this was more extreme. She had been bonding more with everyone on the flight here, at least she had until he and she had their talk about not being together anymore. She had since then been staying on her own and not talking with anyone. That isolating herself could not be good for her.
Worse was the subtle detail he had noticed on the flight and even this evening as everyone settled down. The pack shied away from her also. No one actively went over to welcome her to their side in simple warmth-sharing as packmates. No one sought her out for talking or bonding.
Maybe that reluctance was fair of them, given her past, but it was also the opposite of what she needed. She needed to feel accepted and wanted by the pack, even in small ways, for who she was, not just for giving someone... pleasure.
The Alphas could probably help with this. They could nudge the pack to accept her more. But... they would need to know the truth.
The only others who knew were his sire and Hiccup. Could he trust Flame-In-The-Night and Snowfall on this? Another way to think about this was that Jumps-At-Fire might cause problems for the pack, and the Alpha pair deserved to know, since they were responsible for the pack.
I should tell them.
He hopped to his paws and strode to the Alpha pair, both resting with Snowflame and Free-Flight.
"Alphas, I would speak with you."
"Speak," Snowfall purred.
"On our own would be best."
They got to their paws and followed him away from the pack. They sat down together above a ledge overlooking the river below.
"What do you want to speak of?" Flame-In-The-Night asked.
"First, I want to keep this between us, me and you two as the Alpha pair for the pack."
That got them very interested.
"We will keep this to ourselves," Flame-In-The-Night agreed.
Toothless took a breath and began.
"I and Jumps-At-Fire were... mating some when the pack was in the cold range. She... tricked me, and I let myself be tricked by being blind."
Oddly, both Alphas growled softly, though they did not look like they were growling at him.
"Continue," Snowfall hissed.
"I and she are not doing that more. She needs to trust the pack and understand why she has problems with trusting others. But I see that the pack pushes her away in small ways."
"Yes, they do. That is fair of them. They remember what she did in the past," Snowfall answered.
"Which was?"
"Trying to tempt males who were in pairs. Not hunting with the pack. Not helping sit with the young. Those things..." Flame-In-The-Night grumbled.
"Yes, she made a... scene a pair of winters ago. She almost made a fight happen with teeth and claws," Snowfall added.
He grumbled also, knowing that she was entirely capable of all that and had freely admitted such to him on her own. But that last details about the fight was news to him. In all that she had done with him, she had never raised claws or tried to bite in anger.
"What happened? Did she... hit or bite anyone?"
"No, another almost did to her, but we stopped her before..." Snowfall answered and paused.
She had not said a name, but he had a guess who.
"Was it Lightning?" he whispered.
The Alphas said nothing for a moment until they softly hummed.
"It should not be hard to guess. Yes. She and Hunts-In-Deep-Waters were learning about the other as possible mates, and then he told her that Jumps-At-Fire wanted him to... be with her some in secret so there would be no hurting," Flame-In-The-Night grumbled.
"Lightning wanted to kill her, but we did not allow that. They did make a... scene though. It was after that, after he told Lightning that truth and showed that his soul-fire was hers that he and she named themselves as mates," Snowfall purred.
So some good came from it.
"I can believe Jumps-At-Fire would do that. Or she would in the past," he sighed.
Flame-In-The-Night then glanced at Snowfall, both Alphas appeared deep in thought.
"We know what we must do now," Flame-In-The-Night calmly said.
"Yes, we warned her what would happen next time," Snowfall answered.
Something about how calmly they spoke struck him.
Wait, what are they saying?
"Alphas, what do you mean?"
Flame-In-The-Night purred to him.
"We thank you for telling us this. We told Jumps-At-Fire that we would act if she caused more problems for the pack. Now we will have a pack-ceremony, we can tell everyone that she broke a pack-rule again after she said she would not, and we will name her... Packless."
He froze, horrified at that proposal. That was not what she deserved at all! She had problems and needed help getting over those through greater trust, not through being rejected by everyone. Not to mention that her being named Packless and being thrown out of the pack could only end in tragedy for her, lost in this strange and dangerous world on her own.
"You do not need to do that to her. She was not making problems for the pack, only for me."
Flame-In-The-Night snorted.
"She and I made an agreement that she would not do what she had been doing before. I thought she had changed some for the better."
"Alphas, do you know why she has problems?"
