Tested
Finished meeting with a pair of cattle herders, Hiccup finally had a moment of peace, so he went over to a well to draw some water for Lightning and let his thoughts drift.
Two days had passed since the celebratory feast. In that time he, the Alpha pair, and King Theoden had begun discussing tasks which the adult Furies could help with. He also had taken it on himself to meet more of the Rohirrim whenever possible to learn what they really thought about their new neighbors and allies.
He was tired and frustrated.
The general opinion among the Rohirrim adults was that the Furies were useful fighters to have around. While definitely true, it was not the ideal impression for everyone to have. That was nowhere more evident from how a few of the soldiers who had approached him had openly asked if they would get a dragon of their own to train.
He had patiently explained that no, that is not how the relationship works at all. There is no training in the relationship, and the Furies are not like horses or mounts.
The relatively quick recoveries and lack of infection among the people who had their battle injuries licked had definitely helped to spread goodwill. So there was that.
The parents he had spoken to expressed more open worry about their kids being around dragons. That was also... understandable. He had reminded the worried parents that these were not man-eating dragons and that the Furies were also trusting the humans to be around the cubs, at least whenever that happened.
But what he was most frustrated by were the reactions of some of the kids. While very eager, they had also asked him for pet dragons of their own to ride like he did with Toothless. They were not afraid of being around dragons, but theirs was not an opinion he wanted to promote.
Some of their reaction was probably from their upbringing. They learned to ride horseback relatively early in life, so it was hard to be frustrated with them... falling back on that way or not knowing anything different at first.
At least some of the young adults had the right idea.
There was a small group of young adults including Adney, Wynfryth, and Haleth whom he had seen interacting peacefully and respectfully with Windripper, Toothless, Breath-Of-Sky, and Mystery. And of course Eowyn and Snowflame were friendly with each other.
No one had gone on any shared flights yet though. He had asked his packmates to tell him if they planned on taking that crucial step.
He finally finishing drawing the water and then departed for Lightning's stable. Hunts-In-Deep-Waters was resting in the warm sunlight outside the den when he arrived.
"How is she?" he whispered.
"She is sleeping more. She only gets up to relieve herself now."
He nodded and then held up the bucket.
"I brought her some water."
"Leave it inside the den and let her sleep," Hunts-In-Deep-Waters hummed.
He left the bucket just inside the stable and did not bother her as she slept in peace. Then he returned to Hunts-In-Deep-Waters's side.
"You just come get me when... it's time. I'll be... around."
Hunts-In-Deep-Waters nuzzled his shoulder in thanks. Hiccup bowed to him while purring softly in gratitude.
After leaving the stable and while on his way up to the Hall, he rolled his eyes in amusement when he realized what he had done: involuntarily purring.
I'm really picking up some habits from them. As long as I don't go around licking people...
Hiccup stood with Eowyn at a table within the Golden Hall. She smoothed out the map of all Rohan once again, since that map kept rolling itself up. He had just explained some of his ideas on specific tasks the Furies could aid with to make themselves useful and earn their keep.
"It will be difficult to convince the farmers and shepherds," she said.
"I know it sounds crazy, but it can work."
She rolled her eyes and leaned against the table.
"It is still so strange to believe. Dragons will be helping to herd our cattle. You remember what happened with the horses getting spooked?" Eowyn reminded him.
Starlight had been working on regaining steady flight and had gotten a little low over one of the nearby pastures. That had scared the grazing horses and sent them into a braying, neighing frenzy that took part of the morning to settle down.
"That was an accident, and everything was fine. I can't blame the horses for being afraid. Still, we know to be more careful. Herding the cattle will also go a lot better once everyone learns what to do."
She again smoothed out the large map. He inspected it some more, considering the more fertile places where some crops were grown. There were not many such places in Rohan, but there were a few.
"We're willing to help with plowing when that's needed. Burning-Star did that in the Shire," he explained.
She nodded.
"That will be a great aid. Having them patrolling the borders is also a very sound strategy. We would have advance warning if any rogue Uruk patrols or other foes were to invade," she said.
He was glad that she saw the obvious tactical advantage of dragon patrols on the borders.
"Easily. We could fly back and warn everyone faster than any rider on horseback. I was thinking about having four of us stationed... let's see... one near the Gap of Rohan, one past the Eastfold along the White Mountains, and two along the Entwash. They can rotate duties and hunt a little on their own if there's anything wild to catch."
