Ghost's Reign Chapter 53: Nesting Grounds, a How to Train Your Dragon + Big Hero 6 Crossover fanfic

Chapter 53, everybody! Let's be real being kidnapped is probably one of the few effective ways to make Obake take a vacation.

Critics of HTTYD3 have a good point of if dragons had any place to really NOT want humans to be it's the nesting grounds and yet Hiccup in the special walks around with no issue, so the better justification for that event in 3 is the dragons see something in their nest they don't recognize, but again that falls apart when we look at 2 and Hiccup is able to hold a nest off so we're left with what were they smoking with 3. Probably the same stuff that made them think a live-action version was a good idea *bricked*

Tadashi's kind of obliquely quoting Shrek 3, while torfs are in reference to E.E. Knight's Age of Fire series. And Tadashi gets to hear Boulders-on-Hill/Enoka's backstory and I get to edit to have her be referred to by one name in the descriptions, yay! Can tell which parts I wrote first and which ones I went back to later. ^^;

So in other news, a Yokai on a hatching-island was a problem and a headache Tadashi didn't need. Forget the fact that Obake really shouldn't be here to begin with, him wanting to walk around would agitate the mothers and again Tadashi didn't need that.

"Oh leave me alone," Obake groused, still holding himself like he had more than a few sore spots and gingerly walking around. "I'm trying to see if Calhoun's suggestion of walk it off actually has merit."

"HIRO," Tadashi called. "Your Yokai is misbehaving again."

"Oh wow yeah he's totally causing trouble just WALKING around get real, Older-Brother," Hiro chuffed, following after Obake.

"Little-Brother, I don't think you appreciate just how scary angry mothers are."

"I'm cute, they'll forgive me."

At least Obake seemed aware of the danger, doing his best to avoid the bigger clusters of dragons—which wasn't really much considering how many dragons were on the island, but at least he was aware of the danger and the mother dragons glaring teeth into him. Went to the huge pond, considering.

Baymax came over and nudged him away. "Entering that water is not advised."

"I think I've heard of water that color before," Obake said, craning his neck and trying to look. "And no, what I've heard does not encourage me to take a swim."

"Although that would solve some immediate problems," Tadashi muttered.

"OLDER-BROTHER," Hiro said, glaring.

"KIDDING—I'm kidding." Not really, but Hiro didn't need to know that. Monitor the situation, keeping himself poised to intervene and hopefully calming some of the mothers down that way—see? Alpha is ready to tackle the problem, don't panic, focus on your kids.

Obake did finally sit down, fortunately—well, more collapsed, he hadn't really had a quiet night and then yesterday on top of him probably still healing from broken ribs meant he was likely one good sneeze away from keeling over. Take the chance to glance over everything, look up when Fred and Wasabi came in with mouthfuls of fish to assist the families with hatchlings.

"Think we should have brought a net to make this faster," Fred said, coming over to land as Gogo and Honey Lemon flew over next. "Also." Spat a fish out in Obake's direction. "See my dude? Saved you one!"

Obake was looking at it like he was thinking that starvation was the better option; looked up when Tadashi huffed at him. "Eat the fish." Preferably before he got so hungry he decided to go after a hatchling instead.

Obake looked back at the fish, scrubbed at his face, dragged those long-paws down to glower at the larger hydrothermal pond. "I wonder if I couldn't dip the fish in that somehow to flash-fry it."

"Oh right he doesn't like fish raw," Hiro said.

"Ah dang—hold on a minute my dude, I can fix that," Fred said—spat a torf of flame on the fish, making Obake scramble back. "Wait too much?"

Hiro stomped on the flames to smother it, flipped it around a few times to show that one side of the fish was burnt to a crumbly crisp while the other was still raw. Look at Obake, who shook his head. "Yeah, too much."

"Your Yokai is really picky, Little-Brother," Tadashi told him.

"That's not MY fault!"

"Sure it isn't." Huff and look away, amused at Hiro's squawking—

And then Enoka herded her hatchlings over to Obake.

"Now, you stay here with Uncle Obake while I go fish," she ordered.

"What's an Obake?" one hatchling asked.

"Is he a dragon?" another asked, blinking at him.

"Obake is a Yokai, Hiro there will tell you more," Enoka told them.

