11"Ugh, what happened?" Hiccup thought as he woke up after passing out from mental overstimulation.
"You passed out after I shared with you why we can talk and what our role in this world is." The Night Fury, Zahnlos, said.
"What do you mean, shared? How could you share it with me! I don't remember you telling me anything!" Hiccup said almost angrily to the Night Fury in a mix of telepathic speech and hand motions as he jumped up off the ground and started to walk around the cove, yet never strayed far from where Zahnlos was laying on the ground. The dragon just looked at the boy with no emotion showing on his face. Somehow, he didn't know how, but Hiccup felt some animosity flowing out of the dragon after he said that. "Well, there's no need to be so hostile about it!"
"I am not being hostile about anything Hiccup. Though the fact that you picked up on it means some of what I tried to communicate to you got through. I guess that means we will have to try again." Zahnlos said as he brought himself to Hiccups level from where he had been resting on the ground. "Now Hiccup, I want you to look into my eyes."
"Why would I do….that?" Hiccup asked as he turned to look at the dragon, looking into its eyes during the turn. Almost immediately Hiccup felt as if he couldn't look away, as if he was ensnared by the dragon's gaze. Hiccup felt the pressure in his head again, but this time he clamped down and tried to resist it, remembering what had happened the last he felt that force and not wanting that to happen again. It didn't work as the force seemed to just knock down the feeble excuse of a defense that he had constructed.
"Do not worry little one, it's only me." Zahnlos's voice said, though it sounded slightly different than before. As if he was somehow closer to the boy but at the same time being muffled by something, even though the dragon himself hadn't moved nor was he opening his mouth. Suddenly Hiccup felt weightless as if falling into a void. In an instant, he found himself someplace he had only seen before in his dreams. It looked perfect. The fields and forests of an unnamed island and up on a small hill was a house with a decent-sized forge attached to it. Hiccup instantly recognized it; it was the place that he had dreamed and imagined would be his home someday once he was older, stronger, and could leave Berk.
'I knew it. I'm dead. This is Fólkvangr right, where my dreams come true until Ragnarok happens? What did I do to earn coming here? I didn't die in combat unless I was trying to fight off that Night Fury,' Hiccup thought as he looked around the place and so no dragons at all.
"You're not dead little one, we are simply in your mind," Zahnlos said as he materialized right in front of the boy, causing him to jump back in surprise.
"How? What? I just…..What?" A confused Hiccup said as he fell to the ground, landing on his back as he tried to handle the information. "What do you mean by, we are in my mind? How can we be in my mind? More specifically, how are you here?"
"I can be here because we bonded, it happened the moment we touched back in the village. That bond opened up a dormant part of your mind which connected to my mind. There is now a mental link between the two of us," Zahnlos explained to the confused boy. "Do you understand what I just told you or do I have to go more into detail?"
"Did I just…no, I couldn't have actually heard you talk with my own ears," Hiccup exclaimed, completely missing the rest of what he had been told as he stood up.
"But you did, just as I'm able to speak to you aloud. Now, why don't you try talking aloud instead of using our mental link?" Zahnlos said while making an encouraging nod with his head.
"H...how is this possible?" Hiccup asked after a few moments of concentration. He knew how to say some very basic words as Gobber had invested the time and effort to teach him, but here Hiccup found that he was able to talk.
"Short answer, it's because we are in your mind and in here anything is possible," Zahnlos explained. "Now do you understand how we are here?"
"Something about a mental link between the two of us?"
"Correct, when we bonded by the forge it created a mental link. Think of it as a bridge that connects our two minds and at each end of the bridge is a door. Now you can control how open or shut the door is, from just letting us talk to feeling each other's emotions and all the way up to sharing memories, which is what I tried to do early which caused you to pass out. I didn't realize you couldn't handle it, I'm sorry Hiccup," Zahnlos explained, slightly lowering his head in apology.
