Disclaimer: I don't own HTTYD
A/N: Thanks to SilverDragonGirl15 and thearizona for suggesting Toothless and Hiccup's dragon titles. The song for this chapter is 'We Are Family' by Keke Palmer…because I can't think of a better one, don't shoot me.
Chapter Thirteen – Home Sweet Home
It was too far to travel from the Ice Nest to Berk in the space of one night…a few hours from dawn, the new Alphas led their flock to a green and mountainous isle which, from the air, looked uncannily like a dragon curled up to rest on the ocean. The sight was familiar to Hiccup and his friends, for this island was where they had maintained their now abandoned base, Dragon's Edge.
On the way there, Astrid had taken Eret (Sky Fire had tagged along as well, wanting to keep an eye on his new human friend) to search for his crew. Eret's men were very glad to see him, and whilst they weren't quite up for riding on dragon-back, they did promise to come to Berk as soon as the winds changed. "Don't worry, Eret" Astrid assured him as they flew back to re-join the pack, "We'll help you hide from Ruffnut".
The Edge seemed peaceful enough as the pack glided in a shallow dive towards it, but many of the dragons grew restless, sensing that they were in another pack's territory. Would their new Alpha's challenge these ones and take their pack too? The dragons of Hiccup's friends started spreading the word that there was nothing to fear; the dragons here were scattered, only there for the good fishing and hunting; the main flock living on the island were only small dragons, and their leader knew Toothless-Hiccup. Belch boasted that his rider was practically best friends with the Mimic's alpha.
As they approached, a large black dragon swept up from the shadows, roaring and demanding in what sounded like a multitude of voices in unison,*Who is there? Trespassers? Intruders? Hunters? Threats?*
*No threat!* Toothless roared back, before ordering the rest of the flock, *Everyone, stop and wait*.
The dragons obeyed at once, to the surprise of their riders who yelped and jerked uncomfortably in the saddles as their dragons came to rather abrupt stops in mid-air. Toothless kept flying, right up the large black dragon. Peering closely, Valka noticed that the outline of the other dragon was oddly blurry. Cloud-Jumper had never liked to take her even to the northern islands of the archipelago, so she wasn't as familiar with these islands as she might have been.
Looking over at Astrid, Valka asked her, "Astrid, that dragon Toothless and Hiccup are talking to? What sort of dragon is it?"
Astrid chuckled and explained, "It's dragons, actually. A pack of Night Terrors – they're a bit like Terrible Terrors, but a lot bigger, and they mimic an even larger version of themselves to warn off enemies. Hiccup and Toothless are probably letting Smidvarg know that we just want to rest for a while". At Valka's questioning look, she added, "Smidvarg's their alpha. Tuffnut named him" she shrugged.
"Ah…"
Toothless and Hiccup persuaded the Night Terrors - Mimics - to let them rest for the remainder of the night on the island. When they moved on again, the dragons' stamina stood them in good stead but the humans were not so lucky. The only island on their route large enough to accommodate such a large flock was Dark Deep; Hiccup had a pretty clear and unpleasant idea of who was the alpha there.
Sure enough, the Catastrophic Quakens (they called themselves Crushers) weren't thrilled at having a horde of strange dragons descending on their island. Once more Toothless and Hiccup flew ahead to claim *No threat*, to explain they only wanted to feed and rest and then move on. The Quakens weren't having any of it, and it could have gotten ugly...if it hadn't been for Fishlegs, of all people.
The stockiest rider flew down on his gronckle to try and help calm the Boulder class dragons, and the lead Quaken, the first one on the island (the other two had been used to following orders and not attempted to fight him for dominance, which was how he liked it) actually recognised him, to his considerable relief and surprise. The massive dragons finally reconsidered and gave reluctant permission for the flock to rest in their territory; even they could see that most of these dragons would not try to eat their food.
Both Dragon's Edge and Dark Deep made Hiccup acutely aware of one of the main problems with bringing home a flock that was twice the size of the original. The first two islands they'd briefly rested on were large enough for the whole pack to settle down together, with Toothless always insisting on perching in the best spot.
Berk was small, compared to those islands. He and Toothless were responsible for a huge flock of dragons, all of whom now expected to live, play, fight, sleep and raise their young on this one island. His mind had already been racing with solutions, both temporary and permanent, to the problem of where to put them all.
On the way home they had to settle many arguments – the warrior dragons wanted to fight, out of habit, but the originals refused to be cowed and bullied. They had to be reminded and instructed many times, things were different now, they couldn't snarl and claw and flame and get away with it. On Dark Deep, whilst the humans were trying to set up camp under the baleful suspicious stares of the Quakens, Toothless-Hiccup and their dragon friends told the newcomers the rules of their new nest.