"True. Anything else to share?"
"Not right now. Will you talk about this with King Theoden?"
"I will," she curtly answered.
"Thanks. Any idea where he is?"
"He went to speak with my brother and his other advisers about the army," she answered while scowling.
He knew why she had to be upset.
"You are not included in that council?"
She crossed her robed arms and stared at the empty throne.
"No, he leaves more of these matters of provisions to me. Commanders and leaders of armies are expected to lead the battles and be ready for war. He will ask me to ensure the supplies for any conflict that may happen, but he does not want me in combat. He does not trust me."
She sounded a little bitter about that and possibly not correct. Her adoptive father probably just wanted to keep her safe... not so differently from how his own father had wanted him to stay inside during all the raids. The difference was of course that she was entirely competent at combat whereas he was... not.
"I don't know about that. He trusts you to provide for, lead, and protect your people in his place. My old tribe didn't trust me much because I wasn't a fighter like them. Then I had my chance to prove myself, and I learned that I wanted another way."
"What other way was that?"
He paused and frowned, thinking back to that moment that changed his life forever.
"The way of... peace and life instead of... glory and honor."
She seemed unconvinced.
"Those are well and good, but the peace is only protected through deeds of valor and bravery. I saw your bow. Are you a fine archer?"
He felt slightly guilty that he hadn't practiced with Inferno at all since naming the bow. But there were other, more important activities that got in the way and took up most of his time since then.
"I'm still learning, and I haven't practiced as much as I should. I can keep most of the arrows within a couple paces at a distance of fifty paces."
"Is that so? That is not bad for one who has not practiced much."
"Thanks. I knew how to shoot back among my old tribe, not that they valued archery as much as the ax. That it's an Elven bow might help a little too..."
"How did you come by so fine a bow?"
"It was a gift I got in Rivendell. I didn't join the Fellowship, but Lord Elrond wanted me to have a weapon of my own. I don't have the build for a sword, hammer, ax, or spear, but the bow and arrow are more my style. I hope to one day get so good that I never miss again!"
She looked very amused.
"Did you say that Night Furies never miss?"
"Yep, that's the saying."
She leaned against the table, a dreamy look in her eyes.
"I saw them above Helm's Deep during the battle. So powerful. And yet they can be so gentle too. What must that be like to have flames? How much better could one protect those one loves?"
His thoughts also went back to that fateful night. Blasts of fire rained down on the mindless horde of Uruks. Arrows flew by the hundreds from within the fortress.
Toothless's fire had protected him from the Barrow-wight, Nazgul, Vorunturth, and the cold.
He had no idea what it would be like to have fire of his own. If only there was a way that he could...
An idea came to him with a renewed flash of inspiration.
"Wait! Gods, I am an idiot! It's so easy!"
"What?"
He stepped back and started pacing.
"It'll change the weight some, but it only needs a little fabric, some oil for soaking, some practice, a lot of practice, and I can get a forge right here to do the fletching and work, and..."
"Haddock!" Eowyn shouted.
He blinked and stepped back.
"My lady..."
"Is this one of your... crazy ideas?"
"Yes, I'll... need supplies... and a forge..."
"I can have them and a smithy provided for your use. Go," she shooed him off.
He got permission to claim one of the forges as his own for as long as he needed. The smithy was somewhat off on its own and not too far from the slope the Furies rested on. He also acquired the needed supplies, and then he got to work, which was mostly just tearing very fine strips of fabric and then soaking them in lantern oil and some animal fats. Once soaked and dried, those flammable strips would wrap around the lengths of the arrows or just behind the arrowheads.
He would have flaming arrows and therefore be able to shoot fire of his own! The only remaining problem was where the spark was to come from. Toothless could easily provide that whenever needed.
Pleased with his progress, he stepped back from the messy table.
"Alright, that does it for having fire... sort of."
Next among his smithing pursuits had to be armor and a helmet. Black, obviously, for both. It might even be possible to work with shed Night Fury scales, though he didn't have any of those available. He hadn't been collecting any so far. The best he could do for now was work with normal leather and darken it. Lightweight armor was definitely more his style anyway compared to heavy armor.
Even with the planned armor and helmet and his current bow and arrows, it still felt like something was missing. He wouldn't have something that he... really ought to have.
