Come Darkness, Come Light

Chapter 1 - The Beginning

The spikes loomed over us as we approached the mountain, causing a chill to travel through me—one that had nothing to do with the cold. Darkness overtook my vision when we entered a tunnel, and for a moment there was nothing but the sound of flapping wings. A few seconds later, we burst into the open, and I squinted against the sudden light. When I finally was able to take in my surroundings, a loud gasp escaped my lips.

It was like the mountain had been hollowed out, leaving behind a hidden world. The dome of ice stretched high overhead, covering the entire area, though streams of sunlight filtered through to brighten the large space. Pillars of stone connected the roof to the ground, and a lake of glimmering water rested at the very bottom. It looked quite deep, so I figured it must lead to the ocean. Dozens of caves and tunnels of various sizes littered the cliffside, and colorful vegetation made the entire place look alive.

The most amazing part, though, was the sheer amount of dragons flying around or perched along the walls. There were more dragons than I'd seen in my entire life. I should've been afraid, but in that moment all I felt was overwhelming exhilaration. Along with Deadly Nadders, Monstrous Nightmares, Gronckles, and other familiar species, there was also a plethora of dragons I couldn't hope to identify.

The Stormcutter glided down to one of the rocky platforms that jutted out of the mountain, dropping me gently onto a patch of moss before landing next to me. I scrambled to my feet, backing up as far as I could. My back hit the stone wall behind me, and I silently cursed the gods. The dragon lowered its head and made that same comforting croon as earlier, clearly trying to appear less threatening.

"Stay away!" I shouted, my voice trembling. "I-I mean it!" I added, raising my chin.

The dragon's only response was to move closer, then it did something that baffled me and completely grossed me out at the same time. Its throat contracted with a terrible heaving noise, then it spit out a half eaten fish that landed directly in front of me. I grimaced, looking between the fish and the dragon. After a moment of awkward, confused silence, the dragon huffed and nudged the disgusting fish towards me with its nose.

Its intentions clicked in my mind, and I vigorously shook my head. "Are you kidding? There's no way I'm eating that thing!" I protested. Hiccup began to squirm, the sudden noise waking him. I groaned internally. Great, a crying baby in a nest full of dragons. Just what I needed. I rocked him back and forth gently, humming to try and keep him calm. His eyes fluttered open, looking bright and innocent as always. He didn't know just how much his life had changed in a single day. As expected, it only took a few seconds before his piercing cries filled my ears. The Stormcutter flinched, then looked back at me expectantly. The intelligence in its gaze was simply unnerving.

"What? You're the one that kidnapped a baby!" I practically growled, continuing to bounce Hiccup in a soothing manner. "You're gonna have to deal with the noise!" It occurred somewhere in the back of my mind that I was talking with a dragon, but I couldn't help scolding it a bit. It had brought this on itself. "He's scared, and hungry, and I-I don't..." My breathing started to quicken at the realization that I had nothing but the clothes on my back and the child in my arms. How was I going to take care of Hiccup? He was going to starve!

Before I could go into a full blown panic, the Stormcutter once again nudged the fish towards me. I glared at it, holding back a wince as Hiccup let out a particularly loud wail. "He's only six months old! Besides the fact that that fish is probably riddled with diseases by now, he can only eat mashed up food. Fruits, vegetables, things like that," I explained hotly.

The Stormcutter considered my words, then suddenly took off out of sight. I froze. Did it leave for good? What about the other dragons? Were they going to attack now that it was gone? The cliff I was on offered nowhere to hide, and it's not like I could fly to safety. I was stuck. Hiccup was still crying his poor heart out, and I held him close to my fur vest to attempt to muffle the sound. I didn't want to draw unnecessary attention.

To my surprise, any dragons that flew by merely tossed us a glance as they passed. It didn't make any sense. The dragons at home wasted no time in attacking when they saw a human. Is it because I'm not wielding a weapon? Or was I so non-threatening that they couldn't even be bothered to react? A terrifying thought snaked into my mind—that I had been right all along; that dragons only attacked us because we attacked them. If that was the case, we were the cause of our own destruction.

I was broken from my self-torment when the Stormcutter reappeared with a collection of items in its grasp. The dragon dropped a pile of berries and other larger fruits that I didn't recognize at my feet, then subtly slurped up the half eaten fish as it backed up to give me some space. I stared down at the food, my mouth agape. How...? My eyes traveled slowly up to the Stormcutter, who blinked warmly at me in return. Did...did it...understand me? The thought alone was preposterous. There was absolutely no way that a dragon could understand a human. They were animals! Sure, I'd never considered them to be mindless creatures like the rest of Berk, but the idea that they could understand what we were saying was too much even for me. Still, the proof was right in front of me. The dragon had brought the exact thing I said I needed. That was no coincidence. It was helping me.

"I...thank you," I breathed, sitting down hesitantly. The Stormcutter purred, satisfied. I put Hiccup in my lap, then grabbed a handful of berries and inspected them. They certainly looked edible. I popped one in my mouth, chewing experimentally. They tasted excellent, and after a few minutes of waiting I determined they weren't poisonous. Next I needed to figure out how to feed my crying baby.

After a brief glance around, I grinned upon seeing a flat piece of wood lying a few feet away. It had broken off one of the small trees that sprouted between the rocky crags. "Could you get that for me?" I asked the dragon, pointing to the desired object. If it's gonna sit there and stare at me, it might as well be useful.

I watched in fascination as the Stormcutter picked up the piece of wood in its jaws and carried it over to me, letting it fall beside me. "Thanks..." I murmured, the corner of my lips lifting in a smile. This was incredible. Not only did it know what I was saying, but it was also kind enough to assist me. Were all dragons like this?

Hiccup's tiny fist slammed against my chest as he thrashed and wept, reminding me of my task. "Hold on, darling," I whispered, grabbing a nearby rock that fit nicely in the palm of my hand. I carefully deposited the berries on the wooden slab, then used the rock to grind them to mush. It only took a few minutes before I had freshly made baby food. I grabbed another rock—this one small and perfectly smooth—to use as a spoon.

As soon as the food reached his mouth, Hiccup went from crying to making happy gurgling noises. I laughed, a genuine grin spreading across my face as I fed him. For the first time since before the raid, it felt like everything would be okay. There didn't seem to be any imminent dangers, the dragon wasn't trying to harm us, and Hiccup was going to start the day with a full stomach.

There was still a lot to deal with, but for now I could savor this moment—just me, my baby boy, and a dragon.