the-stranger-of-the-hidden-world

[the-stranger-of-the-hidden-world]

Reblog this post if you're okay with your muse(s) being mentioned in other people's threads!

[the-stranger-of-the-hidden-world]

This has been on my mind for long but I’m gonna do this - please reblog this if you’re comfortable with pre-establishing relationships. I do not mean “met at the grocery store two weeks ago” or “have a common friend”, but rather stuff like “have been best friends since kindergrden”, “go for a beer every friday”, “friends with benefits”, “dated in highschool”, “hate each other’s guts because -insert reason-”  etc. Something meaningful (but not necessarily shippy) and I mean with muns/characters you have not interacted with, because I cannot believe I am the only one who prefers jumping right into the heart of the human interaction.

[the-stranger-of-the-hidden-world]

So, I do actually have other OCs that I haven’t really made much use for (and ideas for a HTTYD AU for Zinnia), so would y’all be interested in me making pages for them and using them?

[the-stranger-of-the-hidden-world]

"Sewn... not really sure what that means. I just sort of wrap myself as tightly as I can. I don't think that's the same thing as 'sewn.' Weird to try and make a softer nest... I think I would try and just lie on the wool unless it was itchy or something." Stranger replied

"Hmph. She does get a bit picky about nests..." Sunchaser chimed in with a soft and teasing rumble. He did get a smack along his forearm from his sister, though their banter was warm.

It was a bit strange that Stranger had figured out to wrap herself in something like clothes independently of humans and fae. She was always a bit cold when the clothes that she came into the Hidden World with no longer fit her and could barely hold itself together. And she had wanted to look like her brothers anyway, so... it was convenient.

"Yes, hives! That's it." Streak replied, nodding and bobbing his head to try and take in his surroundings. "They bury themselves into the stones of cliffs and make hives inside. The dragons are small, but their queen is a sight to behold..."

"Most dragons eat fish, which I guess are richer than something like you." Seabreak said, brushing against Lyra before crouching, slinking through the undergrowth as if he were stalking something. "The Pack Killer may not be something we can prove exists, but there's something that's been making whole packs of dragons disappear - and not just any dragons... the ones like us, but black as night. Like Midnight Wrath."

Sunchaser shook his head, snorting at his younger brother. "No one has seen her in years. No one even knows if she's even still alive."

"But I overheard mother talk about her!" Seabreak insisted, popping his head out from the underbrush before going back to skulking. "I heard her say that the Pack Killer stole her family from her... that she's the last of her kind. Mother said that she overheard Slate meet with her one last time before she disappeared... and if you ask me, I think the Pack Killer is the one who killed Slate, too."

"Oh, come on... Midnight Wrath and Slate were both alphas. What makes you think that something like the Pack Killer would have gotten to them?" Streak rolled his eyes at Seabreak, whacking him with his tail.

"What else could it have been but the Pack Killer?!"

Leaning in to Lyra, Stranger began to mutter to her. "Midnight Wrath was the alpha of our home before I was born. Slate was the alpha when I arrived. She apparently challenged Midnight Wrath for the position and then Midnight left... and at some point, she disappeared." Looking between her brothers, the woman then wilted a bit. "...I didn't know about any of this, though."

Realizing Strange didn’t know what she was talking about, Lyra struggled to explain.

“Pillows are, fabric like my clothes.” She lifted her skirt to show off the material. “They are sewn so you can stuff them with soft things. Like wool of a sheep or feathers from a bird. It makes for a soft thing to lay on. And blankets. They are big pieces of cloth or fur that you cover yourself with to stay warm.” Actually, Lyra’s colorful clothing must be odd to Stranger as well.

“I wear clothes like you wear your brother’s scales. It protects me from the elements. It is also frowned upon in fae and human society not to wear clothes.” Speaking of, she’ll have to clean her clothes when they got to the river. The blood may have dried but still held a scent.

“I’d think no dragon would want to eat something all bone and feathers.” She giggled and nudged back at Seabreak. But as they spoke of a Pack Killer she did get a bit nervous. Looking to each of the brothers as they spoke. At one point her wings tucking in tightly to her back and rattling. Though she tried to laugh it off.

“You-you’re not scaring me. But the story of the Pack Killer sounds… scary…” Lyra rubbed her arm and brought her attention back to Stranger.

“Bees. You’re thinking of bees and honey. So the Fireworms make hives.” The fae followed her friend’s line of thought.

