Despite the alarm being raised, Charcoal and Henry managed to safely escape through underwater. The two dragons went back riding their sea scooters.
After making sure they were not followed by sea dragon, or anyone flying above, they headed straight for Barbaric Archipelago. After robbing the place of its valuables, they had plenty of fuel for travel. The more they waited, the more time dragons could track them down.
They kept going until early in the morning, where they safely crossed the border. Once they were safe, they continued their sea travel at surface level.
It was a good thing that they did not stop. Because of their latest stunt, Greater Archipelago was on full alert. There were dragons at the border, checking every dragon coming in and out from the place, including sea dragons underwater.
They were looking for dragons who had stolen from Vulture Island.
"Here we are." Charcoal called as they arrived at the loading area in Dragon Island. The two dragons moved to dock at the shore. "We're done."
The Night Fury and Woolly Howl dragged their sea scooters onto the shore. While that was happening, dragons were spectating from afar. One of them had most likely run off to the guards, because after they secured their things, General Nemo arrived with his dragons.
The large Deadly Nadder was surprised by the contraption. It was nothing like he had ever seen. That did not matter, however. "Did you find any evidence?"
"Plenty." Henry grunted as he opened the sea scooter trunks. He pushed the empty wooden barrels out, while leaving the crystals inside. "These were once yours. They have your dragons' scents."
General Nemo sniffed the barrels. They were definitely theirs, but something was missing. "Where are the Help Kelps?"
"Gone. They used them all for alchemy." The Wolly Howl gave his report. He noted Charcoal putting a wooden box filled with notes next to the empty barrel. "It's on the papers. They smuggled them from different places, including ours. It should be in the purchase section."
"Garr..." General Nemo faltered upon hearing that. "I'll have these collected and reported to Furious." He finally decided. "Henry, Charcoal, thank you for your work. I'll have you rewarded after my report."
"We're going to check on our sick friends then." The Night Fury responded. He moved to grab a different wooden box with his maw, before walking down to the infirmary.
Charcoal moved through the quarantine section of the infirmary. The Night Fury reached for the cave path that led to Toothless' room. The black dragon carefully walked down the path, before getting out to the room where his mate was being cared for. Thankfully, there was no one else inside.
He placed down the wooden box, before opening them. The male Night Fury aligned Toothless' head to face the front. Then, he grabbed one container, opened them, before pouring it down into her throat. The sparkling purple liquid was gulped down into her stomach. Once that was done, he put them aside.
Right on time, Henry the Woolly Howl entered the room. "I need the rest."
"Here." Charcoal pushed the wooden box to him. "I've used one."
The Woolly Howl took one out and placed it on the ground. "Drink one so you don't get sick." He advised, before closing the box and grabbed it with his maw. Henry rushed out from the place, heading to Agatha's room.
The male Night Fury did as he was told. He opened and drank the potion, before putting the container aside. Feeling refreshed, Charcoal moved to rest himself right next to his mate.
He could feel her slowly recovering. He held onto her presence in his mind, who had been silent for some time.
Charcoal could sense her getting better. The potion was fast acting. Half an hour later, he felt her presence leaving his mind. The dragoness was regaining her mobility. She slowly wrapped her wings around him, snuggling her head against his.
"Mrr..." The dragoness exhaled as she thought. "... thank you."
"Anything for you, Toothless." Charcoal thought back. "Anything for you..."
Charcoal stayed with Toothless until she fell asleep. After that, he went out to find Henry. The male Night Fury found him outside near the edge of the cliff. The volcano below was still bright as ever, but there was not that many dragons flying around.
The Night Fury moved and sat next to him. Charcoal exhaled his breath. "That went well."
"We failed to retrieve the Help Kelps." Henry commented. He was staring at the volcano below. "They were all gone before we even got there."
"Hrr..." Charcoal grimaced. "We did our best. We got the cure."
"But only for Toothless and Agatha." The Woolly Howl glanced at him. "At least our friends are well."
The Night Fury could hear the sarcasm. "Speak your mind, Henry."
"I need the Amethyst Crystals." Henry requested. He turned to face the black dragon. "I know you are keeping everything, but I could use them to buy Help Kelps from dragons. I know a seller-"
"You can take them." Charcoal interrupted. "If anyone asks, tell them I gave them to you to get Help Kelps for the infirmary."
There was a moment of silence. Eventually, the Woolly Howl bowed at him. "I will do as you say."
"Go on then."
Henry stood from the ground. He jumped off the cliff, before flying into the sky, heading out from Dragon Island.
For the next few days, Charcoal patiently waited for Toothless to be discharged. The caretaker dragons were hesitant to release her; because of the unusual nature of the cure, they opted for caution over distress.
The male Night Fury stayed with her the whole time, only getting out to gather fishes for her.
While that was happening, there was a report that the infirmary received large donations of Help Kelps. This greatly helped them in healing the sick.
The Help Kelps were delivered by different sellers, who declined to reveal the dragon that donated them. They only told them that the Help Kelps were bought at outrageously high markup price. Whoever donated them had paid a fortune.
In another note, there were reports that Furious was suing Merciless under the Eyes of Arch Alpha. There had not been such action for decades, meaning that it was the first in a very long time.
The court was done in private, but the sentencing was public. Merciless was ordered to relieve Barbaric Archipelago from its epidemic, mainly delivering Help Kelps and sending medical professionals.
Regardless, Toothless' condition was significantly improving. She was more than just cured from disease.
The pain and headache she endured from pregnancy was gone, and the dragoness could feel her eggs developing inside. She could even stand up on her own without much struggle. She was definitely healthy.
"Toothless and Charcoal?"
The male Night Fury looked up. He was resting at the room where Toothless was staying. "Yes?"
A Hideous Zippleback was peeking in. He focused on the male black dragon. "Your mate has been discharged. She can leave." The left head explained. "Please be careful on your way out."
"Thank you." Charcoal nodded, before standing from the ground. He nudged his mate, who was resting as well. "Toothless. Toothless, come on. We can leave."
"Mrr..." The dragoness let out a yawn. She stood from the ground. "Finally..."
The two Night Furies moved to walk out from the place. The Hideous Zippleback's left head was checking the cavern, making sure nothing was amiss. The right head turned to speak with the black dragons. "If you feel any complications, please return so we can check."
"Thank you." Toothless expressed her gratitude.
Heading out from the room, the hallway was rather packed with dragons. That was expected, considering everyone was finally treated for their disease.
It had been a day since the final ruling made by Arch Alpha Wodensfang, meaning that they had actual medical professionals looking over the sick.
Charcoal moved to guide his mate. They slowly walked to the exit, heading out to the main chamber of the Dragon Island. Once they made it out, the dragon couple walked away from the crowded space. They need some privacy after Toothless was discharged.
