[As if I would say no, son.]
[Or I,] Alpha added, a smile playing around his mouth. [The entire nest loves to hear you sing. Let them hear it too.]
Shadowfire gave a non-verbal coo. He faced Toothless' mother and bowed his head in a show of respect. She was the queen of the nest after all.
"I would be honored to compete."
He then closed his eyes as the melody for the perfect song began to play in his memory. Nana had always closed her eyes at times. Given that she wrote novels, she said her eye closing was her writing scenes in her mind. Shadowfire took that trait for his performances. He would envision each move and each lyric before he ever sung or dance. He had done the same just before the Berkians and the dragons were dropped into the cave all those months ago. It had been a whim. He was not even sure he would get to sing for Alpha, but he still did as Nana taught him.
"Tall-singer."
It took a few moments before Shadowfire realized Toothless' father was speaking to him. Shadowfire's eyes opened, finding he had somehow ended up on the other side of the common room from where he had been. Everyone, including his mother, was watching him with amusement shining in their eyes. Shadowfire's wings and horns twitched. He looked to his mother.
"I did it again, didn't I?"
Gyda snickered. [Yes, dear.]
Shadowfire groaned. Sometimes when he got so into envisioning his singing and dancing, he started to dance to the music in his mind. He shook himself and looked to Toothless' father.
"Um, alpha of the nest, could you call me Shadowfire?" he asked, half to keep the others, namely Hookfang, from making a jesting comment and half because he actually wished to be called by his name. "I've never actually answered anyone who called me by species' name. I have always been Shadowfire since I can remember."
Toothless' father titled his head then chuckled. "Understandable. Shadowfire, the competition isn't until tonight. You have time to perfect all your moves. Right now, you all should eat."
Shadowfire moved around to Hookfang and Barf and Belch who stood near two piles of fish. Meatlug, Stormfly, Sharphot, and Sneaky joined them. Toothless' sons were already devouring a different pile of fish. That the ten dragons who brought the food were gone, Shadowfire assumed they left while his eyes were closed. Toothless' father turned to Alpha and said something that had Shadowfire sharing a questioning look with the others with him.
"Having observed the human who stays upon the surface of the nest when he eats, I know your kind cannot really eat fish caught right from the sea. Luckily there is a hole in the ceiling of the sleeping den past Toothless'. Your brother was…kind enough to blast it into existence many seasons ago."
Shadowfire saw Toothless groan and duck his head between his forelegs causing Shadewing and Spitfire to cackle.
"This is going to be fun," Hookfang stated. "We can learn all kinds of fun stories about our dear Nest Protector."
"Don't give them any ideas!" Toothless cried, jerking his head up.
"Oh, I have so many stories from when Toothless was a hatchling and even to when he was a fledgling," Toothless' mother said at the same time.
[I think I've going to love it here,] Alpha said with an amused and cocky chuckle.
"Just perfect," Toothless grumbled.
"Payback brother," Sharpshot said, lifting his head from the pile of fish.
Toothless' father grunted and turned to Sharpshot. "I will need to announce you as my son before the competition begins tonight. I apologize for not doing so when I acknowledged Hiccup."
Sharpshot blinked and tilted his head. "Uh, thank you, sir, but I did not expect that to be a thing."
"You are flock, son. You are their brother. You are my son and the rest of the nest will know that."
Sharpshot gave an amazed coo and shook himself before bowing to Toothless' father. He did not spread his wings as that was a sign of submission reserved only for one's alpha or the offspring of one's alpha.
[Um, sir,] Alpha said. [Earlier you said you learned from a human that's staying on the surface about our need to eat cooked fish. There's a human living in the nest?]
"Not living," Toothless' father said. "He appeared upon the surface before you all came here. Quite a bit of time before you all came here in fact. The humans is rather odd though. He hides in fear if he sees the Tiny-icespitters I have watching him."
[That is odd,] Alpha agreed. [Though having seen a Tiny-icespitter's attack, I think I could understand why this human hides. Those ice shards are cold even to the humans back home and it snows nine months out of the year on Berk and hails the other three.]
Shadowfire bit back a chuckle at Alpha's words though his mind provided the movie clips that accompanied that bit of dialogue. He saw his mother smirk and knew she was seeing the same clips.
"Ah, yes," Toothless' father said, turning his gaze to Gyda. "My eldest told me of your oldest and how he seems to know ancient flock wisdom."
Gyda shrugged and extended her hands out, palms up.
[My father and Ombra did not speak of their past and Nana would not tell me how, when, or where they met and became bonded. I don't know how he knew this wisdom your son said was a flock only thing, sir.]
Toothless' father snorted. "It is entirely likely that he was the descendent of one of my Wind-shrieker children. Shadewing is a father now. Toothless is well on his way to a mate-hood and I have no doubt he and Moondust will lay their own eggs so that his other sons have more siblings. Ombra could even come from my daughter. She seems to think I don't know of the male that fancies her."
"Dad!"
"What's this about a male sniffing around my sister?" Toothless asked, eyes becoming slits.
"No," Spitfire cried. "We are not doing that overprotective bit, brother. Hiccup, please smack Toothless for me. I don't what to hit you, Astrid, or Moondust by accident."
Alpha could only laugh. Shadowfire watched him with a pleased and proud grin upon his muzzle. He knew what this sibling interaction did for Alpha. Stormfly shifted until she was close enough to whisper.
"He has come a long way."
Shadowfire lowered his head. "Yes," he agreed but he said no more after that.
He could not say anything more. Alpha had come a long way from the young male he was before Toothless befriend him, but Shadowfire knew the path he was to take still. Even with the changes that had happened, Shadowfire knew there were somethings too big and too monumental to not happen in the future. Shadowfire was curious and hopeful that the changes wrought in the Riders would make those moments easier upon Alpha.
"Love," Haizea's voice sounded slightly frantic and completely excited and derailed all conversation. "It's hatching."
Kirika: You're welcome. I'm glad you loved it.
Literally Nobody: Thank you. Yes, Viggos and Ryker will show up in the RTTE portion of this version of HTTYD. Hehe, not gonna say how they take our lovely Berkian nest. That would be telling :p