[the-stranger-of-the-hidden-world]

Stranger couldn't help but snicker, tilting her head. "Pillows? Blankets?"

"Exactly! You need more muscle or you'll get gobbled up by a much bigger dragon!" Seabreak teased, nudging at her rather thin arms with a playful warble.

"Dragons don't eat humans." Streak pointed out, whacking Seabreak with his tail as the slid around through the foliage together. "Humans aren't prey. Just competitors."

"I bet the Pack Killer isn't 'just a competitor.'" The middle brother continued to tease, baring his teeth threateningly towards the younger, wings tilted up to make himself look larger. "If the Pack Killer can make entire packs disappear overnight, maybe there are dragons that eat humans."

"The Pack Killer is just a story mothers tell their hatchlings to keep them from misbehaving." Sunchaser growled, warning the both of his brothers to not take the tale too far, shaking his head at the both of them. "Stop trying to scare Lyra."

Rolling her eyes, Stranger shook her head. "Every dragon has a preferred way to make a nest. Fireworms tend to bury themselves inside of a mountain or a cave and turn it into, uh... what are those things with the striped yellow flying creatures that make the sweet yellow goo inside?"

“Yes! Very similar actually. Because each forest feels different too. So I can usually tell if I’ve been there before. Or if it doesn’t feel safe to avoid it.” Not feeling safe usually meant a lot of humans or larger creatures like dragons.

“Your mother sounds amazing. To be surrounded in protection.” Lyra sighed remembering her mother. “When I was young, my mother would make a nest of blankets and pillows for us to rest in. All the soft things. We’d cuddle and I’d always feel so safe.” She looked down to hide her sadness. It was then she noticed Stranger trying to walk differently. Confused she let her hand go only to realize what was more comfortable for her friend.

“Er… Seabreak… what muscle?” Lyra teased back. Spinning around and holding her arms out to emphasize her… size. She giggled though. “I fish and eat fruits and greens. And, well. I have eaten meat! I just… can’t kill.” Lyra blushed but was smiling. She wasn’t insulted by it. To a dragon clan she was quite… small.

“A nest? I thought we had to make a nest. Or do you mean another dragon’s nest?”

[the-stranger-of-the-hidden-world]

"So, like how most animals that migrate can figure out where they are by sensing where north is, you can figure out where you are by sensing where the nearest forest is?" Sunchaser asked curiously, tilting his head towards Lyra, one of his ears flopping over and giving him an inquisitive expression.

Stranger was glad that Lyra felt safe, smiling softly towards her as she allowed herself to be guided. She was still a bit hunched over, not quite used to walking like this even still. "That's how it felt when our mother took me in. She found me alone by the rim of the Mothermouth and took me home... and that night, she tucked me into the nest, and then my brothers hatched one by one."

As soon as the group started to follow closely behind Lyra, Seabreak couldn't help but snicker and nicker teasingly towards her. "You don't hunt? How do you build up muscle if you don't hunt?"

"I have heard of some dragons that eat something else other than meat. I think they make some sort of... tasty flaming goop out of what they eat?" Streak asked, shaking his head and his wings, not too unlike a jungle cat as they all stalked through the trees close to the pair of Stranger and Lyra. "What are they called?"

"I think those are Fireworms." Stranger answered, leaning against Lyra as she somewhat started to crawl on her fours like she was more accustomed to. "Do you think there's a nest on this island?"

Her heart was going to burst! Lyra could feel Stranger’s wonder and excitement as she felt the life signatures all around her. And once again her acceptance and even joy in Lyra’s ability had the fae so happy. She let Stranger’s hand go so the connection could fade.

“Most fae have similar ways of feeling the world. Being a healer and forest fae makes mine even stronger.” Lyra looked to the forest.

“When you found me I was too weak to sense you. I felt blind. Now, being able to feel you in a comfort. You all feel… safe.” Thinking for a moment, Lyra took Stranger’s hand and guided her towards the forest.

“Let’s find a place by the river. We can then work our way out and find food.” Leading the way the fae appeared to be gaining more and more energy. Smiling bright as she weaved through the trees. Luckily the forest wasn’t too thick so her new dragon clan could easily follow.

“Er… I’ll have to leave the hunting to you. I… haven’t the heart to. But I’ll gather fruits and other things to eat!” Lyra ducked embarrassed. She ate meat and knew how to cook it. But when it came to actually killing the creature… she just couldn’t do it.