"Yes I will, but first you must refer to me as the fabulous Yokai-Tamer!" Hiro announced, puffing up.

"You're selling me again, aren't you?" Obake asked him.

"Ah…can I talk to you?" Tadashi said, padding over to Enoka and gesturing away with his head. "Are you sure about this?"

"I mean yes that's a lot of hatchlings to keep track of but I'm sure he can manage for like, ten minutes," she assured him.

"Not that—it's…you know he's a Yokai."

"I know," she replied. "Now name a dragon that wouldn't think twice about trying something near one."

He blinked at her. "Ah…what? Now wait a minute—go back a bit. All these dragons here, and you pick a Yokai to keep an eye on hatchlings. I was standing right there and you picked a dragon-eating Yokai."

"You can keep an eye on them too," she said. "And no, he's not dragon-eating—I watched him take care of a hatchling for over two moon-cycles, he can handle mine for ten minutes."

"And you had nobody else you could have asked."

She gave him a studiously blank look. "No one I trust."

Which left him puzzling over that statement when she flew off.

But it did once again highlight a main concern: that was, a Yokai on the nesting island that needed to be returned to his own nest. Preferably sooner rather than later.

"I mean I could fly him back," Diego offered, scratching behind an ear. "No mating this time around, and I miss Vitani."

"I don't feel comfortable letting someone else carry him," Tadashi protested.

"So he did get attached," Diego said to Hiro, grinning.

"Can confirm, he did," Hiro said, looking entirely too pleased with himself.

"I have CONCERNS about letting a YOKAI on someone else. There are REASONS," Tadashi insisted.

"Like how he keeps getting smothered by Gronkle babies?" Diego asked, watching as Obake peeled another one off.

"Yeah that WHY did Boulders-on-Hill pick him THERE WERE OPTIONS."

"My dude, don't get jealous," Fred counseled. "Just insert yourself into the cute pile and give in."

"Fred that is NOT my point."

"It bears asking what your point is," Diego pointed out.

"She watched him take care of me, she trusts him," Hiro pointed out. "And…you know, she doesn't really know any of us…."

"What does that have to do with—" Tadashi started to ask—cut off when he saw Hiro's expression. "There's more, isn't there."

Hiro nodded, mouth tight. "I…it's not my place to say. Ask her when she comes back."

Tadashi considered this, the way Hiro shifted a little on his paws…finally nodded and laid down, still keeping a sharp eye on Obake and the Gronkle babies.

"See? See?" Fred asked, resting his head on Tadashi's back and watching starry-eyed as the first Gronkle baby toddled over. "Give in to the cuteness."

"One day you're going to have hatchlings and be completely hopeless, I hope you know that," Tadashi told him.

"And that day will be GLORIOUS but until then."

Enoka came back and fed her hatchlings, everything was technically nice and calm and good. Saying that, Tadashi waited until her hatchlings were asleep—honestly, until everyone in the immediate area was asleep—before sidling over next to her.

"They're cute when they're asleep," he observed.

"They are," she said, watching them with the same expression he remembered seeing on his parents when Hiro was newly hatched.

"So," Tadashi said, hedging around the topic before finally deciding that directness was probably the best option. "WHY did you ask OBAKE to keep an eye on your hatchlings?"

"Can we start with 'Yokai don't eat dragons'?" she asked.

"I mean yes we know that NOW but still." Flip an ear, consider. "Was it to get the other dragon moms to stop glaring at him? Because I don't think that worked."

"No."

Hrrm. "Hiro said you picked him because you trust him, since he already took care of one hatchling."

"That was a contributing factor, yes."

Oi. "He also said there was more to it, and that I should ask you."

That got her to huff and look away. "Was that all he said on it?"

"Yes." Tip his head a bit, angle his ears and flaps in the way that had made him look cute when he was Hiro's age and hopefully defused the situation now. "So…do I ever get to hear the full story? I mean you were with Hiro for moon-cycles, you probably already heard about how awesome Night Furies are so when there's one right there that you don't ask…."

Boulders-on-Hill wrinkled her snout at him, amused. "Oh yeah, I can totally see the family resemblance."

"Yeah—I like to lean into it sometimes and bug Hiro about it," Tadashi admitted. Laid down and rested his head down, still keeping his ear flaps up and out. "Tell me the truth, am I still cute?"

