"How many?" Gyda asked Spitelout as the man finished speaking.
Spitelout, Horak, and several of Byrnjar's wood cutters had apparently been tasked the night before to clear Odin's Grove of the men Gyda had left. Just after mid-day meal, Stoick had called for a Council meeting. A combined human and dragon Council, since the Elders were in attendance. It seemed his father enjoyed having the older dragons joining the meeting after the war council they had just before the invasion. Spitelout's report had begun this meeting and it seemed Gyda did not agree with the number she had heard.
"Thirty, lass."
Gyda frowned. She stared up at the rafters of the Great Hall. Hiccup watched her. He knew what the look on her face meant and it caused a cold spear to race down his spine.
"Be there somethin' wrong?" Stoick asked from the middle seat, the rest of the Council to either side of him, with the addition of Hiccup siting at his father's right hand.
As had been the norm since the Changwing king offered to teach Hiccup how to be an alpha, he joined his father in Council meetings. Stoick wanted him to learn everything he would need when he took over a chief one day. Hiccup did not mind much. He wanted to learn but he also wanted to not be confined in the Great Hall for a long as some meetings went. Thankfully his father was considerate and sprung him if a meeting extended too long. This meeting was not slated to be as long as those Stoick let him run from. It was just a small one dealing with the aftermath of the invasion attempt. Spitelout's report opened it, but Hiccup knew the main topic would be to let all Council members know about his newly founded magical abilities.
Gyda rubbed her temple and spoke, pulling Hiccup from his thoughts. "I didn't kill all of them myself, sir. There was another in the woods with me. I could not see who or what it was due to the shadows, but I heard the sounds of men dying when I was dealing with another."
"We did find dis," Spitelout said.
Hiccup saw the mage's eyes widen as his uncle set down the burnt amber colored barb-looking thing. Gyda slowly walked closer to the table and picked it up. She twirled it in her hands and the firelight seemed to make it glow like an almost dead hearth fire.
"It looks like something a Nadder would sling from their tails," Hiccup said, staring at her. "But I get the feeling it's not from a Nadder."
"No," Gyda replied, placing it down. "It.." She sighed. "It's from a Razorwhip," she said.
"That's not a name I recognize from the old Book of Dragons," Hiccup said, glancing over at his father.
Stoick frowned. "Gobber, go get Bork's chest."
Gobber frowned. "Ye be thinkin' it be in his papers?"
"Aye. Ye said it yeself. He didn't put everythin' in that book."
Hiccup frowned but noted that Gyda did not seem all that surprised that Bork had extra papers. It confused Hiccup though. Their first night after starting Dragons Training, Gobber had said the book held all the information they had on every species they knew about. Why would Bork keep extra papers? That implied there were things he did not put in the book which would render Gobber's statement as false.
Gobber left, returning small chest many heartbeats later. Stoick tapped the table right in front of Hiccup. Gobber nodded, placing the chest down.
"Go on, son," Stoick said. "See iffen ye can find any mention of this Razorwhip while we finish up here."
Before Hiccup could even begin, Quickcut ran into the Hall. He, as befitting a nest guard under Toothless' direct training and command, had been placed as a sentry along with the human guard, Bjorn. Hiccup set up. He hoped the interruption was good news as he had sent dragons on patrols of the island and the water around it when they left the house that morning.
[Forgive the intrusion,] Quickcut said, bowing to Hiccup. [The patrol has just returned and no sign of the human Alvin or the ones who ran with him have been sighted in the nest and the water-den our water allies left has not been seen either.]
Hiccup frowned. That meant Alvin had gotten away. Still, the number of warriors he now commanded was reduced. It was not likely the man would try another invasion any time soon.
[My alpha, there is an unknown Wind-shrieker. He landed where you have that feeding pole and-]
Hiccup surged to his feet before Quickcut could finish. He threw the chair back, racing around the table to the astonished shouts of his father and the rest of the Council. Toothless, also in the Great Hall, but not involved in the meeting, sprang from his nap. Hiccup and Toothless ran past Quickcut and out the door. Both rushed down the hill, though Hiccup was careful not to fall.
As Quickcut said, a Wind-shrieker stood just under the upraised feeding basin. Hiccup's eyes narrowed, having a distinct feeling he knew this dragon.
"Your claim is still rejected," Hiccup growled, allowing what he now called his alpha magic to coat his voice.
He still had no idea what it was but knew it was different than the core Gyda showed him and the thing that rose when he and Toothless flew. That everyone called it the voice of the ancient alphas gave Hiccup the idea for the name. He had grown tired of thinking of it without a name for it after all.
[False alphas have no authority over me.]
And Hiccup's hunch was confirmed. The dragon had followed them instead of returning to his nest. Hiccup heard several dragons land on the hill with him and Toothless. He did not have to look to know they were his Riders, though he saw Moondust standing right beside Toothless and Toothless' sister standing beside her.
"Your disbelief does not change the fact I am alpha of this nest," Hiccup stated. "Nor does it change the fact I have rejected your claims upon Moondust."
[Lies. I shall kill you and free those you have tricked.]
"I have tricked no one, least of all my dragons. And they are free to leave this nest whenever they wish and all of them know that. I will never enslave a human or a dragon. Ever."
[Yet you deny my love from joining her mate,] the male snarled.
[You are not my mate!] Moondust declared. [I rejected you. I still reject you.]
[I have Alpha and your father's permission!]
[I don't care! I don't want you! I never wanted you!]
[You let me sleep next to you.]
[To keep us both from freezing because we were both tasked with that patrol! It was not an invitation to place your wing over me!]
Hiccup blinked as Toothless snarled, low and dangerous. The snarl was echoed by his sister.
[You dare wing-cover her without her permission?] Toothless demanded and his tone promised death to the male.
Hiccup did not interrupt his brother, realizing that this was of some great importance to the Night Furies.
[She is my mate!]
[No, I am not!]
Hiccup's eyebrows lifted as Moondust ducked her head, moved under Toothless' wing, and curled her head until the top of it rested underneath Toothless' chin. This seemed to enrage the other male as he screeched something in the Old Tongue that had Toothless' sensing lobes flattening against his skull and a growl Hiccup had never heard before rumbling from Toothless' muzzle.
[I have made my choice,] Moondust said, not moving her head. [It is not you.]
[I will kill you,] the male hissed.
"No," Hiccup said moving to stand in front of his brother and Moondust. "You will leave. I grant you no mercy or forgiveness for your violation of Civility Laws and exile you."
Hiccup blinked as Nadder spikes slammed into the stone at the male Night Fury's paws. The male jumped back, hissing. More spikes flew. These embedded into wing membrane. The male screeched in pain. Fiery balls of lave rained down upon the male. Hiccup looked up, finding two nest Gronckles hovering in the air. The male screeching again had Hiccup looking down in time to see Shadowfire, teeth gripping the male' tail right above the tailfins, sling the male across the plaza. The male crashed against an empty wooden cart, crushing it.
"Hold!"
Every dragon stopped. Hiccup stared at the male.
"You have this one chance. Leave or I will let them resume and this time I will not stop them."
Kirika: Exactly.