The male dragon nudged his mate. "How do you feel?"
"Never better. I felt like fighting a boar or two." Toothless stretched her wings. It had been a few days since the last time she took flight. She was eager to feel the sky again. "I'm thinking about eating one."
"Are you sure you're feeling okay?" Charcoal questioned. "I remember the time before you got sick."
"I know. I'm feeling fine this time." The dragoness assured. She paused as she tried to remember. "I think it has to do with your thing..."
The male dragon exhaled his breath. "I calculated the effects, but I don't know about the effect to pregnant dragons." He expressed his concerns. "I made it in five minutes from recipe that I don't really know about. I don't have the recipe anymore, so I can't double check. I felt like we're lucky that there's no complications."
"Hey." Toothless stopped him. "... I trust you."
The two dragons stared at each other. Forest green eyes met the acidic ones. Trust was very important in relationship, especially one that would last for life. Even after Toothless' misjudged her own health, Charcoal had to trust her. Just like how she trusted him to do the right thing for her.
"Toothless! Charcoal!"
The dragon couple turned their attention. It seemed that Agatha the Deadly Nadder had been discharged as well. She was accompanied by General Nemo, which was her mate, and Henry the Woolly Howl. They were approaching the black dragons.
After they reached them, Toothless was the one to speak first. "Agatha, they released you too."
"Looks like they did!" The female Deadly Nadder eagerly nodded. She focused onto the male black dragon. "I thank you for sharing your cure with me. Had you not shared them, my eggs would be-"
"It's fine. I made them for us." Charcoal interrupted. He was happy to see her healthy. "Hopefully, this epidemic can end, so we can enjoy ourselves again."
Nemo the large Deadly Nadder decided to speak. "You have done well in your service." He respectfully bowed at the male Night Fury. "You have my thanks for aiding us."
"I'm glad everything goes well." The male Night Fury nodded, before remembering something. "So! I heard we got a reward for the trouble."
"Arch Alpha Wodensfang absolved the debt. Your dad doesn't have to pay." Henry the Woolly Howl explained, getting their attention. "Instead, he rewarded us for the investigation effort. His ambassador came by and gave me some Amethyst Scales."
"They haven't rewarded me yet." Charcoal remarked. "But I'm sure it'll come later."
"Henry, I haven't checked the news." Agatha turned to face the Woolly Howl. "But how did Merciless react?"
"Not happy, that's for sure." Henry grumbled, before glancing at Charcoal. "They have general warrant to arrest Charcoal. Just him."
"What?" The male Night Fury was confused. "Why?"
"Probably has to do with the potion you made." The Woolly Howl gave his assumption. They both knew the real reason of that arrest warrant. "Should you ever cross the border again, you will be arrested immediately."
"I wonder what Harald thinks." Charcoal expressed his concern. "Considering what we did, he's probably mad at us."
"We did break into their place." Henry agreed. "I'm surprised it went as well as it did. I was expecting some injury, but we came out unscathed."
"The more you sweat in peace, the less you bleed in war." The male Night Fury responded. "We got our time's worth. Imagine if we neglected training; it could have been worse."
"Bah!" Agatha interrupted, getting their attention. "Let's not mull over what could've been. Say, Toothless, are you going to the Rookery to hatch your eggs? I heard they have hot springs."
"I think I'm laying my eggs in my own nest." Toothless looked apologetic. "I don't want to worry about my hatchling catching the flu right after they hatched."
"Oh." The female Deadly Nadder realised the point. "That's going to be a problem."
Nemo the large Deadly Nadder seemed to grumble. "My nest should be big enough."
"Harr..." Charcoal exhaled his breath. "Not mine. I'll have to start expanding my own nest."
It was then they noticed that the Woolly Howl was somewhat distracted. They were about to ask when Henry decided to speak. "I must return to Hidden World soon." He stared at the male black dragon. "Your sea scooter should be at your nest. It should have everything. I had mine donated to our old base. Just... telling you in case you forgot."
"Oh. Thanks for moving them." The male Night Fury expressed his gratitude. "And... good luck on your travel. I wish you the best."
"Thank you."
Toothless and Charcoal returned on their own that day. The two dragons headed back to their nest and landed at the porch. It was largely intact, save for the sea scooter resting near the entrance. There was nothing out of ordinary.
Entering the nest, it was incredibly dark. The male dragon fired a small fire at the flammable ice block, igniting them for illumination. The dragoness moved to rest next to the fire, while Charcoal was busy inspecting the walls. He pondered on how to expand the nest.
"Hrr..." Charcoal hummed. "... Maybe we can dig underground? We can make indoor hot spring for us to hatch our eggs."
"We need separate rooms for our hatchlings." The dragoness responded.
"We can always sleep together." The male dragon pointed out.
"Yes, but there's a reason." Toothless explained. She looked exhausted for some reason. "Amber told me that hatchlings need to learn how to be responsible. I don't want to start with extremes, but if they have their own room, we can have them care for themselves."
Charcoal thought that made sense. By giving them their own room, they would learn to keep their sleeping place clean. It would teach them responsibility.
In addition, they could have their own privacy when needed. However, it also meant that the nest might become much bigger than expected.
"I think I have an idea on how to expand the nest." Charcoal mused, before glancing at his mate. Toothless had gone completely silent with her eyes wide. "... Toothless?"
"Shush." Toothless hushed him. She sounded strained. "It's time."
The male dragon waited for some time. The ice bonfire was still roaring at the centre of the cave. He could see her belly began to shrink.
Roughly half an hour later, Toothless stood from the ground. She moved over, revealing six, pitch-black eggs. Charcoal stared at them with his wide, forest green eyes.
"Wow..." Charcoal breathed out. He slowly approached the eggs. "Six eggs. They're beautiful."
Toothless moved to sit next to him. She bent down to sniff the pair of eggs. "They are all healthy." The dragoness determined, with a hint of concern. "But one is smaller than the rest."
That made Charcoal concerned. "Is that a problem?"
"No. Not at all..." The dragoness pondered for some time. "It might hatch a runt. They tend to be sickly, at least in the first few months."
"Then you made a right decision to hatch them here." The male dragon decided. "Had it been at the Rookery, it might have caught Dreaded Dragon Flu right after it hatch."
"I'm glad I did." Toothless softly whispered. She went to grab her eggs with her gums, before moving them close to the ice bonfire. The dragoness moved to lay herself down next to them, before pulling them closer. Charcoal laid down behind her. He wrapped his wings around them.
"Harr..." Charcoal exhaled his breath. He rested his head against hers. "Six eggs. That's more than expected."
"Night Furies have incredibly low birth rate. We're lucky to have six." The dragoness muttered. She looked deep in thought. "... could it be that your potion increased my birth rate?"
