686Chapter 38: The Deep Breath
The Deep Breath
"Brother, I know this one!" Breath-Of-Sky bellowed, his tail thrashing.
Toothless just growled at his little brother and then glared back at Bilbo. The old Hobbit was calmly sitting on a stone bench and was grinning back at him with barely hidden triumph in his eyes.
If you have me, you want to share me. If you share me, you do not have me anymore. What am I? Grr...
He did not have many things which he cared for. The only things, people not included, which mattered to him were the flying equipment Hiccup made and his starlight pendant which Galadriel gave him.
Maybe he was thinking about this riddle the wrong way. The answer was, for now, a secret which he...
"A secret," he hummed.
"No, brother, it is a fish!" Breath-Of-Sky eagerly shouted.
Bilbo looked between them in surprise, pointing at each of them.
"You know what? Those both work, as far as I'm concerned. Now your turn, Master Toothless."
He had an easy one which he was very sure that Bilbo would get.
"I have no feet, no paws, no wings, but I climb to the sky. What am I?"
"Mountains is what you are. Now for yours... a cloud is my mother, the wind is my father, my son is the cool stream, and my daughter is the fruit of the land. A rainbow is my bed, the earth my final resting place, and I am the torment of man."
Breath-Of-Sky barked and started bouncing on his paws.
"Me! Me! I know this one!"
"Do you? What is it then?" Bilbo grinned.
"Rain!"
"It is indeed rain! Very good!"
He nudged his brother's shoulder.
"Well done, brother. Now you must give us a riddle, a word-twisting."
Breath-Of-Sky hummed in thought until his ears flew up.
"What is easy to get into but hard to get out of?"
Bilbo's eyebrows went up as he grinned at Breath-Of-Sky.
"Dear young dragon, do you get into this much?" Bilbo asked.
"No..." Breath-Of-Sky chuckled.
"Trouble!" Toothless answered.
"Yes! That is it!"
He rolled his eyes and huffed.
"I do not know about that. Sire and dam have told me some stories about you..."
Breath-Of-Sky pounced at him, abruptly ending the riddling games. That was fine. Watching Bilbo chuckling with warmth in his soul-fire was very good. Further, this might be the last time he got to see Bilbo for a long time, so he wanted the good Hobbit to enjoy this time. The entire pack was flying later this morning.
He considered offering to take Bilbo on a flight, but Bilbo was probably too old and frail for that. The best he could do for him was just be with him this morning and have some more riddling contests... after finishing this play-fight.
Hiccup straightened his attire, and then he rolled his eyes while looking in the mirror.
The Elves had given him more of their fair garments. These robes flowed around him and felt as soft as the gentle wind. Despite being so soft, the fabric was strong, would probably protect against windburn, and was warm. It was also green, as he had requested.
He messed up his hair so that it completely covered his ears, even though he had gotten a needed haircut. A couple months in the wild had left his hair getting wildly out of control.
"There, now I could be an Elven prince. Gods, how silly does that sound?"
Then he took the black cloth woven like a mask and put it over his head. There were only small holes cut for his nose and his eyes. He knew from long experience in the North that some covering was necessary for any extended flight involving the cold or great heights.
Standing there looking in the mirror, he wondered what might have been if events had been different. Maybe he could have forged a full set of riding attire from Toothless's shed scales and other dark leather.
Maybe I still will someday. Feels like something I should do. Dragon scale is so strong that nothing can hurt them unless...
Then he started with a solemn realization.
Wait a minute. They don't have any thick scales on their bellies or their throats. Those are weak points, not even counting the wings and tails of course. Maybe I could make some chain-mail or armor for them to help keep them safer.
"Making armor for dragons, now that is a project I never thought I'd work on..."
There would be a lot of planning needed before he took that idea seriously. There certainly wasn't time to consider anything right now.
Then he retrieved his bow after taking off his mask. He had not yet used the bow for anything beyond a little hunting in the wild.
I still haven't named you. Probably should have done that by now, since we might be about to fly into an inferno.
A smirk started growing alongside an idea as he held up the bow and drew it, aiming at some imaginary enemy. He didn't loose it though, since doing so without a nocked arrow was terrible for the bow.
It wouldn't be too hard. Get my arrows, modify the tips, soak their tips in oil, get something that smolders attached to the saddle, and I can shoot fire too!