He left the smithy and went out to walk on his own and think about that unknown problem. He walked past the Golden Hall and arrived at a slight clearing overlooking the golden plain and distant White Mountains. His Elven robes fluttered in the crisp wind as he stared across the plain. He briefly wondered wondered where Toothless and family had gone off to, since he hadn't seen any of them all day. Toothless certainly couldn't have gone far. He had said something about going on a walk.
"What am I missing?"
The wind gusted and whipped his green robes. Then the obvious truth struck him. He needed wings to complete his Night Fury look!
"Duh, I'm an idiot!"
Making an actual wingsuit was a much crazier idea than flaming arrows, but this was also an idea he had before. Not only would the wingsuit look appropriate, it would also let him fly... in a way!
"I am so doing this!"
He ran back to his smithy, began digging through his supplies, and grabbed a length of leather. The leather was a pale brown, not the right color at all, but it could be charred and blackened with coals.
"Yes, this is not too bad... it can work!"
He began planning out how the wingsuit would be constructed. He would need darkened leather, many straps, fine filaments of steel, lots of twine, joints, and more. Nothing he lacked would be too hard to make on his own. This was a project for several days and lots of experimenting and tinkering, but if it worked... he would be able to truly fly!
Well, at least he could fall with style. He was going to keep this a surprise until it was finished.
Toothless and family didn't need to know about this project until it was done and the wingsuit was ready for a test flight. Then they could all fly together as a family.
He could see it already. Gliding beside Toothless, teasing Breath-Of-Sky, diving through clouds, soaring with the...
"Haddock, is that you?" Adney cried out.
He spun around in alarm and hid the length of leather behind his back, though he was not sure why.
"Adney, Adney, hey there..."
She stood in the doorway, put her hands on her hips, and stared at him in surprise.
"What's going on? What's... all this?" she waved and gestured at... all of him.
He nervously chuckled and set aside the leather.
"Oh, I was, you see, making an outfit."
"An outfit?"
"Well, I was planning one very special outfit... suit... thing."
"Huh?"
"It's kind of a secret, so I can't say anything else. Sorry."
She stared at him. He stared back at her. Then she shrugged.
"Alright, have it your way. What's with the arrows?"
He massaged his neck, unsure why he was so uncomfortable all of a sudden.
"They are flammable now. Having flaming arrows fits with the whole dragon-theme of my life."
She walked inside and picked up one of the flammable arrows.
"I see. You know doing this totally throws off the balance of the shot. You won't be accurate at all."
"Maybe. I just need practice. Anyway, this is more... symbolic than anything."
She set aside the arrow.
"Okay. I was talking with one of the dragons earlier, Breath-Of-Sky I think it was. He is very friendly," she said.
"Oh yeah, remember him from the party?"
"I do. He followed your friend everywhere."
"He's Burning-Star's little brother and almost like a little brother to me too," he explained.
"Little brother?"
He waved his hands.
"Figuratively."
"I see..."
He frowned.
"That guy has never known how bad humans can be."
She stepped closer to him and leaned against the table.
"Do you want to talk about it?" she kindly asked.
"Not really. It's better to let the past stay in the past. You are good people, and everyone in the pack feels safe here."
He paused, wondering what she thought now that she had more opportunity to get to know the Furies. She didn't have a problem with them before, but her experience might help him understand what he could expect from other Rohirrim.
"What do you think of the dragons now that you've gotten to know them better? Be honest."
She crossed her arms on her chest.
"They are not at all what I thought dragons would be like," she finally answered.
"How so?"
"The ones we heard about or have in tales were all like Scatha or Smaug up in Erebor. But none of the Furies care at all for gold or cruelty. They like stories, jokes, and riddles though."
"Yes, they do like those. Any type of playing also."
"Definitely. Especially for the cubs. Other than that, I don't really know any of them well enough to say much more about them."
An awkward silence followed until she gestured at the table and the ashen-cold forge.
"So, you got yourself a smithy now?"
"Yep, Lady Eowyn gave it to me to use as long as I need it. I wasn't kidding when I said that I know my way around a forge."
Her eyebrows lifted.
"So this is your craft. I thought you were joking last time."
He winced.
"Well, to be fair... that wasn't my forge! So I wasn't so... comfortable in it."
She rolled her eyes.
"Sure. That's why you fell on your backside."
"It was an accident!" he protested.
She nodded and then walked to the edge of the forge.
"Well, Haddock, I'll let you get back to... whatever you were doing."
"Sounds good, see you later Adney!"