"Not by Gronkle standards, but you have the same sort of look that Hiro has when he tries it on Obake, so I'm going to go with 'maybe.'" Shake herself a little, check on her hatchlings again…sigh.

Tadashi twitched an ear-flap. "What's the matter?"

"It's just…I wasn't able to grab all my eggs. I'm not sure…I don't know what happened to them."

"One of us can take Obake back and look."

"I guess." She didn't seem enthused about that—told him why in her next muttered moment. "It wouldn't be the first time I lost hatchlings."

Okay now Tadashi was all ear flaps. "What happened?"

She considered him for the longest time…finally told him what had happened at her first nest, of how some despicable dragons waited until her hatchlings were unattended and then—

"No no no sorry sorry!" Tadashi said quickly, when his growl woke some of the hatchlings up. "I was…I was just practicing my scary faces and getting your mom's input on them, okay? Go back to sleep."

Most of the hatchlings did so, although one blinked at him blearily for a few moments before growling back at him. Tadashi imitated back, teeth sheathed, popped them in and out when the hatchling looked confused.

"It's a shame you didn't have hatchlings," Enoka said, sounding amused as the hatchling fell back asleep.

"Ah, still too busy keeping after Hiro," Tadashi told her. "But…I'm sorry."

"What happened at my old nest wasn't your fault."

"No…but…fine I was a little salty you picked Obake over anyone else." Settle back down. "I guess I should have figured there was a reason."

"There was," she said. "The reason being that any dragon would think twice about going near a Yokai, and I know he'd fight back if someone tried something." Sigh, look away. "I'm sorry too, for not trusting you all. I mean, you fought a dragon a billion times your size to get back to your little brother."

"I mean we've been around each other for a while, but…I get your reason."

They stared at the sky for a long while, moonless night allowing them to better see the belly of the Great Celestial Dragon that forever flew the night skies.

"Are we going back?" Enoka asked him suddenly.

"I—" Hesitate, look away, down. "I don't know. We could, see if your other eggs are okay…but my intent was to leave Yokai behind, honestly."

"You still don't trust them."

"Do you?" It was an honest enough question, he thought—yes they had gotten used to each other…but that didn't negate the idea that one could spin around and bite them if it suited the Yokai.

"I want to," she said. "I trust Obake, and I like Dave…I even get why he tried to keep me on Yokai, when everyone was flying away. They're like us, in some ways—they've spent so long under a bad alpha that now they don't exactly know what to do with themselves. I think there's good in them, and that some things bring that out, like being with us. I think they want to be good, and when that motivation started flying away, it scared them."

That seemed deep. And….

Sigh, look down. "I understand that Obake took care of Hiro. But he was also the one who shot him down to begin with, and no amount of justifying changes that in my eyes. But at the same time…." Flick an ear. "At the same time I see them trying. I saw Obake nearly torn to pieces trying to keep Hiro safe when they were taken. I saw him have a whole breakdown and try to run away, only for one of the others to talk him into coming back, because they wanted him in charge. He's…not a bad alpha…but there's still that thing he did."

Enoka gently shifted a little so she could put her head down, eyes flicking over him worriedly.

"If he hadn't done that, would anything have changed?"

Tadashi opened his mouth to respond—stopped dead when he realized the answer. No…no nothing would have changed, he would have kept his head down like they all had, focused on staying alive and under the radar. Everyone's lives would still be misery if that hadn't happened, because he wouldn't have had the motivation to risk his life to change it.

"I wish it was me shot down instead," he tried.

"And if it were you instead, would you have given him the chance Hiro did?"

The answer to that was also no—he would have blasted Obake apart, honestly.

Enoka lifted her head enough to bump her nose against his shoulder. "You'll give yourself gray scales beating yourself up over what-ifs. Believe me, I know. Bad things happen to good dragons, but it's the choices we make, how we respond to them, that brings us to the good place in the end." Smile at him. "I'm here because I got shot down and knocked out on Yokai—it was terrifying, but I'm not complaining."

Tadashi chuffed, ducking his head a little. "For the record, you got the 'sage mother' bit down pat."

"Thanks—I practiced on your brother," Enoka said, amused.

"Is that why he behaves for you? Teach me your ways, grand master dragon, he gives me grief if I even breathe in his direction."

