Transfer

(rough draft)

A DreamWorks' How to Train Your Dragon fanfic by Raberba girl

Summary: Slyfoot & Pinecone join Berk's flock. Sequel to "He's Not Dangerous" from Pinecone's point of view.

A/N: "Humanhalf" and "Shield" are dragon names for Toothless; "Heart-wound" is a name for Squirt; "Dragonheart" is a name for Valka.

I TOTALLY forgot to include this author's note when I first posted this story, so sorry to all the confused readers in the meantime - please read A Small Addition To Berk's Flock (if you can't find it, check my "Dragon Queen of Berk" series) before you read this fic ._. I didn't remember until after I'd posted this that not everyone would know who Squirt is. X'D

o.o.o

I have a friend now! I'm so happy~

I like everyone, all these dragons who are good and interesting, but no one liked me until Friend. He was Daring before, because he is so brave and clever and wants to do things no one else does that I never even thought of, but now he is Friend. He comes to me when he is scared or lonely and lets me comfort him, he plays with me and sleeps with me, and his name for me is Friend, too.

Poor Friend is agitated now, I don't know why.

"Flock," he says, "which flock is mine?!"

I ask him if it's our faraway flock where we came from.

"No! I don't like it there."

Maybe it's this dragon-and-human flock instead.

"No...I'm lost here..."

"I think maybe Humanhalf will show you where to belong if you join his flock," I say.

"Friend, you will join this scary new flock with me?!" He is scared and insecure, so he pounces on me and pins me down so he won't lose me.

I let him. "I will be in the same flock as you, Friend. You are my friend, I want to be with you." I lick him to reassure him that of course I will stay with him.

"...I will ask Charcoal Paws and Shield. Maybe then I'll decide."

It's almost morning now, so we fly back to the day-creature nest. Venomfangs sing their morning songs as the sun rises. Dragons and humans start to come out of their aeries.

A black shape darts into the sky. Humanhalf calls his alpha call, and his flocklings call back to pay obeisance to him. The humans roar and chitter, too, but they sound annoyed; I don't know why.

"Pipe down there, Truespear!"

"Why do they keep making that racket every morning?!"

"They never used to, not like this."

"It started right after Bludvist's attack, didn't it?"

The sea moves, and a big big big BIG shape comes rising out of it. We knew there was a sea-king sleeping down there, but we never saw a sea-king before now; he's so BIG!

Sea-king makes a very strange call. He is a king, but he's not an alpha; his call is a flockling call. And it's not 'Hail-to-Alpha,' it's 'Hail-to-Alpha's-half,' as if he's paying obeisance to his flock consort instead of his alpha!

But Humanhalf is not surprised at all, and it's Charcoal Paws on his back who responds instead. "And a good morning to you, too, Squirt!"

"What kind of response is that?" Friend wonders.

I very much don't know. It was an interesting sound, like a little wave rolling over pebbles, but it didn't mean anything. But Charcoal Paws sounded cheerful and affectionate, and Sea-king is happy, and Humanhalf isn't bothered, so I guess it's okay.

Me and Friend hurry to catch up with Humanhalf and Charcoal Paws, who are turning away toward the sea.

"Go away," Humanhalf orders. "This is my flying/playing time with my Half Of Me that I love! We will come back and His flocklings will pounce on Him and cheep at Him and roar at Him and He will be busy busy busy and frustrated and tired, but now He is happy and with ME!"

"Whoa there, Toothless! It's just Pinecone and Slyfoot, bud; calm down."

Friend taunts, "You are not my alpha, I don't have to listen to you."

"I thought you wanted to join his flock," I say. I am confused.

Friend rolls over in the air to pass close to Charcoal Paws, who reaches up and touches his scales with a paw. "Mornin', Slyfoot." He looks at me and bares his teeth in that strange happy human way. "Good morning, Pinecone."

"I am happy to see you~"

Humanhalf and his other half are very fast and daring. They zoom and swoop and climb and dive and fall, they loop and roll and separate, both gliding like two halves of a heart until they come back together and are one again.

We can't keep up. Friend roars in frustration, but I tell him he will feel better if we eat something, so we stop chasing these brother-alphas and go fishing instead.

We come back and hide on top of the dead wood caves so the humans won't keep crowding around us and touching us, and we watch this flock. Dragon-and-human partners work together, doing strange human things that we don't understand. Hatchlings and human cubs run and tussle and play together.

