Not So Alone Anymore

Chapter 2 ~ Introduction

He woke to the smell of fresh fish and the feeling of a throbbing headache. He let out a low grumble of irritation, rolling to a little to the side, before opening his eyes. He was half expecting to see the walls of the house he once slept in; after all, his old life had usually started with the fishy odor that came from the former dragon feeding stations all over the village. Instead, he was greeted by harsh sunlight and a reminder of what had happened.

He groaned, closing his eyes again and burying his head in his paws. He must have cried himself to sleep. It had been the last thing he remembered doing. Why have I not jumped over the edge of this cliff yet? He thought, growling slightly. After a few minutes, he removed his face from beneath his paws and opened his eyes.

He let out a roar of surprise and jumped back a little, immediately arching his back and baring his teeth in a defensive position, when he was greeted by a pair of electric blue eyes. What the heck?! He thought. There hadn't been any dragons on Berk since the island was abandoned. No wild dragons ever came; as if they knew what happened there.

"Are you okay?"

The voice snapped him out of his thoughts as he turned to look at the other speaker. His eyes widened. In his initial shock, he hadn't taken the time to examine the other dragon before slipping into his thoughts. He carefully looked the other dragon over, confirming his suspicions.

It was a night fury.

A female night fury.

He couldn't help but stare. He couldn't believe it. Here, standing right in front of him, was another night fury. Another night fury. He thought to himself. He was shocked. His friend had travelled with him all over the Archipelago, searching for new lands and new dragons. They had found many strange things in their years of travel, including his friend's long lost mother among other things, but they had never found another night fury. His friend would have loved to see this; to meet her. But he never would.

"Ummm… Hello…? Are you alright?"

The voice of the other dragon snapped him out of his thoughts again. He opened his mouth to say something, but couldn't find words. It had been so long since he last spoke to anyone. He stood there, frozen for a moment.

"Are you okay?" The other dragon asked, sounding thoroughly concerned and somewhat afraid.

He mentally slapped himself. Say something, you idiot. He thought. He opened his mouth again to speak and promptly failed. He flopped on the ground and buried his head under his paws again. He didn't know how long he spent in that position before feeling a paw on his shoulder. Peeking out from under his paws, he spotted the blue-eyed night fury next to him.

"If it helps at all, I'm not going to hurt you. I was just… worried. You were unconscious, you see? I thought something was wrong." She said.

Something is wrong. He thought bitterly. He lifted his head and looked away. He heard the grass rustle a little as the female night fury shifted a little next to him.

"My name is Umbra, by the way. What is your name?" She continued.

He shifted slightly, a little uncomfortable with speaking since it had been a very long while since he last held a conversation. She seemed to notice this.

"Its just that it has been such a long time since I last saw another night fury." She whispered sadly.

At this, he thought for a moment, trying to figure out what to say or do. Suddenly, he felt the weight of her paw leave him shoulder and turned to see her about to take off. She couldn't just leave! Just as she was about to take off, he opened his mouth and spoke.

"My… my name is…" He said, before stopping. Toothless. He thought to himself, before shaking his head as if to clear it. He lost that name when he lost his friend, years ago.

"Yes?"

The soft whisper of the other dragon snapped him out of his thoughts. He raised his head to look her in the eye. He stifled a gasp. Her electric blue eyes were beautiful. She was beautiful. He let out a low growl to snap himself out of it. Once more, he opened his mouth to speak.

"My name… my name is… Solus." He said in a hoarse whisper.

Umbra closed her eyes and took a deep breath upon hearing his name. Alone. His name translated into alone. She felt a rush of pity for him. He had probably thought he was alone. Like she had thought once. Not anymore. Neither of us are the last of our kind. She thought.

"It's nice to meet you Solus." She said, looking into his eyes. They were a little strange. At least that is what she thought. They were green, but it wasn't that that she found so strange. She had seen green-eyed dragons before. No, the strange part was the deepness in his eyes. As if he had seen and been through more than anyone would think. But she could also see deep sadness. She couldn't help but wonder what happened, but chose not to ask. The way she found him, the deepness in his eyes, it said a lot. His past wasn't pleasant, and it would be cruel of her to pester him for it.

She looked at him again. He had turned his head away from her. She realized he had never replied to her earlier statement. She thought for a moment before deciding to speak again.

"Have you been here long?" She dared to ask. It took several moments for the reply to come.

"Long enough." Solus said with a sigh. She took this reply as a sign not to push it any further, and changed the subject.

"I caught some fish for you. I had thought that you might be hungry when you woke up." She said, gesturing to a pile of fish sitting a few feet away. She watched as he wordlessly got to his feet and made his way over to the pile. She stood back and watched as he half-heartedly picked at the fish, eating only a few of them before walking away. She watched him leave, wondering what could possibly be wrong. She began to think about leaving the island herself, but then again he had been the first night fury she had seen since… since… she couldn't even remember. That and he looked like he was in serious need of a companion. She continued to think, not noticing that Solus had stopped walking until-

"Thank you."

She jumped a little at the rough voice. She realized she was looking at the ground and brought her head up to look at Solus. He was standing, back turned to her, just at the bottom of the slope that led up to the cliff. She watched as he began to move again, heading to the forest. It was then that she noticed something about his tail.

One of the fins was missing. She stared at it, wide-eyed, until he had disappeared into the forest. He… he can't fly. She thought, shocked. His behavior suddenly made more sense now. Any dragon who could fly would have surely left this dreary place to look for company. But he couldn't. And it looked like any other residents of the island had left.

He had been alone.

And for who knows how long.