Firing flaming arrows was not the same as having fire-breath, but this was the best he could do.
"You will be Inferno."
Satisfied, he squared his shoulders and strapped the bow, now Inferno, to his back. Practically, he was almost certain that he would not need it for anything. Plasma blasts raining down from the sky were definitely going to be more useful than an occasional arrow he might shoot. Even the flaming shots he would eventually have were likely going to be more symbolic than practical.
Still, the idea of being a proper soldier wielding a powerful weapon and clad in an intimidating armor of his own definitely had a certain appeal. He would not end up looking anything like a Viking, which was most appropriate.
Hiccup made a last minute check of the supplies and Toothless's rig. It had been a very restful night of sleep for all, the Furies laying piled together in the courtyard. Toothless and Breath-Of-Sky had gone off to spend some time with Bilbo while he himself was attending to clothing and supply-gathering.
Early morning talks with both Alphas had devised the beginnings of a plan. Of those adults who were going on the flight, which was everyone except Lightning and Hunts-In-Deep-Waters, one of each pair would do the fighting at a time. The other would stay up in the mountains with the cubs and smaller fledglings beyond any possible reach of an enemy. The one doing the fighting could switch out when they reached their shot limit. The only exceptions were that both Far-Flight and Sky-Dancer wished to fight, and Mystery would be staying up in the mountains so that Moonbeam could join the battle. Mystery and Breath-Of-Sky were to stay with the other children in safety.
There was little more that he, Toothless, or the Alphas could do to plan without seeing the place first for themselves. Descriptions related to him by another were only so useful.
"Everything ready?" Toothless asked.
In answer, he swung up into the saddle and clicked the tailfin.
"Ready, bud!"
Flame-In-The-Night got his attention with a cry a minute later, and he nodded back to him.
It was time.
A resounding cry then pierced the morning calm and echoed off the sheer walls in the valley. It was a roar of challenge and battle. Everyone took to the sky in a storm of wings.
Hiccup took one last glance back at the only pair still remaining on the ground, their wings spread wide as the rest of the pack departed. Bilbo and Arwen were barely visible standing at Lightning's shoulder.
Lightning and Hunts-In-Deep-Waters were entirely willing to stay behind. Further, neither of them expressed any worry about being there among the Elves, which was further proof that the two Furies were good judges of character.
They will be safe there.
The plan was for someone to fly to them after this battle to let them know what to do next.
Toothless took his place at the head of the flight as the pack turned to the south to fly along the Misty Mountains. Hiccup had the map and knew from speaking with Elrond where the pack should fly.
Toothless rolled his neck and stretched while in flight. His flight muscles felt very sore.
Great skies, we have been doing too much flying.
Not that he would admit that to anyone. The idea of a dragon flying too much was completely wrong and twisted.
Then he glanced back over his tail at the flight. The cloud of wings sparked old memories of raids long ago. Him flying at the head of the flight and looking for the most dangerous targets, the rock- and net-throwing things, to destroy.
But this time we are going to fly an attack flight to save humans. And ourselves too in a way. Twisted.
"How do you feel, bud?" Hiccup shouted over the wind.
"Good," he warbled back, "this feels twisted to be flying into fighting, but we must do this."
"Yes, but we know part of this flight already!"
He chuckled in surprise when he remembered that they had already flown this way before. Their flight would take them past Lothlorien, though there would not likely be a chance to stop there.
The Misty Mountains were very lengthy and very tall, exactly as both of them remembered the mountains from the last time they had flown this way. The pack stuck to the western side of the mountains throughout the entire flight. They stopped several times when someone spotted a deer or other hunting.
Finally, after a full two days of flight, the pack turned to the east and ascended the rocky slopes. Up into the thinner air and around the peaks of white in the colder air.
The sun was setting on the horizon behind their tails when they finally crossed over the last peak and began gliding down into the warmer air again. In the last of the light of dusk, Hiccup could barely see a very large and thick forest further to the south.
That looks like Fangorn.
"We should stop here!" Hiccup shouted.
"I agree."
The entire pack then dove to the ground and began to form several close piles on the eastern slope of the Misty Mountains. It looked like empty land all around with no lights from cities or torches.
Hiccup and Toothless volunteered for the first watch. Flame-In-The-Night and Snowfall padded over to them before going to sleep.
"What next?" they asked.
Hiccup stood up and stretched, looking at the clear sky.