[the-stranger-of-the-hidden-world]

IF YOU ARE OKAY WITH ICONLESS ROLEPLAYS REBLOG THIS SO YOUR FOLLOWERS KNOW !!

like as much as i love icons and a good psd, sometimes its just tasking to do. and not everyone has great resources. so if you’re okay with having threads with no icons, please reblog this so that people know you’re okay with it. i feel like roleplayers today are too focused on the aesthetics and won’t follow people who use base icons or even none at all. it’s not about icons, but about the writing !!

[the-stranger-of-the-hidden-world]

I just realized something important about Grimmel while watching the third movie again.

Grimmel knew that Toothless and the Light Fury (whom I have named Mirage) would come back to Hiccup after they were done courting. He lied to Hiccup and the others to sow confusion and discord in the group when he said that Toothless must have forgotten all about Hiccup. He knows that Hiccup and the Berkians don’t know anything about Night Fury social structures and courtship and used that against him! Why else would Grimmel have his equipment ready for New Berk to capture and transport Toothless if he wasn’t expecting Toothless to return? Why would he even introduce Toothless to Mirage if it meant that Toothless wouldn’t come back?

Simple: the Berkians know nothing about Night Furies other than from Toothless, but Grimmel has spent his life studying them in order to kill them. That’s probably how he was able to track them down and kill them. All he needed was to wait around roughly where he initially found them for them to return to that same site like he did here. All he needed was the location of New Berk and Ruffnut gave it to him. Meanwhile, while Toothless and Hiccup are separated, Grimmel can use the opportunity to further divide and confuse them to make them easier to distract and trip up while he just has to wait for Toothless to come back and then all he has to do is narrow down the location of New Berk. That’s easier to do with Toothless gone and out of the picture until Toothless and Mirage return after their courtship.

Grimmel is a way better antagonist than people give him credit for, but it only makes sense if you actually consider it from a logical standpoint. None of the Berkians actually knew that that Toothless wouldn’t come back. That was just an assumption that everyone but Hiccup were making. They couldn’t know that for sure because they don’t know anything about Night Furies! Grimmel does!

He’s also a far more interesting character than people think, but you have to consider everything about him is all about ego and appearance. Remember, he kills his first Night Fury while it’s sleeping. He calls that courage and then makes it his personal mission to drive an entire species into extinction, as if it’s his destiny and his destiny alone to carry it out and he will ignore any and all evidence against the idea that dragons are mindless killers and thieves unless he can use that evidence just to keep killing them.

He doesn't actually believe what he says. He doesn’t believe in safety or truth or justice for people, none of that! It’s all about his own manufactured sense of self-importance that he has built and convinced others of. It’s all about maintaining his own false idea of being a hero in his own story and stamping out anyone that would prove him wrong. He doesn’t believe any of what he says, not sincerely. Those are just the lies that he tells everyone else and himself He only cares about his reputation and his own title, nothing else. He doesn’t even actually care about the threat that Night Furies supposedly pose, it’s all about status and acclaim to him. Why else would he reserve the act of ensuring their extinction for himself and only himself, as if he alone has the sole right of wiping them out forever?

Everything about Grimmel is about elevating his own self-importance and maintaining the illusion of it that he has manufactured purely to serve himself and his own ego. It’s all an act, a persona, fabrication… and he may have gotten so good at it that he’s convinced himself of his own lie.

People give Grimmel a lot of flack for not being as intimidating or threatening of a villain as Drago was (which I do understand honestly). He’s not as in your face and a lot of what we know about him is told to us rather than shown.

But the line 'we even have your favourite bait' 'a female?' lives in my head rent-free because the implications are horrifying.

Imagine being a dragon and you get caught and then let go, you think you've somehow escaped with your life and you can just live your life, you find a mate for life, maybe even settle down and have a family.

And then in a matter of days, you're all dead. And the grim reaper himself is wearing your skin as a trophy.

That's horrifying.

And Grimmel isn't clinical about it either, he isn't just straightforwardly killing them for moral reasons despite how he justifies it. If he was, he wouldn't even try to barter with Hiccup or do any of what he does - he would just kill Toothless without hesitation if his motivations were genuine.

He's just cruel. He enjoys the hunt, he enjoys the role of predator, he gets a sadistic joy out of it and he learns everything that proves that dragons aren't just mindless monsters just to use that to kill them.

Does he kill the breeding pair as soon as they couple? Or does he sometimes wait for them to have hatchlings just so he can kill all of them for the fun of it?

