This story is technically a sequel to my two-shot titled 'Sky Dance' that got some surprisingly positive reviews. I would recommend reading Sky Dance before this story, as the OC, Eira, is first and properly introduced, whereas in this story I am just jumping right in. Originally, I was going to start a HTTYD story apart from Sky Dance, but people loved it so much that I decided to continue it. So, here you all are, and I hope everyone enjoys it as much as its predecessor!

Upon the Horizon Line

Prologue

Hiccup groaned as he was awakened to the sound of not just one banging on his roof, but two. Ever since Eira and the hatchlings had appeared, he had been getting less and less sleep. The worst part of the season hadn't even arrived and Hiccup knew that he would have to move the four back into the house soon. An enormous stone slab had been brought into his room for the two adult dragons to sleep on, but Hiccup didn't even know what he was going to do when the hatchlings grew up. They couldn't stay in his bedroom, that was for sure.

Throwing the blankets off, he pulled himself out of bed and called up that he would be out soon, letting them know that they could stop trying to break in the roof at any time they wanted. There was a happy roar that Hiccup had learned was Eira with the slightly higher pitch, soon followed by Toothless's happy cry. A moment later, the roof groaned as the added weight disappeared.

His father was already up for the day, outside working throughout the village. Getting ready quickly, Hiccup limped carefully down the steps of the house toward the front door, ambers still burning in the fireplace. The wood was pushed aside heavily as Hiccup stepped outside sluggishly, sleep still clinging to his bones and joints. The winter chill had gotten worse and he shivered harshly when the door first opened, the sound of the waking village coming to him second.

"Hey! Hiccup!" Astrid called, drawing the small Vikings attention to where she was racing over, two small black winged blurs racing around her when she rose from playing with the small dragons. Toothless nearly jumped onto Hiccup's head in excitement, Eira making happy gurgling sounds from where she was still perched on the tall pillar beside the entrance. The female Night Fury had become fast friends with Hiccup in the weeks she had been around and that extended outward to Astrid as well. There were still a lot of villagers that she refused to be around her children, but she was slowly becoming warmer toward the people. "Eira! Come say hello!" Astrid called up to the long dragon.

Eira chirped happily before leaping down and rushing to the blonde teenager, nearly ploughing her down. Astrid just laughed and began scratching the rough scales around the dragon's neck and shoulders, receiving happy grumbles for her ministrations.

"Do I get a hug hello?" Astrid asked as she stepped back, opening her arms up to the black beast. Eira stood up on her two hind legs, much like a human, and wrapped her front legs and wings around the smaller female, getting a laugh from Astrid and from Hiccup a couple of feet away. Eira had yet to allow anyone to ride her and Hiccup was sure that she wasn't letting Astrid do so only because of her own dragon, Stormfly.

Eira pulled away and moved over to where her two small hatchlings were playing rather roughly. She quickly plucked up the instigator of the fight, stopping him from nipping at his brother again. He had been named Fang very quickly when he constantly bit at things and people, taking a bad habit of nibbling on everything and leaving dozens of furniture pieces, boots, beds posts and doorways gnawed or ruined.

His brother, Glider, had been the first of the two to fly. Albeit, it was only for a couple of second before he planted his face in the snow, he was still strutting around like a proud peacock for the rest of the day. He was opposite to Fang, taking a more delicate approach to everything around him. Hiccup had a strong feeling that when he was grown he wouldn't knock a lot of things over with his tail like Toothless did.

"Glider's going to have some tough skin by the time Fang learns to stop chewing on his tail and wings," Hiccup commented as he scooped the smaller dragon into his arms, listening to the tiny squeaks that were coming from the baby dragon.

After Fang had been given to his scowling, scolding father, Eira moved back over to carefully took her baby from Hiccup, nudging the small human with her nose in a sign of thanks. Glider began to croon as soon as he was back with his mother, the protective dragon beginning to look him over for any bites that might have been too deep or could have gotten through his still tender scales. He squeaked disapprovingly and tried to get away from his mother's stroking tongue that was cleaning his wing, but a growl from the dragoness had him going still and sitting obediently.

"Don't worry little guy," Astrid whispered, "I'm afraid of my mom sometimes, too."

"Guys!" Snotlout called from the bottom of the steps leading to the Chief's home. "Come on! Honestly, fastest dragons on berk and you're the last ones to the academy?"

Hiccup and Astrid rolled their eyes before Astrid quickly moved off to go and get Stormfly, leaving Hiccup on his own with the four Night Fury's. "Alright, Toothless, you're going to be coming with me. Eira, you're gunna have to stay here for the day, sorry." Eira seemed to deflate as she looked over to Toothless, realizing that she wasn't able to go with her first connection to the humans. Toothless also began to grumble unhappily, looking between his rider and his mate.

