The Dramatis Personae will be updated with a new dragon name for known species.
They landed upon a grassy field that ended with a sheer cliff at the very north point. Hiccup heard waves crash against the rocks below. The field held no one and Toothless did not seem to smell anyone nearby. Hiccup frowned, looking around.
"Do you think we beat him here?"
[I am fast, brother.]
Hiccup snorted. "And so modest too."
[Keep it up, brother. I still hold kin privileges.]
Hiccup reached up. He scratched Toothless' head between his two major sensing lobes. Toothless hissed. Hiccup grinned and kept scratching, his fingers traveling down the back of Toothless' neck. Toothless arched though he grumbled in the Old Tongue. Hiccup got the impression it meant much the same as a human protesting the fairness of an action. Hiccup chuckled.
He had noted many of the unmated dragons within the nest would used a tree branch or other rough surface to reach this part of their hide. A week into their friendship and just before he and the other teens were to face Stormfly, Hiccup found his fingers could also alleviate itches for Toothless. Hiccup grinned as Toothless continued to grumble in the Old Tongue but did not stop arching into the scratching. Toothless might hold kin privilege to tease Hiccup, but that did not mean Hiccup was not without some form of payback it seemed.
A loud roar shattered the peace of the field. Toothless spun, facing the sound. Hiccup rode out the maneuver with on hand gripping the saddle's handles and the other reaching for his seax.
[Show yourself,] Toothless snarled as growls and snarls echoed from the trees. [I will protect my alpha.]
Hiccup tilted his head when two Changewings broke the cover of the trees. Neither paid Hiccup and Toothless any attention. Both faced focused upon the each other.
[She's mine!] the one of Hiccup's left growled.
[Blind fool!] the other retorted with a dismissive snort. [She's mine!]
Hiccup blinked. He felt Toothless relax slightly as it seemed neither Changewing were ready to attack. Hiccup grinned though, knowing that in a heartbeat Toothless' relaxed demeanor would switch to vicious protector if provoked.
[Insolent hatchling!] the first screeched.
The second one opened his mouth. Hiccup's eyes widen as a green light built in the Changewing's throat.
"Stop!"
Hiccup did not expect his shout to do more than startle the Changewings and force their attention upon him. Meatlug said the power that coated his voice would only cause dragons that bowed to him to freeze. It did shock him though when the Changewings spun to face him and snarled. Toothless growled, a low sound that Hiccup did not need the Common Tongue to translate. The Changewings hissed back. Toothless snarled.
[Watch your tongues,] Toothless said. [Your king and queen are allied to my alpha. You will respect him or they will hear of your breach of Civility Laws.]
The first Changewing snorted. [Allies we may be, Wind-shrieker, but the human does not command us,] it said, its voice male.
"No," Hiccup said, the power in his soul still coating his words. "I don't command you. And my yell was not an order. I merely wanted to startle you. Whatever you are fighting about does not need to end in one dying by the other. You weaken your nest that way."
[I am no weakling,] the first Changewing declared. [I will not die by this one's puny acid.]
Hiccup's eyes narrowed. "The Red Death thought she would not die. She exploded after Toothless shot into her mouth and ignited the gas in her throat. My sensei back home says that to be confident in a battle is a good thing. To be overconfident is a death sentence."
That caused the Changewings to tilt their heads. The shared a look before facing Hiccup once more.
[What is sensei?] the second one, also male, asked slowly pronouncing the new word.
Hiccup grinned. Gyda would probably mutter and pinch the bridge of her nose when she learned he taught the dragons words from a completely different language.
"It means teacher," he said. "The mage who lives in our nest also teaches myself and some others how to defend ourselves. She said we were to call her sensei when she is training us."
[What is red death?] the first asked.
[I suspect, given his tale, that it is the human name for the Lava-dweller that lost what it meant to be a dragon,] a new voice said from the behind the Changewings. [And the one the young alpha ordered the Wind-shrieker to kill in order to free those in her nest who were enthralled by her power.]
