In all honesty, Astrid expected a lot more yelling and blood for when she introduced Hiccup. Of course, she expected to be on Berk and speaking to Stoick, but this was good practice anyway. Hiccup sat with her, though farther away from her friends. She could understand his...hesitation.
One, this was the largest group of vikings he had been around.
Two, their weapons were still in full view.
Of course, Hiccup had his clawed gloves and she had seen those cut through rocks that could break swords. But she had learned that dragons only attack offensively if you're a direct threat to their mate, family, or territory.
So, the fact that he did not find them an immediate threat was promising.
Snotlout, on the other hand, was a big concern. He had been glaring at her boyfriend for a full on hour since he revealed himself. She guessed it was because of Hiccup's lean towards open affection with her, wrapping his arms around her protectively from behind. It was his stance to say off-limits, especially since she introduced him to Snotlout. Camicazi was more concerned with the Nadder in the background, calmed down enough to munch on fish and constantly offering Astrid more fish. Fishlegs was also staring, studying the Nadder's more docile movements and documenting them in his journal. "So, okay. This is Hiccup, he's...well...he was raised with dragons."
"Wait, how is that possible?! They should have ripped you apart!" Fishlegs shut up once Hiccup glared, "...uhhhh..."
"No, dragons...are my family." He said, albeit choppily. "I...was raised by dragons...in the nest with mother." They stared before Tuffnut spoke up.
"Oh my Loki, it's the Dragon Rider! Dude, that is awesome!" He ran up to Hiccup, getting into his face. Hiccup snarled and backed up, breathing heavily. Astrid grabbed Tuffnut away, but the more dimwitted twin was too involved in getting close to the dragon raised boy to honestly notice. "Dude, where are your fangs!?"
"...My...what?"
"You're fangs, duh! You were raised by dragons, cursed by Odin, and now have to live your life as some sort of demonic...shapeshifting dragon viking monster who eats the souls of children and pregnant women." Hiccup and Astrid stared at Tuffnut before Hiccup spoke up.
"...What?"
"Tuffnut, I can tell you with absolute certainty that Hiccup is not...whatever you just said he is...he just acts like a dragon at times." He smiled at her, taking it as a compliment. Astrid was not sure she meant it as one, but what he doesn't know won't hurt him.
"So, you don't have fangs."
"No."
"Or breathe fire."
"No."
"Or ride a Night Fury." He thought for a moment, trying to remember what that term meant before he chirped happily, alerting Astrid that he had remembered.
"Oh! You mean...my brother...!" Finally, a topic that Hiccup could be interested in. He turned around and let out a loud shriek, one that made everyone but Astrid jump back in surprise from the nearly authentic dragon call. One that was very, very unfamiliar. He stared at the skies as the group slowly inched back towards them. Camicazi pulled Astrid back a bit.
"Okay, so...he's the Dragon Rider?"
"Yup. That's...that's him." She stared.
"I honestly thought that he'd be..." Hiccup was still watching the night sky. "Bigger."
"Don't be fooled. I've seen him take down Monstrous Nightmares with his bare hands."
"Seriously?!" Cami stared at him, "he's kinda hot." Astrid glared at her for a moment before there was a responding shriek from the trees that sounded like Hiccup's, except much more animalistic. Snotlout snatched up his hammer and Tuffnut dove for his mace and Ruffnut went for her sword, Fishlegs yelped and clutched his dagger.
"Oh gods..." Out of the trees shot Toothless, eyes glowing bright and black scales making him all but invisible in the shadows. He landed next to Hiccup and pushed him down, sniffing fervently as Hiccup laughed and struggled against his adoptive brother's large snout.
"Night Fury!"
"He's being attacked!"
"NO! STOP!" She dove between the pair and the rest of them as they all advanced towards him. Astrid sighed, "that's just Toothless. He was raised with Hiccup..." Hiccup chirped a bit and Toothless grunted in response before stepping back. Hiccup stood up and walked over.
"He is my brother, Races the Night...but we call him Toothless." Toothless snarled when the other vikings looked at him, not particularly fond of the weapons they were brandishing.
"...Oh my Thor, that's a Night Fury."
"Yes, Fishlegs."
"Astrid, he can touch a Night Fury?!"
"Yes, Fishlegs...heck, I've seen him sntach a fish from his mouth."
