"You only just have to be gentle, Eret." Valka was telling the son of Eret who was watching her with wide eyes as the former Viking woman tenderly stroked the spiked tail of a Deadly Nadder, who was purring at the touch as the Nadder nuzzled his spiked head against Valka's chest like a content cat waiting to be scratched.
Eret had noticed right away of how comfortable Valka was in the presence of dragons. He had noticed how comfortable the dragons, even the hot-tempered Monstrous Nightmares, had purred at her touch. She was one of them.
The young orphan had been living with Valka and Hiccup for several weeks or so and had spent the majority of his time with Hiccup's mother as she showed him around the massive Sanctuary. The first time he had seen the inside where the Alpha dwelled, he had been awestruck at the natural beauty of the place, how ice melded into stone. The dragons flying around had scared him, because even though he didn't see Spitfire and her hatchlings as dangerous, that didn't mean he still didn't fear them.
Valka hoped that she would correct that fear of dragons and turn that fear into love.
Eret hadn't seen much of Hiccup during his time here, the boy had begun to slip away into the far corners of the massive Nest when he awoke –only pausing to speak with his mother in low grumbles- and even when he wasn't in some secluded space with his dragon friends, he was exploring the numerous tunnels that wrapped around their home. Never once did Hiccup invite the son of Eret to join him.
That seemed to worry Valka, though Eret didn't know why. The dragon boy unnerved him greatly, what with his dragonish grin and his odd ways. Eret liked the boy's mother much better, at least she understood how to have a conversation that didn't end with endless questions and personal spaces being invaded.
Eret had learned though that Hiccup and his mother were touchy people when compared to others. They were always touching one another -Hiccup more than Valka in that regard- when they were together. Valka often greeted her son when they awoke in the morning with a palm against the boy's forehead, slender fingers stroking the boy's shaggy bangs out of his bright green eyes.
Hiccup was just the same.
Hiccup was his mother's silent shadow, clutching to her whenever they were alone with Eret without Cloudjumper or another dragon around. He was so used to seeing the boy at his mother's side, clutching her hand as though it were a lifeline, that it was surprising to suddenly find the boy gone from his mother's side after Eret had been staying with them for over a week.
Valka seemed to be disturbed by that. He could tell that her son's absence was all too jarring for her.
Eret didn't really mind though. Hiccup was weird.
"Now you try."
Eret looked up at the mother with wide eyes, suddenly scared again as he eyed the sharp spikes that lined the Nadder's head and tail. Valka knelt down by him, "You won't be hurt, I promise. Nadders might look scary on the outside, but on the inside they're very kind and loyal to those who befriend them." She told him with a warm smile that made the fear go away.
Encouraged by her words, Eret slowly approached the Nadder who was looking at him with beady eyes the color of molten gold. The dragon itself had scales the darkest of blue, like the ocean, with small specks and spots of crimson along the wingspan.
This was his first day of learning about dragons -actually learning about them instead of how to kill them. The feral dragon rider had apparently decided that the Deadly Nadder was the best dragon to start with, and so had shown Eret how to subdue a wild Nadder by stroking its tail gently, combing away the bristled spikes. She had shown him the Nadder's blind spot, because if he were to run into a wild Nadder that didn't belong in Valka's Nest than it would be best to hide until he could gain the Nadder's trust. She had been adamant that he never should use the blind spot to attack, or to attack any dragon no matter how wild. She looked stricken at the very thought and Eret had quietly mumbled his promises that he wouldn't use her teachings against dragons. He intended to keep that promise.
"H-Hi, dragon," Eret mumbled, slowly approaching the spiked dragon cautiously, all too aware of those sharp spikes that could be thrown at him without hesitation. The Nadder cocked his head to the side as though curious of the new human in the Nest. The dragon's pupils were wide and dilated, showing that he didn't find the young son of Eret to be aggressive or hostile, but there was still a certain tension in the air that felt heavy and uncomfortable.
