11And here we are, Chapter 10 of For The Deaf And The Telepath. I hope y'all enjoy it! There is a perspective change about halfway through the chapter but I don't announce it cause I wanted it to feel more natural than a hard cut, just a warning so y'all aren't confused when it happens.
As the two groups flew towards the Sanctuary, Hiccup noticed something. When he had broadened his mind to speak to the dragons following them, Hiccup had noticed that there were more minds he could connect with than he would have thought. He didn't understand who or what they were when he noticed them but he had other things on his mind. It wasn't until after he had spoken with the Queens rider's dragons did he turn his attention back to the new minds that should not have been there.
Still laying down atop Zahnlos, Hiccup decided to look at the closest of the five new minds. The mind of each individual dragon is unique, in both color and intensity. These factors are dependent on many different things, ranging from their mental prowess to what species of dragon they are. These five minds, however, all looked the same and it was something that Hiccup had never seen before. Not only was the color odd, but they were smaller than that of a young dragon. Encompassing the nearest mind to get a good look at it, Hiccup still could not determine what it belonged to but it was starting to look slightly familiar.
Hiccup was starting to interact with the mysterious mind and was expecting some type of mental defense to appear and stop him, as every living creature naturally had some form of mental defense. This mind, however, had none at all and it appeared that none had ever been constructed. Hiccup took one short little look into the mysterious mind, and what he saw surprised him.
"Hiccup, our passenger is getting a little excitable," Zahnlos said to Hiccup, bringing the boy back into the real world after he quickly checked one more thing.
"Sorry, that was my fault. It seems that all the riders have a small amount of mental power. It seems like just enough for them to hear thought speech and only that." Hiccup said to his companion as the blonde-haired female stopped squirming about in Zahnlos's claws.
"I wonder why?" Came the response from the Night Fury.
"I don't know, but if they were truly leading the raids then maybe the Queen did something to them at a young age to make it so they can hear her and the other dragons. I can only guess though." Hiccup responded, giving both of them something to think about, but given their bond, it turned into them thinking about the same thing. They stayed silent the rest of the way back to the sanctuary as they thought. The group landed on a ledge near the outside of the Sanctuary, not wanting to take their guests fully inside to start off. It did have an opening that would lead further inside. It was only once they had all landed did the pair break that silence.
"Zahnlos, can you get everybody's attention for me?" Hiccup asked him as it would be faster and easier to sign as only his mother could hear his thought speech. The Night Fury did as he was asked and soon the three adults were looking at Hiccup along with their passengers.
They have bonded with their dragons and they are following us here. That caused a bit of a stir in the group that understood him. They just want to be with their riders and know that we don't want to harm them.
How do we know they won't just take their riders and go straight back to the Queen? Valka asked Hiccup, worry evident on her face and in how she was signing. She knew that if they went back to the Queen then there would never be another chance to steal them away.
I permanently removed their connection with the Queen, they no longer respond or see Her as their Alpha. Hiccup finished just as the four dragons landed behind him on the ledge causing the Queen's former riders to go running straight to their dragons and both parties embraced one another in what was clearly a happy moment. After they finish the two groups of riders and dragons stood across from each other on the ledge, staring one another down. After a few moments of staring each other down the blond-haired rider that Zahnlos had been carrying spoke up.
"She is thanking all of us for freeing them from Her." Zahnlos translated automatically for Hiccup, "But she says they have to leave to find their own path." Before Hiccup or anybody could respond to that the commanding voice of the King boomed through everybody's head who could hear it.
"COME, SPEAK WITH ME." The voice echoed through their heads. It wasn't a command like the Queen would give, only a simple suggestion. That in and of itself made the group curious, as they had never heard such a kind voice in their heads before as the Queen was always cruel. Due to this, the large group started to make their way inside the Sanctuary with the King's riders leading the others deeper into the Sanctuary.
As they made their way through the winding pathways that made up the passages from the outside to the inside, the newcomers noted that the walls of the new place that they were walking deeper into started to be made more of rock than ice. After a few more moments the group finally exited the tunnels and entered the heart of the Sanctuary, where all the dragons and the King himself resided. They were awestruck by how much bigger this place, this Sanctuary, was than their old nest. There was even a small island in the middle of the lake. It was then that both Hiccup and Zahnlos were knocked over by a sudden flash of silver and in their place was a Razorwhip.
"Do you know how worried I was about you two!?" Windshear asked the pair as she sat on the duo and screeched at them. While they had told her they were going, she didn't like that she wasn't allowed to come with them.
"We can imagine Windshear." Hiccup told him as Zahnlos echoed his sentiment, "Now would you mind?" Hiccup asked her while gesturing to the fact that she was practically snuggling with the pair after having made sure they were not injured.
"Oh, of course." She replied before letting them up. It was only then that the trio noticed the group behind them had either started laughing or were looking at them with curiosity extremely evident on their face. Windshear instantly became embarrassed upon looking up at the group of strangers and if she could, her face would be red as a tomato.
"Did the plan work? Are these them?" Windshear asked Hiccup privately.
"Yes, they are. We were on our way to introduce them to the King, you can join us if you want." Hiccup replied.
"If you thought I wasn't going to join you then you're being silly." Came the response as the group got moving again with Hiccup leading the way, Windshear to his left, and Zahnlos to his right. Everybody had their own thoughts on what was happening and there was some whispering between the Queen's former riders, but for the most part, they were quiet. They soon exited out of the passage that they were walking in and onto a platform near the lake
The Queen's former riders stopped in their tracks as soon as they exited the cave, in awe of everything. While they had seen it from far away a few moments ago, being able to stand in it was a completely different feeling. The green of the plants that were growing, the massive rotating spire of flying dragons, the relatively cool temperature, and the snow-covered island that was even bigger than the Queen. They had never seen anything like it before, the Nest being in a volcano making it hot and as bland as the rocks that made up the walls.