Hiccup didn't react to their quiet gibbering, though, and began pulling Toothless's saddle into place. After all of the drama that came with new hatchlings, the Dragon Academy had been closed temporarily. Today would be the first day that any of them were going back, some bringing their new dragons with them while others left them to the care of someone else. Hiccup decided that he could trust Eira alone with Fang and Glider, but he didn't take into account the fact that, unlike the other dragons, Night Fury's mated for life and were very protective of both mates and offspring.

As soon as he took off into the air, Eira let out a mournful croon from where she sat with Glider and Fang on the snow covered ground. Hiccup was nearly thrown from the saddle with how fast Toothless turned back, diving for the ground and rushing up to nuzzle against Eira and calm her down. The Viking atop of the dragon groaned when he realized that things weren't going to be as easy as he had hoped. Since Toothless was important for the lessons, he couldn't just leave him here with Eira. Instead, he would need to take the other three dragons with him.

"This is going to be a long day," Hiccup groaned. "Come on, Eira, you're coming, too." Eira roared happily, bumping heads with Toothless. Hiccup flinched, expecting it to hurt. Instead, they did it again in an affectionate show of love before snatching up their offspring. Hiccup sighed before he nudged Toothless into motion, the dragon taking off with a jump. Eira leapt after him, spreading her impressive wings.

"I…thought you weren't bringing Eira," Astrid said when Hiccup entered the stadium with not only Toothless, but the rest of his family as well.

"I didn't really have a choice," Hiccup sighed as he dismounted, Toothless immediately moved over to Eira as she tucked her wings up against her back and welcoming him with a nuzzle. "She called out to him and he just turned right back around. There was no chance he'd leave her," Hiccup explained as he looked over to the two as they croon and trilled softly to each other, Fang and Glider rolling on the ground at their feet.

"Gross, you dragon's gone all soft and lovey," Tuffnut said as he moved to stand beside him, watching as Toothless nudged the two brawling hatchlings apart.

"You don't look too good, Hiccup," Fishlegs said as he moved up toward the smallest of the Vikings.

"They've been keeping me up all night, waking me up early in the mornings," Hiccup muttered, looking to where Eira and Toothless were beginning to have their own wrestling match, the two hatchlings jumping onto their father as they took their mother's side and tried to defend her. "Now I'm starting to think that I can't just have Eira stay home and take care of Fang and Glider because she and Toothless hate leaving the other."

"What's so bad about having Eira participate?"

"It's not Eira I'm worried about," Hiccup muttered before he ducked down at lightning speed, a tiny blinding white fireball flying through the air where his head had once been. Three of the new Night Fury family were staring at Fang, who had shot a fireball at his brother and missed, smoke still pouring from his mouth as he stared in shock.

"In the name of Thor, they're shooting fireballs now?" Gobber asked from the front entrance of the stadium. A burn mark was present on his helmet.

"That was awesome!" Tuffnut drawled, looking over to the tiny Night Fury that was coughing up smoke as his brother leaned in toward his face and began inspecting him for some reason of as to why something was coming out of his mouth. Eira sneezed from above him at the smell of smoke while Toothless looked just as shocked as his pup. It was a rather comical scene.

Hiccup looked even more tired just at the thought of dealing with the hatchlings learning to breathe fire.

Eira, at least, kept things calm during the lessons. She made sure to keep her two children in check, the odd time having Toothless roar from where he was with the others when they were getting out of hand. Night Fury babies were not meant to be raised by one parent alone. The discipline of the father was needed for the babe to grow up properly and not rogue.

By late afternoon it was time for the small Night Furies to go to sleep, curling up against Eira's stomach as she wrapped her tail around herself and her small offspring to keep them warm and protected. Toothless went and sat protectively close to her when he wasn't needed, keeping a watchful eye out as the three slept softly.

"You say that he's going soft," Astrid said later on when she noticed Toothless's watchful guard. "I think he'd kill you in a heartbeat if you got too close to them."

"He's still really protective then, huh?" Fishlegs asked as he scratched at Meatlug's chin.

"Nowhere near as bad as he had been in the beginning, but yeah," Hiccup answered, watching the two dragons as Toothless lay down and rested his head atop of Eira's.

Eira purred in contentment when she felt Toothless so near, their two children stirring against her stomach sleepily. The sound reminded them of when they had been in their eggs and when they first hatched, cuddled against their parents for warmth against the harsh winds. Eira had carried them in her mouth to get to the Island of Burk while Toothless was carrying Hiccup's helmet. Under his careful watch, Eira soon found herself drifting into a slumber, the weight of Toothless's chin on her head letting her know that he was there, with the heat of his breath ghosting her thick skin.