Eret raised a shaky hand, fingers outstretched, towards the Nadder's beak-like snout. The Nadder watched curiously, well used to the simple, yet symbolic, gesture used by Valka and Hiccup. The dragon was confused, if only slightly, as he had never seen nor smelled Eret before, and despite him living in the Nest for several weeks not all of the dragons had gotten the chance to see the newest addition.
Eret, mindful to not venture into the Nadder's blind spot, slowly moved around the dragon, carefully walking towards the spiked tail that swung restlessly behind the Nadder, the tail reminded Eret of a spiked club.
The Nadder was curious, but wary. He knew how violent humans could be, with the sole exception being Valka and her hatchling, and thus wanted to see how this new human boy was like in terms of acceptance towards dragons. Would he be like the kind human lady who stroked his tail and cleaned his spikes? Would he be like the woman's energetic hatchling who played with all the hatchlings? Or would he be like the rest of humankind: cruel, violent and despising?
Eret held his breath as he slowly moved around the Nadder's head, lightly stepping around the very sharp and long talons that could slice through him like warm butter, and placed his palm against the dragon's side.
The Nadder tensed at the touch, head swerving to stare into the terrified eyes of Eret, son of Eret.
Eret gulped as he gazed into the eyes of the Nadder, all too aware of the intelligence behind those piercing amber eyes. He remembered faintly that the Deadly Nadder had some of the hottest firepower in all known dragon kind, a flock of them had burned Harld's, a friend of his father's, ship within minutes during a terrible storm. Not even Thor's rains could quench out a Nadder's flame easily.
Valka was watching the interaction between dragon and man with interest, finding it oddly refreshing to see another human being other than herself and Hiccup touching a dragon without the intent to kill it. She knew that she had made the right choice in letting Eret, son of Eret live in her Nest. She had changed the boy's entire perspective on dragons -oh sure he was still terrified by a great deal of the creatures but that was to be expected due to the circumstances. Valka was confident that she could turn that fear and change it into love.
Eret slowly trailed his hand towards the back of the Nadder, awed by how smooth and warm the scales were, before his fingers suddenly felt the shift of scales change into small spikes that turned into bigger, sharper spikes. Carefully, so not to accidently impale himself, Eret stroked the Nadder's tail like he had seen Valka do it.
He was surprised at the smoothness of the spikes, fingers slowly trailing down the spikes a bit faster than before. Eret grinned as he heard the low purrs erupt from the Nadder, a deep rumbling sound, "You're not so scary," he admitted to the scaled creature, who grinned a toothy grin at the newest addition of the flock.
Valka was watching him proudly, watching from afar with a warm smile.
Eret grinned back at her, still stroking the spikes of the Nadder. His grin slipped slightly when he saw something move behind Valka.
There, perched in the shadows, was Hiccup. The young son of Valka was looking from atop the boulder at Eret with narrowed eyes that seemed to gleam in the darkness. The boy was crouched on all fours, fingers digging into the rock as he squatted on the boulder with perfect balance like a living gargoyle.
Hiccup looked positively furious.
Eret opened his mouth to tell Valka that her son was behind her, but before he could do so, Hiccup slipped back into the shadows of the tunnel.
Valka, seeing Eret's smile fade, turned around with a cocked brow. She saw nothing. She turned back to Eret in confusion, but he just silently shrugged his shoulders, still thinking of the fury in the boy's eyes.
Eret didn't like Hiccup that much. He thought the boy was odd and weird. He wasn't even a boy really, but more like a dragon with a human form. He was too different for Eret to like him.
Valka gave one last pat to the Deadly Nadder, smiling softly at the blue dragon, before leading Eret by the shoulder into the tunnels her son had disappeared into. The tunnels confused Eret greatly. They often twisted suddenly and often times connected with spacious caverns or another tunnel, creating a twisting labyrinth of tunnels. It amazed Eret of how easily Valka could navigate through it so easily. He had never seen the woman get lost before, despite everything looking the same.