"Don't burn down the smithy!"
He stared after her as she left. Did she really think he could fail that badly and burn down the forge? No, she was just teasing him. To be fair, she was not being unreasonable, given what she had seen from him so far.
Then he grabbed his paper and pencil, and got back to work, sketching out designs for certain parts of his wingsuit. He could already visualize the finished design, but putting it to paper helped when making any modifications or improvements.
However, his thoughts wandered to something Adney said. There was one specific issue concerning the Furies and which it would probably be best to resolve sooner rather than later.
None of the Furies had expressed any care for gold or treasure; however, it was also likely that none of them had been exposed to gold or hoards before. Not like Toothless had anyway.
Gandalf and Elrond thought that Toothless was especially impacted by gold because he had been around Sauron's presence through the Ring, which made some sense, but even the rest of the Furies might have been... touched by that other, even more ancient Enemy when they came here to Middle-earth.
He didn't know if the other Furies would want to hoard gold or would become violent around treasure. The possibility of a Fury finding someone's treasure or gold by chance and there then being an incident was not one he wanted to risk.
He, Toothless, and the Alphas, at the very least, needed to know if any others in the pack were affected.
Fortunately, there was an easy way to safely test that while having just the person needed there in case anything went wrong.
"King Theoden, may I speak to you in private?"
"Certainly, Master Haddock."
King Theoden dismissed his commander and gestured for him to follow him outside. They exited one of the Golden Hall's rear doors, stopped on the cliff, and looked out over the swaying, golden fields while the warm wind flowed down the plains.
"We may speak now."
"King Theoden, I want your help figuring something out about the dragons."
"What might that be?"
He took a deep breath to steady himself. He was sure that King Theoden would be understanding about this, but he was still nervous about bringing up this issue.
"The stories that you and your people have about dragons are about ones like Smaug and Scatha: ones that had gold hoards."
"That is true."
"I know Burning-Star and I trust him completely, but he has had problems being... tempted by gold before."
Theoden did not react beyond looking more curious.
"Please explain."
"It started after we first flew to Middle-earth. We lived near the Ring without even knowing about it, and the Ring might have... done something to him to make him want gold. He fights against that temptation and does not let it control him. I want to find out if the rest of the Furies feel any temptation like he does."
"How would you propose we do this?"
This was the awkward part.
"Well, King, I was wondering if I could bring Flame-In-The-Night and Snowfall to see your... treasury."
Theoden stared at him in surprise.
"Master Haddock, did I hear that correctly? You want to show a couple of the dragons my treasury, such as it is?"
"Yeah, it sounds very strange, I know. All we'd have to do is show them some of the treasure, let them see the gold, and ask them if they feel anything. We can have Gandalf there too just in case."
Theoden paced for a few moments and then nodded.
"I do not object. What if they do have desire for gold and hoards?"
"I'm not sure. They can control themselves, and Toothless always resisted that desire. I'd talk about it with the whole pack and find out from them."
"Very well. Let us do this soon. There is no sense in waiting."
"Understood. I will get Flame-In-The-Night and Snowfall when they are back."
"You want to learn if there is rot in our soul-fires?" Snowfall asked.
"I do not understand," Flame-In-The-Night grumbled.
Hiccup grimaced.
"I don't think it will be a problem either, but we need to know if it is."
"But why would we want to sit on shiny rocks? That is twisted," Snowfall added.
"I never said it made sense. I told you about the ice dragon that was sitting on gold in a cave, right?"
Both Alphas grumbled.
"Yes, that is bad-wrong-thought-twisted of it!" she barked.
"Won't argue with you there."
Flame-In-The-Night stepped closer to him and sat down.
"How do you want to learn if we have this... thought-rot?"
"You both come up to the Golden Hall with me. King Theoden will bring us some of his gold to see. You both look at the gold and then tell us if you feel any... twisted thoughts."
The Alphas glanced over their shoulders to the cubs who were being watched over by others in the pack. Free-Flight was busy at play.
"We can do that. We want to learn this too. Is now good?" Snowfall asked.
"Yes, now is perfect."
He led them both up to the Golden Hall where Theoden was probably ready for them. The plan was simple, and there would only be six people inside the Hall for this test. He, Gandalf, and Theoden would be there alongside Toothless, with his starlight pendant, and both Alphas. Theoden would bring out a chest of gold or other valuables for the Alphas to see. Then they would hopefully be able to relate if they felt any desire to hoard the gold. It was a carefully designed plan so that there was minimal chance of anything going seriously wrong.