"Was mine first!" Toothless made a shriek that sounded like an argument.
"Anyway, look...we're all really tired. You guys were probably rowing for weeks and riding a dragon is not as easy as it sounds. So, why don't we all eat something and then get some sleep?" Though there were two of the fastest and dangerous dragons in the immediate area, Cami's group could not deny the fact that they were beyond exhausted and hungry. The fish they had were in need of cooking and the fire they had started had died out thirty minutes ago.
"Alright...but if those dragons make any moves to kill us, I'll have their heads."
"And if you make any moves to hurt these dragons, Hiccup is going to become that horrible creature Tuffnut was talking about." Hiccup's harsh glare at Camicazi really confirmed Astrid's words.
Hiccup sat crouched by the waters in the night with Toothless flying overhead, listening to the quietness of the wind and the snores of the vikings further up the beach. After catching some fish for him and Astrid to eat, the boy had been subject to relentless questioning from Large and Shaky (whom he learned was called Fishlegs, though it made no sense since fish don't have legs) and Head like Rock (who was called...Tuffnut...?), getting strange looks from Sea-Eyes (Camicazi) and Head like Fish (Ruffnut)? The only one who didn't seem to speak to him too much was Speaks Like Fool. Of course, he didn't like Speaks Like Fool too much, he was the one that Astrid told him about.
He, like any other dragon, did not appreciate any rivals for his mate and that meant Speaks Like Fool. He wouldn't attack if he didn't try to take her, though.
The sands beneath him were cool while the water in front of him was frigid. He watched the huge icy masses float by slowly when the sand shifted behind him. There was someone there. Judging by the length and width of the shadow due to the moon's light, he guessed it was Speaks Like Fool. "I know what you're doing." His voice sounded agitated and his stance was probably tense. Hiccup glanced over his shoulder. "And it won't work."
"...What will not work?"
"What you're doing."
"What is that?"
"You're trying to steal Astrid away from me." Now, he stood up. At his full height, Hiccup towered over Snotlout by a good foot or so. He stared down at him with his vibrant green eyes, silently issuing a challenge for him to continue. "But it won't work."
"Really?"
"Yeah, really! You may not have noticed but we have something together."
"Like what?"
"Duh, she digs me." Snotlout puffed out his chest, "you may ride dragons and may have seen the nest and everything, but Astrid wants a real viking. Not some..weirdo who lived with animals that have been our enemies for hundreds of years." Hiccup scoffed.
"I do not think she does."
"Oh, really? And why is that?" Hiccup opened his mouth to speak before stopping to think. Sure, he had to act more like a viking to connect to his heritage, but why not act like a dragon on this? And what would a dragon do in this situation?
Show off his claim.
Hiccup quickly shut his mouth and smirked, "you will see soon." With that, Hiccup stretched and stood as Toothless landed on the ground beside him. Snotlout stepped back quickly as the night fury snarled at him. "I will be back soon." He climbed atop his back and shot into the air, immediately disappearing from sight.
That morning, the sky was bright and clear. Astrid opened her eyes and sat up, immediately remembering that she wasn't at home nor in Hiccup's cave. Stormfly slept beside her with her wing wrapped around the viking girl like a warm, scaly blanket. Farther out, Camicazi slept beside Tuffnut, who slept between her and Ruffnut. Ruffnut, interestingly enough, had her fist firmly planted in his stomach while Cami had her arms wrapped around his waist. Snotlout slept a bit closer to her location, but far enough to keep out of Stormfly's reach and Fishlegs was sleeping next to the burning embers of the fire, clutching the Book of Dragons like baby holds his safety blanket. Hiccup was nowhere to be found, which was not odd at all. He woke up earlier than her and seemed to need less sleep.
She distinctly remembered him holding her, though, when they went to bed so that was weird. He was usually around when she woke up.
Astrid stretched, grunting a bit and waking up Stormfly. The large dragon sat up and opened her big maw in a yawn, displaying her massive sharp teeth and vibrant pink tongue. The Nadder chirped and nudged her rider drowsily, greeting her with a "morning welcome morning".
"Morning, girl. You sleep well?"
"Sleep yes good yes sleep good yes no maybe?"
"Sleep yes good."
