[So, little brother,] the male Night Fury began as they all watched Astrid and a recovered Stormfly reconnect. [Does having two riders tagging along slow you any?]
Toothless tilted his head. [Is that a challenge I hear?]
The male Night Fury snorted. [Maybe,] he said in a sing-song voice.
Toothless half closed one eye but left the other open, once again giving the impression he was lifting an eyebrow. He then looked at Hiccup and tossed his head in the other Night Fury's direction. Hiccup snickered and nodded. Toothless whipped his gaze back to his older brother.
[You're going to lose,] he said, [but you're welcomed to try and beat me.]
[Oh ho, big words. Let's see if you can back them.]
[Males. Always a competition.]
The male Night Fury looked to his mate and snorted. [Excuse me,] he began sounding as if he could not believe what he was hearing. [Miss Challenges My Sister To a Distance Flame Competition.]
The female lifted her muzzle to the sky. [I have no idea what you speak of. We females are above such petty forms of showing off.]
Astrid, Stormfly, Windwalker, and Sneaky joined them at that moment. The male Night Fury looked up at Windwalker.
[Does your mate do that too?] he asked.
[Do what?]
[Challenges others but denies doing it the moment you call her on it.]
Windwalker cackled. [My mate would loudly inform everyone she challenged another and that she severely beat them. She is like her rider in that regard.]
[Not sure if I should smack you for the impertinence or nuzzle you for speaking the truth,] Stormfly muttered.
Hiccup saw the non-mated female Night Fury close her eyes, drop her head, and then watched her shoulders begin to shake. Having seen Toothless do similar in Gyda's cave and hearing no sound from the female, Hiccup recognized the action as silent laughter.
[This is all very thrilling,] Toothless said, [but if you are just going to stall due to fear, dear brother, I have a stone slab with my name on it waiting for me back at the den.]
[Fear? Of you? Ha! Bring it, little brother.]
Astrid snickered. "The harbor sea stacks?" she asked looking towards Hiccup.
Hiccup smirked. "Those'll work."
He mounted Toothless. To his surprise, Sharpshot hopped off his back and fluttered to land upon Astrid's shoulder. Hiccup looked at him and lifted an eyebrow.
[Sneaky and I can watch the start and the finish line like we did back on the mountain. That way Lady Alpha can watch brother make the other Wind-shrieker eat his words.]
[Ha! You hear that, big brother? Sharpshot knows the truth of the matter.]
[Oh, I am so gonna enjoy making you eat those words, little brother.]
"Windwalker Hofferson!"
Everyone jumped at Eydis' voice. The dragon in question tilted his head then curled his neck to watch as Eydis walked around his curled wing and stand in front of him, fists upon her hips.
"You best not be thinking of flying out with them," Eydis said.
Windwalker blinked. [Uh, I was,] he said slowly glancing between Eydis and Hiccup.
Eydis pointed to the still curled wing. "Not with that wing you're not. I ain't blind or dumb, son. You got hurt in that battle, didn't you?"
[It's just sore,] Windwalker said. [A sharp rock flew off the cliff when Shadowfire tail whipped one of the Tail-stingers into the rock wall.]
"Uh huh," Eydis said, "and the blood means nothing?" she added pointing at the dragon's paws.
Hiccup looked down. Four or so small drops of red sprinkled against the snow. As he watched a fifth drop fell from Windwalker's wing and joined the other four. Windwalker sighed and slowly opened his wing. Three scales upon the middle membrane were missing, making the wound look no more than if one fell and barely scraped the palm of their hand upon loose gravel. Still, Hiccup winced. According to Toothless and Sharpshot, the membrane between wing and tailfin bones was not as puncture proof as the rest of a dragon's hide. It had to be thinner to account for the furling and unfurling and to allow the wind to use it to lift the dragon high into the air.
The wings were the targets Speedstingers went for when paralyzing a dragon. The one that got Stormfly only succeeding because it managed to stick her where a spike attached to her tail. That also explained why she recovered faster than the others. She had not taken a full dose.
"You're staying right here," Eydis said and Hiccup focused upon his soon to be mother-in-law. "I'm gonna put some ointment on that."
[But, ma'am,] Windwalker began, [I'll be fine.]
Eydis lifted her hands and placed them on either side of Windwalker's muzzle. "You will be fine here, on the ground, at home, where I can tend your wing and make sure it don't get infected."
Windwalker's gaze flicked to Hiccup. Eydis grunted and tapped the dragon gently upon the top of his muzzle.
"Don't be looking at him. He ain't going to override me. Best you accept I'm gonna tend your wound. If it looks healed in the morning you can fly all you want."
Hiccup held up his hands in a show of surrender. Windwalker blinked. The male Night Fury chortled.
[By the scents, this human is your mother, soon to be queen of the nest. Am I right?]
"Yes," Astrid said.
The male Night Fury turned to Windwalker. [The human maybe your alpha but she will be his mate's mother. A wise male never, never contradicts their mate's mother. Their mate-hood will not be long or happy if they do.] He turned to Toothless even as his mate snorted at his words. [Now, shall we, little brother?]
Toothless shot into the air. Stormfly waited until Astrid, with Sharpshot and Sneaky upon her shoulders, mounted then joined him. The male Night Fury cackled and he, his mate, and the other female followed. Hiccup looked down to see Eydis and Byrnjarr guiding Windwalker to the shed/stable they had built for the Nadders. He saw Firestorm peek out of a second shed/stable the Hofferson's constructed so he would not be crowding the mated pair. Before Toothless, who was flying slowly, made it past the first row of houses on the lower part of the village, Hiccup heard Firestorm give Windwalker some profound advice.
[Mama Eydis will take good care of you. You'll be flying again in no time. Like me.]
Hiccup chuckled at Firestorm's words and took solace in the fact that Windwalker was in great hands. He faced forward as they flew past the edge of the village and out over the darkening water.
Kirika: Hehe, yep. I loved writing that talk too. Let's see, a human father, and eccentric blacksmith, a Night Fury prince, a Terrible Terror prince, a Changewing king, his betrothed, her Nadder, many Elder dragons of differing species… hehe, yep, Hiccup is in good hands to almost learn everything he needs. I say almost cause there are a few outstanding who will teach him other things. They just ain't all arrived or are ready to do so yet.
Prince: Yep, Stoick is now able to move on passed what he did to his son and be the father Hiccup needs. He will never forget his actions and what those actions almost caused, but he can now teach Hiccup what he needs to be the tribe's chief someday.