Theoden greeted them at the main entrance to the Hall.
"Are you all ready?" the King asked.
"Yes, we are," Hiccup answered.
They all entered. The inside of the Golden Hall, the same place where a massive festival had been held only days before, was now cleared of tables. Gandalf stood next to Toothless beside a wooden chest. Toothless was wearing his Lorien pendant around his neck.
"Welcome, Alphas. Are you ready?" Toothless asked.
They walked before him and then sat down.
"Yes, let us see the gold," Flame-In-The-Night said.
Theoden opened the chest for them to see what was inside. Hiccup followed their gazes as they all stared at the small piles of gold and silver coins inside. It was not much for a treasury, but it was enough for this purpose.
Toothless was the first to look away and then lope over to his side. Flame-In-The-Night and Snowfall remained staring down into the chest. They were not growling or doing anything openly strange, but they appeared interested by what they saw.
"So?" Hiccup warily began.
Both Alphas stepped back, blinking rapidly and shaking their heads as they faced him.
"That is... twisted..." Snowfall muttered.
"So what do you two think about it?"
Flame-In-The-Night nuzzled Snowfall's neck while glaring at the chest.
"The rocks... feel like they have a whispering voice that is bad-twisted!" he growled.
"I do not like the rocks!" Snowfall whispered.
Gandalf started pacing after slamming the chest closed using his staff.
"This is curious. The rest of you feel some allure, but it is not strong at all... at least it is not as strong as what you, Toothless, felt."
"Can you make us not feel that... twisted-voice?" Flame-In-The-Night asked.
Gandalf shook his head.
"No, good dragon, I cannot do anything for you about that. It is important for you all to know about this... temptation... you have. Knowing about it is most of the battle, as I told another."
Gandalf glanced at Toothless as he said this.
"Very true," Toothless sighed.
"Does this twistedness grow stronger?" Snowfall warily asked.
"I do not know beyond any doubt. It might only get stronger if you see very big hoards or, what is more likely, if you meet an evil that Toothless has met," Gandalf explained.
The Alphas turned to Toothless, demanding some explanation.
"It is the twisted soul-fire I and Hiccup told you and the pack about. The humans are fighting against that bad thing and want to be free of it," he said.
Gandalf nodded and addressed Theoden.
"If you would heed my council, I believe this will not be a problem. Yes, they will feel some temptation, but they have shown their quality already. They are no different from humans, Elves, and Dwarves in being imperfect, especially concerning gold and other precious things."
Theoden nodded.
"True, we People of the Mark have never been greatly interested in treasure and gold. Honor, loyalty, peace, and freedom to live on our own have always been more important."
Gandalf resumed his pacing while speaking.
"And... if the Enemy is destroyed as we hope for, that great victory might free the dragons even further from that temptation, though I cannot be certain of that."
Theoden met the gazes of all in the Hall.
"I understand. I would have us keep this discussion and what we learned between ourselves, at least as it concerns my people. It could be problematic if the common folk hear that the dragons might covet gold at all."
Flame-In-The-Night and Snowfall nodded.
"We will speak with the pairs in the pack and let them know of this... thought-twistedness to not be prey to," Snowfall answered.
"We agree that knowing about the danger is better than not knowing," Flame-In-The-Night added.
The Alphas then bent their heads to Theoden and left the Hall. The King watched them go and then turned to Gandalf.
"I believe them," Theoden calmly said.
Toothless huffed.
"They are less twisted than me, and I survived seeing a hoard in the wild and the golden floor in Erebor!"
"You were in Erebor?" Gandalf exclaimed.
"Yes, King Dain wanted to test me by having me walk out onto their golden floor."
Gandalf's impressive eyebrows lifted.
"Did he indeed? How did that go?"
Hiccup chuckled.
"He let all of Erebor hear that he is not Smaug. His roar might still be echoing underground."
Toothless rolled his eyes and tapped his tail on the floor.
"And I left a mark in the floor. The Dwarves believed me in the end."
Gandalf nodded and then faced Hiccup, seeing his thoughtfulness.
"What are you wondering, Master Haddock?"
"I... I'm not sure what to think. I hoped that the rest of the Furies couldn't feel that temptation and that Toothless was an... unlucky case because of the Ring. I wish that they didn't have that... evil in their hearts."