As he felt his mate fall asleep, Toothless watched every single person in the room. Not one movement escaped his notice as his sharp eyes snapped every which way, even as his head remained still to assure that he didn't wake Eira.

Hiccup tried not to need Toothless throughout the lessons, men and women alike from the village present to learn how to deal with dragons properly. Many of them were left in awe upon seeing Toothless with a mate, the large dragon sleeping with the female's head acting as his cushion. Toothless never went to sleep, however, but instead watched the ongoing events in front of him. The light green of his eyes were as acute as ever.

For a couple of hours they stayed like that, with Toothless only wandering away from Eira and the babes when it was absolutely necessary. Since Hiccup and Toothless had a tighter bond than any other dragon and rider, they were the best for demonstrations, no matter how much Toothless didn't want to do it. Eira woke each time he left and stayed watchful until he came back, before she let his presence sooth her back to sleep upon his return.

"What about Eira?" Astrid asked as the lessons were drawing to a close, the female and her babes having risen from their naps. She was bathing the two of them, much to their chagrin, with long strokes of a slimy tongue. Fang was less enthused than Glider, who just laid still as his mother cared for him.

"What about her?"

"Teaching her anything? I know she won't accept a rider yet, but is she still…out of control?" she rephrased, glancing over when Fang screeched unhappily as he was turned onto his back so his mother could clean under his wings properly.

"She's starting to understand what she's not allowed to do; like when she decided to gnaw on the front pillars of the house," Hiccup explained, looking less than amused as he remembered when the female had decided to tend to her extended teeth. "She follows Toothless's actions, now. She's learning what he knows is bad."

When Hiccup called Toothless over for them to leave for the day, Eira was at the ready with the two little ones sitting on her head, Fang constantly sliding to one side and nearly pulling on her ear. "Gotta give her credit for patience," Astrid joked as she mounted her own dragon.

Eira flew behind her mate, carrying their babes as Toothless carried Hiccup. It was a short flight back to their home, where Stoic was still off working throughout the town and therefore not yet there, which left Hiccup to tend to his dragons. Toothless immediately took the fish that was offered to him, eating his share before he took the rest to his mate and children. Eira still had to spit up the chewed fish for her babes, making the bites small enough for the tiny offspring.

Toothless would play with them by pretending to steal their food, getting them to start fighting him to get it back. It was amusing to watch, since they were small enough for Toothless to fit inside his mouth. Only when the babes had eaten and went to sleep for the night, full and content, did Eira and Toothless leave. Hiccup knew that it was coming and settled down to watch over their little ones for them. Fang and Glider, usually warring siblings, were curled around each other for warmth next to the fireplace.

It was something that they did once Eira had grown to trust the rider enough, leaving with her mate as darkness began to take over the sky. Hiccup had made a new saddle for Toothless that could be altered for Hiccup riding him or for the dragon to fly on his own, letting him have his time with Eira as he had when they first met on the mountain. He had broken his fin upon returning with Eira, proving to Hiccup that he still wanted to fly with him as his rider. However, Hiccup also knew that the Night Fury wanted to fly with his mate and designed a means of him having both.

They flew over the village leisurely, the beating of their wings the only telltale sign that they were there as they blended in with the darkening skies above. Eira rumbled happily to be in the air again, not able to fly whenever she had to tend to the babes; she was looking forward to them being big enough to fly with her and Toothless, even though they would always love to have their night flights all to themselves.

The people in the village below, who had become accustomed to the sight of the two, were able to spot the dark bodies that were circling above them. Toothless and Eira, as was instinctual with their species, were able to create a flawless dance in the sky that had them weaving their bodies around to make a sphere pattern in the light of the moon.

Hiccup smiled from the front steps of his home, his father standing behind him, as they watched the two from a distance. Toothless really had seemed to grow more…mature since Eira had showed up in the village. He did have two babes to take care of, so it wasn't all that much of a surprise after all. But this was the Night Fury that stole fish and made a general mess wherever he went in town.

Fatherhood suited him.

Eventually, the two Night Furies dipped away from the view of the villagers, diving down to glide over the surface of the water. This was the rare time that they had to themselves, so they were going to spend it alone. And away from prying eyes and villagers that felt the need to point them out while they were dancing in the sky.

Did you like it? I've decided, after a lot of pondering, that I won't have any means of 'talking' for the dragons. I've read stories that did that and it tends to be a hit and a miss; some are done excellently, while others make it too…human. So, I'm gunna do this way instead, where they communicate but don't 'talk'.