"Tomorrow we fly over the forest, across the plains, and then we will find another range of mountains. Helm's Deep is near the north of those mountains. We should get there tomorrow evening. Then we land in the mountains and figure it out from there."
The Alphas left, leaving them both alone next to Toothless's parents and brother before heading out on watch. Toothless nudged Hiccup's shoulder.
"Have I told you how great your plans are?" Toothless asked.
"I don't think so."
Toothless nodded and smirked.
"There is a reason for that."
"Thank you for nothing."
"I try."
Theirs was a quiet watch with absolutely nothing unexpected happening. Hiccup rested against Toothless's side while listening to the song of crickets and watching the twinkle of the stars. Peaceful, calm, and...
"Burning-Star?" Moonbeam announced herself as she hopped over to them.
"Moonbeam?" Toothless hummed back.
"I will be the watcher now. You can both go sleep."
"Sounds like a good plan," Hiccup yawned and got to his feet.
Toothless got up to follow after Hiccup, feeling a little tired himself after the long flying.
"Burning-Star, can you wait and talk with me first?" she asked.
He looked between her and Hiccup. Then Hiccup yawned again.
"I'll go rest with your family. See you there, bud."
Hiccup wandered off toward the piles of Furies, leaving the two of them alone in the night a long glide from the pack. Moonbeam watched Hiccup as he walked away and rejoined the pack.
Silence fell between them.
He did not know what to say.
Apparently, neither did she.
"You... wanted to talk?" he warbled.
She turned toward him, her wide, purple eyes faintly shining in the dim light.
"Yes, do you... do you truly think that this will help the pack? Us flying this flight to help humans?"
"I do. We would not have wanted this unless we thought it was needed. The Enemy is very bad, and we cannot hide from it. Our flights are stronger as one and weaker as two."
"Our flights?" she blinked.
He blinked.
"Dragons and humans."
Her ears slightly fell, and then she gave a wary hum.
"Hiccup told me that he grounded you and that he is why you lost the tailfin and flight on your own."
He told her that? Why?
He rolled his eyes and huffed.
"And I told him that he only shot me from the sky. The tree that I fell into took the tailfin. It was not truly him who did that."
She hissed and clawed at the ground.
"But it was his paws that hurt you. I... I am trying to understand why you are making the hurt he gave you as nothing to you."
He turned away from her and stared up into the night sky. Something, a yearning, was wiggling in his soul-fire.
"Why do you think it is nothing to me?"
"What do you mean?" she asked.
"I do wish that I could fly on my own. I wish that I could hunt prey like any of my kin, that he did not need to fly with me so that I can go relieve myself, and that I could fly fast beyond the clouds and chase... as it should be... and..."
He growled and shook his head.
"But that is like flaming an already-flamed pile of waste. I can only live with what I can do. I can help the pack and those I care for as I am."
She padded over to him and sat down at his shoulder.
"What if this fight goes well? What happens after?"
He hummed in thought.
"After? We would probably talk to the human Alphas of the pack and see if they would let us live in their ranges in peace with them. Us saving many of their pack would be very good to help them trust us."
"What about you? What will you do after?" she asked.
There was a subtle difference about the question. She was asking him about something very specific, that much he was sure of. That something was also definitely her.
Great skies, what is happening to me?
He was confused in his soul-fire. Just over a week had passed since he spoke with Jumps-At-Fire, and it had been four weeks since he had last been with her. He had planned to not chase after either her or Moonbeam while he thought about life and focused on the mission with the pack.
Then he started being around Moonbeam more, just talking to her, flying around her, and doing small acts of bonding to learn who she is. Though, he had been unknowingly doing that even back when he was still with Jumps-At-Fire.
And now Moonbeam was slowly grabbing his soul-fire more every day she was around him.
It was true that she was his only option for a mate unless he wanted to wait around for probably five years when Mystery was grown or unless Jumps-At-Fire were to drastically change her priorities in life. But that Moonbeam was his only option was not good enough on its own. That was a lesson he had painfully learned already.
Did he truly care about her, or was he just yearning for the only available female?
She was very loyal to those she cared about. All in the pack knew her to be kind and playful to the young, and she was a good hunter who always brought back catches for the pack. His and her brief recent talks had been warm ones.