"It could be. They're supposed to cure diseases and regenerate internal injuries." The male dragon whispered, considered that theory. "I assume we're meant to have two, but the potion healed something, and now we have six."
Toothless snuggled her mate. "Mrr..." She purred. "... do you think we're ready for six hatchlings?"
"I'm always ready for them." Charcoal whispered to her ears.
Toothless let out an amused chuckle. "You're going to spoil our hatchlings, aren't you?"
"Isn't that what a father should do to their own hatchlings?"
"At least you truly care about them." The dragoness let out a sigh. "Usually, the males would leave everything for their mate, while they're off gathering food and defending the nest."
"Hrr..." Charcoal purred at that thought. "Do you want me to do that? Or do you want to share the responsibility?"
Toothless paused for a moment, thinking of the suggestion. "I think it's best if we share." She decided. "I can't let myself rusty on my work."
"Then we'll do our responsibilities in rotation." The male dragon purred.
The two dragons rested in silence. They stared at the blue ice bonfire that gave them warmth. The eggs rested close to Toothless' belly. They were comfortable at their position. Charcoal closed his eyes as he tried to sleep, while the mother dragon had something else in mind.
"That reminds me." The dragoness carefully sat on the ground. "I have something to show you."
Charcoal sat up as well. "What is it?"
Toothless tapped her claw on the ground. A large beryl-like greenish crystal plate appeared in dark-purple mana fire. The male dragon recognised that as a Logic Crystal. She lifted to check the underside. There was a tiny bright purple crystal embedded there.
The dragoness placed it back down. "Watch." She tapped and pulsed her mana into the crystal.
Suddenly, an illusion of white three-by-three board appeared right on top of the crystal plate. It was definitely created by the crystal. Toothless smiled upon seeing it. "Here it is."
Charcoal stared with wide eyed expression. "Is this-!"
"A crystal game. We call it Scales and Claws." Toothless introduced. "The first to put their scales or claws in straight row wins."
The male dragon slowly nodded. He carefully tapped on one of the boxes on the board. "How do I-"
Just as he touched it, an oval-shaped illusion filled the box. It was a the centre of the board. Charcoal became fascinated by the whole thing. The capability and creativity of Logic Crystal was truly unbound!
Toothless did not respond. She tapped the top left boxes on the board. A claw-shaped illusion filled that box. "Now your turn."
Charcoal eagerly tapped the top-middle box, marking that with the oval shape. The dragoness marked the bottom-middle box. The male dragon responded by marking the bottom-left box. Toothless marked the top-right box.
When the male dragon marked the right-middle box, the first oval mark at the centre disappeared. Charcoal was confused by this. "What?"
"Oh yeah. I forgot you never played this before." Toothless realised, before explaining. "There can only be three scales and three claws on the board at a time. The oldest mark disappears when you make a new mark."
"Interesting." Charcoal muttered, staring intensely at the board. He was more interested in knowing how it actually work. "I think it's your turn."
The dragon couple went on to play the game for some time. While initial play was quicker, the later plays were slower. Charcoal was quick to learn how the game work, but Toothless had experienced with playing them before.
As such, it did not take her long to trick her mate.
"Har!" Toothless triumphantly tapped the centre box, lining up three claw-shapes in diagonal pattern. Just as she did, the white claw-shapes turned green. "I win!"
"Hrm..." Charcoal cursed under his breath. He realised it was similar to Maces and Talons; it was about predicting and expecting where the opposing mark would be next. "So that's how the game works."
"I used to play this a lot back at school." Toothless informed. She tapped the side of the crystal plate; pulsing her mana while doing so. "They'd give us these boards to get us used to dragon technology. It's very important for those growing up in Entrance layer or at the surface."
The illusion disappeared from the crystal. Not long after, the white three-by-three board appeared once more. This effectively reset the game.
However, something was wrong. The illusion flickered, before disappearing once more. The crystal itself brightened a bit, before turning completely dark. Within a second, the whole crystal suddenly disintegrated into ashes.
Toothless and Charcoal stared at the remains of the crystal board game. All that left was the tiny piece of bright purple crystal, which was the Amethyst Scale powering it. The dragoness was saddened to see that.
The male dragon slumped his wings. "I guess it was nearing the end of its life."
"I just bought it before migrating to the surface." The dragoness whispered. Her pupils dilated; her ears dropped. She was upset. "It costed me 50 grams of B grade Amethyst Crystal."
"I- Is that a lot?"
"I can spend that to buy food for a month." Toothless answered, before exhaling her breath. She moved to rest next to her eggs. The dragoness pulled them under her wings. "... I guess I bought a fake instead of the real one."
Charcoal rested himself next to her. He wrapped her under his wings. "Well, Logic Crystals don't last long."
"They don't last long." The dragoness whispered, glancing back at her mate. "But the quality ones can last for a very long time."
"I'll ask Henry later if he know a high quality one." The male dragon assured. "I have a lot of Amethyst Scales. I can buy one for you."
"No. It's a waste of money." Toothless rejected the offer. She turned to stare at the fire. "That was my 20th Logic Crystal purchase. I never got a high quality one. It's best that we don't buy them anymore."
"Well, we did play the game when it-"
"Shush." Toothless hushed the male dragon. "The eggs are resting."
Charcoal did not bother applying logic to that statement. "Okay. Sorry."
Furious was in a good mood.
It was not surprising. The Dreaded Dragon Flu epidemic was being relieved by foreign powers – Merciless, of all dragons! – and they managed to bust a large corruption scheme.
While few were found innocent, like Grosvenor, majority of them were found guilty. General Nemo had done a great job; he needed to reward him later.
It was not all well, however. During the trial under the Eyes of Arch Alpha, there were some things that they discovered. Charcoal had dared to perform the investigation, which was fair since General Nemo was the one who hired him. He was lucky they did not summon him.
However, that was not the worst part.
"Dad? I'm here."
A giant yellow slit-pupil eye appeared at the cave entrance. Charcoal was standing in front of the lair entrance. After confirming his identity, Furious pulled his eye back and shrunk to his smaller form. The greater alpha dragon leaned out from his lair, gesturing him to enter.
Charcoal was confused but followed anyway. The young dragon trotted into the lair, before stopping right in front of him. Compared to Furious' smaller form, he was almost as big as him, albeit only a quarter smaller. "What is it?"
"Charcoal." Furious began. "Did you know that Toothless is Wodensfang's daughter?"
The young dragon froze. He did not expect his father to find out. "... yes."
That instantly ruined his mood. "Skies above, Charcoal!" Furious groaned. "That explained everything. You could've told me that! I had to find out during trial under the Eyes of Arch Alpha. I thought you didn't know!"
"Well, it was for our own safety!" Charcoal argued. "We don't want to put ourselves in danger."
"And you didn't think of telling me?"
"No." The young dragon admitted. "Because I don't trust you."