Don't fight amongst the human's wood-caves. Don't lash out at the humans, especially the little ones, they're fragile. Don't steal and eat the prey-beasts and the food that humans keep for themselves. If a human is bothering you, fly away and come and find us, we'll find a way to sort it out.
It was a relief when they finally made it home; spirits were buoyed, and many of the Vikings cheered, with their dragons roaring excited counterpoints. The villagers who had stayed behind, along with the dragons who were too old or too young to fly such a long way and fight, came out to cheer with them and welcome them all home. The dragons followed their Alphas lead, and so they all came to land on or hover around the steps of the Great Hall.
Toothless and Hiccup stood at the top of the steps, with all the pack and all the villagers staring at them expectantly. "Okay…so, you guys have probably noticed that we brought some friends home…" he began, only to inevitably be interrupted.
"Are they here to help us defeat Drago?"
"Are some of them wearing armour? Is that a thing now?"
"By the goddess Frigga, is that Lady Valka with Stoick?"
Toothless roared *Shut up!* at the humans, who nonetheless got the message, and purred as Hiccup gave him a grateful pat. "Drago is defeated" he assured the nervous villagers, "He's dead. Toothless and I made the Alpha dragon who was controlling his dragons – like the Red Death, only it wasn't completely his fault because Drago was really controlling him – anyway, err, we defeated him, Toothless and I, and now…well, we're the Alphas. Of the Berk Pack, I mean, which now includes all the dragons that were in Drago's army".
No sooner had the words left his mouth than the protests began again. Many of the dragons, displeased at this apparent lack of respect towards one of their alphas, growled warningly at the humans…who of course couldn't tell that the growls weren't truly aggressive, and only grew more alarmed. Toothless snarled in frustration, and prepared to command them all to stop, when Astrid strode up and yelled "Shut it!"
Even the dragons stopped to stare. "Ah…thank you, milady" Hiccup smiled at her, before clearing his throat and continuing, "Guys, listen. These dragons – the new ones, I mean, the ones in armour – we really need to get that off…" He shook his head before he could get side-tracked, and continued, "They've been through a lot, and they're going to be wary of humans, and maybe a little aggressive.
"You're all going to have to be patient…and yes, I know, we're Vikings, it's not exactly our strong suit. But come on; we figured this out before, and we can do it again. Right now I'm worried about something more immediate – namely, where they're all going to sleep".
"Don't forget what they're all going to eat" Tuffnut interrupted from his place on Belch's neck, "And what they're all gonna do, and what we're gonna call them all…"
"Yes, thank you, Tuffnut" Hiccup shot him a 'shut up now' glare, but the irrepressible twin continued to count off all the problems they might face, regardless of how likely they were. Hiccup somehow doubted that a swarm of Flightmares would fly in and decide they wanted to be part of the pack too. *Belch, drop Tuffnut* Toothless instructed bluntly. Belch obeyed without question. Hiccup gave Toothless a nudge and a look that said I'm pretending to disapprove of that but I really don't.
"Yeah, so, like I was saying - you're fine, Tuff – about where the dragons are all going to sleep. Just for the time being, if you can, make room in your homes for your own dragons. The bigger ones that were part of our pack originally, they can sleep in the great hall, or outside the houses – oh, and most of them can stay in the stables and in the training arena, like normal…the new ones can, err…"
*Selena, you and the other Night Furies can sleep in the cove. Everyone else, stay out of there! The rest of you, nest where you usually do in the village and the caves, and our new pack members can settle down for the night anywhere else on the island. Understood?* Toothless instructed.
At the same time, Stoick trudged up and proclaimed, "The dragons can take care of themselves, son. They've managed for the last five years, haven't they? Right now, we have much to celebrate!"
*We understand, Alpha-Toothless* the flock chorused, in response to their dragon alpha. By some consensus, the dragons had decided that if they were addressing their two new Alphas separately, to call them by their titles and names together. Most of the bickering on the way to Berk had been over this very matter.
"We can't" Hiccup said quietly, defying his father even as he shifted uncomfortably…aware of all the eyes on him, but this was something he couldn't back down on. At Stoick's perplexed stare and his mother's worried gaze, Hiccup quickly amended his statement. "I mean, not yet. We can't celebrate just yet. I want that armour off those dragons, for a start. Gobber, do you think you could…?"
"I'm way ahead of you, chief" the old blacksmith smiled, saluting.
"I'm not the chief".
"Well, coulda fooled me, since you're acting like it".