And he did feel a warmth inside his soul-fire only from looking at her. She was one of the larger females, strong and well-fed. Her scar down her chest marked her as a fighter and survivor. Her eyes were warming to stare into, her wings were barely larger than his, her tail was long, and her tailfins were wider than his. That she was a slightly different type of dragon definitely was not a problem.
Part of him did want to leap at her in play, dance with her in the long grass under the moonlight, and do far more with her.
But she did not trust humans as he did. She knew nothing from them except pain and loss, at least not until she met Hiccup. He did not know if she could share her life-flight as he wanted.
"That... depends. What is important to you?" he asked.
"Do you not know?" she whispered.
"There are many things about dark wings that I never learned. I know even less about light wings. You know that."
She huffed.
"Yes, I know that you are... flying cloudy skies now. What is important to me? That I can respect another, and that I do not need to fear for them... or for the cubs I would have. I had to raise my sister as if she was my own cub. I had to fly on my own to do that! I kept her safe and hunted for myself and her, all alone until we flew to this pack!"
She went silent for many wingbeats.
"I was not ready to fly on my own, but I did."
The hidden accusation was very clear. It also bit deep even if not intended to.
"Is that so important now? I cannot fly on my own, true. But... life might be different if we live in peace with humans. I can fly with him helping me..."
She spun on him with her eyes narrowed and a slight snarl. He bounded back from her in alarm at how suddenly she reacted.
"Let me tell you something you never learned about us, Burning-Star! You could never catch a female with him on your back or even without. We females are faster in the sky than you males are, and that is without you needing to carry his weight. The sky dance and chasing is only to see if the male truly wants the female. If he will give up in the chase for her then he would give up on the hunt for prey or in a fight to protect her or cubs. But if he flies after her even when he is weak and weary and when his wings would fail him, and if he is the one she wants as her mate, she will let him catch her only then!"
Then she grimaced, sat down, and curled her twitching tail around to her front paws.
"Would you want him on your back when you fly a sky dance? When you spin around her, catch her tail, put your wings around her, and become one? Would you want him to... hear that?"
"No..."
"When you fall from the sky with her in joy together?"
"No.."
"Do you think that any female who thinks well of herself would want a mate who needs help doing that with her?"
"No."
He softly growled and turned his back on her, as much as doing so hurt. He was not sure how to put his thoughts into words that she would understand or accept.
"Not all ceremonies are good ones. They were good ones when we lived life differently out in the wild. I wish that you could see that."
"Is it wrong and twisted for me to want a mate whom I can fly with on our own?" she whispered.
His ears fell.
He knew in his soul-fire that he could not rightly be angry with her for thinking that. Everything she said was true. If he were the one who was whole, it would be hard for him to imagine truly wanting or being happy with a female who could not fly or join him in a dance in the sky. If cub-making was all that mattered, then it would not be such a problem, but he wanted more as she did also.
"No, it is not twisted of you..."
He said nothing else as he walked alone through the night back toward where the pack slept. Hiccup was sound asleep under one of Sky-Dancer's wings.
He did not wake him. Instead, he lay down next to his dam and then curled his single tailfin over his head. Sleep did not fly to him for a long time.
Hiccup thought that Toothless was troubled on the flight. The Fury would usually tease him, talk about the winds, or otherwise make some idle comments to pass the time. But Toothless was silent this time.
He knew why his friend had to be disturbed. It was definitely because of the upcoming battle.
That is completely fair of him. I'm worried too.
They all passed over the forest of Fangorn without stopping. The forest reminded him of Mirkwood: being very thick, dark, and mysterious under the trees. The twisted trees and darkness below was not welcoming at all, so no one wanted to stop there anyway.
The plains that they came to after Fangorn were what he had expected to see: grassy plains of long, golden grass and grey rocks randomly littering the landscape. The grass rolled along hills and swayed in the wind.
This was Rohan.
Hiccup watched as the pack fed. He was disturbed by it, and he wondered whether this was going to be a problem.
The pack had been resting by a clear stream and lapping at the cool water when several wild horses strode over the hill toward the water. The horses had seen the drinking dragons, whinnied in fear, and turned to flee. But they could not outrun the hunt. Three dead horses had been brought back for the pack to feed on.
On the one hand, it was not truly different from hunting deer or other wild game. Further, these were wild horses, being ungroomed and with no sign of having ever worn a saddle.
On the other hand, horses could be domesticated and were capable of some level of understanding and even affection toward their riders.
