Zephyr and Dart: The Quest Of The Broken Tail

4

Zephyr's heart was beating a mile a minute, she stared at the sky where the dragon had disappeared. The experience had scared her, the dragon had just been roaring, growling and pacing. Her heart was slowing down now, she turned back into the workspace and looked over the designs, alternating between them and the tail. She poked at it and observed it, the mechanism that would've initially helped Toothless fly on his own had been damaged, she could fix the tear, that just required a quick stitching job, but she wasn't sure on how to fix the mechanism. She looked back at the design, trying to make sense of her father's scrawling's then sighed and shook her head, pulling out a blank piece of parchment and beginning to make her own design.

'Zephyr?' A voice called, Zephyr froze and quickly covered the blueprints with others and hid the damaged tail wing.

'In here mom!' She called back, pulling her retractable sword to the centre of the table and tinkering with it as though she had been the entire time. Right on cue, her mother stepped into the workspace and Zephyr turned to face her with an innocent smile.

Her mother was one of the most beautiful people Zephyr knew, she reminded Zephyr of a goddess with the way her hair flowed down her shoulders and how she stood tall and powerful no matter the situation, Zephyr was lucky enough to inherit her mothers intelligent, calculating eyes and strong frame. 'I heard dragon roars.' Her mother stated, Zephyr felt rooted to the spot and smiled shyly.

'That was just me. I was making them, trying to alert a more primal instinct/impulse-based part of my mind to see if it'll help me work out how to keep this thing lit.' She lifted the sword.

Her mother crossed her arms, 'what have I told you about lying, Zephyr?'

'It only works on dad.' Zephyr muttered and turned back to face the table, genuinely trying to figure out how to keep her sword lit now rather than face her mothers wrath.

'Tell me the truth.'

Zephyr froze, what did she have to hide? Her parents loved dragons, surely they wouldn't care if a dragon had come to Berk looking for help. Zephyr sighed and pulled the tail wing from it's hiding place, flaying it open and showing her mother. 'One of toothless' hatchlings brought it here. I think it got damaged by hunters or something because these couldn't have come from a dragon. I'm trying to fix it but I can't make sense of dads design for it.

Astrid sunk to the spot beside Zephyr, not knowing how to explain to her daughter what had actually woken her up. The dragon roars were part of it, but the truth was it was Valka who had woken her with some terrible, terrible news. Zephyr glanced at her mother, noticing the dread in her features.

'Mom?' Zephyr placed her hand over her mothers, watching as she got pale. 'What's wrong?'

'The romans sent us a message.' Her mother began, she would always level with Zephyr, there was no use in hiding the truth because she knew her daughter would seek it out eventually. 'They've taken your father captive.'

Zephyr's heart dropped and all joy seeped out of her bones. 'What? But why?' She asked, her hands clenching the side of her work bench. Her mother shrugged, completely tense and trying to uphold a strong front. 'We've got to do something!' Zephyr slammed a fist against the work bench, causing the damaged tail wing to skew.

'No Zephyr.' Astrid warned, 'we aren't going to do anything. Myself and a few of the warriors are going to go to Rome and fix this. You are going to stay here and run Berk with Valka.' Zephyr attempted to argue, but was silenced by a quick glance, she bit her tongue.  

Astrid sighed, then offered a reassuring smile to her daughter. 'This is probably just a huge misunderstanding. You know how your dad is. He's stubborn. I'm sure we can just talk with the romans and fix it.' She looked at the tail wing, 'speaking of fixing, what exactly is wrong with Toothless' tail wing?'

'Damaged by a hunter, I think. You're not surprised a dragon brought it here?'

'I'm a little upset that I didn't get to see the dragon. One of Toothless' hatchlings brought it? They must nearly be broad wings by now if they're not already.'

'She looked like a broad wing.' Zephyr muttered. She pulled out a small blade, falling to silence as she began to carefully cut away the thin leather that made it up and expose the bare bones of the mechanics, before sketching them out. Astrid knew her daughter, and knew she'd rather be left alone to do this.

'I'll be leaving tomorrow with the other warriors.' Astrid told her. Zephyr quickly dropped her pencil and enveloped her mother in a tight hug.

'Please be careful.' She whimpered.

'I will be.' Astrid returned her hug, the two stayed locked in this embrace for a few minutes before finally breaking. Astrid wiped a tear from under her daughters eye and then slowly left. Zephyr looked back at her work and sighed, shutting the door behind her mother, knowing this would be a long night.