Left In The Night

Chapter 11

Dusk and Ana belong to Berks.Winter.Rose on Instagram 3

As the Night Furies walked, becoming more comfortable around each other, Blueheart was happily sharing all her knowledge and memories of her colony.

When they neared a small beach and were within earshot of the crashing waves, Blueheart picked up on something. Unfamiliar scents.

She stopped roughly 30 feet from the edge of the woods, Toothless stopping behind her.

What is it?

I just- picked up on some unfamiliar scents.

Dragons?

No. Human. She twitched her nose, climbing up into the foliage of a tall tree, getting a better whiff of the new scent trail. It didn't make sense, her brain told her these scents were new, yet, she could pick up faint traces of Zyrah's smell. That shouldn't be possible.

Toothless noticed the confusion in her expression.

What's wrong?

You know Zyrah's scent by now, right? He bobbed his head slightly.

I do, why?

Smell the air. He frowned for a moment but did as she said. He then noticed it too.

It smells like her... But doesn't. That's strange. Blueheart sniffed the air, trying to pinpoint where the new scents were coming from, feeling around in the breeze.

Blueheart, look toward the horizon.

What? She turned her head, perplexed to see the shape of a small ship heading in their direction. And it wasn't very far from shore. Then Blueheart heard Toothless start to growl, his back spines glowing blue.

Whoa whoa! What's with the defense? She exclaimed, making her way down to him.

Those sails bear the symbol of the dragon hunters who worked for Drago during his reign.

Dragon hunters? That's odd, it doesn't explain why I smelled something so familiar but it's not my rider.

Let's wait in the shadows to see who they are.

Good idea. Together, the pair slunk back into the woods, being sure to hide well in the underbrush. And with the breeze in their direction, they wouldn't have to wait very long.

And almost as soon as they saw the ship, they heard its hull scrape against the rough, sandy shore. A small anchor was thrown off the deck, clanging loudly on some rocks, lodging itself between two boulders. They could hear faint chatter on board, but it wasn't in a familiar language, at least not to Blueheart. Toothless, however, could understand part of it. He did express puzzlement, though.

What is it? What language is that?

Sámi. But it's incredibly rare to hear that language this far south.

The Sámi?

They're a nomadic people that live on the mainland far to the east. Some of the newer villagers on Berk are Sámi, like Eret, son of Eret. He's a former trapper. Blueheart raised an eyebrow.

The point is that so few Sámi live within the archipelago. I've only picked up a few words and phrases.

I see.

Let's wait for the crew to disembark. But we ought to head back to the village soon to warn your rider and the others. It's best to always be cautious with former hunters and trappers.

As they watched, the familiar scent came back to Blueheart's nose, and she observed in anticipation to see who the owner was. After some more chatter and the sound of wooden crates being tossed around, they finally saw a gangplank being dropped onto the sand. The silhouette of a man appeared and began walking down, his boots sinking into the pebbly sand.

He had hauntingly pale skin, a slender nose with a strong bridge, deep blue eyes, and jaw-length raven-black hair. His sharp jawline softened slightly with the beginnings of a beard. His deep blue eyes appeared sunken with the shadows within his eye sockets, and he looked to have a permanent frown on his face. He bore no scars on his face or any distinctive facial markings.

His clothing was in shades of dark blue, black, a dull dark brown, and grey. Clothing intended to keep him in the shadows and out of sight. And on his back, he wore a longsword, and she could faintly make out runes carved into the dark metal, though she could not make out the word they spelled.

Shortly after the disembarkment of his ship, a woman followed. She was slightly younger than him. Her skin was slightly tanned, and her hair was a rich dark brown. Her intense gray eyes felt like they could pierce into your soul. But her face was soft, with high cheekbones, and pursed lips. Her eyebrows appeared to be stuck in constant determination. Her clothing was lighter in color compared to the man, and she wore a sword of her own on her left hip.

They were still speaking in Sámi, and both shared similar looks of determination, but with an underlying sinister feeling. They were here for something, but right off the bat, Blueheart knew they weren't here for good reasons.

We need to go. Now. She hissed to Toothless. With a nod, they crept away as quietly as possible until they knew they were out of earshot so they could fly back to the village.

By the time they made it back to the village, the sun was kissing the horizon, already beginning to paint the sky in light pink and orange, casting a beautiful glow on the surrounding clouds.

Hiccup hid his concern regarding Toothless well, even when the two Night Furies finally came back.

"Gods, there you two are!"

"I told you he was safe with Blueheart," Zyrah assured. Hiccup did notice that Toothless appeared to be on edge.

"What's up with him?" He asked. The group shrugged.

"Blueheart doesn't seem agitated," Rurik remarked. Zyrah shook her head.

"I dunno, she's always been the type to hide her feelings sometimes. She seems more alert."

Toothless, what's the matter? Stormfly asked.

There's a hunter shipped docked on a small beach a bit of a ways from the village. Man and a woman. No idea who they are, but Blueheart said that they had similar scents to Zyrah.

Really? How's that possible? Lightbolt inquired, taking a quick glance at his rider's best friend.

I... don't know. But I'm suspicious.

How do we get the message to the riders?

I'll figure it out. But I know the riders will be turning in for the night soon. Blueheart and I can fly back in the morning to see if they're still there.

That is true, they could just be docking for the night, whoever they are. Meatlug remarked.

We've seen a lot of displaced hunters and trappers show up all over the archipelago after Drago fell. They're trying to start over and find new paths. They kinda just show up randomly. It's not too unusual. Dusk explained.

I'd still keep my guard up, they're still violent. Toothless reminded.