"Ugh...what's with all the noise?" Ruffnut's crabby voice let them know that the others were waking up. Astrid stood up and brushed her clothes of the sand that clung to them. Ruffnut scratched her head and stood up, rubbing her eyes. "Were you...talking to the dragon?"
"Yeah. My pronunciation is not the best. But, I can kinda talk to dragons."
"Astrid, listen to me very carefully...dragons don't talk."
"Not like vikings."
"Astrid."
"Ruffnut, for the first few years of your life, you believed that on the night of a full moon, Tuffnut turned into a beaver and ran amok through the village singing wedding tunes."
"Nevermind that-"
"What about me being a beaver?"
"And wedding tunes?" Now Cami and Tuffnut were up and Fishlegs and Snotlout were not far behind. "Why are you up so early? The sun hasn't even made it to the sky, yet."
"Deadly Nadders are early risers, so I get woken up whether I want to or not. And Night Furies usually head home by this time, so...where the Hel is Hiccup?"
"Maybe he ran off, gave him a pretty clear warning last night." Snotlout marched over to the pile of firewood he had collected last night and brought it over. Astrid stared at him. He didn't...
"What. Warning?"
"Told him to back off, that you were my girl and he was just some weirdo who lives with dragons."
"...You didn't..."
"I totally did. I wouldn't be surprised if he never showed his face aga-" A loud shriek and Hiccup was back, on Toothless. He was carrying a makeshift basket filled with fruit. "...In..."
"Morning welcome morning Rides the Night."
"Morning welcome morning Sky Eyes love happy yes good sleep yes maybe no?"
"Love happy yes good sleep yes yes." Hiccup hopped off the back of his dragon and carried the fruit over to her. There were mainly peaches and apples. Where did he get these? He seemed to be wide awake too, so did he get some sleep while he was out?
"Hiccup, where did you get these?"
"There." He pointed to the inner fog of Breakneck Bog. "Cloud Breathes gave them to me."
"What are Cloud Breathes?" Fishlegs got closer slowly as Hiccup's words interested in him.
"I'm not sure. He calls dragons different names than we do. Like Deadly Nadders are Spiney Tails. Monstrous Nightmares are Fire Skins. Night Furies are Night Hunters." She picked up an apple and bit into it. "Thanks, Hiccup, but you didn't need to get us breakfast. Have you even eaten?" He shook his head.
"Mate eats first." Astrid blushed and then blushed harder when the others looked at her. She had omitted the fact that Hiccup is her...mate. He smiled, feigning obliviousness when he was really just bragging. She glared at him.
He was more human than he seemed at times.
"Wait a minute...mate?! What does he mean mate?!" Snotlout was not happy, of course.
"Leave it alone, Snotlout! Anyway, we have a plan to take care of the dragons attacking Berk. So, let's eat and then we'll talk." Hiccup handed off fruit to everyone, saving Snotlout for last. When he handed him a peach, he smirked and hissed before taking some for himself and sitting beside Astrid.
Toothless trotted over and laid down as Stormfly stood up and cawed before taking off into the skies. "Hey! Your dragons running of-"
"No, Stormfly is just hunting for fish. She'll be back soon," Hiccup munched on his peach as she began to talk. "Look, the way the war is going, we will all be wiped out. We need to find a different way to deal with dragons and I think Hiccup is the answer."
"Why?"
"He can teach us how to train dragons." The all stared at her like she was crazy, "think about it, guys. He has been with dragons since he was a baby. He already showed me how to fly a dragon and I can speak to her now too. There's a dragon in Helheim's Gate that forces other dragons to raid villages and bring it food."
"Why wouldn't they just ignore it or fight it off."
"Dragons will die." Hiccup's simple explanation helped, "it is a queen. It will kill and eat dragons. That nest is not safe and dragons are sick. I will teach you about dragons and you can use them to fight." He sat up, "but you help me too."
"And what do you need help with?"
"Father." Camicazi raised an eyebrow.
"Father?" He nodded.
"Hiccup's father is...Stoick the Vast." They all sprang up.
"What?!"
"That's impossible!"
"Stoick's family died when they were..." Cami trailed off, "carried off by a dragon..." Astrid nodded. "...Then...Hiccup's the rightful Hairy Hooligan heir."
"Okay, hold on a moment!"
"That's right."
"What's an heir?"
"Um HELLO?"
"Sweet Thor, we don't have to have Snotlout as a chief!"
