The next morning had Fishlegs staring at Hiccup as if he had suddenly grown a second head.
"We're coming with you?" Fishlegs asked in a tone that said the Viking teen could not believe what he had just heard.
Hiccup snorted. "Yes, Fishlegs, you and Meatlug, as well as Gyda and Shadowfire, are coming with us."
"But the king and queen said you and Astrid were welcomed to come. They said nothing about me or Gyda coming along."
"It wasn't either of them that extended the invitation," Hiccup said. "The elder wishes for you both to come and meet with her and the other elders of the nest."
Hiccup watched as his friend's worried look faded and the excitement he had come to expect from Fishlegs whenever the prospect of learning about a new dragon offered itself covered the Viking's face.
"Saddle up," Hiccup said.
"Wait? Why can't Boulder come?"
Hiccup laughed. Trust Fishlegs to worry about the Boulder's feelings.
[He will be resting up,] Meatlug said. [We shall soon be leaving for the Hatchery.]
Fishlegs blinked and he spun to face his dragon. "So soon?" he asked, his voice small.
Meatlug waddled closer and nuzzled against him. [We will be back. I promise. My hatchlings will need to meet their uncle after all.]
"Uncle? I will be there uncle?"
Meatlug chuckled. [Yes, Fishlegs. You are my little brother after all.]
Fishlegs squeaked and hugged the Gronckle. Hiccup smiled.
"Come on," Hiccup said softly. "We have to get going."
The snow stirred. Eyes opened. Wings stretched. More snow stirred. Fell. The call louder than before. Growing. Talons scraped bone. Wings fell. Snow stilled. Crunch heard, coming closer. No fear rising. Love simmering. Snow wiped aside. A laugh from a throat not used to making sound.
"Go."
Wings spread. Snow dropping, revealing white scales. Rising with the wind. Wings unsteady. Unstable. Becoming smooth. Sending out a screech no one heard. Following the echoes. Wings catching up. Becoming steady. Becoming powerful again. A joy and a sadness. Joy to fly. To kiss the wind. A sadness for the lack of a comforting weight to accompany the journey. Must go. Told to go. Must find ice. He will be there. Must meet him there. Duty now shifted. Wings flapped, catching the wind.
Hiccup did not know what to expect from his first lesson with the Changwing king. He had gone over many ideas in his mind off and on as the time winded down for the lesson, but nothing in his mind prepared him for the king to challenge he and Toothless to a race over the nest.
[And do not think about holding back,] the king warned. [Give this race all you both have.]
Hiccup, still blinking, leaned against his brother's neck. Toothless' entire body tensed. The prince, now apparently tagged as the race starter, stood to the side on the same beach they had helped the Scauldron who was still recovering in the coves and inlets around Berk. Who knew water dragons took longer to heal broken bones than land based ones. Though it made since to Hiccup when he thought about. A land based dragons could avoid activity while healing. A water dragon had to use their wings to stay afloat and though Scauldrons could stay below the waves for long stretches of time, they still had to breathe.
Hiccup's thoughts were wrenched from the Scauldron and his pod as the prince squawked and Toothless shot into the air as if someone had poked with something sharp. Hiccup held on, his foot automatically changing the tailfin as Toothless twisted through trees and around rock croppings, allthewhile going up and finally clearing the forest on the cliff above the beach.
Hiccup blinked in shock as Changewings appeared in their path. Toothless swerved around them. More appeared above them. Toothless dove. He leveled out above the trees. Changwings blinked into existence. Toothless dodged around all of them. Hiccup's foot changed the tailfin without any thought or command from his mind.
Hiccup closed his eyes. The other thing within his soul, the one that made is as if he and Toothless were one entity, rose. Like the day Toothless' brother challenged him to that race, Hiccup let this take over. It flared throughout him. Toothless crooned. He sped up. Hiccup no more knew where he stopped and the dragon began. Hiccup felt as if he could open his eyes and see the world as if staring though Toothless' gaze.
His eyes remained closed. Toothless leaned and Hiccup leaned with him. Toothless dove and Hiccup tucked against his brother's neck. Toothless rose and Hiccup shifted the tailfin accordingly.
[Stop!]
Toothless shifted to a hover. Hiccup opened his eyes. He found the queen of the nest hovering in front of him. Hiccup gulped, certain he had crossed some line, even though he had done what the king told him to do.
[You two have won the race and proved you both were able to handle the unexpected.]
Hiccup blinked. The queen laughed.
[Fly to the north side of the island. My mate will meet you there for the rest of your lesson, young alpha. I shall now begin teaching your future queen.]
With that the queen dove to land in the clearing they had visited the last time they were here. Hiccup spied Astrid and Stormfly looking up at him and caught her thumbs up. He returned the gestured. At Astrid's side, the young princess looked up and trilled something that sounded giddy.
[Hi, friend alpha!]
Hiccup chuckled. "Hi, little one. You going to help Astrid learn all the things your mother's gonna teacher her?"
The young princess chittered and stood proudly. [I help. She learn good, friend alpha!]
[Come, daughter, we are going to the south today. Young queen, please, you and your sister follow us.]
Hiccup saw Astrid climb into Stormfly's saddle and waited a moment to watch both of them fly off to his right. Toothless grumbled something in the Old Tongue that Hiccup got the feeling was a smart comment about him watching Astrid. Hiccup grunted.
"Let's head to the north, bud."
[Sure you can take your focus off of your mate-to-be, dear brother?]
"I'll remember this when you and Moondust are courting, you know that right?"
[You are so sure that will happen?] Toothless said as he shifted back to flying and banked north.
"Oh, I am, dear brother and when it happens, you are so gonna get it."
Kirika: Hehe, Toothless has so earned this. And I hope the visit to the Changewings turns out to be interesting.