He followed the woman as the tunnels twisted and turned randomly, sometimes inclining or declining in slope. He slipped on the slick, moss-covered rocks multiple times whilst Valka walked across the flat rocks without so much as a stumble.
After several minutes of silence as they went through the tunnels, Eret and Valka found themselves in the cavern that they called home.
Hiccup was sitting besides the Stormcutter, Cloudjumper. Hiccup had a small leather book sitting on his lap, while a stick of charcoal was clutched in his hands. He was drawing something, though Eret couldn't tell what it was because of the distance, but he could see Cloudjumper looking over the boy's shoulder, watching every line drawn. The dragon reminded Eret of a father, watching over his child like a silent guardian. Hiccup had said that he didn't have a father, but he mentioned Cloudjumper. He wondered what had happened to Valka's husband; he had never asked her. It was most likely a sensitive topic for the woman.
He's most likely dead, he thought to himself.
Hiccup and Cloudjumper looked up at the same time, both smiling similar toothy grins as they looked up at Valka.
"Hi, mama," Hiccup said cheerfully, none of his bitterness showing. He held up the book, proudly showing it off to his mother. He had been drawing Cloudjumper, and while it was nowhere near the best of sketches it was rather impressive for someone so young. Not that Eret would admit it, of course.
Smiling warmly, Valka squatted before her son, her hand placed atop of his head, as she looked at the picture. She ruffled her son's hair with a chuckle, praising the boy who beamed up at her with a huge smile. Hiccup nuzzled her arm, smiling so widely it showed off his missing baby teeth.
Cloudjumper crooned lowly, butting his head against Valka's form softly. With a hearty, warm laugh Valka stroked the dragon's chin, humming softly alongside Cloudjumper's rumbling purrs.
Eret stood at the edge of the cavern, unsure and uncomfortable. He looked upon the two humans and the lone Stormcutter –a family- and felt out of place. He looked at the three who had taken him in, even if Hiccup didn't like him, and wondered wistfully if he would ever be accepted in such a tight-knit family.
For a couple of minute, the dark-haired boy watched Valka and Hiccup interact. Hiccup was eagerly regaling his mother about his adventures exploring a certain section of the tunnels with Pip, Squeak and Tigg (apparently a trio of Terrible Terrors) and Valka was smiling at him as she gently combed away the knots in her son's auburn hair. Cloudjumper was curled around them, watching the two humans with warm, amber eyes and a toothy grin.
They're a family. Eret thought to himself wistfully. He had lost his family. His father was gone… Eret had sacrificed himself so that his namesake could live on. His mother was gone as well; Eret couldn't even remember his mother and she had died when he was so young. His family was gone… the full weight of that fact became known in his heart, dragging it down as though it were hooked.
"I guess I should begin to make dinner, you have the appetite of a Gronckle." Valka said with a laugh as she ruffled Hiccup's hair once more before heading towards the fire to make food. Hiccup laughed, a bright and cheery laugh that echoed throughout the cave.
Valka beckoned Eret over with a jerk of her head, "Why don't you go sit down with Hiccup and Cloudjumper, eh?" She asked, suddenly ruffling Eret's own hair as she had with Hiccup's. There was something motherly about the action, and Eret was a bit taken aback by it.
It seemed that he wasn't the only one taken aback by Valka's warm, motherly gesture.
Hiccup was watching his mother's back with wide eyes, mouth slightly open as though shocked at something.
The shock suddenly twisted into anger. Eret could see the boy's entire body freeze, tensing like a wild animal cornered, as the son of Valka looked from his mother to Eret with narrowed eyes, shrewdly glaring at Eret with distaste.
With an indignant huff, Hiccup turned his back to Eret and resumed his sketching, but Eret still saw his hand and charcoal pencil shake.
"Dinner." Valka called to out, standing before a small fire with a pot of stew boiling atop of it. The smell was appetizing and mouthwatering. Eret could smell the salivating scent of cooked meat and all but flew to grab a bowl. Valka was already ladling up her own bowl as the two boys headed towards the pot with growling stomachs.
