[Elder mage,] Toothless' father said, [your father did what he believed was right. I don't agree with his decision to lie to you, but I must confess I am glad they worked out a way for you to live here. Had you not agreed to the mission they held for you, my flock would never be complete. My son is also correct. You are not alone. Your nest will stand with you. My nest will stand with you.]

Gyda stared over Snotlout's arm. "Thank you, alpha of the nest," she said. Her gaze then found Hiccup's. "Thank you, Alpha."

Hiccup snorted. "Hiccup," he said, that grin that caused many in her time to swoon covering his face.

Gyda grunted, shaking her head but then she smiled and tipped her head to him. The teens stepped back, returning to their seats. Gyda leaned back against her son's side. She felt and hear his purr. Out the corner of her eye she saw Sandblast glance at his brothers and then ease around his father until he was in front of her. That he paused made her tilt her head. Every young dragon in the nest had permission to touch her so long as she was not actively doing magic or practicing her karate at the time. She frowned when the youngling looked down at her father's journal and the letter he wrote her.

[Can you move your father's things, please?]

Curious as to why he requested that, Gyda placed the letter back into the journal and closed it. She then set on the stone floor between her and Astrid. Her eyes widen as Sandblast then laid down with his head in her lap. Gyda, without thought, began running fingertips along the four small spikes that jutted out from the back of Sandblast's skull. She had done the same to the horns her sons sported when they were this young. She still did it. Palewing, the hatchlings, and even Moondust now got the same treatment at times. Sandblast cooed and buried closer.

[Son, what are you doing?] Toothless asked.

Sandblast curled his tail around Gyda's left side and sighed in contentment. [Elder Grandma is flock. Flock comforts flock. Her lap is also more comfortable then Grandpa Stoick's.]

[Your son calls her Grandma?] Sunburn asked.

[Elder Gyda took me in as flock after I renounced my old nest and joined Alpha's,] Moondust replied.

Onyxwing chuckled. [And Toothless' sons call you 'Mother' I take it?]

Gyda grinned as Moondust coughed and her wings twitched. Had Moondust been human, Gyda could well believe the dragoness would be blushing right now. Toothless, to his credit, cooed and nuzzled her. Moondust returned both before facing Onyxwing.

[Yes,] she said.

Onyxwing looked towards Sunburn. [Remind you of anyone?] he asked, his eyes shining and his main sensing lobes standing straight up.

Sunburn snorted. [You know he'll get you back for this, right?]

Onyxwing chortled. [He loves me too much.]

[Keep telling yourself that.]

Gyda chuckled as Onyxwing stared at the Razorwhip as if she had personally betrayed him. In all honesty their relationship reminded Gyda of Stormfly and Toothless' friendship in the moves and shows.

Onyxwing snorted then faced Hiccup. [Silent says it would probably be better if you spoke to this human alone.]

"Not without me, he's not."

Gyda bit back her smile, not at all surprised that Astrid spoke up. It seemed Onyxwing was not surprised either, given that the dragon smiled.

[I would never impede a female from spending time with her mate-to-be,] Onyxwing said.

[Ha!] Sunburn stated. [Who was it that go so jealous of Kaja that he would keep his rider enclosed in his wings whenever she wanted to speak to him?]

[They didn't need to know that! Besides, I had my reasons and they weren't because of jealousy, Miss-Didn't-Think-Her-Rider's-Intended-Was-Good-Enough-For-Her.]

"Well, now I know where Shadewing got that from," Astrid stated.

Gyda chuckled as Shadewing snorted. Toothless' father shook himself.

[Son, do you have outer covering that will keep you warm?] he asked, staring at Hiccup.

"Yes, sir," Hiccup said, jerking his chin towards Toothless' saddle where an extra pouch had been sewn onto the back of the seat. "One of the nest-mates back home makes the clothing we use and she made a set of warm clothes for us for this trip."

[Good. Snowfall season means the winds bite those not used to it.]

Sensing lobes lifted and Toothless hissed and grunted, then shook his head.

[No. My brother does not face an unknown human with just you two and his intended.]

"Hey!"

[Sister,] Toothless said looking towards Astrid. [I know you can and will protect him, but I'm Nest Protector and I will not let either of you go off with just them, even if one of them is my ancestor.]

[You make me feel old when you say that,] Onyxwing muttered, receiving a smack from Sunburn's wing. [For promising Luna you wouldn't smack me, you certainly are in a hitting mood.]

Sunburn snorted but then looked to Toothless. [Despite what these two have said, we already know you are not going to let Hiccup go without you. Neither of them would let their riders do similar.]

[Yeah, what she said,] Onyxwing said. [Come along. If we can get to that human and get him calmed down enough then we can get started. I don't want to miss the singing competition tonight. I also loved those.]

Gyda felt her son's slight jerk and knew what was going though his mind. She laid her had back against his thigh. She frowned at how tense Shadowfire felt. She would have to speak to him while Hiccup met with this human visitor. Hiccup and Astrid had forgiven him. She knew neither would demand he stay out of the competition because of what happened.

Bundled in furs that stood off his shoulders higher than his head, Hiccup surveyed the run-down stone buildings they found on the far side of the nest. The Ice Terrors still watching the human had said he was again searching the area. They had yet to locate him as the area was bigger than Hiccup anticipated.

It reminded Hiccup of Berk in many ways. One or two of the huts he could see still had many carvings and Hiccup could see similarities in them. These were less refined in their presentation than those back home, but the style was just the same as the carvings still done on Berk. That caused Hiccup's mind to whirl.

Movement from a far hut brought his attention back to the matter at hand. He shared a glance with Astrid, who nodded. Both faced their bonded dragons, as Stormfly refused to stay behind, and the two other dragons that accompanied them. Both made the hand signal asking them to wait. Toothless' eyes became slits. Hiccup stared at his brother. Toothless sighed and nodded his head. Hiccup smiled slightly before he and Astrid turned back to the movement, now joined by mutterings of a human male who believed himself alone.

Hiccup and Astrid eased closer, careful to keep their noise to a minimal like Gyda taught them. They did not want to startled the human into attacking and at the same time they did not want the human to know he had company. One learned quite a bit about someone by listening to their speech when they were alone, or thought they were alone. Not the way of Gyda's time, according to her, but the way of the Vikings, according to Gobber, and Hiccup had seen the evidence of that growing up.

When one was ignored, one learned a great deal about their tribe. Especially who to avoid and the best places to lose someone if the need ever arose. Which it often did. Not that Hiccup would tell anyone that. He had enough of his past stumbling his future. He had enough of his friends reacting in guilt over ever little thing that happened to him. He survived it and it did not define him anymore.

The reached the knocked down wall of a hut. By the carvings etched into the roughly hewn stone, the humans who lived in this hut seemed to like Flame Whippers. Hiccup counted three in the span of two stone blocks. Inside they saw a tall, lanky man with some sort of bag tied to his back. The man stared at another, more intact wall, that had even more carvings of Flame Whippers. Hiccup frowned, something in the back of his mind triggering at the sight of the human. Then the human turned, as if to leave, and jerked to a shocked stand still. Hiccup's eyes widen. He knew the man.

"Skulder? You left Berk going south. How did you end up here?"

"I could ask you the same, young Hiccup."

Hiccup looked at Astrid and smiled. This would make things a great deal easier.

Literally Nobody: Thank you. It is nice to know my OC is well accepted. And I cried writing that part. Have a good day/night as well.

Kirika: I got in deep writing that chapter. As I told Literally, I cried writing it. Noctis means what? That didn't translate in google. And I'm glad you love the family Gyda and the teens have forged. :)