That seemed to strike the greater alpha dragon. He could feel his temper rising; what he felt was more of a disappointment. "Why?"
"Because you never listen to me. Whenever I did something to help, you always blame me when things started to change." Charcoal explained his reasoning. He was annoyed by that question. "Why should I tell you when you could have gotten my mate killed? I'm an adult dragon. I love her, but you hate Wodensfang. I don't want to put my family at risk."
Furious' left eye began to twitch. "Charcoal, I couldn't care less about who you want to mate." He verbally retaliated. "You could have a full-time harem with fifty Light Furies, and I'm not going to say anything. My problem starts when you become mates with a high-profile dragon without telling me."
"That's not a problem before."
"That's not a problem for you because you don't see it." The older dragon retorted. "Did you know that Merciless is Wodensfang's son?"
That was something Charcoal did not know. He was shocked by that information. The young dragon had to gape when his father explained. "What?"
"Merciless is his son. He's the oldest brother of Toothless. Toothless is the last hatchling Wodensfang had before his mate died." Furious patiently explained the context. "Over three thousand years, they have four hatchlings. Merciless the oldest and Toothless the youngest. For some reason, she cut herself away from the family."
Charcoal was unaware of that information. "Skies above..."
"Harr..." The greater alpha dragon was exasperated. "Merciless had been making vague threats since you courted her. Wodensfang kept close eyes on me." He listed his woes. "They are incredibly protective of her. Had you told me about it, I could have done things different. I could have helped you. It got worse after you robbed him!"
The young dragon could not help but ask. "Do I get to keep the stuff?"
"They just mentioned them. It was never brought up again." Furious glared at him. "And pray that's all they do for that crime!"
The two dragons fell silent. They did not know what else to say. It was obvious that trust was the largest issue for them both.
Charcoal did not trust Furious because he blamed him when others acted reactively. Furious was angry at him because everything was fine until he came around. It was a problem that needed to be resolved.
Meanwhile, the greater alpha dragon was contemplating the situation. Charcoal was not really clear with him about what he was doing. He wondered if he did something wrong when he made him his late son. He did not remember them hiding things from him.
However, it also reflected back to him. Charcoal did not know who he truly was. It was starting to make him feel guilt. That was not a good feeling, especially to someone he care about.
Charcoal would know, eventually. Furious had foresighted that. However, when he would know was beyond him. His foresight was rather vague about the exact time, but he knew it would be some time between current and the next two years.
It was probably best to be honest before it got worse.
"Harr..." Furious exhaled his breath. "I'm going to make this easier for both of us." He began. "You tell me your things, and I will tell mine. I tell you my lines and you tell me yours. We work together on compromise, so this doesn't happen again. Promise."
"Alright. Promise." Charcoal slowly nodded. He pondered on what to ask. "What's your biggest secret?"
Furious sat on his hindlegs. He took a deep breath, before pausing. The old dragon remembered something important.
There was a strong chance for Charcoal to leave him after knowing who he was. He would have to make a choice between his village and his family.
The thought of losing his son sent him to a brief panic attack. Furious could not let that happen. He had lost his son before; he did not want to lose another one. Charcoal had become someone important to him. He could not let that happen.
Furious will not let Charcoal make that choice.
"... your mother didn't die a painful death." He confessed his second biggest secret. "She managed to escape with you, but she was shot with dragonroot arrows."
Charcoal was aware of what it was. Dragon root was a type of poisonous plant – one of the few things that could poison most dragon simply by its presence. Dragon Hunters often use them to subdue flying dragons.
Furious continued speaking. "I was organising rescue operation when she arrived at Dragon Island. We don't have anyone to cure her, so we had to summon someone from Hidden World." He lowered his head. "The medical professional arrived late. She died in her sleep."
"But... that's impossible." The young dragon whispered. He thought of his memories of seeing his mother's death. It was clear in his mind. "I remember every detail of it."
"She doesn't want you to know. She was disfigured when she arrived. She doesn't want you to remember her like that." The older dragon confessed. Yellow eyes stared at forest green ones. "She asked me to seal that part of your memory. It was her last wish before she died."
Charcoal felt anger in his heart. He closed his eyes as he tempered his emotion. He promised to work together for compromise. The young dragon did not know what to say. He did not know how to react. It was the most outrageous thing his father had ever done to him.
However, he had to compromise.
"Can..." The young dragon shuddered his breath. "Can you unseal my memory?"
Furious simply blinked. Charcoal felt him intruding his mind. Before he could react, his father unsealed the memory. The young dragon widened his eyes as he began to remember.
His mother survived the torture. She was fierce in fighting back against the humans. When everyone was asleep at night, she escaped escape from her cage. His mother fought against the odds and rescued him from human's clutch. She was the one who protected him when arrows began to rain on them.
They managed to return to Dragon Island. Furious was there to see them. Everyone did their best to heal her, but the scar was too much.
Charcoal remembered being afraid of his own mother; a dragon with half her scales missing. His father still loved her very much, even if she looked like something out of dragon horror tales.
But Charcoal... his mind was too young to understand at the time.
Charcoal blinked as he felt tears in his eyes. Looking away, things started to make sense. They did not want him to remember her as a disfigured dragon. They kept them as secret to protect his memories of her. However, that did not make it right. "I joined Merciless because they killed her..."
Furious remained silent. The young dragon continued to whisper. "There was so much anger and..." He looked at his father. "... I just want humans to leave us alone."
There was no response. Charcoal continued speaking. "I don't-... that's my biggest secret. I don't want any of this." He confessed. "I'm tired of being afraid of humans. They always want control. I've been thinking about subjugating their mind, but then we'll be no different than them. Life-Force experiment is illegal, and I don't want to be responsible for extinction of human race."
"Then don't." Furious simply responded.
"But when will the war end?" The young dragon was desperate. "Why do I have to accept that everything is like this?"
"Because we don't have a choice." The old father dragon softy replied. "... we had peace, once. I was there. It was beautiful."
"Then why can't we?"
Furious did not know how to respond to that. Remembering Hiccup the Second brought a lot of memories. Good, but painful memories. Even decades after his passing, those memories remained in his mind.
He never really moved on from the death of his mate and best friend. The scar on his chest was testament to that.
"Dad?" Charcoal leaned forward. "Why can't we?"
"Because nothing lasts forever. We gave our best shot; we got our peace." Furious finally gave his answer. "But we can't maintain them. We did our best to keep the peace, but..."
There was a pause. The old father dragon thought of his words. "... it's possible to commit no mistakes, and still lose." He gave his reasoning. "Perhaps it's just not meant to be. No matter the reason, we must adapt with what we have."
The two dragons fell silent. The young dragon shuddered his breath, before walking toward his father. Furious remained still as Charcoal approached. He was afraid that might be the wrong conclusion. Even when they kept their promise, it was hard to understand what they would do.