"Guys, I'm not the chief. I'm just trying to do what's right for the dragons" Hiccup protested, trying to get them to understand. Somebody – he thought it might have been Sven – asked "So when can we start celebrating?"
Hiccup resisted the urge to groan and press his face against his palms. Toothless nudged his arm for attention and told him, *Let dad take care of the humans. We'll take care of the dragons*.
Nodding in agreement, which probably looked odd (he didn't really care), Hiccup turned back to his dad and said, "Okay, sure, dad. You can organise a celebration; roast some boars, break out the ale…all that fun stuff. Me? I'll be at the forge, taking that armour off" he insisted, swinging himself onto Toothless' back. The dragon spread his wings and commanded, *If you have metal-skins on your bodies, follow us and we'll take them off!*
With that he leapt, flying over to and landing beside the forge. Hiccup went right in; Toothless waited outside, watching the armoured dragons who were already approaching. They seemed almost reluctant, shuffling towards the forge and then away, or circling, or landing on the ground and then leaping to rooftops. Puzzled, Toothless tilted his head in confusion and asked, *What's the matter? Hiccup isn't going to hurt you*.
"Exactly" his other half agreed as he emerged from the forge, dragging a wheeled table covered with all the tools he thought he might need. Hiccup left it in plain sight as he turned to the nearest dragon, a heavily armoured Thunderclaw. "Hey…it's okay. It's okay, I'm not gonna hurt you" he said, keeping his voice low and calm, "Just…come a bit closer, so I can get a better look…" The Thunderclaw tentatively crept forwards, sniffing at Hiccup's outstretched hand, only to shy away at the last minute. Dismayed, he carefully asked, "What's wrong?"
The dragon – he couldn't even tell what colour it was, or its gender, under all that armour – shuffled its feet and lowered its head, obviously uneasy. "I'm not angry" Hiccup assured it, although surely the Thunderclaw could tell. "I just want to know what's upset you".
*It's not just him* Toothless remarked; unlike Hiccup, he could tell the gender by scent alone, even buried under the reek of metal. *They're all acting strangely. You have to tell us what's going on* he insisted to the gathered dragons, *Even Alphas can't read your minds. How do you expect us to help you if you won't tell us what the problem is?*
The Thunderclaw bristled, stomping his paws to make the ground ring, and then cringed submissively. It was like he couldn't make his mind up to obey or not. *You told us to, so we have to…but I don't want to!* he snapped out defensively, hunching down with his wings curled in but held ready to snap out and flee. Hiccup blinked in bewilderment and asked, "You don't... want to have your armour taken off?"
Many other voices agreed – the metal-skin was good, it protected them, it made them strong and fierce! Other voices protested – the metal-skin hurt, it wasn't good, they wanted it off! Hiccup floundered; it hadn't occurred to him that some of the warrior dragons would want to keep their armour. He wondered if he should just let them, but the thought of having them covered in armour, a constant reminder of their life in slavery covering their scales…
He held his hands up and shouted for attention of the growing cacophony of agitated rumbles and growls, the tense rustling of wings and tails, the arguing snarls as the dragons turned from their Alphas to bicker amongst themselves. "Guys, stop! Calm down, listen! Hey! Just-!"
*Listen* Toothless commanded, punctuating it with a short, sharp roar. At once, instinctively, every dragon turned to them, heads lowered and eyes averted. The roar startled Hiccup a little, but it also reminded him that he could think-speak fluently now. For Moon's sake, he'd practiced on the way home, talking to Toothless and thoroughly enjoying having a conversation that didn't get him strange looks from people who could only hear one side of it.
*Everyone, calm down. I understand, you've probably been wearing that armour – the metal-skin – so long it feels like it's part of you, but it isn't. It was put there by humans who used you, but you're not being used anymore!* he insisted. Beside him, Toothless crooned relax, trust, calm in counterpoint, joining his sounds to Hiccup's thought-speak.
Hiccup preferred to compromise whenever possible; he made his decision and declared, *If you want to be rid of the metal-skins, we'll take them off. If they make you feel safer, then I'll let you wear them…but just remember, if you keep your metal-skins, everyone will notice you*. Dragons had a bit of trouble putting together more than two concepts at a time, especially new concepts. So he tried to keep it simple.
*If you keep them on, you'll still look and smell like outsiders. You're not outsiders, obviously, but you'll seem like it*. Surely, he thought, they would understand the idea of being part of the pack, part of a whole, and not want to be the odd ones out.