Humanhalf and Charcoal Paws tend to their flocklings, and Humanhalf was right: Charcoal Paws tries to be patient, but his human flocklings are silly and exasperating. When he gets upset, his mate pulls him away between the cave we are sitting on and the one beside it. She bites his mouth for a long time and they smell like they are going to mate - Friend is interested because he has never seen humans mate before, and I'm confused because Charcoal Paws's mate is already pregnant. But they don't mate, they stop courting too soon and Friend is disappointed, but Charcoal Paws feels happier, I don't know why.

Fourwing and Dragonheart come to perch beside us. Friend immediately asks Dragonheart to love him, so she does, and he is very happy to be caressed and cooed at.

"You will join our flock?" Fourwing asks.

"Maybe. I'm waiting for Friend to decide."

"This is a good flock. Very much strange, but good."

Friend and Dragonheart nuzzle and croon "I love you~~~~~" to each other so much that finally I am jealous and I go to nuzzle and croon at them, too. Dragonheart's soft little claws are very good at caressing.

After a while, we go talk to Sea-king. He is working on his aerie, where many dragons are playing or resting because they've made aeries in it, too. "How come you're a king but not alpha?" Friend asks.

"Alpha is stronger than me."

"But he's TINY and you're HUGE!"

Sea-king is confused. He thinks for a while, then says, "My heart is very small and weak and broken. Alpha's is very strong. Consort's is stronger."

"But Charcoal Paws is even TINIER than Shield!"

Sea-king is not talking to us anymore, he's thinking and thinking. "But I think Consort's heart is a little broken, too, and he is very much smaller and weaker than us, but he's strongest anyway...? Yes, that is true, but I don't know why. Why is this...confusing sweet thing that I love, I don't understand...but Consort loves me, maybe it's okay..."

Friend is very confused, but I think I understand. "Charcoal Paws turned his weakness into something very strong, and made nightwings and a sea-king and three whole dragon flocks love him." They are one flock now, but it's like there are three flocks inside it. Two of the little-flocks respect Charcoal Paws as their flock consort, but there is one little-flock whose marks on this human show that they very so much love him. "If he can make so many people love him so much, he must be the strongest one of all."

"Then why isn't he alpha?"

"Alpha took my flock away from me," Sea-king says. "Consort made me a flockling."

I understand now! That's why Humanhalf is the ruler, but Sea-king loves Charcoal Paws more. That's why Sea-king's obeisance is so strange.

Me and Friend fly back to find Charcoal Paws, this very much interesting human. Charcoal Paws was chittering at two male humans and one female, but he stops when Friend butts him for attention. "Hey, you!"

Charcoal Paws pounces! Friend is startled and leaps away and stares.

Charcoal Paws lowers himself, reaching out his forelegs and crooning soothingly. "Awww, Sly, c'mere! C'mere, little guy, I just want some cuddles!"

Friend ducks his head suspiciously, but I know Charcoal Paws is happy to see us even though he pounced. I approach and push my head under his foreleg. He smells good.

"It's Pinecone~!" He wraps both forelegs around me and squeezes, but I know he's not attacking me because he's so happy and relieved. We nuzzle each other's faces, but Friend is jealous and runs to push himself between us. "Aww, what, you jealous?"

Humanhalf is jealous, too. Charcoal Paws tries to caress all three of us, but he's too small and can't reach. Friend lies down on his hind legs to claim him and Humanhalf washes him to claim him more, even though Charcoal Paws squirms and protests a lot. "No, Toothless! How many times do I have to tell you that it doesn't wash out?!"

Friend licks a little "Mine" mark on Charcoal Paws while Humanhalf is distracted.

"You can't keep him if you leave this flock," I tell him.

"Unhappy..."

Humanhalf finally notices. He roars at Friend to chase him away and licks a huge "MINE" mark on top of Friend's to overpower it.

"You guys know that I get no sex when I'm covered with dragon drool, right?" Charcoal Paws pouts.

Friend creeps back and slips under my wing. "Shield," he says, "tell your other half that I will join this flock."

"No! Go away!"

"We are two young strong breedmates!" I say. Maybe he is lonely being the only nightwing in this nest. "We will be good for your flock." It would be better if we had mates to breed with, though... Maybe he will want us if we find mates? But Friend is too young to find a mate yet, so I don't know what to do.

"You can be my flockling, but he will be disobedient and troublesome!"

I know he is right, especially when Friend taunts him.

"Okay, guys, I love you all lots, but I gotta get back to work." Charcoal Paws wanders away, I don't know why.