Charcoal stared at him, before resting himself against his body. The young dragon wrapped his forelegs and wings around him. The hug surprised the old father dragon, but he returned them regardless. He wrapped his wings around him, enveloping them both in comfort.
The young dragon closed his eyes. "... thank you."
"No, Charcoal." Furious looked down, staring at the forest green eyed dragon. "Thank you."
Later that day, Charcoal headed back home to his nest. He landed at the porch and entered the nest. The place had been expanded downward, with some mini balconies that would become separate rooms. It was in the middle of being expanded.
Toothless was inside. She was resting at the bottom of the main room. There was an ice bonfire in the middle, which illuminated the place. Their eggs were resting right in front of the dragoness. Charcoal softened his expression; it was a beautiful sight.
The male dragon jumped down and carefully landed to the bottom. Toothless opened her eyes, before staring at her mate. "You're back." She commented, noticing his expression. "Trouble with your father?"
"Sort of. He tasked me with messenger dragon work again. He told me two weeks ahead of schedule to prepare." Charcoal sat on his hindlegs. He took a deep breath, before speaking in serious tone. "We need to talk."
The dragoness straightened herself. It had been a long time since Charcoal used that tone. "Sure. What is it?"
"Is it true that you have siblings?"
Toothless knew where it was going. "Yes. I'm the youngest of four siblings."
"Is Merciless your oldest brother?"
"He's the oldest. Yes."
Charcoal faltered at her answer. "Why didn't you tell me?"
"It... just never came up." The dragoness admitted. "It never crossed my mind."
"Does he know about you?"
"I don't think he knows I'm here. He doesn't even know my adult name." Toothless answered. She was confused as to where the conversation was going. "Is there a problem?"
"Well, no. Kind of. It's just that..." Charcoal was hesitant. "I just had a conversation with my father. He learned who you are at the court."
That alarmed the dragoness. "Are we in danger?"
"No! No. We're not in danger." The male dragon quickly assured. "He doesn't really care, thankfully. It's Merciless that's the problem. He knew you were here this whole time – he's been vaguely threatening my father ever since I courted you."
That was when Toothless realised what kind of trouble was brewing. "Harr..." She mentally cursed herself. "He's always protective of me." The dragoness explained. "I did my best to separate myself from my family, but..."
There was a pause. Charcoal leaned forward. "But?"
"... it doesn't matter." Toothless evaded the topic. "I'm here, and I'm not going back."
"Toothless, I'd normally let things go until they're ready to tell." The male dragon replied. "But considering we're threading on dangerous line, and my father not being entirely honest until I forced him to, we need to open up."
Toothless was uncomfortable. "Can we not have this conversation?"
"We either have the conversation now, or later when it's too late." Charcoal refused. He did not let up. "Do you want to see the memory of my conversation with my father?"
There was a pause. The dragoness slowly exhaled her breath. "I'll see the memory first."
The male dragon brought forth the memory in his mind. Toothless entered his mind through their bond. He waited as she began watching the memory. Charcoal could see her eyes slowly widening. The longer she watched, the more she was shocked.
After some time, she pulled out from his mind. Her voice was small. "Your father really did that?"
"He did." The male dragon nodded. "That's why I want to hear it from you."
Toothless realised that the situation could no longer be ignored. "Skies above..." She whispered, staring at the open flame. "Where do I start..."
The two dragons fell silent. Charcoal patiently waited for her to speak, while the dragoness pondered how to explain her complicated relationship. She never thought she had to confront the situation, considering she was doing her best to bury them.
Eventually, Toothless found a place to start. "It was... sort of my biggest secret. It's the reason why I left my father." She admitted. "My father doesn't really stop us from doing whatever we want. He never forced me to become someone he wants. At the same time, he let us take consequences of our own action – unless it's something he wants us to do."
"That doesn't sound wrong." Charcoal pointed out.
"No! That's the problem! He never stopped us from trying literally everything." The dragoness stressed her voice. "Merciless became an opium addict when Egyptian dragons smuggled those poppies into Hidden World. I was born when my brother was an addict. It took him one hundred years to stop, and our father did absolutely fucking nothing!"
There was a long pause. Toothless controlled her breath as she tempered her anger. The memory of her father's neglect of her siblings was unforgivable. "It wasn't until our mother died when he started to care." The dragoness wasbitter. "But it was too late. Of all my siblings, Merciless was the only one that still wants to talk to him."
Charcoal softened his expression. "... maybe there's something you don't know."
"It doesn't matter. The damage is already done." The dragoness looked away. "Horror was my second brother. He liked to wager on air racing, but he owed too much Amethyst Scales. My father didn't bother bailing him out. We couldn't clear his debt without him. Horror doesn't want to burden us with his debt."
The male dragon knew where it was going. "Toothless-"
"No. You need to hear this. I just..." Toothless' eyes began to water. "... I miss him. He was the one that worked the hardest to pull Merciless out from his addiction. When he thanked us for everything, we didn't understand. But then-"
Charcoal interrupted by tackling her to the ground. The dragoness did not expect that. They tumbled across the floor. They stopped after hitting the wall. The six dragon eggs were fine; they remained near the fire. The male dragon hugged his mate as tight as possible.
The two dragons fell silent. Charcoal wrapped his head around hers. The male dragon had enough; he understood what she meant. He did not want to open her old wounds. Charcoal closed his eyes as he tightened his hug. He did not want her to continue; it only brought pain the longer she spoke.
Toothless remained where she was. The dragoness' expression was neutral, but there were tears in her eyes. She slowly relaxed under his embrace. Closing her eyes, she pushed those thoughts away. There was a small feeling of guilt when she forced him to listen.
After some time, the male dragon loosened his grip. Toothless still remained where she was. Charcoal decided to speak. "It's okay." He whispered. "I'm sorry for asking."
"No. You're fine. It's just..." Toothless shuddered her breath. "I didn't realise how much I repressed that emotion. I... I shouldn't be doing this."
"No. Toothless, hey..." The male dragon moved to stare at her eyes. Forest green eyes met acidic green ones. "It's okay. We're both mates now. Don't be sorry for being sad with me."
"I'm a grown dragon." The dragoness whispered. "Dragons don't cry."
"No. Dragons take their time to be sad." Charcoal corrected, before snuggling her head under his neck. "... that's what my father taught me."
The two dragons fell silent once more. Toothless closed her eyes as she quietly grieved. So much emotion being bottled at that point. The male dragon stayed in place, holding her under his embrace. He knew what it was like to grieve. Bottling emotion would only lead to anger. It was best to give her time.
It was how he dealt with his mother's death, after all.
Aymar the Valstrax arrived at Toothless' nest. He landed at the balcony, before announcing his presence. "Toothless. Charcoal. It's me, Aymar."