To humans, the Night Fury is the unholy offspring of lightning and death itself.

To dragons, Grimmel is death incarnate. If he catches you, you and your own are all marked for death.

And that's his FAVOURITE method of killing them, the cruelest and most sadistic method.

Grimmel is terrifying to dragons and nobody gives him credit for that because it's all in the implications and subtext and never really said outright or shown other than the fact that he's responsible for the extinction of the Night Furies.

Should we have gotten more showing instead of telling? Yeah, probably. But the subtle implications are nauseating when you think about them for a second. And that’s not nothing.

[the-stranger-of-the-hidden-world]

People give Grimmel a lot of flack for not being as intimidating or threatening of a villain as Drago was (which I do understand honestly). He’s not as in your face and a lot of what we know about him is told to us rather than shown.

But the line 'we even have your favourite bait' 'a female?' lives in my head rent-free because the implications are horrifying.

Imagine being a dragon and you get caught and then let go, you think you've somehow escaped with your life and you can just live your life, you find a mate for life, maybe even settle down and have a family.

And then in a matter of days, you're all dead. And the grim reaper himself is wearing your skin as a trophy.

That's horrifying.

And Grimmel isn't clinical about it either, he isn't just straightforwardly killing them for moral reasons despite how he justifies it. If he was, he wouldn't even try to barter with Hiccup or do any of what he does - he would just kill Toothless without hesitation if his motivations were genuine.

He's just cruel. He enjoys the hunt, he enjoys the role of predator, he gets a sadistic joy out of it and he learns everything that proves that dragons aren't just mindless monsters just to use that to kill them.

Does he kill the breeding pair as soon as they couple? Or does he sometimes wait for them to have hatchlings just so he can kill all of them for the fun of it?

To humans, the Night Fury is the unholy offspring of lightning and death itself.

To dragons, Grimmel is death incarnate. If he catches you, you and your own are all marked for death.

And that's his FAVOURITE method of killing them, the cruelest and most sadistic method.

Grimmel is terrifying to dragons and nobody gives him credit for that because it's all in the implications and subtext and never really said outright or shown other than the fact that he's responsible for the extinction of the Night Furies.

Should we have gotten more showing instead of telling? Yeah, probably. But the subtle implications are nauseating when you think about them for a second. And that’s not nothing.

[the-stranger-of-the-hidden-world]

The Death of Slate

That little human was getting on the last of her nerves… so many nesting sites and helpless hatchlings put in danger all because that stranger that Moondance took in decided to cause some mischief with her adoptive brothers. What a mess those Rumblehorns had caused… all because of the irresponsibility of one scrawny human pretending to be a dragon. Those nesting sites were going to take years to become safe to use again… and the replacements were far from suitable, but would do for now. If Slate had her way, she would have done away with Stranger the moment Moondance had brought that little whelpling into the Hidden World.

But Moondance was willing to fight for Stranger, willing to refuse the command of her alpha to keep the little human she had found at the rim of the Mothermouth. She did fight Slate to keep Stranger… and so, the decision was made for her.

Though Slate wasn’t sure if that would last. She swore, she was one mishap away from banishing Stranger in spite of her adopted family’s wishes. Maybe even kill her depending on the severity.

A pity… for as much as Slate didn’t trust or care for Stranger’s presence in the Hidden World, Stranger did have a healthy respect for the large sea dragon. At the very least, the human respected Slate’s authority.

Hopefully there would be some peace now… Slate had far bigger problems to worry about. Why she needed to stay vigilant instead was still out there… she was sure of it. She thought she could defeat the former alpha, the Midnight Wraith and better defeat the Pack Killer… but when the Midnight Wraith came back and hid herself away in the depths away from any and all who would dare approach her, Slate knew why.

The Pack Killer had gotten to her… it had slain her mate and undoubtedly her hatchlings. And in all of her travels and her searchings, Slate hadn’t seen even one Night Fury left outside of the Hidden World… not a one.

They were gone. Midnight was the only one left… and although Slate didn’t want to admit it, she hadn’t seen a member of her own species in some time either. And if the Pack Killer could wipe out an entire species… then perhaps it could have the power to kill all dragons.

