Gyda frowned as Shadowfire hovered in front of a cave. The snowstorms had kept the dragons bunkered in caves or with the humans in the Great Hall until they metered out. That meant a week of no patrols. Granted the storms would have stopped any fleet of humans from trying their luck with Berk. That did not mean Berk was safe. Just after she had been warned of the ice and the Speedstingers, Astrid had ordered the older Riders to do a quick patrol and look for any signs of intruders or for the ice bridge. Those dragons who had mates joined the rider and dragon pair on their chosen routes.
Astrid, Stormfly, and Windwalker took the direction the cove lay in, not that her choice surprised anyone. Snotlout, Hookfang, and Wingblaze took the north bay area. Fishlegs, Meatlug, and Boulder stayed near to Berk and checked the harbor and the farms on the neighboring sea stacks. The twins, Barf, Belch, Sugar, and Spice took the area just out from Berk and continued on around towards the cove. That left Gyda and Shadowfire to check the west side of the island.
While she found no evidence of an ice bridge or of any Speedstingers being on Berk, Gyda did find the cave where the Speedstingers stayed in. She looked around, fixating landmarks into her memory so that if the Speedstingers did come she could guide the others here.
Shadowfire banked around, only to stop and hover above the south end of the beach. Gyda blinked when her son dove and landed upon the sand. A low hiss had her shifting in her seat. Her jaw dropped.
"Where did you come from?" she asked softly.
A growl answered her. Shadowfire snarled a warning then chittered. Gyda watched as the Night Fury laying on the sand in between two rocks hopped up on one of the rocks and titled its head. Shadowfire crooned. The Night Fury warbled. It looked towards Gyda.
[He claims you are his mother,] the dragon said, its voice male.
"Aye," Gyda replied, still in shock. "I am."
Seeing Toothless in person, even though she knew she would when the Vikings and dragons were transported to her home had been one thing. He and Hiccup were her favorite characters when she believed the whole thing a made-up story. They remained her favorites, even after meeting all of Berk and many of the dragons. Still it had always been said Toothless was the last of his kind. Ombra proved that a lie. Toothless' own words also proving that a lie. Still, Gyda had come to believe Toothless was the only one in the Archipelago while the others had to be elsewhere in the world, far from this place. Yet, here stood another Night Fury. Granted his looked as if he thought her mad and something he might have to scrape off the underside of his paw, but he was still there.
[You steal him from his parents and force him to call you mother?]
[Watch your tongue,] Shadowfire growled. [She is my mother and you are treading a line you don't want to cross.]
The Night Fury snorted. [Why don't you knock that human off your back and be free?]
Shadowfire growled, his horns flaring. [She is my mother,] he stated. [She killed the ones who murdered my blood parents. She rescued my egg and my brother's egg from them. She welcomed myself and my brother into her home. She raised us. She is my mother. You would do well to shut up.]
The Night Fury tilted his head. [She killed the ones who killed your parents?]
"Yes," Gyda answered instead of Shadowfire. "Shadowfire's ancestors have always nested upon my family's land. One day, four humans trespassed and killed his parents in order to steal his egg. I stopped the four humans, killed them when they did not surrender, and brought his egg and the other egg they stole from another nest on the land back home. When they hatched, I raised them as my own children."
[How did you, a mere human, kill four others? I see nothing the humans use as a weapon upon you.]
Gyda lifted her hands and called forth the spark within her soul. It answered and lighting curled around both her hands, weaving in between her spread fingers. The Night Fury blinked, his eyes dilating. His wings lowered from their hunched position. He sat down, looking so much like Toothless it was uncanny.
[You are a mage?] he asked, sounding breathless.
"Aye."
[The elders of my flock spoke of mages. All my flock have held mages in high regard. The tales say a mage saved one of my ancestors when he was but a hatchling.] The Night Fury shook his head. [Mages were thought extinct. Where did you come from? Where have you been?]
