Chapter 9: Two-Way Family Reunion
Back in Dragon Mountain and after Hicca treated some of the wounded dragons, the Haddock twins reattach their flight suits while Heather and Ragnar packed their saddle bags, standing on a ledge overlooking the utopian nest, teeming with dragons as they wait for their mother to surprise their dragons. Several babies race in to hassle Toothless and Midnight as they nap with Windshear and Skully.
"Well, guys, we can't wait around for Drago to attack this place. We've gotta find him first." Hiccup said with a determined voice.
"Guess we have to skip the surprise she was gonna give you two if we're gonna find Drago out there." Hicca added with an apologetic smile.
"Here's hoping your mom is as easy to slip from as your dad." Heather comments as Ragnar chuckles.
Toothless and Midnight didn't hear as they were too busy trying to get the baby dragons off them. Having enough, Toothless and Midnight let out a roar that scared the babies away. Toothless flinched as he felt something bite his tail, he turned and lifted his tail up and saw a baby dragon gnawing at it. Midnight laughs at her mate as Toothless snarls the baby to get off of him, but it continues gnawing at his tail.
Windshear saw this and rolled her eyes playfully as she gently got the baby dragon off the Night Fury.
"Are you two sure talking to Drago is a good idea? Because from what both your parents just said, he really can't be reasoned with." Ragnar pointed out, after hearing both the Haddocks' mother and father, that Drago really can't change.
"Let's go, guys." Hiccup said to them.
"Yeah." Hicca nodded but then, a thick hand clamps down over hers and Hiccup's face, muffling their screams.
"Guys!" Heather and Ragnar cried out as they and their dragons turned and saw their father, Stoick, holding the Haddock twins.
"Easy now," Stoick said as he calmed the four dragons with his hand and released his children.
"Dad?!" Hicca said in shock.
"Stoick!?" Both Berserkers asked in surprise.
"Are you kidding us right now? How'd you get in here?" Hiccup asked in shock.
"This place is secreted to the outside world." Hicca added.
"The same way we're getting you four out of here." Stoick said to his kids.
"We?" The Haddock twins said in confusion as they looked at the tunnel, revealing Gobber keeping watch.
"All clear!" Gobber pointed out.
"Gobber!?" Hicca called out in shock on seeing their mentor here as well.
"Toothless, Midnight, Come. Windshear, Skully, circle around and meet us on the other side" Stoick said to the dragons as they hurried back into the winding corridor.
"Dad! There's something you need to know!" Hiccup called out to get their father to listen.
"Yeah, yeah, tell me on the way." Stoick told them as he was in a hurry.
"This isn't an on-the-way kind of update, actually…" Hicca pointed out but was cut off by their father.
"I've heard ENOUGH, kids." Stoick said in having enough.
"It's really more of the earth-shattering development variety." Heather added.
"Yeah, just add it to the pile." Stoick said in a hurry since he doesn't have time for this.
"Uh Chief, this is a need to know kind of thing." Ragnar told him as Midnight and Toothless got stuck for a moment.
"Dad, unlike most surprises we spring on you, this is one you'll like. We promise!" Hicca promised.
"Yeah. You just have to handle it delicately, so…" Hiccup was cut off when their father stopped.
They round a tight bend in the corridor to find Gobber staring blankly at something unseen in the next chamber. He shuffles past Stoick, the Haddock twins and the two Berserkers in a daze.
"Uh, you might want to take this one. Oh, boy." Gobber said while he sits on a rock to collect himself.
Heather and Ragnar looked at each other as they turned to Gobber. "You saw, right?" Heather asked.
"I sure did." Gobber said with a sigh, "Oh boy." He breathed out while rubbing his head.
Stoick draws his sword, then braves into the chamber ahead. If Gobber was afraid he knew it couldn't be good.
"Dad, can you put the sword away… please." Hiccup told him as he and his sister knew who was in that chamber.
"Because this isn't something you wanna point at it." Hicca added, while having a feeling that their father is in for a big surprise.