Slate thought she could better protect them from the Pack Killer, but if it was led to their home, who could say that it wouldn’t wipe them all out, slaying every last dragon one at a time? Whatever it was, it wasn’t a dragon… dragons didn’t kill for the sake of it, they didn’t kill to wipe out entire species. They killed to defend and they killed to eat. The Pack Killer wasn’t a dragon…

So who was to say that the Pack Killer wouldn’t come for Stranger someday? If any creature was smart enough to hunt down and wipe out an entire species over time… it would be a human.

Hopefully Slate would stop that. After all, if the Pack Killer was dead, then Slate wouldn’t have to constantly live in fear. She wouldn’t have to constantly watch her back and the backs of all so vigilantly… if she could have the assurance of knowing that the Pack Killer was dead and that their home was safe. And perhaps then… Slate would be able to accept Stranger, knowing that her presence wouldn’t lure such a threat closer to them.

Shadows had been spotted dangerously close to the Mothermouth. Peculiar shadows. They smelled like dragons, but they didn’t look like dragons. There was a particular scent, too… not all dragons were born in the Hidden World. Some didn’t even originate there. These dragons didn’t smell like they did, if they even were dragons.

Something was wrong. The dragons that kept watch always managed to draw this strange presence away from the Mothermouth, but every time it was spotted… it was closer. That wasn’t good.

Slate couldn’t rely on anyone else to protect the Hidden World anymore. She had to take matters into her own claws. This was her responsibility, so now she had to take drastic measures once and for all. It was time to end this… for good.

Setting out to hunt down the strange anomaly herself, Slate left the Mothermouth and stayed in the water. If she could find the source of these bizarre disturbances, maybe she could find out what was going on. Under the water, she could stay vigilant while staying hidden. Her natural coloration made her camouflage seamless in the water and on the rocky outcrops where her kind flourished. Grey scales broken up by spots and mottling to obscure her from above the water and silvery pale scales underneath to disguise her from below. If she could see them, they could not see her. Finding the disturbance would be easy like this. She would only need to breach the water for air every now and then, but she could hold her breath for a long time… it was natural for her kind. She would have this dealt with soon.

At least… so she thought. Finding them was easy and her scouts were right. This was a strange disturbance. She recognized the creaks and rattles of a Viking ship, but there was no ship in the water. The scent of dragons was on the wind, and indeed… not ones of the Hidden World. No one knew where these dragons originated from, but there was a concentration of them situated on an island far from most settlements. Vikings knew it as ‘the Isle of Certain Death.’ Both Vikings and dragons sent there were said to never return… except for these ones. While there were some dragons that ate other dragons, there was only one kind that ate them exclusively.

All dragons knew to fear them… they brought death with them. This was that scent, Slate was sure of it.

Leading them away from the Hidden World was the easy part. They followed dutifully, trailing after her just as she intended. She was worthy target, a worthy foe… which meant that she was a far more interesting quarry.

Now that she had led them away, she now faced a different problem - trying to figure out how to slip away from them without leading them back to the Hidden World.

Unfortunately… it was in this aspect that she had vastly underestimated her opponent.

She had led them to an island, one that was cold and without much greenery. More of a discarded bluff than an island, but it served her purposes well. However, her enemy was far more clever than she had anticipated. Day and night, they lurked about. She never saw them, never directly… but she could always smell them. She could feel them, sense them. Every time she tried to leave the island, she knew that they were following. Every time she tried to sleep, they drew closer to her. Flying was out of the question. Slate was better in the water than flying and these were flying dragons. There were multiple of them, which would explain why she couldn’t seem to escape them. They were taking shifts so that she could always be hunted. What clever beasts… far more clever than dragons usually were.

Days began to stretch on and Slate was beginning to grow exhausted and mad with each passing day. Little sleep, little rest, even her opportunities for food and water had been stolen from her. Metal traps had been set by the seawater, denying her the opportunity to flee. She could smell them and avoid tripping them, but not without being caught. Not without being followed… but the fresh water was tainted. It smelled like dragon fire, but there was no fire. Only a sickly sulphurous scent from the water that stained it a pale ill green, the fish that lived within dead from whatever had been put in the water.

The sounds of hissing and chittering drew closer every passing moment, her mind unraveling at the seams. Slate had never been hunted before, but once she knew that she was the prey… she knew she had found what she was looking for. Only the Pack Killer could be this conniving, this clever, this patient.

What a fool Slate was… Midnight was the better alpha between them. Midnight had managed to escape the Pack Killer at the cost of her family. Slate couldn’t even escape with her own life…

Within a week, the alpha of the Hidden World was nothing but a mad husk of her former self. Starved, dehydrated, exhausted, and paranoid. She couldn’t even consider consequences, any longer. Her wings still had strength, and so she attempted to fly to escape, just to find somewhere with food and water to give her the strength to somehow flee and shake these persistent predators.