Hiccup beat him to the bowls and, rather rudely, took his time ladling up his stew, well aware of Eret's rumbling stomach. When the little boy walked towards the lounging Cloudjumper, Eret was positive he had seen a smirk.
Eret realized why the dragon boy had been so smug. He had taken nearly all of the meat! There were only a few small bits left floating in the stew; Eret scooped up the rest of it with a scowl, still aware of Hiccup's smug smirk burning into his back.
Eret ate his stew grumpily, and although the broth was delicious his stomach still gurgled when he finished. Hiccup was happily eating his stew, laden with meat, looking at Eret from the corner of his eyes with a smug smile.
Valka didn't seem to notice the tensions between Eret and Hiccup, though she did notice Eret's sullen look at his empty bowl. She held out her own bowl and pushed some of her own meat into Eret's bowl. The boy looked up at her gratefully, eating with greater gusto as Valka laughed lightly at Eret's ravenous eating habit.
Hiccup's grin slipped off his face in a second, the warm smile immediately replaced with a furious scowl. The boy growled lowly, eyes narrowed, as he glared at Eret as Valka watched on with confusion.
"Hiccup, what has gotten into you?" Valka admonished her son sternly, not at all understanding why her sweet little Hiccup was acting this way.
Hiccup's head snapped towards her, indignation set in his youthful features. "Me?" He asked with fury, a little finger pointing at her accusingly, "what has gotten into you?"
Valka's brows were lowering dangerously; she didn't seem to appreciate Hiccup's tone. From what Eret had seen of the mother and son, Hiccup rarely complained, but it seemed that was forgotten. "Son," she began, tone low and full of warning.
"He's not one of us, Mama!" He declared, glowering at Eret, son of Eret with complete and utter loathing. "He's not your son!" Thick tears suddenly sprung from the boy's eyes as he spoke.
Valka blinked at those words, concern flooding through her the moment she saw those tears. "H-Hiccup?" she asked, not understanding.
The boy blinked away the tears and wiped the droplets from his freckled cheeks, though his eyes were still watery. Hiccup's lower lip trembled, and with a keen wail the boy turned his back to his mother and fled into the shadows of a tunnel, his lithe form disappearing around a bend.
"Hiccup!" Valka raced after him, hand outstretched as though to grab the elusive boy. Her lean form disappeared into the shadows of the tunnel, leaving Eret alone.
Eret looked over at Cloudjumper, whose bright amber eyes were wide in alarm. The dragon crawled after the mother, disappearing into the darkness.
With a scowl, Eret followed them. The only problem, however, was that the tunnel split into several others, leaving Eret standing in the middle trying to figure out which tunnel Valka and Cloudjumper had gone into. He chose one at random and walked forward, cursing when he stubbed his toe against a protruding rock.
"Hiccup!?" Eret called out into a new tunnel, eyes searching for any sign of Valka's son. "Dragon boy?" His voice echoed in the tunnel. "Dragon… dragon… dragon…" the tunnel seemed to call back. "Boy.. boy… boy…"
There was a sudden roar of animalistic fury, and then all of a sudden something heavy smashed into him, making the orphan sprawl onto the ground in a tangle of limbs as something thrashed atop of him.
"Leave!" Hiccup's voice screamed into Eret's ear. "You're not welcome here!" Eret yelped as he felt fingernails claw at him frantically, scratching his cheek.
"Gerrof!" The son of Eret yelled, heaving the lighter and smaller boy off of him. Hiccup rolled across the cave floor, Eret heaved himself to his feet, rage burning within him.
He wanted to take Hiccup's stupid face and hit it; the little savage had attacked him!
But, despite the terrible anger burning within himself, Eret couldn't help but notice the tears steadily streaming down Hiccup's cheeks in thick rivulets.