Oddly, Gandalf frowned at something he said.
"That is not precise, Master Haddock. There is no evil in feeling temptation. What matters is how one responds to that temptation. It may be that all dragons, just like humans, Elves, and Dwarves, have a natural desire to hoard wealth and power. The Ring only strengthened that in Toothless because he was closer to it."
Gandalf paused and leaned on his staff.
"It would not be the first time a great relic caused harm simply by being. Not even the Elves were above temptation," he gruffly muttered.
"Elves? They can be tempted?" Hiccup wondered.
"Indeed they can! They even fought against each other in terrible Kinslayings. Two of the three Silmarils were lost long ago because of Elven greed."
Toothless still looked disturbed as he stared down at his paws. Gandalf noticed that.
"What is bothering you, good dragon?" Gandalf kindly asked.
"I wish that my kind did not have those temptations. We might be strong enough to fight the twisted wants now, but what if that changes in the future?"
Gandalf looked between him and Hiccup.
"It is not our part to master all the tides of the world, but rather we ought do what we can to make better the world we know. Uproot the evil in the fields that we know, so that those who live after may have cleaner earth to till. What weather they shall have is not ours to worry about. Fearing what might happen is good if it moves you to action now. Be aware of the temptation, resist it, grow stronger against it, and endure. None can do more than that."
Toothless purred, thinking over that advice.
"I understand that very well."
Gandalf stroked his beard.
"And keep Galadriel's gift close to you. I have no doubt it offers you special protection, as befits your special situation."
Toothless brushed his pendant with a forepaw.
"I will. It is... my hoard."
A moment of silence followed until everyone grinned and laughed in wry amusement.
Hiccup left the Golden Hall after finishing a quick meal of bread and soup. It had been another long day of work in the forge on his secret project, and he was eager for some rest.
While the Furies were perfectly content to sleep outside under the open sky, he had been given a very simple house that was his to use if he wished. He had no great interest in doing so unless there was bad weather expected. This was going to be another clear night, and he also needed to be ready to help Lightning at any moment. That is why he was going to spend the night with the pack. His being outside made it easier for him to be found and summoned at short notice.
It was also just habit since he had more or less done this for months on end.
However, there was another topic he wanted to talk to the entire pack about as soon as possible. Specifically, there was a very important aspect of the human-Fury interactions which was inevitably going to come up eventually, especially since the Rohirrim rode horses. This was also probably on his mind because of the several conversations he had with people who wanted pet dragons or dragon-warriors to train.
He scooted down the slope toward all the other present resting Furies, most of whom looked ready to turn in, curling up together or stretching. A few were not here now, but they would hear about this from others in the pack.
"Pack! I must speak!"
Many of them bounded down from their rocks and approached him or otherwise gave him their attention from where they lay.
Flame-In-The-Night and Snowfall crept up to the front of the assembly next to Toothless, Breath-Of-Sky, Moonbeam, and Mystery.
"Hiccup! What would you speak about?" Flame-In-The-Night asked.
"Yes, what is twisting your tail?" Snowfall chuckled.
"I wanted to talk about the humans and... them flying with you..."
Everyone started in surprise, tilting their head or tapping their tail on the ground.
"What about it?" Snowfall asked.
He bit his lips, feeling more unsure about this topic. It was a talk that had to happen, but he didn't want to leave anyone with the wrong impression.
"I heard that some of the humans want to fly with some of you. Have any of them talked to you about that?"
Snowflame, Windripper, Breath-Of-Sky, and Mystery nodded or otherwise had very interested looks. He knew about Snowflame and Eowyn already, though they hadn't flown yet.
"Okay, I just wanted to tell you all that letting a human fly with you is special, and it is not something you must do. If you care for a human as a friend and if you want them to touch the sky, then think about letting them fly with you. But never let them use you for flying. Understand?"
"Yes, why are you telling us?" Flame-In-The-Night asked.
"Because many humans have stubbornness issues, and they might fall into thinking about you like their horses that they use to do work or carry them."
Faint growls and snorts of amusement went through the pack.
"Yeah, really silly of them! So I wanted to remind you that humans can be twisted, even if they don't mean any true hurt. That is all."
The pack dispersed rather quickly after that. They broke into their family groups and reclaimed their preferred rocks. The Alphas, Snowflame, Free-Flight, Far-Flight, Sky-Dancer, Toothless, and Breath-Of-Sky remained behind.
