"That Nadder lost his flight from one of Drago's traps," Valka said. "He had part of his wing sliced clean off. And then he was kept tied down, used as bait to draw more dragons in. He must have been in such pain…"
Hiccup swallowed morosely, looking on at the proud-looking creature she referred to. He'd taken a break from eating and was in the process of preening himself, his purple scales shining in the nest's light.
"That Terror was captured, too," Valka said gravely. "Drago's trappers bound her wings far too tightly, for far too long."
Cloudjumper crooned beside her, and she patted his flank.
The Terror picked that moment to emerge again from the fish pile, a large piece disappearing down her gullet. She chirped and then crept rapidly towards the two humans with dozy eyes, and Hiccup sensed immediately that she was full.
"Hey there…" Hiccup went, as the Terror cautiously sniffed in his direction.
Hiccup couldn't help but stare at the poor creature's wings. She held them tightly and unevenly behind her, the bones visibly bent out of shape. "Gods…"
The Terror chirped quietly back at him, smiling a dragonish smile, keeping herself just out of reach.
Hiccup's reaction was prompt: he closed his eyes and turned his head, holding out his hand. Warm scales pressed into his palm; he both heard and felt the Terror's purr. Then the Terror stumbled on towards Valka and curled up under her hand, showing every sign of falling asleep.
Again, Hiccup found himself looking at those wings. The cruelty of dragon trappers never ceased to appall him, though he was sadly unsurprised. This was why he had to talk to Drago and make the man see sense, so that Drago would stop all of this…
"As for the Nightmare…we found him on a small island as a fledgeling, trapped and alone," his mother said. "He couldn't fly with that wing, of course."
The Nightmare in question was still eating, looking like he was having the time of his life. His scales were a rich mixture of yellow and orange, his posture distinctly lopsided from his withered forelimb.
"His dam must have abandoned him," Valka said softly. "To think how he must have felt as she flew away…"
Hiccup glared at her. Seriously!? He almost snapped at her, fresh feelings of abandonment welling within him. But then he caught sight of the little Terror, now very much asleep, and he backed down before Valka could notice.
"But he's safe here, thanks to the King," she said. "All of them are."
The King had laid himself down by the time, his movements slow and careful. He wore a contented expression, still watching Toothless and the others feast.
"With his icy breath, this gentle giant carved our nest," Valka said. She swept a hand upwards, towards that thick icy ceiling along with the thick ice-pillars holding it up. "We all live under his care…and his command."
That last comment, Hiccup thought, felt strangely pointed. Then he followed her gaze, and he found her focussed on his best friend.
"It's strange," she said. "I've never seen a dragon reject an alpha's call. I've never seen a dragon even try that. And you say there's no alpha on Berk?"
Hiccup shook his head, at himself more than at her question. Snapping at her would do no good; he should just let Toothless eat and then get out of here…
"No," Hiccup said. "No alpha. I mean, there's a few scattered flocks here and there, on Berk and on nearby islands. But there's no overall alpha. Not like…well, him." He pointed at the King. "Or, y'know, that queen."
Valka looked down, looking deep in thought. "I never thought an alpha could be so cruel," she said. "Our King…he looks after us. He keeps us safe. He makes sure that everyone has plenty to eat. He's our ruler, and our protector. He's…he's everything an alpha should be."
A pack of Nadder hatchlings picked that moment to land on his great tusks, their scales gleaming in an assortment of colors. Several quickly found their way to the top of his head. The king snorted fondly as they chirped and flapped around, making no attempt to move them on.
"Tell me, son," Valka said. "What does Toothless do for his nest?"
"What, Berk?" Hiccup said. "I mean...he does a lot, you know?" He shrugged his shoulders. "He helps me run the dragon academy; the other dragons all seem to listen to him. And there's always problems to deal with on Berk, and Toothless…he helps. A lot."
"Problems?" Valka said, looking genuinely puzzled.
"Well, you know," Hiccup replied. "Outcasts. Berserkers. Hunters. Wild dragons; things like that. And hey, we're at peace with the Outcasts now. We're at peace with the Berserkers again, too. And we couldn't have done any of that without Toothless."
