"Put yer backs inta it or I'll drop da lot of ye in da sea!"

Savage did not question how Alvin expected to row his own boat if he carried out that threat. Sometimes it did not pay to think around the Outcast chief. One survived better if one just kept their head down and did as they were told, and the loot gotten along the way did make up for the yelled insults and cracks against the skull.

Still, Savage did wonder what Alvin hoped to accomplish. They had lost thirty men to death in that cursed Berkian swamp. Those left when Savage convinced Alvin to run were probably all dead as well. The remaining Outcast members were now shoved onto the only working boat they had after something tore the others they brought into kindle.

Still, Alvin ordered them to not return to the island and regroup. They had sailed north, away from Berk and landed upon a small island used for stop-overs by various ships plowing the sea lanes. A sister island lay to the southeast of the one they used.

They had just been ready to leave the island when a scout noticed several dragons and humans land upon the sister island. That two were Night Furies explained who and where they had come from.

Alvin had ordered they be followed or else. That the group took many breaks, and Savage expect it was due to the three little ones flying with them, aided the Outcast in keeping up with them. Savage did not want to know what would have happened had they lost any of them.

He was getting a glimpse of that now. Too many days and nights upon the sea. Too little rest due to a pacing chief who muttered while his men tried to sleep. The scout assigned to watching when the dragons and humans flew away from their last stop had fallen asleep and only awoke as the last tail could be seen slipping into the clouds. That he had the smarts to see what direction they left was the only reason he had not been gutted where he stood. That and Alvin did not row at all and they needed the man on the oars.

Not for the first time, Savage wondered just why he did not let his exile ship sail right past Outcast island that day his chief physically kicked him off his birth island. There had to be better places and better chiefs out there. There had to be better loot for him to take and better gold to be made. Somehow there had to be a way Savage could do all he loved to do, fight, steal, intimidate and attack those weaker than him, without a leader bent on getting everyone killed. As he felt his shoulders scream due to the rowing, Savage vowed that if a chance arose where he could be free of Alvin he would gladly take it and whistle a merry tune while doing so.

[You just want to see magic performed again,] Toothless' mother muttered.

Toothless's father snorted. [So? Onyxwing's rider never performed any whenever he would have a chance to visit. I'm glad Elder Gyda is so amenable.]

Hiccup frowned as he remembered that Onyx had said he came and went from the nest often. It would make sense for Onyx's rider to visit as well. This did explain why Toothless' parents were so quick to begin using the named dragons' names, especially Shadewing and Haizea. That the human never did magic when he visited also explained why Toothless' father was so giddy that Gyda agreed to his request. Hiccup did wonder why Onyx's rider refused though.

Hiccup glanced at Onyxwing, sitting with the Riders and their dragons. The dragon appeared joyful, smiling as he stared up at the alpha pair. Hiccup saw through that. Onyx's sensing lobes lay flat against his skull and his wings drooped. Hiccups suspected the dragon felt the same separation the bonded dragons spoke of feeling when they were at the Hatchery. Hiccup also suspected Onyx felt the gaping hole in his soul, as Hookfang described the sensation, far more keenly than the others due to the length of time he had been bonded to his rider. This did cause Hiccup to wonder where the rider was and why he did not accompany Onyx and to wonder why Sunburn's rider was absence as well.

[Son, will you allow your mage to unlock this human's ability to understand us?]

Toothless' father's voice pulled Hiccup from his thoughts. His gaze shifted to the alpha pair.

"May I ask him if he would like to gain this ability, alpha of the nest?" he asked, purposively putting the title in there instead of saying 'Dad'.

Skulder did not know Hiccup had been adopted by the dragons. To say the word dad right now would invite questions Hiccup was not ready to answer. He had not said a word to Skulder about being the alpha of Berk's dragons or that Toothless was a blood prince of this nest and his parents named Hiccup flock as well. Those were deep subjects and though Hiccup did trust Skulder not to abuse the gift of speaking with dragons, Hiccup did not trust the man enough to reveal everything. At least not yet. It had been three years since he last saw the man after all. Who knew what had happened to him in that time.

[Dad, Hiccup,] Toothless' father said with a grin playing around his muzzle. [And please.]

Hiccup grinned as well before turning to Skulder. "Would you like to understand the dragons? To be able to converse with them?"

Skulder blinked. "You.. you can teach me to understand those growls?"

Hiccup shook his head. "It's not something that is taught. It's an ability unlocked by magic."

"Does it hurt?"

"No."

Unblocking memories hurt because the mind experienced a flood it was not prepared for. According to Steinar, having Gyda unlock this gave the same sensation to the mind as the hand experienced when a key unlocked a door. Hiccup had to take the man's word for that. In Gyda's cave none had know anything had happened until Shadowfire spoke for the first time. When Gyda and her family came to live on Berk, the pain of the memory flood had overridden any sensation of the ability being unlocked again.

"Then, please," Skulder said. "I am certain dragons have so much to teach us about history. I am eager to know if they could help me on my quest."

Hiccup smiled as Skulder's first thought had been to seek aid from the dragons and not to exploit them or take advantage of them by using this ability. At least that part of his old friend had not changed. Hiccup then looked up and gestured to Gyda. She tipped her head but it was Moondust that she rode down to the ledge and not Shadowfire. Hiccup frowned as Moondust landed, Gyda stepped off, shook herself, bowed to Hiccup, and then moved over to Skulder.

[The cavern's too narrow and the ledge too small for Shadowfire to land safely,] Toothless said softly

Hiccup watched Gyda place her hands on either side of Skulder's head as Toothless explained. He heard her whispering the same words she used when unlocking Steinar and Hilda's ability. This time Hiccup did understand them and grinned. That the spell needed a statement as simple as 'heart to heart, mind to mind, ears open to hear, soul open to understand' in order to work still amazed Hiccup.

[And I now stand as flock to Elder Gyda,] Moondust said, pulling Hiccup's attention, [so her bond with Shadowfire does not harm her like it did Lady Astrid. Elder Gyda just feels that resistance she spoke of that day.]

Gyda stepped back, lowering her hand. She faced Hiccup and bowed to him again. Hiccup glanced at Toothless. Toothless gave his version of a lifted eyebrow and glanced to Moondust. Spitfire, upon the ledge with her parents and Shadewing snorted.

[Oh, one of you talk to the human. They don't all bite.]

Skulder gasped.

Kirika: You're welcome. Your opinions matter greatly to me. This story is for all of my readers and all of you are very important to me. Hehe, yeah, I can imagine Skulder's gaze is whipping back and forth while Hiccup and his adopted father talked. Poor guy probably has a bit of whiplash now.

Literally Nobody: I still love playing School of Dragons. That's where I grew to love Sand Wraiths so much they are now my favorite species of dragons in the HTTYD universe. Hehe, poor Skulder gets into too much trouble to be bad guy. Poor fellow should learn to keep lockpicks given how many times he was placed in a cage during the course of the game. That is a spoiler, my friend, so my lips are sealed. I am extremely humbled that people love to read my story. Have a good day/night