There was no response. Instead, he felt a mental ping from inside. The silver dragon carefully entered the nest.
The place had been expanded. The main chamber was cylindrical in appearance, with long walkway spiralling from the top entrance to the bottom. There were some claw marks at some of the walls.
The Valstrax looked down to see an ice bonfire. He had seen Toothless made them. However, the dragoness was nowhere seen around the main chamber. Instead, Charcoal was making claw marks on the walls. Given some large holes on the walls at the walkway, those were intended for separate rooms.
The male Night Fury looked up to Aymar. "Come on down here." He called, somewhat whispering. His voice echoed throughout the main chamber. "Don't make much noise; Toothless is sleeping. I'll be with you in a second."
Understanding the silence, Aymar carefully walked down through the spiral walkway. He rested himself near the ice bonfire. It had been a hectic journey, and they were far down on his visitation list. The Valstrax needed to get Charcoal's reward over with.
Few minutes later, Charcoal was finished. He jumped down and quietly landed at the ground. The male Night Fury stood at the opposite side of the ice bonfire. "What do you need?"
"I come to deliver your reward." Aymar explained. "Arch Alpha Wodensfang had given you two options; we can provide you with knowledge of technologies in Hidden World."
Charcoal tilted his head. "Dragon technologies?"
"Correct." The Valstrax nodded. "Should you accept this, we will deliver Storage Crystals to your nest."
The Night Fury pondered that decision. "And the second option?"
"We can provide your hatchlings, and future hatchlings, with free scholarship in prestigious and esteemed schools at Hidden World." Aymar answered the question. "They will be provided with best education we could offer whenever possible, regardless of goal and profession."
Both were tempting offers. However, Charcoal barely had any knowledge of them. He did not know what kind of dragon technology he would get, nor education his hatchlings might get.
Charcoal knew that education in Hidden World was superior when compared to the surface. Ronald the Dramillion had described them before.
He believed Hidden World dragons were smarter than surface dragons. Charcoal wanted the best for his hatchlings, and giving best education was one way to do it.
The father dragon thought about waking Toothless to help him consider, but after what happened before, it was not a good idea.
There was also the thought that he wanted them away from the war.
"I'll take the second option." Charcoal decided.
"Very well." Aymar tilted his head. "Could you provide your reason?"
Charcoal exhaled his breath. "I think everything that happens here at the surface speaks for itself."
"You mean the surface war."
"Yes. That." The Night Fury nodded. "The surface is not a nice place. The last thing I need is for them to get involved in the war."
The Valstrax seemed to frown. He sat on the ground. "Given the circumstances, I could provide some insight to worlds of Hidden World." Aymar offered. "If you wish to know more and reconsider your options."
Charcoal mentally translated that offer. He made that offer because Toothless was not present. He wanted to make sure that the decision was final. "Could you compare the surface to the... worlds of Hidden World?"
"The Hidden World dragons' standard of living is rated five times higher compared to dragons at the surface." Aymar began his tale. "While that alone is appealing, it ignores the nuances. The situation in Hidden World were always everchanging."
"Everchanging?"
"Unlike the surface, conflicts and wars were plentiful, but they never last for long." The Valstrax explained what he meant. "The surface war – Dragon Rebellion, you called them – usually went for hundreds of years. Compared to Hidden World; there had been one hundred recorded wars in the span of thirty years."
Charcoal was shocked to hear that. "One hundred wars?"
"Correct. Those are wars between greater and arch alpha dragons, occurring at different time with different length; one year at most, but never longer than four years." The silver dragon answered the question. "Everyone has their own interest, which was the cause of those wars."
The father dragon exhaled his breath. It seemed that conflicts and wars were everywhere around the world, even deep in Hidden World. "I suppose the situation is better over there." Charcoal admitted. "... assuming you know more about Toothless... can I ask something about her?"
"You may."
"Toothless told me about her family." Charcoal explained the situation. He grimaced at that thought. "She told me about her siblings. She was traumatised. How did she deal with it in Hidden World?"
Aymar tilted his head. "I do not understand." He expressed his confusion. "I do not recall her experiencing trauma of any kind. She was doing well."
"Well, she cried." Charcoal grimly informed him. The Valstrax widened his eyes. The Night Fury continued speaking. "When I ask her about her family, she blamed everything to her father and his neglect. As his mate, I want to make sure that there's no... loose ends that could endanger her and my family."
The Valstrax understood. "I am familiar with her family. I am aware of its dysfunctionality." Aymar confessed. "We are to leave her alone, unless ordered otherwise. Wodensfang had given her authority to command his personal army. She ordered us to leave her alone."
That surprised Charcoal. "She did?"
"Yes. She revoked her own authority thereafter." Aymar nodded. "Despite her unpleasant experience, Wodenfang truly care for her. He respected her wishes to remain independent. We know of her hatred, but..."
There was a brief silence. The Valstrax looked uncomfortable. "Toothless began expressing hatred after her mother's death." Aymar confessed. "We thought she blamed her father."
"Well, the wound runs deeper than that." The Night Fury grimaced. It took a special kind of hatred to reject everything associated with someone, even to their own demise. "Does anyone else knows that Toothless could command her father's army?"
"No. Not that I am aware of."
"Furious, the Greater Alpha of this region, has his own agenda. As you may already know, Furious is my father." Charcoal explained the context. "I don't trust my father. He kept too many secrets relating to me. Dangerous secrets."
Aymar paid attention. "Will this endanger the region?"
"My father refused to end the war because he's afraid of what comes after." The Night Fury continued speaking. He stared at the silver dragon in front of him. "He's stalling the war. Why? I don't know. I'm afraid he has some sort of... ulterior motives that could put us in danger."
"Wodensfang would never allow her be in danger."
"Then did you know that she almost died few years ago?"
The Valstrax widened his eyes. "What?"
"When she fought against humans with me, we both overextended ourselves and almost died from Mana Exhaustion." Charcoal told the tale. He hardened his expression. "My dad gave me inadequate, underprepared army to face an island. We destroyed Lava-Lout Island at the cost of our lives."
Aymar stayed silent. The Night Fury continued speaking. "There are many other tales. Most of them you'll never hear about, because of censorship." Charcoal explained. "They called us the Daring Hundred because our story became so famous; it went to Hidden World. There are countless dragons out there who fought and died for this war."
"Frrr..." The Valstrax exhaled his breath. "I will inform Wodensfang of this development." He decided. "... may I see Toothless before I leave?"
"She's in the first and only room I made so far." Charcoal answered. He stayed in place. "Try not to wake her up."
It was the hole right behind the Valstrax. Aymar stood from the ground, before moving to peek through the entrance. The hole was somewhat small, meaning that he needed to carefully squeeze in to enter. The silver dragon peeked into the room, before staring at the dragoness.