I'll need to talk to the pack about this later. It's probably okay as long as there is no hunting of any tamed horses.
Then he stepped away from the pack and stared toward the west. The distant mountains faded away on the horizon. He knew from inspecting his map that he was looking toward the Gap of Rohan, one of the few passes on the ground through the Misty Mountains.
That was also the direction of Isengard, the fortress where the fallen Wizard, Saruman, apparently lived. Elrond had told him to keep the pack clear of that place, and he was definitely going to do so. It was hard to imagine how bad a fallen Wizard could be since he had never seen Gandalf truly in combat. The misunderstanding between him and Toothless at their first meeting in the Shire had never truly become a combat. Not after the first fireball, anyway.
But he felt a chill as he stared off into the southwest. The sun was going down behind a thick layer of dark clouds high in the sky. The clouds rolled and flowed, as though they were being driven onward by some strange force or powerful winds.
Great, we'll be flying through a storm. Love it...
Toothless sneezed the rain out of his nose.
"You okay, bud?" Hiccup shouted.
"Yes, you?"
"Lovely. Never been better! There is no ice!" Hiccup shivered.
His garb was completely soaked through, but he was not very cold.
The flight had turned very miserable very quickly because of the pouring rain that had begun falling late in the day. The storm also hindered the pack's flight, delaying them a lot.
Toothless grumbled.
At least there is no great wind in our faces...
The tall, white-tipped and black-streaked mountains ahead, though not as large as the Misty Mountains, finally came into view through the pouring rain.
"Which way now?" he asked.
Hiccup looked around, trying to figure it out from what he could see. It was not much between the roiling storm clouds above and the natural nighttime darkness. He had also completely lost track of when it was. The excitement of possibly flying into a battle gave him a nervous energy such that he didn't feel exhausted at all.
There was a thick forest below them, and he couldn't remember that being on the map before. However, he could barely make out a faint glow far off in the distance.
"Do you see that over there?"
Toothless looked where he directed him and saw it also.
"Yes, many small lights."
"That is either a city or a lot of torches... and probably an army."
"That way then?"
"Yes, up into the mountains!"
Toothless roared aloud in command, and the pack answered him through the pouring rain.
They continued on, gradually ascending higher up the mountainous slope while drawing closer to the strange lights in the distance.
A din began echoing in the air. The noise was a clamoring of cheers and calls audible even over the downpour.
The mountains then fell away into a large gorge or ravine many, many lengths wide. The far side of the ravine was a steep slope from a higher ledge while the other side was a sheer, vertical fall from the rocky heights.
Then they flew out over the ravine and beheld what was inside it.
Countless dark shapes were standing in formation while roaring and waving long pikes or torches. The deepest part of the ravine ended in a massive wall and a fortress with only one narrow path leading up to the main gate.
Attackers were assaulting the main gate while under fire from above. A line of defenders, likely the Elven archers and swordsmen, stood upon the massive wall and engaged the enemies climbing the ladders.
The battle at Helm's Deep was already long since underway.
Okay, stick to the plan.
Toothless gave a soft roar and turned his flight fully over the valley, eventually diving and settling down on the rocky ledge above. The whole pack, adults, fledglings, and cubs, followed him down and landed together.
Flame-In-The-Night bounded forward with a menacing growl.
"This is it? The fight?"
Toothless snarled.
"Yes. The humans are the ones protected by the rocks. Hiccup, do you need to say anything?"
Hiccup stood up on Toothless's back, and he saw all the different eyes fixed on him in that moment. Blue, purple, red, orange, green, grey, and teal. They all looked to him. They trusted him.
One essential point was that the Furies' contribution to the defense had to be from the sky only. Melee combat against against armored pike men... pike Uruks would be disastrous.
"All who will fight should stay in the sky! Do not fight on the ground! Be fast! Target groups of enemies as they attack the humans! Do not let the enemy see you! All who are not fighting will stay here!"
A chorus of purrs and snarls echoed from the ledge.
He watched as most of the pairs then took a few moments to nuzzle noses and whisper words to each other and to their children.
Then Flame-In-The-Night, Snowflame, Starlight, Wings-Of-Ice, Far-Flight, Sky-Dancer, Growls-At-His-Shadow, and Moonbeam stepped forward toward the edge. Snowfall, Wind-Biter, Eyes-That-Shimmer, Jumps-At-Fire, and Dreamcatcher stepped further back on the ledge while Free-Flight, Storm-Chaser, Nightfall, Windripper, Breath-Of-Sky, Tail-Hunter, and Mystery huddled together under sheltering wings dripping with rain. Fortunately, the rear of the ledge was out of the direct view of the valley, so no one would be able to see the fighting from afar as long as they stayed back.
