A/N: I'm forcing myself to take a break from writing. Not a long break—I probably won't last longer than two days without posting again—but a much-needed breather. So...see you later! :)) P.S.— I hope this chapter is at least somewhat decent. I wrote it super late when I was exhausted, so...

Disclaimer: ಠ_ಠ

VALKA'S POV

Over the next few months, I kept a close eye on Hiccup. If he wanted to go outside the nest, he had to tell me exactly where he was going, and he had to check in every couple hours. At first, he was fine with the new rules—he didn't particularly feel the urge to venture outside the nest. He spent a lot more time practicing his skills with his sword (he had upgraded from a wooden toy to a dull blade) or hanging out with the other dragons, and he and Toothless visited the nursery almost every day. Being around them—around his family—had always made him happy. It helped him heal, I think, from his experience with the trappers. He was always telling me how one day he would lead a mission against "the bad humans" himself, and the dragons would have his back when that time came. I knew he was telling the truth on that point, but I also think all the extra time he put into training worked as a distraction from his fears. He was brave and determined, but he was still just a kid. He was allowed to be scared sometimes—I just don't think he believed that himself. Classic Berkian mentality there.

It didn't take Toothless long to go back to his normal self. He and Hiccup remained attached at the hip, and he was eager to play with his nest-mates when they came around. Shimmer—the only dragon besides Cloudjumper that knew what had gone down on that ship—treated him the same way she always had. It was like nothing had happened at all, which I was extremely relieved about. I'd been worried she might be afraid of him, but that wasn't the case.

Alpha never asked any questions or behaved any differently towards Toothless, though I had a feeling he knew something had happened. Bewilderbeasts are an intuitive species, after all. I did tell him we'd found a ship, just so he could be on the lookout whenever he went into open ocean. It didn't seem to worry him too much, which made me feel more confident that humans ending up on our island was a one-time thing. And if we did ever have any human-related issues, Alpha would protect us just like always. It's nice to have a Bewilderbeast on our side.

Recently, Hiccup has rediscovered his adventurous side, and after a lot of pleading, I'd agreed to lift my "check-in" rule so he could fly farther out to the surrounding sea stacks. He's making a map, apparently, although he won't let me see it. He hates showing me unfinished work. Anytime I try to sneak a peek at one of his designs he nearly has a conniption. The other day I found a basket of Toothless' scales in his room. He didn't tell me why he was collecting them, of course, but I suspected it had something to do with a flight suit idea he'd mentioned briefly a couple weeks ago. I have no doubt that the finished product will be amazing and unique, just like him.

Today, it was Hiccup's eighth birthday, and I had a special surprise for him. It was more of an idea than a gift, really...but I suspected he would love it either way. I was currently making my way through the tunnel that led to his room, clutching a large book in hand. It was blank, with leather binding—just something I'd acquired for cheap at the markets.

When I reached his room, Hiccup was sitting at his desk, hunched over a small stack of papers. He was drawing something, probably for the flight suit he refused to tell me anything about. Toothless was curled around the chair. It looked like he'd been dozing, but as soon as I walked in his head shot up with a small growl. As soon as he saw it was me (honestly, darling, who else would it be?), his pupils widened and he warbled out a greeting. Hiccup immediately dropped his pencil and covered up his work before I could see, then turned in his chair to face me with an innocent smile.

"Oh, hey Mom! I was just...uh..." He trailed off.

"Working on your 'super top secret' project?" I finished with amusement, leaning down to give Toothless a scratch behind the ears when I got close enough. Hiccup bit his lip and glanced to the side with wide eyes, which answered my question. He is a terrible liar. "It's fine, I won't ask any questions," I chuckled, waving him off. "I'm actually here for this," I continued, holding up the book. It had an embossed dragon design on the cover, which automatically captured his interest.

"Is that a book about dragons?" He asked, his face lighting up.

"Not yet..." I replied vaguely. He raised an eyebrow questioningly. "Okay, so...On Berk, we had something called "'The Book of Dragons,'" I began. "It had information on a ton of different species of dragons, with little illustrations, too. I thought, for your birthday...we could make our own!" I explained excitedly. Hiccup grinned with wonder, reaching out for the book. I handed it to him, then clasped my hands together nervously. "Do you like it?" I asked hopefully.

"Are you kidding? It's great, Mom! Thanks!" He responded happily, running his finger over the cover.

"This one can be so much more detailed!" I noted, starting to pace as ideas flooded my brain. "I mean, we've seen so many different species in the nest, more than I ever saw on Berk. Not to mention the fact that we can talk to the dragons. If we have any questions, we can just ask them! And no one knows the dragons better than you, son," I pointed out with a proud smile, coming back to stand in front of him. "You're the perfect person for the job."

He nodded thoughtfully, setting the book on his desk and opening it to the first page. "Why does Berk need a Book of Dragons?" He wondered, already picking up his pencil and starting on the title page.

I cringed, glancing down at Toothless, who blinked back at me curiously. "Um...it's kind of used to teach the kids in Dragon Training how to..." I paused, trying to find a euphemistic way to say it.