Stoick gasps as if seeing a ghost... and drops his sword with a clatter.
It was not just Valka, but also five more Night Furies who are next to her behind the ice, who are five years old compared to their youth and smooth scales. While Valka stands some twenty paces ahead of him. She lets out an audible shudder upon seeing her husband face to face after twenty years.
Stoick removes his helmet slowly as Hiccup, Hicca, Heather, Ragnar, Gobber, Midnight and Toothless appear at Stoick's side while Windshear and Skully come up from behind their respective riders.
"Awkward." Ragnar commented as Heather and the Haddock twins nodded in agreement, Hiccup had his hands behind him, Hicca was twiddling her thumbs and Heather stroked her braid.
Valka was the first to speak. "I know what you're going to say, Stoick." She said to her husband in a rattled voice. "How could I have done this? Stayed away all of these years. And why didn't I come back to you? To our kids." She told them as Stoick stepped towards her, wide-eyed and speechless. Dragons emerge from the recesses behind Valka, hissing protectively. "Well, what sign did I have that you could change, Stoick? That anyone on Berk could?" She continued. "I pleaded so many times to stop the fighting, to find another answer, but did any of you listen?" She asked while rattling her staff.
Gobber spoke up. "This is why I never married. This and one other reason." He told the group while still in shock to know his best friend's wife is alive and was standing right before him.
Stoick continues to close the gap, mesmerized. With every step, Valka becomes increasingly more afraid of his reaction. She backs into an ice wall, with nowhere to go, and Stoick just a few paces away.
Valka spoke with teary eyes. "I know that I left you to raise Hiccup alone... but I thought he'd be better off without me. And I was wrong, I see that now, but…" She stops for a sec as Stoick gently reaches a hand toward her face. "Oh stop being so stoic, Stoick. Go on... SHOUT, SCREAM, SAY SOMETHING!" She pleaded with her husband as she waited for what he's gonna say but froze as she felt his touch on her cheek.
Stoick smiled tearfully at his long lost wife and spoke. "You're as beautiful as the day I lost you." he said softly to her as words snuff her retort, rendering her speechless.
Valka softens despite herself, yielding her cheek to his palm. Stoick caresses her skin as a reluctant tear runs through his fingers. He pulls her into a kiss. She resists briefly, then gives in.
The surrounding dragons softly retreat in kind. Hiccup and Hicca smiled at the sight of their parents finally reunited while Heather and Ragnar turned to them with smiles too as Gobber sniffled happily.
As Stoick and Valka broke away she looked at Midnight and Toothless before whistling up.
The two Night Furies looked up and saw crawling out from the ice spikes were five young Night Furies, possibly only years old.
Midnight blinked in surprise before her nostrils caught their scent, 'Wait, that smell.' She warbled as realization came to her.
'It, it can't be.' Toothless moaned in surprise as the five young Furies walked towards them with gummy smiles.
Hiccup and Hicca looked closely at them and realized it too, "Wait, we know you." Hiccup said with a smile.
"Darkie? Nightshade? Shadow? Starlight? Blaze?" Hicca asked hopefully to the five young Furies with a smile formed as she reached her hand out as her brother did the same.
The five cubs recognized the gestures and immediately pounced on them, nuzzling, licking and playing with the two auburn twins as they laughed.
Toothless and Midnight looked happy as Midnight charged in and quickly brought the Shadow and Nightshade in as close as she could, 'Kids!' She roared in happiness, licking them like her life depended on it.
Hicca turned to her brother as she spoke. "Yup, it's alright with them alright!" She laughed as Starlight kept licking her face.
"No doubt about it!" Hiccup agreed as Darkie nuzzled him and Toothless joined in as well.
Valka walked up to her kids after seeing this.
"So, you know these youngsters?" Valka asked with a smile.
"Yes we do. We recognize their pounce anywhere from five years ago." Hiccup stated as he petted Nightshade and Shadow.
