Chapter 3:

New baby dragons are gonna hatch!

It took a while, but Mortem and Fera led all the other dragons to New Birth Island. Maybe it was a coincidence, but Mortem noticed that Fera was having trouble climbing onto dry land. Fera even felt a bit heavier than normal...

The two giant dragons both took their spots by the giant pool in the middle of the island. The other dragons all rested on the rocky cliffs. Among them were Toothless and Starlight. The minute that Fera had gotten comfortable, she felt something strange happen in her abdomen. It was as though something was there that shouldn't be. Following her instincts, Fera tried to push the object out. Mortem noticed her, and in no time, he was right beside her, his wing draped over her in an assuring manner. Fera kept pushing the object out, and soon realized what it was. Within a few minutes, a large white egg was resting on the rocks. Both dragons were very happy.

But Fera wasn't done quite yet. There were still more eggs.

Soon there were two grey eggs lying right next to the white one.

All the dragons that were watching were frozen in shock. They'd never seen anything like that before. Some other dragons noticed this, and soon the word had spread across the whole island. Dragons everywhere were pushing and shoving, trying to get a good look at the eggs Fera had laid. Mortem started to worry. It had taken him months to hatch from his egg, would it be the same for his offspring? He remembered Starlight telling him that dragon eggs hatched faster with heat and comfort from their mother's protection. It was possible that without his mother, it had taken Mortem longer to hatch than necessary.

Either that, or he was a late bloomer.

But all that mattered now was that his and Fera's children would survive long enough to make it home.

It had been three days, and many of the dragons' eggs had hatched. Except for Mortem's and Fera's.

Toothless and Starlight had a new daughter, whom they had named Echo, and she was a very shy dragon. Especially when it came to the big dragons.

Mortem and Fera kept their eggs close, trying to help them in any way he could. He kept them warm when they seemed to get too cold, and when they seemed to get to hot, she cooled them down. Fera didn't have to keep the white egg as warm as the grey ones, as the Bewilderbeast was an ice dragon, and hatched in lower temperatures. But she still wasn't taking any chances.

On the end of the third day, it happened.

Mortem was dozing off when he felt something nudge him. He opened his eyes and looked at their eggs. The grey ones were jerking around, and growing warmer. Moving quickly, Mortem pushed the eggs into the tide pool with his tail. Then he sat and waited.

He didn't have to wait too long, because there was a muffled explosion, and the shadow of a dragon the size of a Night Fury swimming up towards the surface. Mortem drew back as a baby Red Death climbed out of the tide pool and walked clumsily over to its parent. "Hello, little guy," he said softly, nudging the baby, "I'm your daddy." The baby nuzzled his dad before settling down next to him. There was another explosion, and another baby swam up out of the pool. The new Red Death joined its dad, settling down next to its brother.

Mortem turned to Fera to show her his children, when he noticed that she wasn't alone. The white egg had hatched too, and the baby Bewilderbeast was playing with the frills on the back of its mother's head. The third egg had hatched when Mortem wasn't looking. There was a patch of frost where the egg had been, and Mortem could assume that the egg hatched differently than the other dragons'.

He turned his attention back to his other two children, who were fast asleep. He slowly got up, so as not to disturb them, and flew off to get some food for all of them.

When he got back, his mouth full of fish, the babies were awake, and wrestling with each other. He had identified their genders as two male and one female. As he gave them their dinner, he tried to think of good names for them. Fera walked up to him. "Do you want to meet Rex?" she asked. Knowing that she was referring to the baby Bewilderbeast, Mortem nodded. Fera then gestured for Rex to come out, and the little Bewilderbeast slowly approached his two baby Red Death siblings. The little ones noticed the ice dragonet, and settled down. The baby Bewilderbeast came closer, and soon, all three dragonets were playing together.

"It's clear that the little female will be a Queen one day," Fera said, "You should name her Regina." Mortem thought for a moment, and then nodded. "I think we should call our other son Roan," he said.

The other dragons were all listening, and when they heard Fera mention the name Regina, they remembered their previous queen. None of them had the strength or heart to tell Mortem that Regina had been the name of his real mother.

After a few hours of resting, Mortem noticed that his and Fera's children had doubled in size. He also noticed the other dragons taking off, their babies on their backs.

It was time for the Return Migration.

Mortem picked up his children and placed them on his back before taking to the skies. Fera soon followed him via swimming in the ocean, carrying Rex on her back.

As Mortem and Fera led the rest of the dragons back to Berk, they didn't notice Benignus watching them from underneath the ocean surface.

Sorry it's been so long, but I was out of town for a few days. I hope this chapter isn't too bad. Review, follow, or favorite.