Gyda took a deep breath. That she could not answer. This Night Fury, though a surprise, was not apart of Hiccup's nest. He was not a trusted member of anything within the nest. Before she could answer him, a familiar squawk called her attention. Gyda looked up. Stormfly and Windwalker landed beside Shadowfire.
"Toothless?" Astrid asked, staring at the Night Fury with her brow furrowed. "Why are you here? Where is Hiccup? Where is Sharpshot? Where is Johann? Were you all able to find him?"
"Uh, Astrid," Gyda said while the Night Fury blinked, staring at Astrid as if she had lost her mind. "Look again. That's not Toothless."
Astrid looked at her then turned back to the Night Fury. Gyda watched as she realized the dragon had no saddle and both of his tailfins.
"Where did you come from?" Astrid asked, shocked.
[Are you a mage as well?] the Night Fury asked. [Did you raise the Spike-thrower you ride also?]
Astrid blinked, turning to Gyda.
"He asked how I was able to kill the ones who murdered Shadow and Frost's blood parents when he saw no weapon on my person. I showed him."
"Ah." Astrid frowned. "That's not going against anything with Hiccup being your liege lord is it?"
Gyda shook her head. "Hiccup said he does not mind if I use my magic when I think I should. I figured this would be one of the moments."
Astrid turned back to the Night Fury. "Gyda's the only mage here," she said. "She's the reason why we can speak. And I didn't raise Stormfly or Windwalker. I befriended Stormfly. Windwalker is her mate."
The Night Fury tilted his head. His ear flaps twitched. Gyda saw Astrid shake her head.
"You look so much like Toothless when you do that."
[What is this Toothless?] the Night Fury asked.
"Toothless isn't a what," Astrid said. "He's a who. He's the Night Fury who calls my betrothed brother."
[Night Fury?]
Astrid blinked. "Oh, right. Night Fury is the human name for your kind, the Wind-shriekers."
[You know the dragon name for my kind? How?]
"Sharpshot, a Tiny-fang, told us."
The Night Fury blinked. [What kind of title is Sharpshot? For that matter, what kind of title is Toothless?]
"They're not titles," Astrid said. "They are names. My betrothed named both of them."
[What does betrothed mean?]
"The man I am to marry, er, enter a mate-hood with."
[Ah, okay. What gives your intended the right to name any dragon?]
"He's the alpha of the nest you are standing on," Astrid stated and Gyda had to hide her smile as Astrid's normal friendly tone became steel.
One did not insult Hiccup while Astrid was around and able to respond. One did not imply Hiccup had no authority in anything where Astrid could hear and speak. Astrid backed her beloved and no gainsaid against him in her presence.
[You are to become the mate of dragon?!] the Night Fury asked, his eyes dilated as wide as they could.
Shadowfire, Stormfly, and Windwalker choked then coughed. Gyda snorted, placing her hand over her mouth. Astrid, however, frowned and her eyes narrowed.
"No. Hiccup is human. The dragons have named him their alpha thus he is the alpha of this nest."
[They what? Why? How?]
"That is a long story," Astrid said. "And we are patrolling the nest after snow storms kept everyone inside for a week."
The Night Fury tilted his head. [May I accompany you? I am curious about all of this. The last time I was in this part of the world, dragons and human were fighting. I came back to visit my flock and met a Glow-eater who I saved from another Glow-eater. She told me the war was over and I would find a place of rest here as I traveled north. She said the alpha of this nest was human, but I didn't believe her.]
"Hiccup permitted her and her daughter to eat the glowing algae during what human's call Aurvandil's Fire, but the dragons call the Ancestors' Skyfire," Astrid said. "She told us a Night Fury saved her from another Flightmare. If you want to come with us, you are permitted, but do not attack any in the nest and do not insult Hiccup again."
The Night Fury chuckled. [A true queen you are,] he said. He tipped his head. [I give my word that I will obey civility laws. My mother would skin me if I didn't anyways.]
"It is not your mother you would need to worry about," Astrid promised as the dragons all lifted in the air and banked for the village. "I would get to you before she did."
Kirika: Hehe, Speedstingers are awesome. These ones however,… well, I'll let you see when we meet them.