But like death itself, her capture was inevitable. The beasts descended upon her with pincers that gripped her without mercy, forcing her back down to the ground as she struggled and flailed. Slate was overwhelmed by the powerful creatures, their chittering making clear exactly what it was that they intended to do with her. “Finally! Food! Hungry! Fresh meat!” Her commands could not force them to release her, they were immune to her authority. They came equipped with venom that made them immune… her fate was sealed. She had no fire, no strength, nothing that could save her.

“So, you are the one who escaped me last… clever girl.” A strange voice drawled in a language that the dragon couldn’t understand, but the threat behind it was beyond barriers. “A pity… I had hoped that you would be harder to hunt after you had disappeared. But, you tried your best. I must commend you on how long you’ve lasted, but alas… our fun must now end.”

Holding her down while the dragon eaters chittered in her ear, Slate was finally face-to-face with what she had been hunting this whole time. It was, indeed, a human like Stranger… but this human was nothing like Stranger. His eyes, hair, and skin were pale and he held himself coldly and collected. He didn’t have the wild youthful abandon like Stranger did. No, this man was calculated and cruel… not like Stranger at all. Even draped in dragon skin like her, they were nothing alike.

Hers was a gift given freely to her by her adopted family, harmlessly collected from their shed. This man’s… was dark in colour and taken from the dragons he had killed.

The scent of which was confirmed exactly what Slate was afraid of… this was indeed the Pack Killer. Midnight was right… and Slate was wrong. How many dragons did he kill to make that skin? Were any of them hatchlings? Were they once her family? Was he wearing the skin of their corpses as a twisted trophy?

Either way… Slate knew only one thing, now: she wasn’t going to make it back alive, anymore. Perhaps she never was.

Midnight was right… she was right all along. Slate should have never taken her position from her… she was unfit for it. She always had been.

The Hidden World would be better off without her… Stranger would be better off without her.

Maybe… a human would know better how to protect dragons from humans after all.

[the-stranger-of-the-hidden-world]

The Death of Slate

That little human was getting on the last of her nerves… so many nesting sites and helpless hatchlings put in danger all because that stranger that Moondance took in decided to cause some mischief with her adoptive brothers. What a mess those Rumblehorns had caused… all because of the irresponsibility of one scrawny human pretending to be a dragon. Those nesting sites were going to take years to become safe to use again… and the replacements were far from suitable, but would do for now. If Slate had her way, she would have done away with Stranger the moment Moondance had brought that little whelpling into the Hidden World.

But Moondance was willing to fight for Stranger, willing to refuse the command of her alpha to keep the little human she had found at the rim of the Mothermouth. She did fight Slate to keep Stranger… and so, the decision was made for her.

Though Slate wasn’t sure if that would last. She swore, she was one mishap away from banishing Stranger in spite of her adopted family’s wishes. Maybe even kill her depending on the severity.

A pity… for as much as Slate didn’t trust or care for Stranger’s presence in the Hidden World, Stranger did have a healthy respect for the large sea dragon. At the very least, the human respected Slate’s authority.

Hopefully there would be some peace now… Slate had far bigger problems to worry about. Why she needed to stay vigilant instead was still out there… she was sure of it. She thought she could defeat the former alpha, the Midnight Wrath and better defeat the Pack Killer… but when the Midnight Wrath came back and hid herself away in the depths away from any and all who would dare approach her, Slate knew why.

The Pack Killer had gotten to her… it had slain her mate and undoubtedly her hatchlings. And in all of her travels and her searchings, Slate hadn’t seen even one Night Fury left outside of the Hidden World… not a one.

They were gone. Midnight was the only one left… and although Slate didn’t want to admit it, she hadn’t seen a member of her own species in some time either. And if the Pack Killer could wipe out an entire species… then perhaps it could have the power to kill all dragons.

Slate thought she could better protect them from the Pack Killer, but if it was led to their home, who could say that it wouldn’t wipe them all out, slaying every last dragon one at a time? Whatever it was, it wasn’t a dragon… dragons didn’t kill for the sake of it, they didn’t kill to wipe out entire species. They killed to defend and they killed to eat. The Pack Killer wasn’t a dragon…

So who was to say that the Pack Killer wouldn’t come for Stranger someday? If any creature was smart enough to hunt down and wipe out an entire species over time… it would be a human.

