Chapter 17:

Time skip!

It was a week before Hic's fifth birthday, and the village of Berk had improved in visuals and guarding. The dragons from the Alpha's Nest had been trained to take turns patrolling the island day and night. Hic had grown a bit, and was now playing outside almost every day. But he spent more time with his siblings and the dragons than he did with any of the other people in the village.

At least, until the day he met Unn.

Hic was petting and playing with an almost fully grown Rowdy when he heard an unfamiliar voice.

"I've never seen a dragon like that before."

Hic froze for a second before turning to see a young girl, around his age, standing nearby. She had blonde hair that flowed freely, without a braid, and her eyes were a bright blue. Hic shrugged. "Not many people are familiar with Scuttleclaws," he said, patting Rowdy on the nose. "Can I pet him?" the girl asked. Hic nodded. The girl approached Rowdy without hesitating, and pet his nose. "His name's Rowdy," Hic said, "He's really friendly." "I can see that," the girl replied as she pet the dragon. She suddenly stopped and turned to face Hic. "Where are my manners? Hi, I'm Unn." She held out a hand, expecting a handshake. But Hic gazed at the ground. "Are you okay?" Unn asked. Hic sighed. "I really shouldn't make friends with people who won't be staying for very long," he said, "They'll just end up moving away, and I probably won't see them again." "Actually, my parents and I are planning to live here," Unn said.

Hic looked up at her. "You are?" Unn nodded. "I heard your parents say to my parents that Berk is a lot safer to live in, since there are so many dragons that are willing to protect people," she said, "But I didn't hear much about what the people were like. So, what's your name?" Hic had almost forgot to introduce himself. "My name's Hic. It's short for Hiccup Horrendous Haddock the Fourth." "Makes sense," Unn replied, "Your dad's Hiccup the Third, right?" Hic nodded. "So, do you wanna play?" Unn asked. Hic shrugged. "Sure, I guess." Unn smiled. "Okay, you're it!" She tapped him on the arm and ran away.

"Hey!" Hic shouted as he ran after her, "No fair! I wasn't ready!" Unn just laughed and continued to run. "Not very fast, huh?" Hic huffed and puffed as he tried to catch up. Unn was definitely a faster runner than he thought. Unn laughed as she turned a corner, but suddenly stopped. She could see Mortem and Feral examining a purple Stormcutter with a limp wing. Unn's gaze was stuck on the dragons, she didn't even turn towards the sound of heavy breathing.

Hic trudged up to the girl, and placed his hand on her back. "Tag. You're...it." He sighed. "Goodnight," he muttered before slumping to the ground. Unn didn't even glance at him as she watched Mortem help the Stormcutter climb into his snout. "Is that Mortem?" she asked. Hic looked up at her. "Yeah," he said, picking himself off the ground and watching his adopted brother. "He and Feral are helping that Stormcutter. She got hurt a few days ago, and can't fly." "I heard our parents talk about Mortem a lot," Unn said, "But I didn't think I'd be seeing him in person."

Hic was really nervous now. He'd never talked to or played with a person he didn't know for this long, especially a girl. After making sure no one was looking, he said to Unn, "I have to go now." He started to walk off, but he stopped when he heard Unn say "Goodbye." He looked back at her and waved before running off.

Hic didn't stop until he got home. He made a beeline for his room, where he found Buttons on his bed, where he had left him. He grabbed the stuffed dragon and hugged him close. He had resolved to only hugging the toy whenever he felt upset or uncomfortable. But that didn't mean he didn't love it. Buttons had been one of the only forms of comfort he had as a small child, and even though he had gotten older, he still relied on the stuffed toy for comfort. It was true, he did take a liking to the new girl, but they had only just met. He didn't know anything about her, and yet, she had obliged to be his friend. Was this how Mortem felt when he first met Feral?

Hic had been conversing with his adopted brother, up to the point where Mortem began telling him about meeting Feral's father Benignus at the original Alpha's Nest. He knew how uncomfortable Mortem had been with Feral at first, but somehow he grew to love her. But Hic knew for a fact that he was too young for that to happen with him and Unn. He didn't even know if he liked her, friend or more. After all, he'd only just met her. He perked up at the sound of his father returning home. Still holding on to Buttons, Hic quietly walked out into the hall and listened to what his parents had to discuss.

"You're home early," Astrid stated. Hic moved a bit further down the hall so he could hear better. "There really wasn't much to do this morning," he heard his father say, "Other than the new villagers arriving and settling in their new home, it was pretty much uneventful." Hic knew that they were talking about Unn and her family, but he hadn't even bothered to ask Unn where she and her parents were living. He almost didn't hear his mother make a suggestion to Hiccup. "If you're off the rest of the day, we could go on a flight." "That would depend on whether or not something will come up at the last minute," Hiccup said, "Really bites too. Do they even mind that I'm trying not to get caught up in meaningless fights that happen every other day?" Hic could tell from the tone of his father's voice that he was being sarcastic. Hic never quite understood sarcasm, as to him it seemed almost like lying. And his father would never tell him a lie.