"How has the talking gone with the pairs?" Hiccup asked the Alphas.
"Well, so far. We have more pairs to talk to next sun, and we shared the danger without being too twisting about it," Snowfall answered.
"Good. Have you thought more about the different flights everyone in the pack could fly?"
He had explained more of the various ideas for how the Furies could contribute more to Rohan through guarding the borders, scouting, herding and protecting cattle, hunting the wilds, and doing heavy labor as needed.
"They have lift. It is good for the two packs to work together," Flame-In-The-Night answered.
"I agree. We will ask all in the pack what work they want to do," Snowfall purred, "And it was good of you to remind the young that riding and carrying can be a trap."
Hiccup winced at the word trap.
"It can be a trap if the human has bad reasons for wanting to fly with us. Not all humans will be twisted though," Toothless explained.
Hiccup nodded in agreement; he couldn't have said it better himself.
"And I'll help make sure that any flying that does happen goes well and for good reasons."
Everyone else turned to depart.
"Snowflame?"
"Hiccup?" she paused and glanced over at him.
"How are your wings?"
"Better. I am not stretching them yet, but they do not hurt now."
"Good, I'll tell Eowyn. She'll be glad to hear it."
Snowflame purred softly.
"I already told her."
"You did? And did you tell her what you told me: that you want her to fly with you?"
"Yes, she was a little twisted, but she also liked it," she purred.
"I thought she would."
The Alphas, Snowflame, and Free-Flight left to return to their rock.
Sky-Dancer stepped over to him and gently nudged him to get his attention. He and all in the family started walking together.
"I did not think you would talk to the pack about riding and carrying," she hummed.
"Why would a human... use one of us?" Breath-Of-Sky innocently asked.
"There are plenty of reasons that are not good. One is to make you into fighters for them," he grumbled after a moment of thought.
There were other, more unpleasant reasons, which Breath-Of-Sky simply didn't need to hear about.
Sky-Dancer hopped up on the rock and made space for Breath-Of-Sky under a wing. Breath-Of-Sky and Far-Flight both joined her up there.
He and Toothless were about to do the same when Moonbeam trotted up to them.
"Hello Moonbeam!" he said.
"Hiccup, Burning-Star," she purred in greeting as she sat down.
"What's up?"
"I just wanted to say I approve of what you said. I... would not want to carry a human, but if others do... that is good for them," she said.
"Fair enough. I agree entirely."
She purred and faced Toothless.
"Burning-Star, thank you for today."
"You are welcome, Moonbeam."
She trotted away. Toothless stared after her until she hopped up on her rock beside Mystery.
"Bud, what was that about?"
Toothless huffed and loped away, probably to speak on their own, so he followed him a short distance from the family rock. He leaned against another rock while Toothless lay flat on the ground.
"I walked a lot with Moonbeam, and we talked much about life."
Hiccup faced Toothless, curious what he and Moonbeam had talked about.
"Did you two talk about... her past?"
Toothless sighed and nodded.
"We did. She went to be alone yesterday to think more about what you said. She was blaming herself for her sire and dam being dead. That was making her angry at... all humans."
"And how is she now? I haven't talked to her since the party."
Toothless purred.
"She... feels much warmer now. Yes, she still flies on her own and keeps away from the humans here, but I believe she is different. It will take time before she is like... us."
Hiccup nodded, understanding that. Change and healing was not immediate, and it would take time before she felt truly comfortable. What was important was that she was going in the right direction. She accepted her past, learned from it, and listened when someone else wanted to help her move on.
"Good for her."
Toothless then faced him.
"What about you? Did you do anything today?"
"Yeah, I figured how to make arrows I can set on fire."
Toothless chuffed.
"That is good. You are more like a dragon now!"
Hiccup grinned.
"Yeah, I'm still working on that."
"What do you mean?"
"That is a surprise! It'll be amazing when it's done."
Toothless grumbled, rolling his eyes.
"Is this another of your crazy-Hiccup maybe get yourself killed unless I am there to save you ideas?"
"Hey!"
"Yes, it is..."
"Maybe..."
"Great..." Toothless groaned.
"It'll be fine! I won't... can't try this without you there to keep me safe."
"Very reassuring..."
"It should be."
Toothless snorted and turned away, visibly pouting.
"Hatchling... no, cub..." he barked.
"Nope, fledgling..." Hiccup grinned.
"What?"
"You'll see, bud. You'll see."