The dragons shifted uneasily…they didn't quite understand what their smaller alpha was telling them, but surely the Alphas were far cleverer than they! The thought of not belonging was like an itch no amount of writhing would get at to scratch, and they shuddered at it. Yet the thought of having their protection stripped away felt wrong too, even though wearing it sort of felt wrong. It was all so wrong, and confusing! What were they supposed to do? They had been commanded to wear the metal-skin, but now they were commanded to not?!
Hiccup realised he had confused them, seeing it in their cocked heads and puzzled stares and worried whimpers and uneasy fidgets. *It's your choice* he told them, trying to help them understand, *You can keep the metal-skins on if you want to, but you don't have to*. They still looked confused, and he felt helpless, struggling to figure out how to explain it to them. Toothless didn't know how to explain it either. So lost in thought were they, that they both jumped and whipped round like spooked spike-tails at the sound of a voice behind them.
It was only their mother, and Gobber…when had they gotten there? "What – how – what are you guys doing here?" Hiccup asked, remembering at the last minute to speak with words like a normal human. To be honest he was starting to prefer thought-speak…now that he didn't have to strain to project his thoughts outward, it actually felt easier than working his throat and jaw to talk aloud.
"We came to help you get that armour off those dragons, of course" Gobber explained, raising an eyebrow and scratching at his cheek with the side of his hook. "I kinda thought you'd have made more of a start on it, but then you went all quiet…doing that mind talk thing, were you?"
"Thought-speak" Hiccup corrected automatically, "and yes, I was. I'm just trying to…some of them don't want their armour off, they don't feel safe without it – but if they keep it on they're just gonna stand out like sore thumbs, they'll draw attention to themselves. I'm trying to explain that it's up to them, it's their choice if the armour stays or not, but they're confused and I don't know how to explain to them…" he said agitatedly, running a hand through his hair.
"That's what I was trying to tell you, dear" Valka said gently, "I can see they're confused too. These poor dragons were warriors only days ago, but they were slaves as well. I think they're confused by the idea of having a choice in the matter at all" she explained. Hiccup's brow furrowed with concern…he thought of the two Quakens that had been used to quarry stone, obeying the whims of their captors without question. He thought of Sleuther, the peculiar strike class dragon who had been trained to fight for so long that he no longer needed a reason to.
The new dragons were calm now, but how long would it be before the tamped-down fires inside them blazed up and out? Hiccup scolded himself mentally; he couldn't think like that. Of course he couldn't stop them fighting; all he could do was stop the fights getting out of control. "You're right…but how do I get them to understand?"
"Maybe you can't" Gobber shrugged, "Let them figure it out on their own. They're cleverer than they let on, these beasties" he pointed out, but his jovial tone of voice told the dragons that he didn't mean the last word as an insult.
"Gobber's right. They just need time to get used to the idea that they're free now. Why don't you both come back to the Great Hall and have something to eat?" Valka suggested with an encouraging smile, "You must be starving".
Hiccup's stomach just had to pick then, of all moments, to gurgle hungrily. He scowled down at it a bit, before shaking his head. "No, I…some of them do want their armour taking off, I know that much, and somehow I don't think they can get it off themselves. I'll stay here and help them…just, uh, ask the others to maybe save us some food, please?"
"Don't worry, lad. Astrid said she'd bring you something if you didn't turn up when the feast really got underway" Gobber assured him, "She's going to be a good wife to ya, that lass".
Hiccup smiled sheepishly. "I know…and I will come to the feast, but I need to help the dragons first" he insisted. Toothless turned to the assembled dragons crowded around them – it was a good thing all the humans were out of the way – and instructed *If you don't want your armour taking off, go and find somewhere to nest for the night*.
Many of the dragons took off, but quite a few remained. With Gobber and Valka's help, Hiccup worked on removing all the armour from their scales. It hadn't just been strapped on, but hammered directly onto their bodies with pinching screws through tough scales. His blood boiled at the thought of the pain it must have caused; many of the screws had traces of dried dark blood on them.
As he and Gobber worked, Valka calmed whichever dragon they were taking the armour from, with soft words and gentle strokes. Toothless wandered amongst them, settling disputes between impatient and irritable dragons here and there. The next question was what to do with all of the armour, which was quickly piling up inside and outside the forge. "Oh, I can think of a few things" Gobber grinned when Hiccup mentioned that problem. "The things I could do with this much Gronckle Iron…"
Eventually there was no more armour to remove, and the dragons had been dismissed to go and find nests and reminded not to steal nests already claimed. Hiccup washed his hands – well, Toothless offered to lick them clean, but he politely declined – and they decided to go on a brief patrol before they headed to the Great Hall for something to eat. Their flight took them on an easy, comfortable soar over Berk, keeping eyes peeled for signs of squabbles that might be getting too overboard.