At least, that's what he hoped.

Hic wasn't sure how long he stayed there listening, but he was surprised to hear what Astrid said next. "Hic, I know you're there." Eyes widening, Hic slowly walked out into the open, where both of his parents were sitting at the table. "How'd you know I was there?" Hic asked, as quietly and politely as he could. Astrid shrugged. "Mother's instinct." Hiccup glanced at his wife. "Astrid, he was casting a shadow." Hic had left the door to his room open, and the sunlight pouring through the window had caused his shadow to give him away. Hic hung his head, ashamed. Astrid sighed before leaving her seat and lifting her son up and setting him in a nearby chair. Hic tried not to mind being lifted, but he was still embarrassed about getting caught. He slowly raised his eyes to meet his father's.

Hiccup wasn't surprised or upset that his youngest son had dropped in on the conversation. He was proud that he was actually taking an interest in something that wasn't related to dragons in any way. "Hic, have you met the new residents?" Hiccup asked. Hic shrugged before stating, "I met Unn this morning, but we didn't really do much." Hiccup nodded. "She's a very nice girl," he said, "But she does tend to talk quite a bit." "She likes to play too," Hic said, "She can run very fast, she's like a human Speed Stinger." Hiccup chuckled. "The best way to get faster is to run more often," he said. Hic shrugged, he had already known that. "She saw Mortem helping that Stormcutter with the broken wing," he said, trying to change the subject. When Hiccup didn't say anything, he added, "When will she get better?" Hiccup shrugged. "Not sure, buddy. Hopefully soon."

Hic took this as his cue to leave. He pushed himself off the chair and began to walk back to his room, where Toothless Jr. and Starflight had gone to wait for him. But he didn't get very far before Astrid kneeled down and pulled him in for a hug. Hic dropped Buttons on the floor to hug her back properly. Astrid smiled as Hiccup got out of his seat and kneeled down to join them.

Hic had never been hugged by both of his parents at the same time. It was new, but he liked the way it made him feel. It was warm, comforting, and it made him feel safe. It was almost impossible for him to feel afraid while in the embrace of his loving parents, and he completely forgot about his fear and anxiety. He felt his mother kiss him lightly on his forehead before whispering, "We love you." Hic snuggled further into his parents' embrace, trying not to cry.

"I love you, too."

After a long, tender moment, Hic hesitantly pulled out of the warm embrace, and leaned down to pick up Buttons. He avoided making eye contact with his parents and he hurried back to his room. He cheered up a bit at the sight of Toothless Jr. and Starflight lying on his bed, waiting to play with him.

Camicazi had grown not only in strength, but in beauty as well. She was still young, but she surpassed others of her age in combat, especially with an axe. Although she had to get replacement axes as she got older, they all worked for her equally well. People would often say that she was an almost exact duplicate of Astrid, which was somewhat true.

Camicazi focused her gaze on the wooden post her father had set up for her to practice her axe-throwing with. It had taken nearly forever to convince him that she was ready to try it, since he was always one to fear for one's safety, especially a loved one. She took a breath before taking aim. She was about to throw the axe, when a scaly being zipped past her, almost making her lose her balance. She regained her posture with ease and was about to throw the axe again when she heard her twin brother's voice.

"That was amazing, Zippo!"

Camicazi groaned in frustration. "What is he doing?!" Grumbling to herself, she stomped over to see Draco and Hic playing with and petting Zippo, Starflight, and Toothless Jr. "Could you keep it down?!" she shouted, "You guys ruin everything! I am trying to practice the art of axe-throwing. And I don't want to be bothered by your little games!" "Not so little anymore," Draco said with a smile, "Zippo's moving so fast, even I'm having trouble following him!" The juvenile Speed Stinger let out a chirp of excitement. "Just keep it down!" Camicazi yelled before stomping back over to her practicing post.

"What's up with her?" Hic asked his older brother as he watched his sister stomp off." "Wish I knew," Draco replied, "She's been like that since our birthday." "When she got the post?" Hic asked. "When she got the post," Draco confirmed.

Hic made a note to himself to stay out of his sister's way while she was in a bad mood. For he would need to if he wanted to have a decent birthday this year.

So sorry it's been so long, I've been swamped with homework! And can I say I'm getting a little tired of it? Because I am! Anyway, I hope you guys don't mind the little time skip. Don't know how many more chapters this story will have, I'm still trying to work out the rest of the details. Plus I've been having trouble coming up with names and ideas for possible sequel, so could any of you guys lend me a hand? At least a few small suggestions, or something. I hope I'm not asking too much.

Looks like I'm rambling again. I do that sometime.

Review Plz!