Hopefully Slate would stop that. After all, if the Pack Killer was dead, then Slate wouldn’t have to constantly live in fear. She wouldn’t have to constantly watch her back and the backs of all so vigilantly… if she could have the assurance of knowing that the Pack Killer was dead and that their home was safe. And perhaps then… Slate would be able to accept Stranger, knowing that her presence wouldn’t lure such a threat closer to them.

Shadows had been spotted dangerously close to the Mothermouth. Peculiar shadows. They smelled like dragons, but they didn’t look like dragons. There was a particular scent, too… not all dragons were born in the Hidden World. Some didn’t even originate there. These dragons didn’t smell like they did, if they even were dragons.

Something was wrong. The dragons that kept watch always managed to draw this strange presence away from the Mothermouth, but every time it was spotted… it was closer. That wasn’t good.

Slate couldn’t rely on anyone else to protect the Hidden World anymore. She had to take matters into her own claws. This was her responsibility, so now she had to take drastic measures once and for all. It was time to end this… for good.

Setting out to hunt down the strange anomaly herself, Slate left the Mothermouth and stayed in the water. If she could find the source of these bizarre disturbances, maybe she could find out what was going on. Under the water, she could stay vigilant while staying hidden. Her natural coloration made her camouflage seamless in the water and on the rocky outcrops where her kind flourished. Grey scales broken up by spots and mottling to obscure her from above the water and silvery pale scales underneath to disguise her from below. If she could see them, they could not see her. Finding the disturbance would be easy like this. She would only need to breach the water for air every now and then, but she could hold her breath for a long time… it was natural for her kind. She would have this dealt with soon.

At least… so she thought. Finding them was easy and her scouts were right. This was a strange disturbance. She recognized the creaks and rattles of a Viking ship, but there was no ship in the water. The scent of dragons was on the wind, and indeed… not ones of the Hidden World. No one knew where these dragons originated from, but there was a concentration of them situated on an island far from most settlements. Vikings knew it as ‘the Isle of Certain Death.’ Both Vikings and dragons sent there were said to never return… except for these ones. While there were some dragons that ate other dragons, there was only one kind that ate them exclusively.

All dragons knew to fear them… they brought death with them. This was that scent, Slate was sure of it.

Leading them away from the Hidden World was the easy part. They followed dutifully, trailing after her just as she intended. She was worthy target, a worthy foe… which meant that she was a far more interesting quarry.

Now that she had led them away, she now faced a different problem - trying to figure out how to slip away from them without leading them back to the Hidden World.

Unfortunately… it was in this aspect that she had vastly underestimated her opponent.

She had led them to an island, one that was cold and without much greenery. More of a discarded bluff than an island, but it served her purposes well. However, her enemy was far more clever than she had anticipated. Day and night, they lurked about. She never saw them, never directly… but she could always smell them. She could feel them, sense them. Every time she tried to leave the island, she knew that they were following. Every time she tried to sleep, they drew closer to her. Flying was out of the question. Slate was better in the water than flying and these were flying dragons. There were multiple of them, which would explain why she couldn’t seem to escape them. They were taking shifts so that she could always be hunted. What clever beasts… far more clever than dragons usually were.

Days began to stretch on and Slate was beginning to grow exhausted and mad with each passing day. Little sleep, little rest, even her opportunities for food and water had been stolen from her. Metal traps had been set by the seawater, denying her the opportunity to flee. She could smell them and avoid tripping them, but not without being caught. Not without being followed… but the fresh water was tainted. It smelled like dragon fire, but there was no fire. Only a sickly sulphurous scent from the water that stained it a pale ill green, the fish that lived within dead from whatever had been put in the water.

The sounds of hissing and chittering drew closer every passing moment, her mind unraveling at the seams. Slate had never been hunted before, but once she knew that she was the prey… she knew she had found what she was looking for. Only the Pack Killer could be this conniving, this clever, this patient.

What a fool Slate was… Midnight was the better alpha between them. Midnight had managed to escape the Pack Killer at the cost of her family. Slate couldn’t even escape with her own life…

Within a week, the alpha of the Hidden World was nothing but a mad husk of her former self. Starved, dehydrated, exhausted, and paranoid. She couldn’t even consider consequences, any longer. Her wings still had strength, and so she attempted to fly to escape, just to find somewhere with food and water to give her the strength to somehow flee and shake these persistent predators.