"I knew that the Gods hadn't abandoned us."
"Watch it, Fishface!"
"Wait, so...what are we talking about again?"
"Okay, so...if Hiccup is the lost heir to Stoick the Vast, what happened to his mom?"
"She's alive. She's just back at the nest." Astrid thought for a moment, "but she'd rather stay there right now than return to Berk, so let's just keep it simple and not mention her at all."
"Why? She's Stoick's wife. All Stoick has to do is make this guy take him to the nest and bring her back by force if she's being difficult."
"No." Hiccup shook his head, "Mum is like...Sea Roarer..."
"Sea...?"
"He means a thunderdrum."
"Will not budge, will not give...will die before giving in."
"That's right. She's way too stubborn and Hiccup won't lead Stoick to his nest."
"Why not?" The unemotional look on her boyfriend's face spoke volumes.
"He just won't. Don't be fooled by how he looks, he won't put that nest in any danger whatsoever." Astrid stretched. "But anyway...if we can convince Stoick to let him teach the village about dragons, we can use them to fight the Queen and that will stop the raids."
"How can you be so sure?"
"Dragons will not fight for Queen, they will run as soon as they can." Hiccup stood, "I will help village. I will save...viking family...no more blood." Everyone still looked a bit unconvinced.
"Fishlegs, how many eggs can a Gronkle lay?" The large viking stared at Astrid for a long time.
"I dunno, it's never been reco-"
"Four. Five if feeding is good and female is not in fear for life constantly."
"Really?"
"Mainly females, but one or two male is always born. Rock Hides lay eggs...three times a year."
"Seriously?! I didn't know that, how did you-" Fishlegs stared at Hiccup for a long time. "You really lived amongst them...among dragons...what else do you know?" Astrid smiled. So, Hiccup made one friend so far...two if you count Tuffnut.
"Hiccup can wrestle down a full grown Monstrous Nightmare, he fastened claws for himself using Night Fury claws, and he can sleep upside down." Tuffnut and Ruffnut were suddenly on Hiccup, asking if he wanted to hang and how did he feel about rotten fish guts and catapults. Snotlout even looked a bit impressed when Hiccup recounted how he had stared down a Skrill at the age of thirteen, as did Camicazi.
"..So, if you say dragons are so friendly...than why is the black one glaring at me?" Astrid looked over at Toothless, who was staring at everyone with his irises slightly skinnier than normal.
"No, he's just a bit nervous. Really...Hiccup, show everyone about Toothless." The boy rushed over to his draconic brother and began squawking at him loudly, flapping his arms around like a bird. Toothless responded in kind by roaring twice and opening his wings full span. They went back and forth like that before Toothless, begrudgingly, stomping over and sat up in front of Camicazi.
"...Uhhh...what is he-holy Thor!" That's right. Toothless gave Camicazi his signature smile, with his fangs pulled in and an awkward twitch of his lips. "Is he smiling?!" She began cracking up from it, "that is too much! That is way too much!"
"Yeah, Toothless is just a big cat. He gets moody, loves fish, and getting his belly scratched. See?" Then Astrid began scatching Toothless in all his favorite spots, causing the dragon to fall on his side and groan happily. "He really isn't that bad."
"Okay, so he can...smile...how is that going to convince Stoick that dragons can be good?" Astrid sighed.
"Let me worry about that, okay. I just need you guys to help me get Hiccup onto Berk." Tuffnut stopped his onslaught of trying to touch Toothless, with Hiccup holding him back, to speak up.
"Uh...why? He's got a dragon." Astrid rolled her eyes.
"Sure, Hiccup will just fly on his Night Fury and announce to Stoick that he's his son..."
"Sounds like a plan, I'm in." Maybe this would be harder than she thought.
Okay...guys...STUFF HAPPENS, I HAVE LITTLE ACCESS TO THE INTERNET RIGHT NOW. SO THE NEXT ONE WHO MESSAGES WITH A STRAIGHT UP RUDE MESSAGE LIKE "You need to update Night Speed" will be cussed out with extreme prejudice. I mean, really? Nhkosoy, are you my boss? Do you PAY me to post these chapters? NO. You don't. I happen to have a job and responsibilities, so you will get your freakin' chapter when I'm good and ready, got it?
DO NOT MESSAGE ME AGAIN.