Hiccup was glaring at him, eyes red and puffy but still full of terrible anger and hatred. The boy might have been extremely small for a child his age, but the way he was stooped over ever so slightly in a dragonesque way made him seem a lot more intimidating.
"I hate you!" Hiccup screamed at him, his small chest heaving and little hands clenched into tiny fists. The boy was glaring at him, green eyes darkened by loathing and hatred. "I want you gone!"
Eret could still feel the stinging on his face from Hiccup's scratches, his tongue tasted blood pooling in his mouth from a split lip. "What is wrong with you?" Eret yelled back, striding up to the boy and grabbing him by the front of his jerkin and not so gently slamming him into the smoothed rocks. It was laughable at how easily it was to pick the boy up, like lifting a newborn ewe.
Hiccup glowered at him, somehow managing to stare the older boy down despite his disadvantage. "Mama is my mama, not yours!" He spitted out, his little baby teeth bared out in a snarl.
Eret glowed back at him with just as much fury, "I know that, dummy!"
"I'm not a dummy!" Hiccup yelled at him, before suddenly scrunching his freckled nose in confusion. "What's a dummy?"
The anger turned into frustration at the question. "Sweet Odin, what is wrong with you? I've done nothing to upset you, Hel, I haven't even talked or interacted with you since I first got here because you've been off on little adventures with your dragon buddies and ignoring myself and your mother!"
Hiccup scowled at him, "I haven't been ignoring you, I've been avoiding you!" He said, suddenly looking childish in his anger. "What's wrong with me? What's wrong with you? You come in here, with your stupid tattoo and your stupid face, and now Mama won't play with me because she's too busy teaching you about our flock," Hiccup's hateful and angry tone slowly turned into a pitiful, sorrowful whine as he spoke. Eret felt his grip on the front of Hiccup's jerkin loosen, allowing the boy to slide back onto the ground.
"She's my mama, not yours!" Hiccup said, eyes watery as he wrapped his arms around his knobby knees. He looked ready to burst into tears, if his small sniffles were anything to go by.
"Dragon boy –I mean-, Hiccup," Eret began to say, looking positively alarmed to see the tears. He reached out to touch the boy, to comfort him, but then he yelped when he felt something bite into his arm, making him jerk his hand away from the boy who had begun to crawl away. "You bit me!" Eret yelled furiously, holding his throbbing hand.
"You won't take my mama away!" Hiccup yelled at him furiously, his little hands clenched into tiny fists. "You're not her son, I am!" He looked so furious, but Eret could see fear in those bright green orbs as well.
Hiccup was scared.
"I'm not taking her away, brat!" Eret yelled back, still clutching his throbbing hand.
Hiccup didn't seem to believe him, if anything he looked even madder than ever.
Hiccup crawled forward, eyes full of fury, as Eret leapt forward. The two boys fell against one another in a tumble of flailing limbs. Hiccup squirmed as Eret grabbed his shoulders, slipping out of the elder boy's grip but couldn't escape when Eret sat on him, the additional weight pinning him down.
The two boys struggled against one another, Hiccup straining against Eret's strength and Eret straining to hold the squirmy boy down.
Suddenly, something dark, warm and leathery had suddenly blocked Eret's vision, and it pushed the two boys away from each other with unyielding strength. A quick glance revealed it to be Cloudjumper's wings, serving as walls to separate the two boys from coming to blows. Valka stood beside him, looking furious, bewildered and concerned at the same time.
"Cloudjumper," Valka said softly. Cloudjumper slowly raised his wings, removing the buffer between Hiccup and Eret. Hiccup was looking at his mother nervously, suddenly shy.
"How'd you find us?" Eret asked, still holding his bitten hand as he looked at the woman with confusion.
Valka raised a slender brow, an amused smirk playing at her lips, before saying rather simply, "We just followed the shouting."
The smirk vanished instantly and was replaced with a small frown as the woman looked at her son, who had suddenly taken great interest of the floor, eyes downcast.
"Hiccup, explain yourself." Valka's tone left no room for whining or arguing.