"I think that's just sibling behavior."

He chuffed his amusement at that, looked up at the stars again…rested his jaw on his paws, debating…found that no, he hadn't really wanted to leave Yokai, deep down…he wanted to try, some part of him wanted to try, it was just the stubborn bullheaded part of him that didn't want to let go just yet.

If only the what-ifs would leave him alone.

Morning didn't see the mothers with less judgy eyes, which was annoying—not that Hiro planned on leaving Obake unattended anyway, but yeesh, you'd think they'd be calmer he was an alpha.

"Maybe we go sit down," Hiro chuffed at him as another mother growled at them picking their way around the edge of the island. Obake gave no indication he heard him—or even that he had taken much notice of the various dragons growling at him; he was pretty intently focused on the edges of the island, how the cliffs sheered down and in so they couldn't be climbed up from below, how there were rings of rocky teeth around the island preventing water-travelers from approaching, as the one dead one showed.

Second circuit Obake paused and considered it for a long time, peering at it and tipping his head like a dragon considering prey before moving on.

"Okay so," Fred declared when they came close. "We've tested a couple of ways to do the fish, tell us which one works."

Judging by the way Obake was stock-still and staring, he likely wasn't expecting this, from the fish that had been dipped in the flash-fry pool to the one sitting in Enoka's flaming mouth to the one on Fred's flaming tail to the one sizzling on a patch of superheated rock, likely thanks to Tadashi. Circle around to see him grimacing as Fred flipped the one on his tail over, Enoka depositing hers; finally looked resigned as he sat down crosslegged and started picking his way through it all.

"Probably it doesn't have enough leaf-water or dead maggots or whatever," Hiro said after Obake's moment of silence (judging by the long pause and the way he sagged, he suspected it had gone somewhat like thank you for the…food…and PLEASE give me strength). "You know they like having stuff with it."

"Hmm…lemme see if I can't rustle something else up, hold on," Fred said, winging away. "Be right back!"

"I can't stay here," Obake said to Hiro. "I appreciate the attempt, but there's such a thing as dying from malnutrition and I've already been flirting with that for too long."

"Fred's looking for something, we promise," Hiro told him. Looked over as Tadashi touched down in a landing.

"Do I dare ask?" he asked as he padded over.

"Obake's antsy," Hiro decided to supply.

"Gee, you think maybe it has something to do with all the angry mothers on the island that he's busy making nervous?"

"Enoka, Tadashi's picking on my Yokai."

"You hatchlings play nice," she muttered, dozing lightly as her kids tumbled all over her. One paused to buzz its wings at Fred as he flew back over—

"Bleah—how's that? Does that work?" he asked brightly, bobbing his head at a disgusted Obake, busy staring at the mouthful of seaweed he had produced. "Oh wait does it need heating too? Hold on." Flip it over onto the patch of still-hot rock, getting a lot of steam and sizzling and sending several small crabs and shrimp scuttling away. "How's that?"

Obake looked very resigned at this point, examined the fish which were all still raw on one side, laid them raw-side down on the seaweed before standing and dusting himself off.

"I can't tell, is that a yes or a no?" Fred asked Hiro.

"I think it's a maybe," Hiro said, following Obake as he started back around the island; heading in the opposite direction was intriguing enough, although Tadashi accompanied them this time.

"Okay, I've given it some thought, and I'm willing to fly him back to Yokai," Tadashi announced.

"We knew you had gotten attached," Hiro teased. "And didn't a few other dragons volunteer for this?"

"Yes, but firstly I'm not sure I'm comfortable with him on another dragon—"

"He does fine with the wing-walking game."

"And slid right off of Honey Lemon that time. Secondly, I can fly faster than anyone else here, I can be there and back with as little time spent on this as possible."

Hiro made a half-dismissive noise, paused with Obake when a bunch of hatchlings tumbled through, one Rumblehorn hatchling ending up on its back and squealing for help, its mother already bulling over and snarling for them to back off—

Paused, blinking, when Obake slipped a toe under the hatchling, flipped it upright, and circled around as wide as he was able, still focused on whatever it was he was fixated on currently.

"They're SO scary, aren't they?" Hiro teased as he bounced along.