"They're Toothless and Midnight's kids!" Hicca announces as she hugs Starlight.
Valka smiled and nodded. "Hmm, I thought Toothless and Midnight looked familiar." She complimented as she felt Midnight rubbing against to show she was very grateful for saving her hatchlings, "You are very welcome, Midnight."
Gobber and the two Berserkers walked towards them as the five Night Furies cubs ran back to their parents as the family of Night Furies nuzzled, happy to be reunited once again.
"They have the same skins, their eyes and ears are a little different and a little younger." Ragnar pointed out. "How do you guys know those are the same dragons?" He asked the Haddock twins.
"Dragons can recognize the scent of their familiar members, even those they haven't seen in years." Hicca pointed out.
"Not to mention the way they pounce on us." Hiccup added. "They used to do that for a month every morning, after Snoggletog." He finished.
"My sides are still sore from all that pouncing practice." Hicca said with a chuckle before she rubbed her back. "And apparently, they still got it. Ow." She cringed with a smile.
The adult Night furies nuzzles and licks their kids in happinest. 'I'm so glad you five are safe!' Midnight warbled in happiness.
'But what happened to you? We didn't see you five on Dragon Island or anywhere for years.' Toothless roared in question.
'Sorry, dad. We got bored of the island and wanted to see more of the world.' Darkie cooed at his parents.
'It was alright there in front of us and we couldn't resist going out.' Starlight said to her parents as well.
'We flew for months to see what lies beyond the Archipelago, and we found a ton of islands and met a lot of other dragons, some good, others not so much.' Nightstar warbled.
'And would've gone on that way until we were ambushed by some of Drago's soldiers, and barely escaped. But one of us lost a tail fin in the process.' Darkie stated as he lifted up his tail and revealed that his fin was completely gone. Toothless and Midnight growled in shock and anger for what Drago did to one of their childs.
The others saw it and showed sympathy for one of the night furies cubs, "Oh, Darkie, your tail." Hicca said as she looked at it.
'Oh, my poor baby.' Midnight cooed as she nuzzled Darkie in comfort.
The young Night Fury however squirmed in protest, 'Mom! Get off, it's not that bad!' Darkie growled as he managed to wriggle free of his mom, 'Guess we are one of the same, Dad. Hehe." He joked slightly.
'It's not something to joke about, son.' Toothless growled sternly looked at his tailfin while giving a long look as he gave Darkie a nuzzle. 'Just glad that you and the kids are okay and made it out with your lives. But how did you all end up with Valka?' He cooed in curiosity.
'Well, we were founded by Valka, she took us in for protection and we helped her by rescuing other dragons from Drago Bludvist by taking out the outposts and cutting off their ship lines ever since while Darkie stayed in the moutain for his safety.' Blaze added.
Toothless and Midnight looked at Valka and roared in thanking her for taking care of their childrens as they went back to nuzzling.
Hiccup and Hicca turned to their mother. "Mom, how did you find them?" Hiccup asked.
Valka spoke up. "While I was searching the world for any dragon endangered, I came across these five in the woods, when Drago's men were about to capture them if I hadn't arrived in time. Darkie lost a tail fin in the process and the others couldn't leave his side. I brought them into the sanctuary and took care of them ever since." She said with a smile.
Hiccup and Hicca smile at their mother. "We can relate to that too." Hicca said with a smile as she looked at their dragons having a special family reunion moment.
Gobber and the two Berserkers came up. "Boy, you gotta love these family reunions, can't you?" Gobber commented to Heather and Ragnar as they nod in agreement.
But Heather turned her head in sadness as she remembered her father didn't make it. Ragnar saw this and placed his hand on her shoulder. "Don't worry, Heather, If your father were here, he would be proud of you and Chief Dagur for restoring the Berserker tribe and helping others like he did once." He said as Heather smiled and leaned on to his shoulder, at his comfort words.
She looked at the two families, smiling and knowing that she had a family too, of her brother, the people that stood by her, and the person she cared the most.