Chapter Twenty: The Voyage Home

Well, aside from the Epilogue, this will be the final chapter. I hope that this will be worth it.

Snotlout's wedding was quick and fairly tasteful, given the circumstances. The Vikings were eager to get the ceremony over-with just so they could go home, but that didn't mean that they didn't take the opportunity to eat with gusto and get a bit drunk.

During the wedding, the four bards had found dragons to bond with: Melbourne with Mikow, River Lily with Snow, Jenny Granger with Rogue, and Kay Black made a special bond with the Albino Alpha White Light.

"Out of all the dragons, you managed to bond with White Light." Hiccup said to Kay Black during the reception.

"I like uniqueness, and you can't get more unique than an Albino Night Fury. He's absolutely gorgeous and I will treat him well. I will live with his nest, as I've never been settled down in a house. It's an occupational hazard as a wandering bard." The masked poet replied while scratching White Light's chin. Hiccup gave all four bards quick lectures about each of their dragons before looking over their gifts from the kingdom. King Salomon aided his father in keeping the promise he gave Hiccup for the aid of his people in defeating Cuttleclaw, and right now they were looking over two ships. They were so grand and so large in comparison to the ships they came in they just left their own ships there for the kingdom's use.

With a final goodbye, and a kiss from Cassius to Gobber, the Vikings and their dragons boarded the two ships and set sail for home.

Not thirty minutes after departure did Hiccup have to go and break up a marital dispute between Snotlout and his wife. With his pupils narrowed into slits, Hiccup split them up. He really didn't want to get involved with them, so he sent Snotlout down to the ship's dragon hold. A spot the people reserved for the dragons with small rooms to keep their supplies. Hiccup didn't even make eye contact with Snotlout's new wife as he walked away.

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Hiccup climbed up the main mast of the ship to the crow's nest. The sea air was feeling great on his face, and when he looked up, he saw Toothless flying alongside the Thunder Queen and his whole family, including Anora in her Stormcutter form. He was so entranced by the wonderful view that he wasn't even aware that for the first time in a while, his tattoo of scales was itching.

Looking up again, Hiccup spotted Astrid on Stormfly; his wife took a great leap from her saddle, and landed right in the crow's nest with Hiccup. There, they just laid down and looked at the sky where their dragons were flying so gracefully.

"It feels great to finally head home." Astrid stated.

"No offense to Claudette and her homeland, but I'm not looking forward to going back there anytime soon. I don't care if Cuttleclaw is gone, the place will always be the one place where you really turned against me. I swear, the past events are going to haunt me in my nightmares!" Hiccup replied.

"Yeah, I think they'll haunt mine too." Astrid told him. They got up to their feet, and saw nothing amiss, nothing but peaceful people, happy dragons, and a setting sun.

"A night like this sure puts me in a 'loving' mood." Astrid told Hiccup with a kinky shake of her hips. They locked lips and held each other in a loving embrace in the light of a rising moon. Hiccup's heart picked up its pace and his veins surged with blood flow. At first he thought that it was just arousal, but then his muscles tensed up and, he broke away from Astrid.

"Hiccup, what is it?" She asked.

"Oh, come on! NOW of all places?" He exclaimed while looking down at his hands. His nails were growing into claws, and his scales were covering his skin.

"Wow, talk about bad timing for what I had in mind." Astrid grumbled as she realized that it was Hiccup's Dragon Night. He realized that the crow's nest wouldn't be big enough to hold a Storm Fury, so he climbed onto the mast's yard and hung upside down by coiling his tail around the yard; and he remained upside down throughout the rest of his metamorphosis. Astrid couldn't help but giggle at the sight of him. He looked so cute with his big eyes and huge wings flopping about. Hiccup gave her a fake glare for laughing at him and dropped himself. He stretched his wings and ascended back up towards Astrid. Gently, he picked her up in his arms, held her close, and took her for a romantic flight.

"Hiccup, I remember that I said some nasty things to you as a vampire. I just want to make sure that you know that as myself I would never say anything like that. I love you dearly." Astrid stated. Hiccup rolled over, his back facing the ground, nuzzled her hair, and told her: "I know, and I love you too."

Hiccup landed on the deck with her and called Anora down. She came down at his call, and Midnightfire followed after her. Pretty soon the whole Night Fury family descended and grouped together on the ground. It was a lovely grouping, and it was simply adorable when they were all curled up to go to sleep. Even though Toothless and Sapphire were laying next to each other, Lady Anora and Zephyr curled up right next to him, Lady Anora even extended a wing over him as if he were still her hatchling.

"Mom, I'm an Alpha dragon now!" He complained.

"You're still my beautiful baby Shadeghost." She replied. She wrapped a foreleg around him and began washing his face.

"MMMOOOOOOMMMM!" Toothless whined.

"Quiet, Shadeghost, you'll wake the Vikings up!" Zephyr snapped in a hushed tone. Midnightfire was just laughing at the scene, until her mother decided to give her a bath.

The scene amused Hiccup and Astrid; and during that while, Anora was trying to back away a bit in case her father was getting ideas. When Hiccup eventually looked over to her, he pulled her closer to him with his tail and curled around her for the night. Normally, Astrid would've slept in her cabin, but tonight, she stayed on the deck with her family and the Night Furies.

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Upon awakening, Berk was within sight; and the Thunder Queen and her nest had flown off. Hiccup woke up with his ears perked and sent Whoshadow's family, Anora, and, Midnightfire to fly ahead to tell the people that the Dragon Chief and his crew were coming home. They were on a new ship and Hiccup didn't what to be attacked by the people who've stayed behind and the Berserkers who were island-sitting for him.

Goosefoot was overjoyed to be reunited with Vengeance again, and to see his lovely family of Skrills again, and not a moment later, Vastra, Enya, and Thorn went off to stir up some trouble in a yak farm.

By the time the new ship docked, Hiccup was human again, and he was promptly greeted by Goosefoot.

"We had no troubles while you were away, Dragon Chief." He reported.

"Really now? Well I can't have better news than that!" Hiccup replied with all seriousness, although he knew that he took all of the main troublemakers with him, sometimes people stirred up trouble of their own.

"So how was your trip?" Goosefoot asked.

"Terrifying." Stoick told him bluntly as he passed by. Goosefoot glanced down and saw that Stoick was wearing a peg leg now. He left with two feet. With wide eyes, Goosefoot looked back to Hiccup.

"He wasn't kidding. I'll tell the whole story of our adventures in the Great Hall." He replied, and then he escorted his Berserker friend to said hall, with friends and family following behind them. In there the people laughed in joy and screamed in fear (especially when they found out that Snotlout had reproduced) as Hiccup spoke, but still they were happy to know that all was well with the travelers and their dragons.

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And so here concludes Of Claws and Dragonstones. I will write up an epilogue, but the main tale ends here. Thanks to all of you who've participated and given me your support. This has been fun. Please continue to look for my name, because I will continue on writing.

Thank you.