After striking up a cordial friendship with Cloudjumper and Skullcrusher, Blueheart felt more comforted being on Berk. But she was exhausted from the energy of the Great Hall, even though it was far from its full capacity.
Sensing his mate's discomfort, Toothless decided he ought to show Blueheart a quiet spot just for the two of them.
When Zyrah noticed the pair exiting the Great Hall, she was initially unsure, but Hiccup stepped in to assure her that they would be perfectly safe being out by themselves. Hiccup had to overcome the same anxiety more times than he cared to admit, letting Toothless be independent when he had the chance.
Plus, there was the additional safety of Berk's flock protecting their Alpha if necessary.
Stepping out in the cool night air, Blueheart sucked in a deep breath, feeling an appreciation for the quiet environment, with the distant sounds of dragon calls, sheep bleats, or hearty laughs and cheers from different homes within the village. The sky was perfectly clear, stars twinkling overhead, and the moon was almost full.
It was a beautiful night.
Might I suggest an evening stroll? Toothless suggested with a toying grin, flexing his mechanical fin a bit awkwardly. She mirrored his grin, joining his side, their bodies seemingly a perfect match. She fit perfectly against him, her powerful, slender body matching his own powerful, muscular body.
Together, they wandered through Berk's boreal forest, the towering pines and firs shadowing them, making the air feel cooler than it was in the village. Distant owl's hoots echoed, adding to the atmosphere. A low, sparse fog had also fallen over the forest floor, casting an eerie glow on the Night Fury pair.
Toothless marveled at how Blueheart's eyes seemed to have a glow all their own and the way her complete tail swished around in the fog.
He never dared to admit it, but he felt a twinge of envy whenever he spied his mate's tail. Both fins intact, and her having complete control of them. And with the knowledge that the egg she still carried… would also be born with a complete tail.
Blueheart appeared to notice his shift in demeanor, his eyes glancing away whenever her tail was in sight. Concerned, she turned to him.
Ryvir? Her gentle voice questioned, soliciting his attention. She gazed lovingly at him, and he knew she was onto him.
Myrai… He answered in a low tone, closing his eyes, curling his head around hers, and resting his chin on her neck.
What's on your mind? He sluggishly pulled back before then angling his head in the direction of her stomach.
The egg? She inquired. It hasn't even been laid yet. He sighed.
It's… not entirely that. I just… it's not something I've really talked about before, not with Stormfly or Cloudjumper.
What?
My tail. He swung his tail between them, sitting down and staring at it. He could move and flex it to a limited degree, but with Hiccup left the current tail mechanics, he did not have full control over it.
What of it?
It's just… it's a challenge. Being the Alpha, I have this tail when I can barely lift off the ground by myself without Hiccup's help. He vented, and with you carrying our egg, with the knowledge that our baby will be born with a complete tail-
Ryvir. She interrupted, it's okay. I understand.
He blinked.
What?
I know it's envy. And I understand. I've noticed how you look at my tail, not just when we're together but when we fly together. It's normal.
He was a bit taken aback by her honesty, yet at the same time, he felt comforted by her understanding of a feeling he'd never verbally expressed.
You have no idea how much it means that you understand.
I'm your mate; of course I do. She replied matter-of-factly. He snickered, giving her a loving kiss on the side of her head. Feeling better, he made a decision to show her someplace special.
C'mon. I want to show you something. He gestured for her to follow him, taking short bursts of flight through the woods. And normally, she would've been able to catch up easily; however, with the added weight of the egg, she wasn't nearly as fast. Not to mention she wanted him to have the advantage since this was his territory, and she didn't mind him leading.
After roughly 20 minutes of navigating the woods, Toothless spied the drop up ahead.
With an angled turn, he fanned out his wings, aiding for a smoother glide down to the cove's floor next to the large pond. She landed gracefully next to him, folding her wings up.
You'll be able to get out of here without Hiccup? She questioned in uncertainty.
I've been able to do so before. Though, now I can make my way out a bit more easily now that I'm older.
Alright, I'll take your word for it. She conceded.
It was incredible that his and Hiccup's journey began here. All those days of understanding and learning to trust each other. Over her shoulder, she spied an old shield lodged between two boulders, the mossy wood beginning to rot, breaking from its iron frame.
Toothless began to show her around the cove, even revealing the spot where he drew Hiccup for the first time, where he finally allowed the young Viking to touch his nose, bonding them. She could feel the magic and electricity in the air, it gave her an invigorating chill, her wings shuddering.
Within her, she felt the egg shift, furthering its way deeper. Her heart pounded, knowing her body was prepping itself.
And Toothless also sensed it.
Myrai?
This egg is coming very soon. I can feel it. We need to get back to the village. With a feeling of urgency, the pair helped each other out of the cove's towering cliffs, making their way back to the village.
Lightbolt and Stormfly were the first to see them.
Hey, you two! Enjoy your evening? Stormfly greeted, fanning her crown of spines.
We did. I showed her the cove.
We'll go back another time. But I'm feeling more and more tired.
Egg weight. I gotcha. Let's get you home. Stormfly offered, leading her friend to the Haddock house with a smile.
As the girls walked away, Lightbolt turned to Toothless.
Y'know, I'm genuinely very happy for you both. You've made her the happiest that I've seen. The Skrill congratulated, ruffling his back spines, sending a quit jolt of lighting down his back and around his wings.
Thank you, Lightbolt. It means a lot. Though, I know I can't be around her always.
What do you mean?
You know. We live on different islands, as do our riders. Human relationships get complicated, and it seems exhausting for her to fly back and forth constantly. Toothless attempted, though Lightbolt didn't initially seem to understand what the Alpha was implying.
And what of it?