The Changewings spun. Both stood straighter and stepped back as a third Changewing passed between them. Hiccup watched the way both dragons stared at the third. Given the tone, the new Changewing was female. Hiccup wondered if she was the one the other two were arguing about.
The third Changewing closed the distance and bowed to Hiccup, though she did not spread her wings.
[Greeting, young alpha allied to us. I am the Head Warrior Guard. I trust these two have not been uncivil to you.]
Hiccup felt Toothless tense and placed a hand upon his brother's head. He got the feeling Toothless was going to tell the female about the two being rude. While Hiccup knew both might need a reprimand, even Vikings got reprimanded if they spoke rudely to a visiting chief, he just did not want both to face a public lecture. He had enough them of them when he was still considered useless to the tribe and did not want to see anyone else go through one. He also did not want to see another sight like the first time he ever visited this island. He still saw the prince's fangs a hair's breath from the neck of the other in his sleep sometimes.
"We were just discussing a new word I taught them," Hiccup said and he saw as both male Changewings flinched and share another look between each other.
The female tilted her head. [Young alpha,] she said. [Do you believe a wrong should be addressed if it is committed?]
"Yes," Hiccup said, instantly. "Action can't be corrected if wrongs are not addressed."
[Then why do you not wish the wrong these two gave to you be addressed?]
Hiccup blinked. The female smiled.
[I heard them, young alpha. I know that they snarled at you and spoke in a rude tone until you surprised them with that new word.]
Hiccup sighed and rubbed the back of his neck. "I know what it's like to be yelled at in front of people when I messed up. I didn't want that for them."
[You were yelled at by whom?]
Hiccup looked down. "My father."
[Young alpha, please look at me,] another new voice said from his left.
Hiccup looked up. The king stood there along with his son. Both were smiling.
[You have past both tests,] the king said.
Hiccup blinked.
The king chuckled. [Upon your arrival you did not hesitate even when I sprung that race upon you. You and your brother did not waiver even though you were visitors to our nest. You were asked to give your all and you did so. You should my entire nest that you will respect my wishes but will still be yourselves.]
The king walked closer.
[Civility Laws demand honor and respect but they are not supposed to make us dragons conform and act all alike. Your nest holds multiple species and I suspect you would not want it any different. Each species will be different than another and each dragon within those species will be even more unique because their life has shaped them into who they are. You are the alpha and while respecting the wishes of the different species will be paramount, you must remember to remain yourself.]
The king then looked to the other three Changewings and then back to Hiccup.
[You faced two unruly dragons as an alpha would. You did not interfere in their argument until it became apparent that one was trying to harm the other. It is important to let your nest member work their own problems out if they can. They learn and are stronger for the ordeal. If they come to you though, by all means help them and guide them. You also did not make the situation worse but still taught a valuable lesson. Well done, young alpha.]
The king looked to the sky. [Come, young alpha, join me on a patrol of the nest.] He faced the other three Changewings. [Thank you for your assistance. Return to your duties.]
All three Changewings shifted so they could bow to him with their wings spread. The two males turned and bounded back into the trees. The female remained. The king stared at her, head titled.
[Forgive me, my king, may I ask the young alpha a favor before I return to my post?]
The king blinked. [I have no objection. Hiccup, do you?]
"No," Hiccup said. "What is the favor, ma'am?"
The female looked at him and smiled. [Please, young alpha, never change.]
With that she too spun and bounded after the males. Hiccup just blinked.
Literally Nobody: Hehe, Hiccup and Toothless being able to be brothers is fun to write. Happy New Year to you as well. One of my other readers was attempted to figure out a name for Toothless and Moondust's ship. I'm not sure Toothdust would work. Like I told them, it sounds like something you'd find on the floor at a dentist office :p And modern technology is such a grand thing, ain't it?
Kirika: Happy New Year to you too. Hehe, I hope the visit does prove interesting. It's been fun coming up with lessons the king can teach Hiccup.
Prince: A day that goes by without Hiccup staring at Astrid would mean he's sick and back in the induced coma Gothi put him in after the Red Death battle. And Toothless gonna get all the payback :p