"He doesn't want us?!" Friend cries, hurt and dismayed.

"He doesn't understand talking," Humanhalf explains. "He thinks we don't need Him." He drags Charcoal Paws back to us. "Half Of Me, new flocklings! Pay attention!"

"Ow! Toothless, cut it out, I have to- Oof."

Dragons are coming to watch and see if they will get new flockmates soon. Dragonheart has been watching us, too; for some reason she is amused. "Hiccup, your presence is required. Remember, you're the flock consort, you should be with Toothless when he accepts new subjects."

"New-? Ooohh, they're gonna join the flock?!"

"Little One-" the alpha starts to say.

"I'm not little! I very much don't like that name!"

"LITTLE ONE," Humanhalf bellows, and Friend cowers into my side. "This is my name for you! I think you are 'Troublesome,' but I won't call you that because you should be a good flockling."

"What are they saying, Mom?"

"Dragons don't name themselves, so Slyfoot is making a bit of a nuisance of himself by trying to control what other dragons call him."

"If you want to be my flockling, then pledge to me," Humanhalf orders.

Friend is still cowed, but he lashes his tail once. "...I will be Charcoal Paws's flockling."

Humanhalf screams in exasperation/frustration.

"Whoa, whoa, bud, what is it?! Hey! Heeeey, Toothless, hey, come here. Come here, buddy, it's all right."

Humanhalf lets himself be comforted, then pulls away and orders Friend, "You will be my flockling, or you will go away."

Friend protests. "SEA-KING is more loyal to Charcoal Paws than you! I want to be, too!"

"NO," Humanhalf roars. "Heart-wound gave his WHOLE SELF to Half Of Me. He loves Him as much as he would love an other half, he obeys Him and protects Him and would die for Him. You would do this for my consort, Little One? You would love Him more than you love yourself?"

Friend wants to hide in the dark and never come out. I keep my wing over him to hide him, and stretch my neck so I can lick and soothe him.

"Mom?"

"We're waiting on Slyfoot, poor thing. He is very young."

"Aw." Charcoal Paws crawls close and gently coaxes until Friend creeps out and hides with him instead. Charcoal Paws caresses him and croons to him and comforts him. He is a very good and interesting thing to love, I know that we will pledge ourselves to Humanhalf because it's the only way we can have Charcoal Paws.

Finally Friend is brave enough to submit to Humanhalf and pay obeisance to him. I do it too, so now Humanhalf is Alpha. He marks us as His flocklings, and I like feeling like I belong in a home again.

I pay homage to Charcoal Paws who is Consort now, but Friend looks a little defiant and starts licking him with "MY flock consort" marks. Alpha can't erase these because they're true, but He doesn't like anyone else's "my" anything on His other half, so finally He chases Friend away.

"Berk," Consort chirps happily, "Night Fury population: three! I like this."

His humans start crowding around him again. "So now they are available!"

"I claim Greenie for eight sheep!"

"No, I claim him for my finest yak!"

"I claimed him first yesterday!"

"No, you didn't, it was me!"

"Well, if no one wants the little one, I'll take him."

"Not so fast, I'm bidding against you: two daggers and a mace."

"Fine, then, a sword and three shields!"

Consort is waving his forelegs. "People, people, stop! They're not cattle, they're not necessarily going to accept the riders who pay the highest price for them."

"A Night Fury's worth more than those paltry offers, you fools. I'LL bid four yaks, five sheep, and my best sword."

"My entire herd and my daughter's hand in marriage! I dare anyone to top that!"

"My whole herd, all my weapons, my sister's dowry, and my firstborn child."

Consort slaps a paw over his eyes. "Uuugghh, Vikings..."

o.o.o

Author's Notes: *tries to explain the dragon term "breedmates"* *fails* Pinecone was just pointing out to Toothless that he and Slyfoot are Night Furies, and he figured Toothless would welcome some fellow Furies into his flock so that he wouldn't be the only one anymore.

This fic was better in my head than it ended up being on paper. -.- I'd thought of the idea a few months ago, but didn't have a chance to actually write it until a week or two ago when I worked at the job that gives me a lot of time to write. I waited too long to draft it after getting the idea, and I hadn't written any notes, so I had to rely entirely on memory. I forgot the exact wording Toothless used when talking about Squirt's unusual allegiance to Hiccup and himself, and I don't think the version I ended up writing is anywhere near as effective as the original dialogue which I forgot. D: