Howling Echoes - A How to Train Your Dragon Story, The Echoes, Book 1

Chapter 76: Family Reunion

   A smirk split across Yournsky's lips.  "The real question you should be asking is where the rest of your family.  Did you forget about Atali?  And our poor, poor mother?"

   The thought struck me like lightning.  "What?"  Then I shook my head and pressed my sword a hair closer.  "My mother is dead!"

   Yournsky's smirk became more and more obnoxious as he gazed down at me.  "Or so you thought."  I froze, feeling the urge to let him go and follow him almost overtake me.  But this had to be a trick.  It had to be.

   I turned my gaze up to Dagur, who shrugged.  Sluether roared.  "Be careful, Kiara.  They're about to shoot."  I nodded slightly.  Thanks.  I thought, grateful for the Triple Stryke's warning.  

   
"Kiara!"  Sluether let out a fierce roared.  I whirled to see a net above my head.  I quickly pulled back out of the way but found my arms being grasped by Yournsky's strong hands.  Why him, of all people?

   "Oh, don't struggle, sister."  Yournsky murmured in my eye, and I felt strangely mesmerized by his smooth voice.  "You won't have to despair in a matter of moments."  It took me a second to realize what he meant through my struggling, but when I did something hit the back of my head, and I felt blazing pain shoot through me as the world went black.

   "Kiara?  Kiara!"  A far off voice called to me, familiar but filled with distress.  I blinked my eyes open to see Atali looking down at me.  She let out a relieved breath.  "You're alive."  "No, it was my corpse that was breathing,"  I said dryly.  I looked around at a small, compact cell.  

   Yup.  I was trapped.

   Unless...

   "Don't even try it, K.  Not even Sluether could make it through those bars."  I turned to the corner of the cell to see Dagur sitting and facing the corner.  "Finally finished with meditating, are you?"  Viggo asked.  I breathed out a relieved sigh.  "Da - Viggo, you're ok!"

   "What did you think Yournsky was going to do, throw him into the ocean with me here?"  A sharp, strangely familiar voice asked.  I turned.

   A woman with medium-light skin and short dark red hair stood on the other side of the bars.  I stiffened, narrowing my eyes slightly.  She had piercing emerald green eyes and a dark purple dress with long sleeves that made her eyes pop out more.  Her gaze moved from me to Atali to Viggo, which is when I heard a soft, barely audible gasp.

   I turned to see Viggo, for once in his life, shocked.  His jaw was partially open, and instead of his blank, calm expression, a whirl of emotions flashed through his gaze.  Longing, grief, pain...then it all made sense.

   And our poor, poor mother?

   Somehow she wasn't dead, and somehow Yournsky had found here, and now she was here with them.

   I didn't feel the same way I thought I'd feel if I ever met my parents for the second time, however.  She was beautiful, yes, but that meant nothing.  Why was she with Yournsky? What was going on?

   Viggo's expression shifted from that longing look to a more skeptical expression, his eyes narrowing.  I was thoroughly confused.

   "Janga."  Viggo finally spoke, and at this point, he had moved back to his guarded, blank, calm expression completely.  "I thought you were dead.  Please accept my sincerest apologies."  Janga narrowed her eyes at Viggo but otherwise ignored him.  "Kiara, Atali, so good to see you again."  She opened the door and approached us.

   I backed away, resisting the urge to turn into a dragon.  "Uh, it's called personal space, lady,"  I said somewhat harshly as she came closer.  Atali looked confused as ever.  Janga's expression turned from delighted to slightly crestfallen.  She apparently wasn't the expressionless shield that Viggo was.  

   "Ah, yes, apologies, allow me to introduce myself."  Janga gave a little bow.  "I'm Janga - your mother."  Atali seemed surprised, but I held my hard glare.  "And you're here with Yournsky,"  I said, not giving anything away in my tone or expression.  "Well...yes,"  Janga admitted.  "Then why would I care, exactly?"  Janga seemed surprised.

   This was honestly hilarious to think about.  Just because we're family doesn't mean we're automatically on cool terms, lady.  I thought.

      "And why are you here with Yournsky?"  I asked.  "Well, because he's family,"  Jaga replied.

   Apparently she didn't get that whole "family doesn't mean anything" thing.

   "Right..."  I said.  "And he tries to kill me on a regular basis.  And Atali, for that matter."  I reminded her.  "Oh, dear,"  Jaga said.  I gave her a flat look.  "You realize we're in a cage for a reason, right?"  Apparently Jaga wasn't exactly the analysist that Viggo was, either.

   "Uh..."  Jaga started. I heard a rattling sound from down the hall.  "Hey, Yourn!"  Jaga said, walking back to the hall and closing the door behind her.  I growled in annoyance.  "How's it going?"  "Fine,"  Yournsky said.  Something about his tone tipped me off.  It wasn't fine.

   "Here, since you're friends insist on being annoying,"  Yournsky growled, flinging the door open.

   Aha.

   I waited.  And waited some more.  And Jaga left.  And Yournsky stayed.  Then I threw a small rock.  Nothing happened.  I turned into a dragon and cautiously stepped out.

   Nothing happened.  No traps.

 Then when I left the tunnels I realized that somehow the Riders had found Yournsky's island - something I had tried for years and failed at doing.  

   "Hiccup!"  I roared.  The attention of the firing riders was turned to the roaring Fire Wraith, with Viggo, Atali, and Dagur under my wings.  I blasted fire at someone that was about to shoot at Toothless while he was distracted.

   "I'll get Dagur!"  Heather called, diving for her brother.  Chroma (hurray!) roared and swooped down to grab Viggo, and Hiccup grabbed Atali.  "Kiara, get up here!"  I was delighted to see Frostflake among the crowd and started to leap into the air.

   Started to.

   Then ropes wrapped around my neck, and I could feel Changewing scales and see the leaf shapes that were on Changewing tentacles.  Oh, great.  

   I let out a roar of fury and snapped my tail around to hit some Hews away, then blasted a wall of fire towards Yournsky.  He wasn't touching me again if I could help it.  I tugged at the tentacles to discover that they were actual Changewing scales, and I probably wouldn't just be able to bite or chew them off.  

   Plasma blasts hit the scales, and it startled me how weird it felt - like a hundred tiny fireworks going off on my scales all at once.  The sunset sky slowly moved toward night as I let out a roar of pure fury.  

   "I've got you!"  Frostflake roared, diving toward me.  "Cover me!"  She called to Chroma.  "Right behind you!"  The Death Song roared.  Viggo just looked like he was going with it.  Arrows and boulders shot toward the Frost Wraith, but amber hit each of them plus Hews that were about to fire before they could reach her.

   Frostflake hovered, then her eyes widened.  "Turn into a human!"  She cried.  "What!?"  I cried, then realized what she meant.

   I turned into a human and the scales that once harnessed my neck slowly slid down my body, being slightly bigger than me.  I swiftly mounted Frostflake and we shot into the air, breathing heavily.  "Thanks, you guys."

   "Why would Yournsky just let you go like that?"  Fishlegs asked.  I shrugged.  "I don't know."  "Maybe he wanted to ask her for her conditioner!"  Ruffnut laughed.  "What's that?"  I asked.  "No idea!"  Ruff called back.

   I rolled my eyes.  "The twins,"  I muttered.  "Let's go home?"  I asked.  "Right there with you, of course."  Hiccup agreed.  "To Berk!"