"Pepper, Piper, why don't you and my nephews go show your mother the nest," Hiccup suggested. "I'm sure she would like to see the place you lived in as well as meet some of the people and dragons you know."

The young dragons chirped. Pepper and Piper unwound their necks and heads. She nuzzled Hiccup. He reached up, scratching both chins. Both heads cooed. Hiccup then turned and nuzzled the Sand Wraith. The other two boys joined their brother as the Pepper and Piper moved around and stood in front of her mother. The adult Zippleback cooed and it sounded questioning. Pepper and Piper responded with a soft trill. Hiccup smiled when the adult Zippleback then nuzzled both heads.

As soon as the four younglings and the adult Zippleback left the plaza, Hiccup turned to face his brother. Hiccup smirked when Toothless gave him a look he did not need translated and tossed his head towards the green glow upon Moondust's back. Hiccup chuckled softly. Movement near his foot caught the corner of his eye. He looked down. The Terror still sat right beside Hiccup' metal leg.

"Would you mind going and getting Elder Gyda?" Hiccup asked knowing she would be needed before everything was over with.

The Terror bowed, flared his wings, flew off. Hiccup moved to stand in front of his brother. Moondust lowered her head and one of the Fireworm younglings stepped off the female's back. Hiccup never quite understood how the Fireworms remained small and almost hatchling size even while being a youngling. Toothless had said the only magic a dragon processed dealt with the breath attack they used. Hiccup did not think that was fully correct. It did not explain how a Changwing could disappear. It did not explain this with the Fireworms. It did not explain why this particular Fireworm was glowing green instead of the usual orange.

The Fireworm chittered, bowing to Hiccup. Hiccup went to knell, to be closer to the ground for the tiny dragon, but Toothless intervened in the guise of nuzzling against his brother. Toothless also gently moved Hiccup back some and Hiccup allowed it. He trusted his brother and if Toothless was acting like this, Hiccup knew there was a reason.

[Alpha,] Moondust said. [The Tiny-fireglow wishes to know if she can remain a member of this nest.]

Hiccup frowned. "Of course," he stated. "So long as she wants, she is a member of this nest."

Hiccup blinked when the Fireworm cooed and closed her eyes. Hiccup's jaw dropped as the tiny dragon began to glow a brighter green. To his greater surprise, the Fireworm began growing in size. Once the glow faded a dragon the length and height of a Nightmare stood before him. The dragon had the multiple legs that she had before. She was also green with a yellow belly, the underside of her wings, and the spikes adorning her head and tail.

The new dragon bowed her head and spread her wings. She chittered something that sounded final. Moondust provided the translation.

[I named you alpha of both myself and my kind when I was small. Now that I have attained the status and size of a queen of my kind, I am here to renew my vow to obey you in all things and to serve you, my alpha.]

Gyda sat upon the edge of the island, near to the point the mate-hood ceremonies took place. Shadowfire laid behind her, giving her a backrest, though right then Gyda was leaned forward, staring at the horizon line and just letting her mind settle. Training Hiccup to now understand and use his magical abilities had been both rewarding and frustrating at the same time. Not that Gyda should have expected any less.

Hiccup picked upon things quickly, especially when shown how to do something as opposed to being told the steps necessary to act. He also questioned everything. Something Gyda knew she should have not been surprised by. His tendency to not blindly follow what had gone before did end give Berk the means to end the war with the dragons after all.

Hiccup did not only want to know how to wield the magic within him, he wanted to understand its origin. An admirable goal, but one Gyda feared would not be answered. Magic could be a wild card showing up where it had not previously been within a family but more of then not, it was inherited from a parent and that parent got it from their parent.

Gyda had tried, and stilled tried, to figure out what was going on, but it seemed as if some veil existed preventing her from seeing the core of magic from anyone related by blood to Hiccup. She recognized the veil for what it was. A powerful mage did not want the truth known. Gyda's first thoughts had been Gothi, but Gyda did not seek out the answers just yet from the elder. She wanted to learn how to read Gothi's runes because she had more questions for Gothi than just this. Questions that rest of the tribe did not need to hear, or even know about. Not yet anyways.

Gyda also felt a deeper worry that had nothing to do with training Hiccup. What she knew was to happen and what was actually happening was both cloyingly familiar and a stark contrast against one another. Gyda worried for what that meant the actual future of Hiccup and his people would be.

[Elder Gyda,] a small, male voice said as a flutter of wings announced the arrival of a dragon.

Gyda, pulled for her thoughts, looked over to find the Terror Hiccup sent to find Pepper and Piper's parents landing to her right.

[Elder, Alpha has asked you come to the human territory.]

"Is everything alright?" Gyda asked, standing.

[I believe so. I don't think the reason he asks for you is bad. He did so after looking at his brother and the other Wind-shrieker and smiling because both stood real close to the other.]

Gyda chuckled. "I see. Well, alright then." She frowned. "Before we go, did you check into that matter I asked you to when Alpha sent you out?"

[Yes. There is a human living in the nest. A Four-wing is her constant companion and would not let me near her.] The Terror snorted. [I managed anyways. My mother always said I could find my way out of the deepest hole and it would be in a way no one ever thought of before.]

"And is the human well?"

[Aye. The Four-wing takes care of her as if she is pack to him.]

"And the Tusked-king, is he bothered by her presence?]

[No. He treats her with great respect, which confuses me since he did not wish a dragon from a human run nest to be in his.] The Terror titled his head. [Elder Gyda, when I did get close to the human, I overhead something odd.]

"What?"

[The human was asleep as was her Four-wing packmate. The human began speaking in her sleep. She apologized over and over to Alpha and his father.]

Gyda closed her eyes, pinching the bridge of her nose. So much for it not being Valka. Now Gyda was even more confused than before. She also realized just what she had to do and knew it would not be pleasant. She just hoped Hiccup and Stoick would forgive her.

Kirika: Hehe, not yet, but he knows he's in for it.