"Her sire was a bad example of what a sire should do and be," Snowfall answered.
"What else?" he prodded.
"There is nothing else," she said after a brief pause.
They do not know... her real problems.
"No, there is more. You did not hear this from me, but she lost her first mate, whom she did care for as a mate. He died to bad humans. I do not think she is only rotted in her soul-fire."
"How do you know that about her past?" Snowfall prodded.
"She told me. We were doing bonding after our... being together. I was trying to get her to want me truly by knowing my soul-fire, but... she did not want that. She did not want me as a life-mate or want cubs. I understand why she has her problems, and I do not think she will be a problem to the pack now."
"You think she has truly changed. Why?" Snowfall growled.
He took a deep breath to avoid getting angry with them. It was fair of them both to be suspicious of what he was saying.
"No, I do not think she has changed to want a life-mate or cubs. I do not know how many males in the pack she has been with, probably not many, but I said things to her that no other probably said. I want to help her truly, and that means not throwing her out of the pack. We know that she does not understand the dangers of this world."
He paused and growled softly.
"Naming her Packless will kill her. She does not deserve that."
Flame-In-The-Night clawed at the ground, his ears swept back.
"So you want us to forget our words to her as the pack Alphas? You want us to let her stay here in the pack after everything she has done. Are you serious?"
"Yes."
He stared them down, refusing to look away. It somehow felt important to not back down while standing up for her.
"Fine, but we will talk to her and remind her one more time," Flame-In-The-Night grumbled.
"Without letting her know that you told us anything," Snowfall added.
"My thanks, Alphas. If you could, maybe mention to some of the pairs that they could help Jumps-At-Fire feel more wanted in the pack. They could... talk to her or ask her to join them on hunts."
"But she is not wanted by them," Flame-In-The-Night answered.
He huffed.
"Maybe if she is treated as if she is wanted, she might be warmer and then be someone the pack does truly want to have. She told me that she feels like the pack tries to push her away."
"Does she? We always thought she wanted to be away from us," Snowfall said after a moment of thought.
"She is more on her own by choice, but also by feeling unwanted. Help her with that. Please."
The Alphas glanced at each other and then him.
"We will think about it," Flame-In-The-Night said.
The Alphas then spun away and trotted to the pack while he remained sitting there, staring down at the river.
With that matter taken care of, his thoughts started turning to the future fight against an enemy he did not know. There would be danger for certain, but he was sure that he and the rest of the pack could fight well and stay safe. He had flown attack-flights for several years after he became an adult and got his fire.
Only once had he made a mistake.
His idle thoughts were interrupted by the sound of approaching paws.
One of you forget something?
Surprisingly, Moonbeam sat down next to him. It was as if she had appeared from nowhere.
"Moonbeam! What are you doing here?"
"Sitting," she huffed.
"True, but I mean... what do you think about us flying this flight to defend humans?"
She paused before answering.
"I still think as I did before. Humans are dangerous. Nothing more, even if not all of them are... bad."
That was fair of her. He could not expect her to quickly overcome years of thinking about humans in the worst ways.
"You agree that this is necessary?"
She groaned.
"The safe place in the ice-range was... yes, it was safe from humans. On the other paw, the hunting was not good. That was part of why some... why I agreed with you and Hiccup. Leaving that range for places with more prey was needed."
He entirely agreed with her. There was hunting available in the cold range, but that hunting was not reliable. Not like how food was reliable in life with humans, anyway.
The pack made sure that any females with cub and any born cubs always had enough food, but that meant everyone else was thinner than they should be. Life in the wild was harsh and not good in many ways.
"I am glad you agree."
She gave a curious hum.
"Let us say that we do the fighting, win, and there is... peace with humans then. What will you do after that?" she asked.
"Do?"
"Do you know what you... want from life?"
That was a strange question coming from her. Why would she care if he knew what he wanted from life?
"Yes, I do. I learned much about myself up in the cold range."
In more ways than you know...
"Good."
With that, she hummed and spun around, trotting back to the pack and Mystery's side. He followed her to the large flat with the pack. Then he lay down with his family, less Hiccup, to get needed rest. Hiccup was somewhere else right now after being summoned away by Elrond.
There were several more days of flying ahead before they arrived at the fight, whatever that was going to look like.
He was going to be rested and ready to fight.