"Mm," Valka went. She observed Toothless intently, barely seeming to react to her son's words. "And…what of the wild dragons? How does he get on with them?"
"They…listen to him, I think," Hiccup said. "We see dragons scuffle in the village sometimes, but Toothless always puts a stop to that." He crossed his arms, looking up at the nest's thick protective ice. "Even the dragons outside the village listen, when Toothless is around. I really don't know what we'd do without him."
Valka nodded her head, smiling like she knew something he did not. "He's the alpha," she said. "And he doesn't even realize it…"
Hiccup chuckled awkwardly. "What, Toothless? Alpha?" He shook his head rapidly. "No, no, that's ridiculous! He's not an alpha, he's just…persuasive. That's all."
Valka sighed and looked down, clearly unconvinced. Then she suddenly looked back to the dragons, blinking rapidly. "Oh! What are they…"
Hiccup looked forward as well, and he noticed the injured dragons all crowding around his best friend, with the Nadder hatchlings rushing circles around him for good measure. Hiccup could hear a range of excited clicks and chirps and coos, Toothless barely even visible in the bustle. Even the King seemed to be taking an interest, rumbling faintly at the scene before him. The meal seemed to be finished by then, and a few other hatchlings and Terrors had already found the remaining fish.
And then, all of a sudden, Toothless took wing.
"What the—bud!" Hiccup scrambled upright, rushing towards his friend. Then Toothless lost his balance in the air, and Hiccup's heart leapt. "Toothless!"
Toothless crashed hard into the ground, throwing up dust around him, before quickly rolling to his feet. He barked towards Hiccup, flashing a gummy smile.
"Wait," Hiccup said, slowing to a stop. "What are you…"
Toothless took off again, enthusiastically pumping his wings, his prosthetic tailfin limp and useless. He lost his balance again almost immediately, his limbs and tail flailing. He fell onto his side close to Hiccup, hitting the ground with an audible thump.
"Woah! You okay, bud?"
Toothless shook himself off and then warbled an affirmative, the grounded dragons rushing on over. Several of them went to investigate the prosthetic, sniffing and warbling curiously, and Toothless made a number of noises right back at them. Hiccup then spotted a bulky green dragon limping steadily towards the group — a 'Snafflefang', his mother had called it — with a maimed foreleg held far from the ground.
"He's…showing them," Valka said, walking with Cloudjumper marching proudly alongside. "Remarkable…"
"Wait, showing them? What do you—"
Then a familiar dragon head nudged him, catching his attention. He found Toothless looking pointedly at his saddle, positioned for Hiccup to climb on. Understanding came immediately, and Hiccup grinned.
"You got it, bud," Hiccup said.
The dragons all went quiet as Hiccup climbed on. He hooked his pegleg into the pedal and then flexed the fin slowly, Toothless keeping perfectly still. The assembled dragons cooed and sniffed, widening their eyes. The Raincutter trilled and flapped her wings, prompting the Hobblegrunt and Nadder to do likewise.
Hiccup grinned even wider, his mouth opening wide. These dragons understood; they knew that Toothless could fly this way, even though he was crippled and flightless on his own. Toothless crouched down low, and Hiccup braced himself.
"Let's do it, bud," he said.
Toothless leapt into the air and pumped his wings, and a chorus of approving roars sounded from below. He leveled off and circled slowly, flapping from time to time to maintain his height. Hiccup worked the pedal with no thought needed, reacting instantly and seamlessly to his friend's movements.
And down below, those grounded dragons watched and cooed, with pure wonder on all of their faces…
Before Hiccup even knew it, his mind was working. He imagined a prosthetic foot for the Snafflefang, to let it properly stand and walk on all fours. He thought of how he might repair or patch the Raincutter's ripped wing. And then there was the possibility of a prosthetic for the Nadder…maybe even something for the Nightmare…some sort of braces for the Terror's wings, perhaps, if she could be convinced to try them…there were probably more injured dragons here, he could ask his mother, surely she'd be willing to talk about that…
"You know, bud…I think I could help them," Hiccup said. "Some of them, at least."
Toothless looked back at him, purring his agreement.
—
Stoick The Vast grumbled, rubbing at one temple. His head was still throbbing, and he could hardly wait to get a pair of ice-packs held tightly to his head.