The chamber was large, and there was a small ice bonfire at the corner, illuminating the place. Toothless was resting at the centre. She looked incredibly peaceful, which was a rare sight for Aymar. It had been a long time since he saw her slept like that.
However, what surprised him were the eggs close to the ice bonfire. There were six Night Fury eggs, resting near the warm fire. Aymar was shocked. They were blessed with six eggs in a single clutch. Such thing was unheard of for Night Furies.
After confirming her safety, the Valstrax moved to retreat. However, something was on the way. Aymar shook his body as he tried to walk back, only to find his wings stuck at the entrance. The hole was not that small, but his inverted wings made it difficult to retreat. "Oh..."
"Aymar?"
The Valstrax almost cursed. He looked up to see the dragoness, who was awake. His ruckus had awakened her. She was confused to see him there. "Toothless."
"What are you doing here?" Toothless questioned, before realising something. "Wait, are you stuck?"
At the rear, Charcoal noticed something. Aymar was struggling to walk back. "Hold on. I think you're stuck." The male Night Fury rushed to check. His wings were stuck on the bumps around the doorway. The conical shape of Valstrax wings meant he could not move backward. "Can you move in?"
The Valstrax tried to move forward. It did not work; his wings were not fully folded when he entered. The pointed edge was caught on the doorway. "No." He admitted, glancing back. "I'm stuck."
"Harr..." The male Night Fury was exasperated. "Alright. I guess I'll enlarge the entrance." He decided, before readying his flame. "Don't panic. I'm going to melt the stone."
The silver dragon straightened himself. "Please be careful."
Meanwhile, Toothless was amused. "Good to see you here, Aymar." She remarked. "If you want to nest here with us, you could have told us first."
Aymar exhaled his breath. "I am glad my folly entertained you."
"Hrr, krr..."
Roughly a week later, the nest was finally finished. There were seven roosts with large pathways for dragons to enter and sleep. Charcoal and Toothless had moved themselves to nest at the very top, while their children were planned to nest at roosts under theirs.
In addition, Charcoal made a large hot spring underneath the main chamber. Using his human knowledge, the male dragon created something for the family to enjoy.
They were powered by a massive warming stone, which would last for years. It felt nice to feel the warmth of their nest after hunting in cold winter.
Which was where the two dragons were currently in. The nest hot spring was large, with half being water, and the other being dry stone for dragons to walk on. The massive warming stone was at the corner, creating steam and heating up the place.
Charcoal had his body submerged inside the large, deep hot spring. He was relaxing his body after a long day of fish hunting.
There was a reason why dragons moved to the Rookery – an island dedicated for hatchery. Fishes tend to move there because of the winter. They did not have to fly that far to get food.
In case of Charcoal, since they were not in the Rookery, he had to fly further to hunt for his mate and future hatchlings.
Meanwhile, Toothless was at the dry surface with her eggs. They were waiting for any signs when they would hatch. Given the pattern, dragon egg typically hatched one week after birth. It should not be long for them to see their hatchlings.
"Mrr..." Charcoal softly purred. His eyes were closed; only his head was visible on the surface. It felt nice to feel hot water flowing around his scales, especially during winter. "... I love my life."
Toothless was amused. "You said that every time you're in the water."
The male dragon opened his eyes. "Beautiful nest, with beautiful mate, and about to have beautiful hatchlings." Charcoal whispered, staring at her. "As I said, I love my life."
The dragoness moved to sniff her eggs. They were all still healthy, which was a good thing. She softened her expression. "I never thought I would have this many hatchlings." Toothless admitted. "I'm just... not sure..."
That concerned Charcoal. "Not sure...?"
"Not sure if we can give them equal attention." Toothless finished her sentence. She moved to stare at him. "How do you care for six hatchlings?"
"Hrr..." The male dragon pondered for solution. "We can always learn from Gronckles. They usually birth four to six eggs in one clutch."
The dragoness almost snorted. "We don't know any Gronckle."
"Maybe Agatha can help." Charcoal suggested. "I heard she have twenty eggs this season."
"Really?"
"Yes." The male dragon nodded. "I suspected my cure had something to do with it. She had four eggs last season."
"Well, her mate's going to be exhausted by the end of that." Toothless shuddered a bit. "Nemo's still a general, is he? That's going to be a problem."
"I'll do my best to dedicate my time for our hatchlings." Charcoal gave his promise. "At least, I'll have dragons sending fishes in for you. I'm sure my father can lend his dragons to fish for us when I'm gone."
"Are you sure he's willing?"
"He has to. I'm still his messenger dragon." The male dragon tilted his head. "If not, I can always pull a favour from General Nemo."
Suddenly, the dragoness noticed their eggs began to heat up. Toothless quickly moved to push the eggs into the hot spring. Realising the time, Charcoal rushed to check. The two dragons held their breath as they waited for hatchlings to surface.
The male dragon felt something exploded under him. Not long after, their hatchlings began to surface. Five hatchlings were the size of their paws, with the sixth being half of that. Charcoal patiently waited as they climbed to the dry surface, before reaching for their mother.
Suddenly, one of them yawned. "Kaa..."
"Kaa..." Another seemed to yawn.
"Kaaaaa..." The rest of the Night Fury hatchlings followed.
Toothless softened her expression. She was amused by their behaviour. Charcoal leaped out from the water, intentionally splashing them, before resting himself at opposite end of his mate. He leaned down to sniff on his hatchlings, who seemed to have taken interest on his snout.
There were three male and females; the smallest being male. Charcoal's pupil was dilated; he could not believe he finally had hatchlings. He watched with adoration as they started sniffing his snout back. It was the cutest thing he ever experienced.
Suddenly, one pounced right on his nose. "Kar!"
Others began climbing up to his head. "Kaaa!"
Toothless watched in amusement as the hatchlings began climbing around Charcoal's head with their claws. She took the opportunity to move to the main chamber. The dragoness grabbed some small fishes with her maw, before heading back down to the hot spring area.
The mother dragon placed them not far from the ramp. "Food here!"
The hatchlings, who had been harassing their father by climbing and 'biting' his head appendages, turned to see their mother. They rushed to the fishes, before sniffing them. They were relentless as they sniffed the fishes from front to back.
Eventually, the smallest hatchling grabbed the fish and ate them.
Other hatchlings saw this. They stared as the smallest smacked his lips with satisfaction. One leaped to pounce at his brother, but Charcoal stopped him midair with his paw. "Hrk!"
"No attack." The father dragon instructed. He pushed each hatchling to eat the fishes. "Food. Eat."
Eventually, they went to eat the fishes. Charcoal exhaled his breath; his heart softened at their appearance. Short stubby legs, big head, large round eyes, small wings and thin body – his hatchlings were very cute, if not a little hyperactive. At least they listened when he told them something.