Oddly, the rain then suddenly ceased. It was still dark enough that it would be hard to see any of the Furies in flight, except for possibly one of them.
"Toothless, mind if I take that starlight pendant off you? Don't want to give away where we are."
"Yes, I was going to ask that you do that."
Toothless waited patiently as Hiccup untied the pendant. It was not very bright, but it still glowed faintly and could possibly give away their flight. Hiccup carefully stowed the pendant in their various supplies.
Then they both stepped up through the other Furies and stood on the edge of the ledge. It was difficult to see the enemy army through the darkness and from such a height, but the armored creatures down below did not look right. They looked very big and angry.
Are those the Uruk-Orc things? I still don't even know what they look like.
"How do we fly this flight?" "What should we do?" "What is the attack?" "Give me something to flame at!"
Hiccup blinked and chuckled before turning his attention back to the battlefield from the saddle. Rushing directly into combat, while very brave and definitely the Berk way, was definitely not the way of Night Furies. Tactical combat and careful picking of fights was the only option against so many opponents.
Nine Night Furies. Alright, let's see what we can do! The only weakness to this defense looks like the main gate. Even that is a major chokepoint. The long wall looks very strong with those Elves defending it. But there are ladders...
"We should stop the enemy from climbing up the wall! Flame the ladders, the things the attackers are climbing!"
"How do we know which ones are the enemy?" Moonbeam shouted.
He shook his head free of the terrible thought of shots going awry and accidentally killing humans. Friendly fire would not help promote trust at all.
"If it has a long... stick and looks like those things down there, it is an enemy! If it looks like a human, it is not an enemy!"
"How will the humans know not to attack us?" she added.
Hiccup frowned. Hers was a fair question. A flight of dragons appearing unannounced in the middle of an attack could look suspicious at first. But the Fellowship was likely with the defense, and they would know the truth. Elrond and Galadriel had also sent their warriors to help defend. Those Elves would surely know of Toothless and would probably have spread the word.
"They have people who know us already! Don't try to threaten them, and we will be fine! Four of us should defend the front gate, that place over there! Four should destroy the ladders on the wall! The other should watch the fight and warn about any new danger!" he pointed out each place in turn.
"Sky-Dancer will be the watcher! She is fastest!" Flame-In-The-Night directed.
"I will!" she answered.
Hiccup was very relieved that she would be out of the direct fighting. Neither he nor Toothless would likely ever forgive themselves if anything bad happened to Toothless's mother. Not that anything bad was going to happen to any of these Night Furies. Staying out of range of pikes was going to be easy, and it was dark enough that the fast Furies would present no easy target for arrows.
This doesn't look so bad for a massive battle. We just have to help hold the line at the main gate, take out a few ladders and everything should be...
Then he stared down at the army in surprise and confusion.
A white light like a very intense torch was being carried toward the wall by one of the many attacking Uruk soldiers.
What is that?
The soldier reached the wall and then disappeared to the blare of trumpets.
"Did any of you see..."
A flash of light lit up the night. It was so bright that he closed his eyes and looked away, leaving an imprint of light in his vision.
Pure dread filled him and struck him dumb when he opened his eyes and, able to see well enough, looked back at the wall.
The blast and cloud of flame and smoke had rent a gaping hole in the wall. Chunks of rock larger than men and even several of the defenders themselves were hurled through the air.
The crashing boom struck moments later alongside a trembling felt through the ground even up outside the valley. The rock and debris rained down from the sky in a chorus of crashes.
Everything then went silent and still until the attacking army roared in unison a wild and deep cry.
Oh gods...
Creeping doubt. What else could the army have planned? Had the bad Wizard given the army more unnatural powers or weapons?
Many snarls and growls started building from behind him, from below him, and from within. That terrifying sound that had haunted his dreams many years ago now filled him with courage and defiance. They were ready to fight, and so was he.
Saruman's army was not the only power that could use fire and explosions.
We can do this! Alright, time to change the world!
Hiccup clicked the tailfin into place and then bent down to Toothless's ear.
"Let's fly!"