But like death itself, her capture was inevitable. The beasts descended upon her with pincers that gripped her without mercy, forcing her back down to the ground as she struggled and flailed. Slate was overwhelmed by the powerful creatures, their chittering making clear exactly what it was that they intended to do with her. “Finally! Food! Hungry! Fresh meat!” Her commands could not force them to release her, they were immune to her authority. They came equipped with venom that made them immune… her fate was sealed. She had no fire, no strength, nothing that could save her.

“So, you are the one who escaped me last… clever girl.” A strange voice drawled in a language that the dragon couldn’t understand, but the threat behind it was beyond barriers. “A pity… I had hoped that you would be harder to hunt after you had disappeared. But, you tried your best. I must commend you on how long you’ve lasted, but alas… our fun must now end.”

Holding her down while the dragon eaters chittered in her ear, Slate was finally face-to-face with what she had been hunting this whole time. It was, indeed, a human like Stranger… but this human was nothing like Stranger. His eyes, hair, and skin were pale and he held himself coldly and collected. He didn’t have the wild youthful abandon like Stranger did. No, this man was calculated and cruel… not like Stranger at all. Even draped in dragon skin like her, they were nothing alike.

Hers was a gift given freely to her by her adopted family, harmlessly collected from their shed. This man’s… was dark in colour and taken from the dragons he had killed.

The scent of which was confirmed exactly what Slate was afraid of… this was indeed the Pack Killer. Midnight was right… and Slate was wrong. How many dragons did he kill to make that skin? Were any of them hatchlings? Were they once her family? Was he wearing the skin of their corpses as a twisted trophy?

Either way… Slate knew only one thing, now: she wasn’t going to make it back alive, anymore. Perhaps she never was.

Midnight was right… she was right all along. Slate should have never taken her position from her… she was unfit for it. She always had been.

The Hidden World would be better off without her… Stranger would be better off without her.

Maybe… a human would know better how to protect dragons from humans after all.

[the-stranger-of-the-hidden-world]

Fun little thing I thought of while I was out.

Stranger’s name for dragons actually takes on a slightly different meaning and context depending on who’s calling her by name and their relationship with her.

For those closest to her, like family and close friends, her name’s translation would probably be closer to ‘creature’ than ‘stranger.’ For those that know her, but aren’t close with her, it would probably be closer to ‘strange creature’ at that point.

And then you have the two meanings that are basically straightforward. You’ve got ‘stranger (neutral),’ which is what she gets most of the time. And then younger got ‘stranger (derogatory),’ which is said with more of an idea of ‘we don’t know you and you do not belong.’ She got that from a lot of dragons at first until they got more used to her (except for Slate… she never dropped the derogatory meaning even when she died).

It’s not something that’s easily translated into a lot of human languages, but it was just a fun thing I thought of :3

[the-stranger-of-the-hidden-world]

Your muse overhears someone call my muse a "freak." How does your muse respond to that accusation?

[the-stranger-of-the-hidden-world]

Heads up, I'll be camping for about a week and I'll be back on Tuesday next week from tomorrow. Take care of yourselves while I'm gone!

Take care! See you in a week :D

[the-stranger-of-the-hidden-world]

i wanna make it unequivocally clear that there are no time limits when it comes to rping with me. idc if you're scrolling through your drafts and you find a thread of ours from two years ago+ and you wanna continue it... but you're afraid i'll be upset with you bc it's been so long...

babes, i am holding your face so gently when i say this: do the thing. i promise, the only thing i'mma be when i see that notif is excited

[the-stranger-of-the-hidden-world]

The Cinema Therapy clip is at 14:42 because I cannot for the life of me find this one clip in isolation.

But these are the main inspirations for Stranger's concept and character :3 As you can see, I have a soft spot for 'orphan girl gets adopted by a family of a different species and her adoptive brothers love her very much.'

[the-stranger-of-the-hidden-world]

I am also very normal about how Hiccup is both very much both of his parents' son but is also the best of both of them and in many ways has surpassed both of them in how he leads change and how he presses forward and the strength of the core of who he is independent of both of his parents.

I am just very unhinged about this entire family, forgive me.

Me: Rants about Stoick and Valka both as individuals and as partners and as parents to my friend for a solid hour.

My friend: So, I can tell that you're completely normal about this.

Me:

I am so normal. I am the normalest. Just so very normal. You have no idea just how normal I am.