"It's...it's okay Zahnlos...But if we can bond like this, then why don't we get everybody to bond with a dragon and end the fighting?" Hiccup asked, a bit of excitement leaking into his voice.
"It doesn't work that way little one, you are special. You are the only one who has the ability to bond with a dragon like this, and I am the only dragon you can bond with. I've been searching for you for many years. Now to explain how I know that I would like to take you into my mind and show you my memories. It's a lot easier and less straining on me to show you there than have to project them here. Now if you please take your place on my back so I can take you over to mind, my rider," the dragon spoke before motioning for Hiccup to climb onto his back just behind the dragon's head. Hiccup did as instructed, sitting in front of the large wings and as soon as he was on, the pair took off and climbed straight up above the clouds. Above the clouds was just the sky, the ground fading away. After a few moments, instead of flying level, Zhanlos started diving down towards the ground.
"Wow, this is beautiful," Hiccup said as they got closer to the 'ground' after passing back through the clouds. It was a thick forest as far as the eye could see; a forest in full bloom with all the colors as bright and vibrant as they could ever be. Leveling off just above the trees, the pair speed towards the only mountain they could see. Coming in for a landing just outside a rather large cave, they walked inside where Hiccup slid off Zahnlos's back and started to look around.
"Hiccup, please come sit and pay attention. This is what I wanted to show you," The Night Fury exclaimed as he brought Hiccup's attention to the back wall. Once Hiccup had sat down, Zahnlos laid behind him and allowed the boy to use him as a backrest to lean against. Once they were settled, a haze started to appear near the back wall and quickly turned into an image. It was of two Night Fury's, one older and one younger.
"Who is that?" Hiccup asked.
"That is my mother and I about a month after my hatching. Now watch." Came the explanation as they both watched the memory play out.
"Momma, why don't you let me go play with the other hatchlings?" A young Zahnlos asked his mother.
"Because dear, you're not like the rest of the hatchlings. There is something special about you that nobody can know about. You have an ability and are the one that the elders have heard during their communions with Draco." His mother explained to him.
"What's so special about me momma?"
"You will be the first of our kind to bond with a human. In doing so, the two of you will bring a change onto this world like no other. I will explain it to you when you are older." His mother said to him. After that, the image dissolved and was replaced by another one of an older Zahnlos with an unknown Night Fury who must be one of the elders.
"It is time for you to find your own path now Zahnlos. Remember, once you find your bonded human take him to the nest of the Great Bewilderbeast. He is one of the last Bewilderbeasts alive and will help train you and your human companion on how to use your abilities." The older Night Fury said as Zahnlos nodded slightly somberly before spreading his wings to take off. "May Draco smile on you and may the wind be always at your back."
"Thank you, Father." Was all that Zahnlos said before taking off into the sky. After watching that final memory, the images faded away.
"I...understand now; we are to end this war together…" Hiccup said after a few moments.
"Correct, now I suggest we get going. The Sanctuary is a good distance away from here and you need all the rest you can get."
"How do we get out of here?" Hiccup asked.
"Just imagine yourself out of your mind and in the real world," Zahnlos said just before his form dissolved and disappeared and Hiccup found himself back in his own mind. Closing his eyes, he did as Zahnlos had told him and imagined himself back in the real world. He felt a slight tingle in his mind and when he opened his eyes he was back in the real world, in the cove that Zahnlos had taken him to with said dragon standing over him. Once he had noticed Hiccup was back in the real world, lowered himself so Hiccup could climb onto his bareback to take to the sky. Once Hiccup did, they took off into the sky and turned north, leaving Berk in their wake.
Hey there everybody, this was a hard chapter to write and then rewrite due to having to figure out how exactly I wanted the flashback/memory to go and if I wanted to change anything. I hope you all enjoyed it, if it was confusing, just leave me a review telling me that and I will try and help you understand it through PM's. And yes, I did say that I would be posting every week but real life is hitting hard again as I'm trying to change jobs.
Semper Fi,
Thearizona