Hiccup handed the hatchling to Astrid, who gamely took the little one. He watched with a loving smile as she nuzzled the hatchling, uncaring that it was still coated in dragon slobber. Sneaky leaned over Astrid's shoulder, greeting the hatchling as Sharpshot did, with a lick and welcoming sounding chitter as Astrid nuzzled it. Astrid then held the hatchling up to Stormfly, who leaned down to sniff then gently lick the little one's head. Hiccup turned to Shadewing as Stormfly cooed and chirped to the hatchling.
"Boy or girl?" Hiccup asked.
[Boy.]
Hiccup nodded his head. "We are starting to keep a record of all the dragons in the nest as there are many, hatchling all the way to adult. Even though you all are not a part of the nest, you'll be mentioned under Toothless' entry as you are his flock."
[Does this mean you will name my son?]
Hiccup blinked. "If you wish. I'm not going to force that on any dragon."
Shadewing gave Toothless' gummy smile. Hiccup grinned. It was not only Shadowing teaching the other dragons human traits.
[Brother, I would be honored if my son was named by you or those who are close to you.]
[I feel the same way,] Haizea said stepping out of the sleeping den. [Astrid, if you will, I'll take my son and feed him.]
Astrid held the hatchling out and Haizea gently picked him up with her muzzle. The hatchling curled up in her mouth as she and Shadewing moved to one of the piles of fish left near their den. Hiccup glanced past Toothless' father as the smell of cooking fish caused his stomach to growl. The dragons nearby chortled at the sound. Hiccup grunted.
[Go eat, son,] Toothless' father said.
Hiccup felt Sharpshot hop of his shoulder and saw Sneaky do the same from Astrid's. Hiccup held out his hand but Astrid shook her head. Hiccup frowned. Astrid looked at her hands then at Hiccup and shook her head again. Hiccup tipped his head, finally understanding. Toothless' father, who apparently saw the entire exchange, gave a warbling laugh that sound very familiar.
[Our way of welcoming a flock member does have a slight slimy side effect,] he said. [Sorry about that.]
"It's okay," Hiccup said quickly, not wanting to offend.
Toothless' father snorted. [Ease your worry, son. I'm not offended. Go eat now. We have much to do after the morning meal.]
Hiccup sighed, but moved away from the dragons, heading for the source of the smell. Astrid joined him. As they came up on the den's opening, a white object sailed through the air. Hiccup caught it.
[Gyda!] Toothless cried. [You know how I feel about you throwing things at him!]
Gyda laughed, stepping out of the den. Hiccup could see his other friends sitting around a small campfire and could see and smell the fish they were cooking. Gyda turned to Toothless as the Night Fury moved from his family and joined them.
"Yes, Toothless," Gyda said. "He is Alpha, but he is also my student and my apprentice. I will test all of my students and I will test him more due to him being my apprentice as well. We've discussed this already, Nest Protector."
Toothless huffed and sat down, staring at Gyda.
"Nope, your puppy-eyed look does not work on me. Not anymore."
Toothless snorted and shook himself. [I just don't want him to ever be disrespected again.]
Gyda walked over and ran her fingertips over the top of Toothless' head. "I will never test him like this when he is actively being the alpha of the nest, but here, he's not in charge and in this area I doubt your flock will see him as less if I toss a bar of soap at him."
Hiccup moved over as well. Toothless lowered his head and Hiccup threw an arm over the back of his neck. He then gave his brother a one-armed hugged.
[Excuse me,] Toothless' mother began moving to stand next to Toothless. [What are you all discussing?]
Gyda smiled at the female. "Hiccup and the other teens are learning a form of self-defense I learned before coming to live in Hiccup's nest. It's called karate. As their teacher, I will regularly test each of them at times to see if they retain what I have taught them. I tossed that bar of soap to test Hiccup's reflexes in catching something he was not expecting."
Toothless' mother turned to her sons. [Toothless, I know you are still Nest Protector, but you cannot interfere in a teacher teaching their students. Your aunt would tail whip you if she were here.]
[What do you mean when you say Hiccup is your apprentice?] Toothless' father asked before Toothless could comment. [Is that different than him being your student in this warrior training?]
Gyda looked to Hiccup with a lifted eyebrow. Hiccup sighed, knowing why she did that. She still saw him as being her liege lord even though he freed her from her vow since she was teaching him magic now. Hiccup just nodded his head, once more convinced Gyda had some Viking in her given how stubborn she was. Gyda grinned and turned to Toothless' father.
"Just as Hiccup is my alpha, he is also my liege lord over my magic. He also is my apprentice in that he is training to be a mage as well."
Hiccup saw Toothless' father begin to bounce in place and his eyes shine. Toothless' mother grunted but Hiccup could see the love in her blue eyes and knew she was not annoyed at her mate's behavior.
[So, after you all eat, you can show me this magic, yes?] Toothless' father asked.
Gyda looked at Hiccup again. Hiccup grunted.
"Yes, sir," he said, looking at Toothless' father.
[Dad, if you wish, Hiccup. You are my son. You don't have to say sir all the time. And I am proud of you, son.]
Hiccup blinked. "Um, you are?"
Toothless' father laughed. [She stands as a member of your nest and must do as you say due to you being the alpha, but you take instructions from her on things she knows more of than you do. I am proud that you would do that. My father taught me, and I have taught my children the same: A wise leader listens to those they lead and learns from them as much as he or she teaches them.]
"Um, thank you, sir, uh, Dad."
It felt strange to say that to someone other than Stoick and that other person not be Gobber. Still it also felt right. Toothless was Hiccup's brother after all even if the two did not share the same blood.
"Hiccup, Astrid," Gyda said, "there is some water that we collected from melted ice spikes. You can use that to wash your hands."
Hiccup smiled at Gyda before he and Astrid moved into the den. The smell of the fish was causing his stomach to snarl now and he really wanted to get going. He wanted to explore this nest and learn where he brother grew up. He wanted to meet those who fashioned his brother into the dragon he was today. He also had a feeling something important for him and his nest was waiting in the shadows.
Kirka: Hehe, that little one is a cutie, isn't he?
Guest: Hi, welcome and thank you for reading and reviewing. Unless something major happens with my family or my internet updates are daily. Also, I am humbled that you like my stories that much. Thank you.
Literally Nobody: I'm glad. Hehe, the nest holds some mystery too. We'll get into that soon. Hiccup is their son and no one messes with a dragon's flock. We'll see that, but not in this book. Yep, we finally get to see Valka, but as with everything in my story, there is a reason it is there.