The little boy's lips quivered rather violently, his small hand desperately trying to wipe his runny nose. "You don't like me anymore," he said softly, voice whisper faint but heard by all.
Valka's frown was replaced with an expression of horror. She stepped forward timidly, as though afraid Hiccup would try and run away from her touch, and wrapped her arms around him, cradling his head close to her chest.
"Oh, sweetie…" Valka whispered, holding her little boy close to her. "How could you ever think that?"
"Because…" Hiccup started to sniffle again, looking up at his mother with watery eyes. His voice was so soft when he spoke, barely audible. "You won't play with me anymore. You don't want to do anything with me anymore. All you want to do is be with him," Hiccup shot Eret a look full of deepest loathing, but Valka could see the jealousy in her son's eyes, mixed in with the tears. "I-I thought you didn't love me anymore." He admitted softly.
"Hiccup…" Valka said softly, looking at her son with the utmost of seriousness. Hiccup looked up at her, his eyes mirror images of her own. "I will always love you. love you more than anything in the world." She clutched him closer to her chest, wrapping her arms around his frail little form. "I love you, Hiccup. Mama will always love you, do you understand?" By the end, Valka was crying as well.
Eret looked away, feeling unwelcome as he watched mother and son interact. They were such a close-knit family. Eret had never had a mother before, as his mother had perished to a deadly illness long ago and Eret could scarcely remembered her, but it was obvious of how much Valka loved her son. He didn't understand why Hiccup had felt so threatened of Eret. Hiccup had been jealous of Eret for reasons unknown, jealous enough to think that he was losing his mother's love. It certainly explained his hostility towards Eret. Hiccup must of thought that Eret was his replacement.
"I'm sorry," Hiccup whispered to Valka, voice somewhat muffled against his mother's shoulder.
Valka pulled back slightly to cup her son's face, brushing away the tears with a calloused thumb. "Hiccup, I'm so sorry for making you feel unloved." She swallowed nervously, looking unsure. "I-I should have expected something like this."
Valka should have realized that something would have happened eventually between Eret and Hiccup. Not because of herself, but because of who they were as people.
They were boys from different words. One from the world of men and another from the world of dragons. Valka should have realized that they, like the worlds they symbolized, would have crashed together sooner or later. Eret didn't understand Hiccup, her sweet little boy who was more dragon than human. Hiccup didn't understand Eret either, the odd boy whose only flaw was being human.
Valka had been born and raised by humans, so Eret had latched onto her instead of her feral son because he had recognized the familiarity within her. She had been the most normal of the two, despite being so different from who she had been as a person years ago when she had been Valka Haddock of Berk. She had pitied Eret, recognizing a lost soul in need of guidance. She had only wanted to help the orphan find his place in her strange world, but while doing so she had unknowingly pushed Hiccup aside.
Hiccup, who had never once needed to fight for his mother's attention, had found himself overlooked by his mother because Eret had needed her more at the time. He had been threatened by Eret's presence, of that Valka had no doubt of. Hiccup had always had her and Valka had always given him her full attention, but now with an extra human in their Nest, some of the attention had been given to Eret, leaving Hiccup feeling ignored and even unloved.
It was something that Valka was somewhat familiar with, having been raised in a human village. This occurred naturally in human homes: sibling rivalry.
The only thing different was that Eret wasn't Hiccup's brother, but he had taken some of Valka's attention away from Hiccup. Her boy, no matter how smart he was, was just that, a little boy prone to tantrums and fits of jealousy when he wasn't given enough attention. Hiccup had been jealous because Eret had taken his mother's attention. It was similar to how an older sibling felt when their parents paid more attention to the younger sibling who needed more guidance.
The two boys had to get along. Valka just didn't know how to ensure they did.
They were from entirely separate worlds, two different realms of reality. Eret hailing from human civilization and Hiccup from a life amongst dragons.
Eret had been around humans his entire life, but Hiccup's only contact with humans had been his mother.