"COME." The voice once again rang through their heads as they were coaxed forwards toward the lake and its island. It was only once they got closer and it moved that they saw it wasn't an island, but a massive white dragon. As they walked forwards they noticed their escorts and other dragons in the area had bowed in respect to the dragon. They stopped and stood in awe at the edge of a cliff as it lifted its head to be level with them. They all felt the urge to bow to the power and respect that he seemed to command.
"This is the great Bewilderbeast. Every nest, including your old one, has its Queen but this is the King of all dragons." The women said as the King frosted them with his breath. "And it seems he has taken a liking to you."
"She is correct, I can sense the good in your hearts even after all you have suffered," The masculine voice once again sounded in their heads. "Therefore I welcome you nine to the Sanctuary with hopes you will stay and join our flock." The group of nine all looked between each other. This was what they wanted after all, someplace to settle down permanently that was far enough away from the Queen so that She would never be able to capture them in Her controlling grip again. This Sanctuary would be the perfect place, it had everything they were looking for and more.
"That sounds nice but how do we know you are who you say you are and not simply putting on a front in order to lure us in?" The Deadly Nadder asked the King, suspicious about what his true intentions might be.
"You think the King is like Her?" Zahnlos asked disbelief and a hint of anger in his voice. "Cause I can tell you that He is nothing like that monstrosity who calls Herself a Queen."
"Be calm Zahnlos, their fears and suspicions are perfectly valid and I understand if they wish to leave to find their own way in this world." The King said to the Night Fury as Hiccup was also mentally chastising his bonded for the rude outburst. The King could sense that they wanted to stay, to be a part of something, but fear of the Queen and being controlled like that again made them want to leave and not be around such large dragons.
"What if you were to stay around for a few days to observe our Nest, then after that decide if you wish to stay or go?" The King suggested, not wanting the group of dragons and young riders out in the world all alone. The group all turned together and started to talk amongst themselves, discussing the proposal that they had been given. Turning back to look at the large white dragon, the Nadder stepped forwards.
"That sounds like a fair proposal, and we accept." The Deadly Nadder responded to the King, acting as the spokesdragon for the group.
"Wonderful! I will have Zahnlos and Hiccup here act as your guides while you are here." The King said, looking down at the pair that was standing before him before looking back at the group. "I leave you in their very capable hands and paws." The King finished, settling back down into his pool and leaving the group of newcomers looking at Hiccup and Zahnlos.
"If you're to be our guide then I guess we should introduce ourselves." The blond hair rider of the Deadly Nadder, Aqria, said to the two who were tasked with showing them around the icy nest called The Sanctuary. The boy, Hiccup according to the King, who looked to be around the same age as them, made no move that he had heard them but the Night Fury, apparently named Zahnlos, which had carried her looked up towards her.
"You have to excuse him, he was born deaf." The women who rode the Stormcutter responded to them.
"What does that mean?" one of the twins, Spark, asked.
"It means that he can't hear anything." The larger of the two other men said. "and because of this he can barely talk, so he doesn't."
"Then how does he communicate with anybody?" The other twin, Boom, asked.
"That is how." The larger of the two men answered them. It was then that they noticed the boy, Hiccup, start moving his hands and making signs with them toward them, and the women who responded with a single sign.
"Looks like he is trying to swat a bug." Blaze, the Monstrous Nightmare rider, scoffed to himself as they watched the hands move about. His dragon smacked him upside the head with his tail after he saw Toothless look over at his rider with a death glare.
"What did he say?" The larger Gronkle rider, Earthen, asked her.
"He asked who you are, and since we are talking about it, let me introduce us," She said before starting to gesture to the two men who were standing behind her. "Those two are Ivar and Unole with their Night Fury's Specter and Penumbra. My name is Valka and this Stormcutter behind me is Cloudjumper, and those two over there are Hiccup and Toothless." Valka finished introducing everyone as they all looked at each other.
"Hello," Aqria said as she started. "I'm Aqria and this is my Nadder Stormfly. That is Earthen with his Gronckle Meatlug and next to them is Blaze with his Nightmare Hookfang. Finally are the twins Spark and Boom with their Zippleback Barf and Belch." While she was talking, Valka was signing all the information for Hiccup so he could understand the information.
"Welcome to the Sanctuary Aqria, Stormfly, Earthen, Meatlug, Blaze, Hookfang, Spark, Boom, Barf, and Belch." They all heard it in their head, but it didn't sound like the King. It startled them and they all started looking around to see who had said that.
"Did he just say hello?" Valka asked them. "I'm sure he will explain everything when he wants but for now, Hiccup has very similar abilities to that of any other dragon." The group looked at him for a second as if he was going to sprout wings and breathe fire but quickly stopped when the voice sounded again.
"I'm not going to transform or anything." They once again heard in their head. "Now if you'll follow me I'll show you around the Sanctuary and where you'll be staying for the next few days." With that, they were off with Hiccup and Toothless leading the group on a three-hour tour of the inside of the Sanctuary made of rock and ice.
So here is the next chapter, I hope it was good. Well, I guess this is it for Chapter 10, see y'all in Chapter 11!
Until Next Time,
Thearizona