Author's Note: I almost, almost, typed Astrid Hofferson when I was writing this one-shot...Then, I retyped Astrid Haddock, and I nearly squealed. XD The fact that Hiccup and Astrid are finally married and have kids still warms my heart even to this day. =DD

Hello, everyone and welcome back to "Sticks and Stones!" =D This one-shot is kind of a continuation of "Our Dorky Dad" even though Hiccup isn't present in this one. It's just continuing how Zephyr and Nuffink view their parents but this time, it's Astrid! =D I hope you guys enjoy it!

Summary: Astrid never hesitates to protect her kids. Sometimes, however, she can be a little overprotective, but Nuffink and Zephyr love her the same. (Post HTTYD: THW.)

Our Feisty Mother

"What in the name of Thor happened?!"

Astrid Haddock stood in front of her two children, Zephyr and Nuffink, who were both standing in the doorway of the Haddock hut. Zephyr stood with a completely calm look, and her hands were wrapped around her journal that she carried with her everywhere. Nuffink stood to her left, but the blonde boy didn't look as poised as Zephyr was. In fact, he was the exact opposite. Nuffink's clothes were covered in dirt, and there was a scratch on his cheek that was leaking blood. One eye looked swollen, and his hair looked like a bedraggled bird's nest. There were even sticks and leaves sticking out of his blonde hair.

Astird stepped to the side and allowed her two kids to entire the warmth of their home. Zephyr removed her poncho and led Nuffink to a chair.

"Nuffink got into a fight," Zephyr said, answering Astrid's question that had been asked minutes before.

"He what?!" exclaimed Astrid. Nuffink flinched at her tone of voice.

"He got into a fight," repeated Zephyr. She sat next to her brother and wrapped an arm around his shoulders. "Some kids were making fun of his braids, so I told them to back off, but they didn't."

"And what did you do?" pressed Astrid.

"I punched one," Nuffink replied. "Right in the nose."

A flicker of pride flashed in Astrid's eyes, but it was quickly replaced by an upset and slightly concerned look. "Nuffink…you don't punch people just because they made fun of you."

"But they said my braids made me look girly!" Nuffink protested. "And they shoved me into the dirt and then I got this!" Nuffink gestured to the scratch on his cheek.

"I managed to pull him out before things got too physical," said Zephyr helpfully. "But he's tired. He's been complaining the whole walk back here."

"I was not!" exclaimed Nuffink.

"Yes, you were."

"No, I wasn't!"

"Yes. You. Were."

"Okay, stop!" said Astrid. The two siblings silenced immediately. "First of all, Nuffink, we don't punch people when we're made fun of. That only makes things worse."

Nuffink hung his head. "Sorry, Mom."

"Second, who were the kids you got into a fight with?" asked Astrid.

"I think it was the Jahrson kids," said Zephyr.

Astrid nodded slowly, then she left to retrieve some supplies to tend to Nuffink. When she returned, she held her axe in one hand, and a bundle of medical supplies for Nuffink.

"Uh…Mom?" Zephyr said slowly. "What's the axe for?"

"I'm going to teach those kids a lesson once I'm done treating your brother," Astrid replied coolly as she cleaned up Nuffink's cut. The little boy blinked in surprise while Zephyr's eyes widened. Astrid couldn't march over to the Jahrsons and punish them with her axe blade. It wasn't only embarrassing, but it was completely unnecessary as well. But that was Astrid; she was feisty and would never back down to protect her kids.

Astrid Haddock was a brave woman. Fierce. Set. Ready for absolutely anything. She was a warrior, but despite her strong, bold nature, she was incredibly gentle when it came to her children. Astrid loved her two kids Zephyr and Nuffink with everything that she had, and Zephyr and Nuffink loved her the same. It was Astrid who had been personally teaching them about self-defense, and they had just got into hand-to-hand combat, which possibly explained the flash of pride in her eyes when Nuffink said that he managed to land a direct hit on someone's nose.

Zephyr and Nuffink looked up to their mother; she was not only an amazing mom, but an amazing chieftess as well. She was always at Hiccup's side, ready to give him advice and support him in every decision that he made. Astrid was very supportive of both her children and husband, which was something that both Zephyr and Nuffink admired in her mother.

Not only was Astrid supportive and caring, but she was incredibly protective as well. She wasn't afraid to stand up for herself or for others, and she never hesitated when it came to protecting those that she loved. Especially her kids. Astrid had come through for Zephyr and Nuffink hundreds of times, whether it was trouble with bullies or simply finding themselves lost in the woods while exploring, Astrid was always there with her axe at ready, her wit sharper than her axe blade, and a bold heart.

But more than once had Astrid been too overprotective. Nuffink had fallen into a thorn bush, and Astrid demanded to know where the thorn bush was so that she could move it out of the way. When Zephyr had been teased for her drawings, Astrid had angrily marched up to the kids who had made fun of her and gave them a long, nearly thirty-minute lecture about being kind…and a threat that said that she would personally punish them if they made fun of her daughter. Hiccup was often able to pull Astrid out of doing something too drastic, which he always managed to do with no trouble. Unfortunately, Hiccup wasn't there when Nuffink had come home and declared that he had gotten into a fight.

Zephyr and Nuffink were grateful to have someone like Astrid as their parent, but there were times that they wished she wasn't so overprotective.

Zephyr coughed and she said, "Mom, don't you think that's a little…I dunno…unnecessary?"

"Those kids need to learn their lesson," Astrid said as she picked the last of the sticks and leaves out of Nuffink's hair. "There's nothing wrong with a proper reprimanding."

Nuffink squirmed uncomfortably. "But Mom, didn't you say that we shouldn't hurt people that make fun of us?"

Astrid paused, and her blue eyes rested on her son and daughter, who were both looking at her with begging expressions. Please don't go over to the Jahrsons like an angry Deadly Nadder and lacerate them with your axe. Please.

After what seemed like days, Astrid shook her head and laughed softly. "I guess you're right, Nuffink." She ran her hand through his hair and squeezed her daughter's hand. "We shouldn't hurt people that make fun of us, but I'll still need to talk to the parents of those kids."

"As long as it's just talking and no axe swinging," said Zephyr with a smile. "You're good to go."

Astrid ruffled her children's hair. "Don't worry, kids. I won't be too hard on them."

And Zephyr and Nuffink were both satisfied by that.

Author's Note: Jahr is an actual Norse root name by the way. =) I just added 'son' to it to turn it into a last name. =)

I hope you guys enjoyed this little one-shot, and I'll see you all in whatever comes next! =D

Until the next chapter!

-BeyondTheMoon1203