"Hey, Charcoal." Toothless thought to his mind. "Did you saw that?"
"Saw what?" The male dragon looked at where his mate was staring. One of his hatchlings briefly sparked electricity. Another seemed to be breathing out cold air. "... they inherited our mutations."
"And they are twice bigger than normal hatchlings." The mother dragon explained. She curled up around them. "The runt is regular size. They are... new generation of Night Furies."
Charcoal felt proud. Their hatchlings would grow up to become strong and powerful. "They inherited everything about us."
"And do you feel that connection?"
The male dragon rested his body. He did feel connection between them and their hatchlings. It was like him and Toothless. However, the connection was primitive; they could feel what the hatchlings were feeling, but that was it.
However, the connection between hatchlings were incredibly strong. It was likely that they would always be together, regardless of boundary.
"I did." The father softened his expression. "They would become great brothers and sisters."
"Hrr..." Toothless exhaled her breath. "... What are you going to name them?"
Charcoal pondered for some time. Staring at his hatchlings, he wondered what to name them. The first one had vibrant, forest green eyes. The father dragon knew he would become a powerful mana caster. "I will name this one... Calian."
The mother dragon tilted her head. "What does it mean?"
"Warrior of life." Charcoal answered, staring at the hatchling. He was still eating the fishes. "His mana is stronger than the rest."
The father dragon glanced at the others. Through observation, he measured everything about them. Despite being hatched at the same time, they had different traits unique to them. Charcoal needed to make sure that they were named appropriately – at least for their hatchling names.
"This one has beautiful scales and eyes." Charcoal stared at the second male Night Fury hatchling. He had snow-green eyes, which was strange for a dragon. His scales seemed to have a hint of white on them. In addition, he was more reserved than others. "... Winter. He reminded me of the weather."
Looking at the others, the father dragon noted their female hatchlings. One of them seemed coughing something on her fish, as if trying to breathe fire for the first time. It was futile, since they were too young to develop their fire sac. "Helena. Fire, shining light."
The second female hatchling was quick in eating her fishes. However, despite her pace, it was not messy. She seemed to have picked up on how to eat rather quickly, as if realising what 'efficiency' meant in her half an hour of life. It was then Charcoal knew what to name her. "Amelia. Hard worker."
The third female hatchling looked anxious. She was moving her wings often, as if she wanted to run and fly around instead of eating her fishes. The father dragon noted that she was the most hyperactive one. "Iris." He named her. "After the Greek goddess of messengers."
Toothless nodded in approval. "She would become a great dragon messenger." The mother dragon commented. "... others seem to have modest name."
"Do you want me to think of different one?"
"No. It's their hatchling name." The adult dragoness responded. "We give them simple names, so they can earn better ones when they become adult."
Charcoal thought that made sense. "I hope they earn really good name." He thought, before focusing on the last one. "And for the runt. This is..."
The last one was half the size of his siblings. The father dragon widened his eyes as he was reminded of himself. His eyes were the same shade of forest green as his, and there was a hint of higher intelligence than the rest of his siblings. Charcoal thought about naming him after his old name, but it did not sound fitting.
"... Hamish." The father dragon decided. "Named after someone in the Legend of Haddocks."
Toothless was curious. "What was the character?"
"Hamish the Second was a Viking that became a legendary deviant dragon hunter." Charcoal answered, glancing at his mate. "It was said that he travelled to mainland and slayed one million deviants to protect the world."
The mother dragon widened her eyes. Killing one million deviant dragons was impressive, even if it was a lifetime count. "You usually have nothing good to say about humans." Toothless commented. "He must be a good one since you praised him."
"He was one of the few humans I respect." The father dragon admitted. "If he was a dragon... I would love to learn from him."
After some time, the hatchlings finished their food. Their first lunch seemed to induce tiredness on their body. Toothless folded her wings as they snuggled close to her body. Eventually, they curled up and closed their eyes. The hatchlings finally fell asleep.
Charcoal moved closer to his mate. He wrapped his wings around them, covering his family with his wings. The father dragon rested his head on his mate, feeling content with his life.
Everything was precious for him, which he needed to care and protect. It was the most important thing of all.
Closing his eyes, he dreamed of brighter future, where the war finally ended, and everyone lived in peace.
Author Note
Toothless was cured and everything went well. They now have six hatchlings, which they need to devote their lives to.
About the army that Toothless was given command. While this may not seem realistic to some, it should be noted that emotion is often irrational. Toothless had her own reasoning of not wanting anything to do with it.
Now, about Charcoal and Furious. I put a lot of thought on how their father-son relationship would realistically work. We're talking about an ancient dragon, who had lost their son before, adopted a child in a way he could.
I want to reiterate that Furious really care about Charcoal. In this story rewrite, he really do consider him as his son. There's no deception in this part. It was shown in previous chapters.
However, it doesn't justify the things he did to him. Some decisions he made involving Charcoal is just disastrous. For example, in previous chapters, Furious gave Charcoal an army to destroy the Lava-Louts. He expected him to fail the assignment, then return home with a lesson. But that's not what happened.
Charcoal put a lot of effort in planning and leading his army. He knew they were going to fail, which defeated the whole purpose of the assignment that Furious gave him. He would not learn that lesson if he knew. But he did it anyway. That almost got him killed.
It could be said that Furious was responsible for Toothless and Charcoal's injuries because he didn't give him the army he need for the task. He should have known better. Furious certainly felt like it, which was why he gave them honourable discharge.
This chapter is similar, except the role is a bit reversed. Charcoal did not trust Furious because he knew how stubborn he was. He knew Furious hated Wodensfang, despite serving under him as greater alpha. He knew that it would put them in danger.
That was revealed in this chapter. They come to understanding that they don't really trust each other. Yes, they felt hurt. They felt hurt when they learned that their father/son kept something important that would affect them.
But there is comfort in this understanding. They realised some of their fears were unwarranted. While they still have some unresolved issues, they considered it progress. However, with this understanding, there's also decision they made to avoid getting hurt again.
Furious weaselled his way out of telling his biggest secret relating to him. He feared that Charcoal would leave him; something he did not want to happen. He knew this would fester into something horrible, but he could not help himself.
Charcoal thought Furious have a lot more secret. He thought he did not want to stop the war in fear of what would happen after. As such, he told Aymar about what he knew and asked for help. This, in turn, would get Wodensfang's attention and possible intervention.
And that was the problem. They were both incredibly stubborn; they wouldn't budge until external crisis forced them to face the reality. Especially Furious. Even then, they learned nothing. Instead, they made the decision that could make things worse.
Everything that happens after would be the consequence of their own actions. Maybe they would come to understanding, or double down and do something they would regret. We'll see about that in later chapters.