"No teasing mothers," Tadashi chuffed at him, nodding at the Rumblehorn mother sniffing her hatchling over and asking if it was okay.

"Everybody's been overreacting at him, I think I've earned the right to be teasing at this point," Hiro argued, nodding at several dragons still tracking Obake's progress. Sat when Obake finally stopped, crouching and looking out at the beached water-traveler. Very intently looking at the beached water-traveler, hmm.

"Ten fish says he's got a way to use that thing," Hiro said, jerking his head at the water-traveler. Tadashi looked at it, made a pensive noise as he considered it…finally agreed to the bet. Watch him intently…come on, don't make him have to pay out….

Obake finally turned his attention to Hiro, considering him before rubbing at the rocky surface, making a dissatisfied noise at the lack of dirt to draw in. Hiro looked around—ran and fetched a small rock for him to scratch with, nudged it over after spitting it out.

"We've established that I'd fall clean off Tadashi without a saddle, correct?" he asked Hiro, scratching out the scribbles for rope and boat, which was the Yokai word for water-traveler. "So at the very least, I need something to tie myself to him so he can't act on his desires and dump me halfway back."

Hiro gave Tadashi a pointed look. "He knows me so well," Tadashi sighed.

"So now it's just a matter of getting over there and finding a good piece of rope that's still in decent shape. Rope, Hiro. Unless you have someone willing to give me a lift to that ship," he added drily, indicating the water-traveler.

"I win," Hiro said, grinning at Tadashi.

"Whatever," Tadashi muttered. "Hey, Diego! You were talking about wanting to give Obake a lift?"

"Oh you're going to let me fly your Yokai?" Diego asked, padding over. "Guess it wasn't that serious."

"Har har, very funny—"

"Wait are we leaving already?" a Nadder asked, popping her head up.

"I—no wait guys NO we're not leaving yet—Diego fly him over to that dead water-traveler."

The Sabertooth Driver looked at the water-traveler in question. "I'm guessing the fish didn't go well?"

"No, he's going to use something from there in a really clever way," Hiro said, launching off the island and riding the strong breeze up. "Now come on."

Something that Obake had been able to appreciate during his circuits of the island was the stiff, strong breeze that blew straight up from the sides, possibly because of the shape of the cliffs. Probably this would bolster the young dragons when it came time to fly, although he had some concerns when he looked back to see that several were clustered against the edge he and Diego had just left, watching them with eyes far too big for their heads which were in turn far too big for their bodies. Jump off and slide down the canted deck when Diego landed on the ship, look back—a baby Zippleback tried to follow, was blown back onto the island by the stiff wind.

"Well I suppose we won't have help," he mused, watching as a baby Nadder tried as well, only to suffer the same fate. Look at Hiro, tip his head as he pictured him with those proportions, maybe the length of his forearm and toddling around with an oversized head that was mostly eyes.

Hiro apparently figured him bursting into laughter was at his expense, huffed and stalked off as best he could when the terrain was at an angle. Obake looked back, saw that several of the hatchlings (dragonlings? Dragonets?) were making a game of it, leaping out and flapping frantically as they were blown back to solid land.

"Keep an eye on them, would you?" he asked Diego before heading down below deck. Diego nodded, settled in for the long haul as Obake ducked down.

He had to take a few beats for his eyes to adjust to the darkness below deck—heart seized at movement before he connected the green eyes to Hiro.

"Are you still mad at me?" he teased, getting a huff in response—so that was likely a yes. Start poking around for something useful, careful of the potentially-rotting wood—

Did eventually find a few lengths of rope to bring up to the sun and see if it was worth anything, Hiro eventually dragging some up as well. Most of it was far too thick to use with a dragon outside of tying it up, and of the thinner stuff most of it had molded to the point it snapped with just a little pressure.

Did eventually find a length that would work, roll it up and shoulder it, turn to look back at the island—

A Gronkle hatchling flung itself out, came to the sudden realization that it was just a tad too heavy for the breeze as it plummeted with a shriek—

Diego caught the end of Obake's coat right as he lunged to try to catch it, barely doing so—yanked them both back before he could take a header into the water. Which, unfortunately, ended with him having a Gronkle hatchling land hard on his empty stomach again.

"I've decided I don't like kids," Obake groaned finally, in response to Hiro's constant nosing.