Young Dragonblood

Chapter Ten

‘I'm sorry,’ Hiccup said, rocking back into a crouch. He met your gaze sadly. ‘It's not going to heal well.’
    You looked down at your disfigured tail fins and sighed. Not only was the membrane torn, but the phalanges were broken in places and some felt dislocated. It hurt like a Gronckle's lava had been poured over your tail while still hot, scorching through scales to the nerves beneath. Evidently you wouldn't be flying again for quite a while, if ever. And you had just been learning to fly, too. 
    A thought struck you then, one that you couldn't believe you hadn't thought of before. Other dragons didn't need tail fins, they found enough balance with just their tails, so why did Night Furies? You voiced this thought to Hiccup and he looked back at you blankly, a crease forming on his forehead as he pieced together what you were planning. 
    ‘Evolution, I suppose,’ Toothless replied. ‘We evolved to use tail fins and now we rely on them to fly.’
    You grunted a thanks to him. You knew Hiccup wouldn't like what you were about to do, but you had an argument ready if he tried to stop you. You stood and walked to the edge of the ledge you were all hiding out on, the dark sea churning on hidden rocks below. It was quite a drop, but at least you had your hybrid form to fall back on if your theory failed. 
    Hiccup had stood up by now and was slowly making his way over to you, just like he would if he was approaching a nervous Stormcutter. ‘No, Y/N, don't.’
    ‘When have you ever listened that?’ Toothless snickered. 
    ‘True,’ Hiccup said. 
    ‘I need to be able to fly,’ you told him. ‘I can't rely on my hybrid forever. If I can at least fly a little, just enough to evade danger, in my dragon form then it's better off for everyone. Don't say you wouldn't do the same thing, I've heard how rebellious you can be. Please, let me do this. It may save our lives.’
    Hiccup huffed and chewed his lip. His logical mind knew you were right. He Shifted to his dragon form and held his wings ready for flight. ‘Very well,’ he said to you. 
    You grinned a thanks and turned your attention to the drop, feeling the air currents with your wingtips. With a gulp you let yourself fall from the ledge, wings spread wide and tail fins useless. Your heart seemed to leap into your throat as you plummeted down. You angled your wings like you had been taught, gliding along but still nearing the waves below you. Flapping didn't help in the least, it only pushed you off balance. In disappointment you Shifted to your hybrid form and flapped back up to the ledge, still unsteady in the air. After a minute to regain your breath you tried again, then again, then again. It must have been at least twenty tries at flight before you found something that worked. By angling your wings slightly more upwards you discovered that it kept you level. Several more goes after that and you could even fly upwards and turn. 
    You knew you would never be as good as other Furies, and in one way it saddened you. But you could fly at least, and the joy of this revelation outweighed any misery at that moment in time.