Hiccup sighed, gripping his pencil a little tighter. "Kill dragons," he guessed, his words coming out as a statement.

My shoulders dropped. "Yeah, buddy...sorry," I mumbled awkwardly.

He shrugged, sending me a small smile. "It's okay, Mom. I'm not gonna break if you tell me the truth," he insisted. He really was growing up way too fast.

I walked over and sat on the edge of his desk, folding my hands in my lap. He'd already drawn the outline of his signature Night Fury crest (a symbol he put on all his designs) on the first page, and was shading it in with more detail. "Can I help you with the book?" I asked, shifting the subject slightly.

His eyes flicked up to mine, and he couldn't stop a quiet giggle from escaping. "Uh, sure...but we're using the correct terminology for this," he said, shaking his head.

I frowned. "What do you mean? What's wrong with my terminology?" I questioned, trying not to get offended.

"You always use the names you learned on Berk," he replied, like it was the most obvious thing in the world. "Night Fury, Monstrous Nightmare, Deadly Nadder..." He listed. "That's not what the dragons call themselves," he pressed.

"Well, yeah...I know, but that's what I've always called them," I defended. A thought occurred to me, and my face paled in horror. "Oh, gods...are those terms offensive? N-None of the dragons ever complained!" I stammered. Hiccup buckled over in laughter at my predicament. Toothless joined in, chortling draconically. This is not funny!

When Hiccup finally calmed down enough, he continued. "It's not that big of a deal, it's just...they prefer to be called by their actual names. Well, except Toothless," he remarked, smirking at his dragon. "He likes Night Fury, too. 'Cause it makes him sound cool," he revealed. Toothless nodded in agreement, puffing out his chest. I rolled my eyes. No surprise there.

"Okay, then this book is going to be more useful than I thought," I mused. "I don't know the correct term for every species." It had never been important to know them before. There's no way I was leaving this cavern until I learned them all. For Thor's sake, I don't even know the real name for a Stormcutter! Cloudjumper probably thinks I'm an idiot. Although, to be fair, he could've told me!

"Don't worry, Mom. I'll teach you everything you need to know," Hiccup promised, patting my hand. I snorted at his dramatic tone.

"Alright, Master Hiccup, teach me something about dragons," I retorted.

He gave me a cheeky grin. "Cloudjumper is a Four-wing," he informed me. Did he read my mind a few seconds ago or something?

"If you ask me, Stormcutter is a much better name," I scoffed, trying to make myself feel better.

*It doesn't even make sense.* Toothless spoke up, licking his paw absentmindedly. *They don't cut storms. They have four wings.* He said pointedly. Right. I forgot how literal dragons are.

"Okay, so vikings aren't really great at the whole naming thing..." I allowed reluctantly.

"Do vikings have any good qualities?" Hiccup muttered under his breath, drawing a much more detailed sketch of a Night Fury on the second page. Of course he'd start with his favorite species.

I wasn't sure if the question was meant to be rhetorical, but I answered anyway. "Your father has quite a few," I murmured, and Hiccup paused, glancing my direction but not meeting my gaze. "He's strong and brave, and he would lay down his life to protect his people...He's a great chief." My eyebrows furrowed as I was bombarded with memories. Stop torturing yourself, I berated silently, shaking my head. I cleared my throat, putting on a smile. "Of course, there are others. Your father's best friend, Gobber—he's quite the character. Always finds something to joke about, even in the most dire situations," I chuckled, and I thought I spotted the hint of a smile on Hiccup's face. "He's the blacksmith—he makes all the weapons for the tribe. He's quite talented, and smarter than he looks," I said fondly. Hiccup slowly set down his pencil, giving me his full attention. "There's Gothi, the village elder and healer. She can be pretty feisty, but she cares deeply about every single person in the tribe. Mulch and Bucket are fishermen, and two of the nicest men I've ever met. Spitelout—Stoick's brother—can be a bit of a handful, but he's always protected the village fiercely." I looked at Hiccup to see his reaction to my rambling. For once, he seemed happy to hear about other humans. Or at least intrigued.

"Do you miss them?" He wondered.

"I do," I confessed.

He nodded slowly. "They don't sound so bad, I guess..." He commented, and my eyebrows rose in surprise. I didn't think he'd ever say anything positive about vikings. "Maybe I'll go there one day and convince them not to fight dragons anymore," he added, pursing his lips. I tried to contain my shock at his words, not wanting to make a big deal out of it.

Hiccup...going to Berk? Willingly? The idea was absolutely preposterous. He was raised with dragons—he loved them, defended them, sometimes even acted like them (he had yet to break his habit of crawling on all fours)—and Berk's entire agenda was to kill dragons. They just didn't mix. If Hiccup rode into the village on dragon-back, he'd be shot out of the sky. Berkians struck first and asked questions later.

Still, I didn't put up an argument. I wasn't able to accomplish any change on Berk when I lived there. It's one of my biggest regrets. Maybe my passionate, determined, courageous, intelligent dragon whisperer of a son could do the impossible. Not now. In fact, not for many years...but eventually...

I grinned, placing a hand on Hiccup's shoulder so he would meet my gaze. "If anyone can do it, son...it's you," I declared.