But there would be many problems to sort out, before he could get to that. And the most important problem just then was the one he was just outside of: an enormous fortress of rock and ice atop a snowy and barren island, outright teeming with wild dragons. Skullcrusher had led them here, and Skullcrusher seemed convinced that Hiccup was somewhere within.
He and Gobber had been scouting around the strange construct, with its great jutting ice spikes that dwarfed even the dragons. And then they'd seen an enormous dragon flock heading right for it, and they'd quickly hidden themselves amongst the ice. Now, those dragons were all in the nest, with his son — and hopefully, Toothless — somewhere among them.
Stoick growled, rubbing his head some more. This place reminded him way too much of how Dragon Island had been, back when that horrendous queen had been alive. But he and Gobber were vikings, and his son was somewhere in there, so of course they would be going inside.
"Head giving ya trouble, Stoick?" Gobber asked quietly. He wore his usual cheerful smile, but there was an edge of concern in his voice.
"Aye. I tell you, that boy…" Stoick replied. "To think he could be so reckless, Gobber! And Toothless, too!"
Gobber nodded, not quite meeting his eyes. They were still nestled within the ice, high up the side of the nest, and they had yet to be spotted. Skullcrusher remained alert nearby, scanning the sky for any and all threats, while Grump looked well on the way to falling asleep. Gobber sat leaning against Grump, while Stoick paced around the available space.
"So…this'll be a two ice-pack day, ah suppose." Gobber said.
"Aye," Stoick said again. "But first…first we need to get them both home, and I need to give them a piece of my mind. And then I need to check our defenses, and make sure Spitelout has gotten things ready."
He grumbled and rubbed his head, which was throbbing even more than before. His head had been getting worse as of late, in truth; that was one of the reasons he hoped to soon retire.
"Eh, it's Spitelout," Gobber said. "You know he's reliable. Why the concern?"
"Because I'm the chief, Gobber! I should be there, not running off after my boy because he thinks he can talk to Drago. I mean, talk! To Drago Bludvist! What is Hiccup thinking!?"
Gobber shrugged, goosebumps lining his arms from the cold's bite. "That he can make peace, Stoick? Like with us? With Alvin? With Dagur? With that hunter?"
"They're different and you know it. This is Drago, Gobber."
"Well, we know that," Gobber said. "But…had Hiccup even heard of Drago? Before today? I dunno, but…that seems like the sort of thing a future chief should know."
Stoick growled again, shaking his head. "I hadn't even gotten to that, yet. Hiccup…he keeps avoiding me, Gobber! He's always flying off on Toothless to do…whatever he does. He's so far behind with his chiefing lessons. It's like he doesn't even want to be chief!"
Gobber simply gave him one of those looks, like Gobber knew something that Stoick hadn't quite yet caught.
"Go on Gobber," he said, pausing for breath. "Out with it."
"Stoick, what if 'e doesn't want to be chief? For that matter, are you sure you want 'im being chief? What with…all this?" He threw his arms out.
"Oh, I want it," Stoick said. "He's ready; you'll see. And…and of course he wants it, Gobber. It'd be an honor like no other! And besides: it's his birthright to be chief! He's my son!"
Gobber cringed. "Might want to keep it down there, chief," he said quietly, pointing downwards.
Stoick frowned and nodded; he hadn't even noticed how loud he was getting.
"And as for him wanting it…ah wouldn't be so sure," Gobber said. "Unless he's told you he does?"
"Well, no, but—"
"And it's a huge responsibility, being chief," Gobber said, that same knowing expression on his face. "E'd be too busy to keep leadin' the academy; e'd need to give that over to Astrid. E'd be too busy to keep helping Fishlegs' dragon research. E'd be too busy for much but bein' chief." His face grew serious. "He'd be too busy to even fly Toothless, much of the time."
Stoick opened his mouth to argue, but words failed to form.
"That dragon means everything to him, Stoick," his friend said quietly. "Ya know that."
Stoick sighed, his posture deflating slightly. "Aye. I know that."
He straightened himself up, looking to the clear sky. Skullcrusher looked at him questioningly; Grump burped with dozy eyes.
"Come, we've waited long enough," Stoick said. "Let's go find my son."