The boys were as different as the worlds they hailed from. Could they overcome their differences, or would they continue to fight one another? Valka didn't know the answer to that. The different worlds they lived in were in constant combat with one another, perhaps it was just the way it was meant to be.
If Eret had been a Viking child, Valka would have been skeptical that he could ever change his ways, but he wasn't a Viking. He was just a normal human child, and all humans had their flaws. Perhaps Eret's flaw was not grasping what she and Hiccup had already grasped, that their world was entirely different from Eret's own.
"Are you mad at me?" Hiccup asked timidly.
Valka shook her head, smiling softly at her son. "No, sweetie, I can never be mad at you."
Hiccup looked over at Eret, a little frown on his delicate facial features. "I'm sorry for biting you." He said, looking sincere and a bit bashful.
Eret knew that was the closest to an apology he would get from the kid. He took it graciously, no longer wanting to fight the child. "I'm sorry for calling you a dummy." He muttered, suddenly shy.
Valka watched on silently besides Cloudjumper, recognizing the truce between the two boys with a silent sigh of relief.
She knew that the two would come to blows again, and fighting one another would be common, but didn't all brothers fight? Eret was Hiccup's brother now; he had become part of their secluded family when he had chosen their lifestyle. Hiccup might not view Eret as a brother yet, but hopefully someday he would. They weren't brothers by blood, but brothers still.
She could only hope as both grew older and more mature, their childish fights would cease as their rivalry towards one another faded over time. They could not afford such heated fights in the Nest, not when doing so could break apart bonds.
The worlds the boys came from were already locked in eternal combat; Valka would ensure that the boys would rise above the hatred man shared with dragon. She would make sure her son and Eret would not fall under the prejudice and idiocy of man.
"Come now," Valka said as she stood, grabbing ahold of Hiccup's hand. "It's almost time for bed, it's been a long day." Hiccup stood up without protest, his sniffles having stopped and his tears dry.
Valka placed a hand on Eret's shoulder, grasping it lightly. Somehow that made her action to Eret just as motherly and caring as holding Hiccup's hand.
The two boys allowed the woman to lead them back home, Cloudjumper trailing behind them. The two boys looked at one another, neither of them angry with one another but simply curious. Hiccup was looking at Eret with intrigue, and Eret was looking at the dragon boy –Hiccup, not dragon boy- with similar curiosity.
"Would you like to explore the caves with Pip, Squeak, Tigg and I? We found a cool cave today; it's full of these cool crystals that glow if you set them on fire… But only if you want to." Hiccup told him as Valka lead them through the rounded tunnel. His bright green eyes were looking at Eret with no traces of jealousy or anger, but there was a bit of shyness about him that made Eret realize that Hiccup was expecting him to reject his offer.
"I'd like that." Eret said with a small grin.
Hiccup smiled at that, and for the first time Eret saw something human in the boy by the way he smiled. Hiccup was weird, there was no denying that. But now Eret realized that didn't make Hiccup a bad person. Hiccup was different, but so was Eret; it had taken a brawl between the two for both of them to realize that.
They were from entirely different worlds, and that had caused tension between them, resulting in fighting. But now the tension was gone, the need to fight was gone as well.
They might be from different worlds, but that doesn't define them as the people they can become. I think they realized that now, Valka mused to herself as she led the two towards home. Perhaps now they can put aside their differences. It'll certainly save me some headaches in the future if they stop fighting one another.
"Come, you two. Let's go home."
Eret and Hiccup nodded their heads at that, following Valka back home.
It's alive! So sorry for how long it took for me to update this story. This chapter was rather hard for me to write as I wanted to make sure that it was exactly how I wanted it to turn out. I wanted to try and be a bit realistic of how I think Hiccup would react to Eret -not kindly- and I felt like the idea of a sibling rivalry developing between the two would be the most likely. Next chapter is a big one, we jump ahead in time and meet a certain Night Fury! Please review and tell me what you think of this chapter and story, they are my motivation to continue writing!