I dunno. But I'm sure I can entrust you to help care for her when I can't.
Well, of course, she's my best friend. I'd kill for her if she wanted me to, and I know you'd do the same.
Damn right.
The following morning, Zyrah stirred and woke to the sound of Terrors screeching outside.
"Gods, the Terrors back home are not this obnoxious in the morning…" She groaned, ruffling her messy hair. Next to her in bed, Konall strained his eyes as he adjusted to the morning light.
"Morning to you too." He grumbled, sitting up, "Sleep well?" She nodded, rubbing at her eyes and stretching.
"I'm just glad Toothless and Blueheart got home safely." Konall couldn't help but snicker as he grabbed a comb, working his way through Zyrah's tangled locks.
"You sound like a parent with teenagers." He commented. She scoffed.
"Oh please, like you don't worry about Lightbolt the same way."
"Hey, not saying I don't." He defended with an eye roll. "I just don't say it out loud."
On the opposite bed, Rurik stirred awake as well. Equally unimpressed with the squawking of Terrors outside, he wordlessly slipped out of bed, reaching into his pack, and pulled on a tunic. His and Zyrah's morning routines had always been the same, though he was never much of a morning person.
Zyrah was always the first up, and the sounds of her dressing and doing her hair would typically wake Rurik. So when she's up, he's up, too. Rurik loved his sister, but he couldn't wait for her to move out of the house so he could actually sleep in without being bothered. Though she did have some mornings where she preferred to sleep in, and of course, she hated being woken up by someone else other than herself.
"I already can't wait for you to move out." He blurted, receiving a pillow to the face, "This is what I get for having an early bird as a sister."
"And you've dealt with this for 16 years," Konall replied as he dressed.
"Soon, you'll be dealing with it for the rest of your life." Rurik retorted, he and Zyrah sticking their tongues out at each other.
"Thor, help me." Konall sighed.
After the siblings were done with their banter, the three made their way to the main room where Hiccup was with Valka, the latter stoking the fire as Hiccup got food ready.
"Morning, you three!" Hiccup greeted, stirring the cauldron.
"Morning, Hiccup. I'm gonna tell you this much, the Terrors here are so much worse than back home." Zyrah shared as she took a seat.
"Yeah, well, I just like to say they're singing."
"Worst dragon singing I've ever heard."
"Says you, I woke up to you complaining." Rurik snarked. Like Konall, Hiccup sighed in exasperation as he realized that this brother and sister would cause him as many headaches as the twins, and that wasn't including Snotlout.
"Alright, how about we move past the Terrors and decide the plan for today? Zyrah? I imagine you'll want to check up on Blueheart and see how she's doing."
"Where does Toothless usually sleep?"
"In the back. We built a special door for him, so Blueheart is gonna be there as well." Zyrah scarfed down her small bowl of breakfast, rinsed it in a bucket with other dishes, and made her way into the back part of the Haddock house.
The extended rear of the house was essentially a built-in barn and was rather roomy. There was hay and fur blankets scattered about the floor for extra comfort, and Zyrah immediately found Toothless and Blueheart cuddled up together atop a pile of blankets.
She cautiously approached the sleeping pair, but as her foot disturbed the hay, Toothless's head shot up, initially defensive and ready to attack. When he recognized Zyrah, his pupils expanded, and he eased up. With a warm smile, she tentatively took a few steps forward till she was right next to Blueheart.
Upon feeling her rider's familiar touch graze her head, Blueheart blinked her eyes open. The female stood and stretched, arching her back, giving Zyrah a clear view of how close Blueheart was to laying her egg. It could even happen today.
"How're you holding up, girl? You ready for this egg?" Blueheart warbled softly to her rider, nuzzling Zyrah's cheek.
"Hmhm… I love you, too. I'm so excited for you."
Following Zyrah's morning visit, the day went about as usual. Hiccup brought her, Konall, and Rurik to the smith's forge to officially meet Gobber and "observe him in his natural habitat", Hiccup teased.
Gobber was already at work, metallic clanging echoing through the shop and into the village atmosphere. He was seemingly talking to himself and his Hotburple, Grump, who was lounging on the dirt floor, smoke exhaling from his nostrils.
"Ay! 'Iccup! There you are. Not 'bout to be 'ate for work again?" Gobber joked with the young chief, poking him with his prosthetic tongs that replaced the hook he wore the previous night.
"Yeah yeah. Gobber, I wanna officially introduce you to Zyrah, Konall, and Rurik."
"Ah! The other Night Fury rider!" Gobber enthused with an arched bushy unibrow.
"That's me. Rurik over there is my brother, and Konall is my boyfriend." The latter couldn't help but puff his chest in pride with how Zyrah introduced him.
"Ay, then thank Thor ye won't 'ave ta deal with the Jorgensen boy pinin' after ye!" Zyrah just rolled her eyes.
"He never had eyes for me to begin with. Not that I cared."
"Ah, well, if not 'im, then 'ook out for the Larson boy. I reckon he's 'bout yer age." Now that caught Zyrah's attention. She turned to Hiccup, who already looked annoyed.
"Larson?" Hiccup sighed.
"Gustav Larson. He's Snotlout's self-proclaimed 'protegee.' He's obnoxious… but he has proven himself, so I'll give him that. He's a member of our former Auxiliary Team."
"Auxiliary Team? Sounds fancy." Rurik commented.
"Astrid created it as an extra task force to protect Berk while the riders and I were away on the Edge. But that was a while ago." Behind the forge window, Astrid approached the group, removing her double-headed ax on the ledge, knowing Gobber would sharpen it up for her.
"We have a lot to show around here." She added to their chat, receiving a beaming smile from Hiccup.
"Lead the way, chief!"