A/N: I was not planning on writing today, but I'm going out of town and I figured I'd post one more chapter before then, so here it is! P.S.— I keep having to re-upload previous chapters to fix mistakes. I loathe grammatical errors and plot inconsistencies. I'm sure the rest of you do, too :) I can't rest unless the story is absolutely perfect. It's my fatal flaw.
Disclaimer: HTTYD is not mine. Boooooooooooo!
VALKA'S POV
Cloudjumper landed in front of the cavern entrance a little rougher than usual. The flight back from the neighboring island had been a long one, and his exhaustion made him a little off balance. The winds had worked against us the entire time, so half a day's flight turned into a full day. The trip was necessary, though. It was the only island with Changewings—hence me naming it Changewing Island—and I had been running low on their acid, which I needed for rescue missions.
After sliding to the ground, I turned to caress my poor dragon. "Rest now, Cloud. You've done plenty," I assured him. He didn't need to be told twice, and he dragged himself to a large patch of moss to take a nap. I readjusted my satchel and briefly checked inside to make sure all the bottles of acid were still intact. I've had a few break before—it's not a pretty sight.
I glanced around the nest as I approached the tunnel, but Hiccup and Toothless weren't out flying around. They must be in the cavern or their room, although I thought that was a bit strange. It was still daylight, and daylight meant playing outside. I hurried down the tunnel, anxious to check on my son. I more than trusted Toothless to take care of him while I was gone, but Hiccup was still only five. I couldn't help but worry at least a little bit.
When I got to the cavern, there was still no sign of them. If Hiccup was in here, he'd almost definitely be at the desk drawing. It was his second favorite activity—his first, of course, being flying. Weird. Maybe they're taking a nap? I put away my satchel in one of the chests for safekeeping, then head to their room. Once again, it's empty. Where in the world could they be? They weren't allowed outside the nest while I was away, so they had to be somewhere.
I decided to search the tunnels. I'm not nearly as familiar with the layout as Hiccup is, but I wasn't going to let that stop me. I carefully made my way through, every now and then pausing to listen—only silence. Luckily, there were spots where the ceiling was made of ice and light filtered through, so I wasn't completely blind during my search.
"Hiccup?" I called out, receiving no response. I gulped, starting to grow tense. That's it. I'm never leaving the nest again. I thought resignedly.
Before I could fall into a state of panic, my ears suddenly picked up the sound of a dragon roaring. I paused in confusion, my eyebrows furrowing. The sound came from deeper down the tunnel I was currently in. In all the years I've been here, I didn't think any of the dragons could fit this far in, besides hatchlings and Terrible Terrors. The tunnels became more narrow as you approached the center of the mountain.
I shook my head, moving through the tunnel as fast as I could without tripping. What I wouldn't give for a dragon's ability to see in the dark. After a few minutes of walking, the sounds of multiple dragons got louder and louder. When I finally saw light ahead, I took off at a sprint.
I exited the tunnel, and immediately ground to a halt. It was another open cavern, except this one was huge. The walls rose high above me, with ledges sticking out every couple dozen feet. On each ledge, there was a nest with a mother dragon and her hatchlings, which is what I'd been hearing. There were tons of dragons, more than I could count in a hurry. A big hole in the roof explained how they even got in here in the first place.
It was the nursery—the place where mothers raised their young until they were old enough to join the other dragons of the nest. I'd always wondered where it was, but never knew where to look. My jaw dropped in amazement, and I took my time looking around, wanting to memorize everything I saw. I'd write about it later.
I heard a laugh, and my gaze snapped down to where my son was wrestling playfully with a Deadly Nadder hatchling. They were almost equal in size, and Hiccup was actually giving the baby dragon a run for its money. It squawked indignantly every time Hiccup dodged its attack, but it was obvious they were both having fun. It didn't escape my notice how Hiccup was trying to scratch and bite like the hatchling was doing. Clearly he's picked up a few things. I swear, some days he acted more dragon than human.
Toothless was laying on top of a flat rock, observing the play fight with a hawk-like gaze, making sure it didn't get too rough. There was a tiny Gronckle gnawing lightly on the end of his tail, but he paid it no mind.
"Hiccup!" I shouted, a hint of anger in my tone. "I've been looking everywhere for you!" He froze mid-lunge, ducking his head as he slowly turned to face me. The Nadder tilted its head questioningly, nudging at Hiccup's shoulder.
"Oh...hi, Mama," he greeted hesitantly, crawling towards me on four limbs. "I was just playing with Shimmer," he explained nervously. I sighed, meeting him halfway so I could hug him. He stood up as soon as I reached him, accepting my embrace.
"It's okay, buddy. You're not in trouble, I was just really worried. When did you find this place?" I wondered, pulling away.
He shrugged. "Toothless took me here a few days ago. That's when I met Shimmer." He replied excitedly, gesturing to the bright-scaled Nadder. She had resorted to finding another hatchling to play with, seeing Hiccup was distracted.
"You could've told me," I pointed out. Hiccup usually told me everything. There were days when he was quiet, barely speaking a word, but finding the nursery was a big deal. He always shared anything interesting he discovered with me.
"I was gonna..." he drawled, briefly biting his lip. "But the mama dragons don't really like anyone else near the babies," he continued. "Toothless is only allowed 'cause he played in here a lot when he was little, and I'm only 'llowed 'cause I'm his brother," he stated. Even as he was speaking, I noticed the mother dragons eyeing me warily from their perches, some ruffling their wings in agitation. That's not good...
"How about we go get something to eat, huh?" I suggested, wanting to get out of there before any of the dragons got angry. Hiccup frowned in disappointment.
*I don't wanna go.* He murmured sadly, and I flinched in shock, staring at him with wide eyes. I'd heard his voice...but his mouth hadn't even moved.
"Hiccup...what was that?" I asked cautiously, wondering if I'd imagined it.
His nose scrunched up in confusion. "Huh?" he said aloud, and I quickly knelt down so we were face to face.
"You-You just...I heard you talk in my mind!" I exclaimed.
His eyes lit up and he grinned. *You can hear thought-speak now? That's so cool!* he responded happily, once again talking without actually talking.
I can...hear thought-speak...I can hear thought-speak! I stood up, the blood rushing to my head for a moment. I felt a bit woozy at this new development. When Hiccup had first told me about the dragon's ability to communicate telepathically, I'd honestly expected to never be able to hear it. I was fine with that assumption—the idea that I would one day hear dragons speak was outlandish and kind of frightening. Now that that day was finally here, I wasn't sure how to feel.
My gaze shifted over to Toothless, who had been watching our exchange with mild interest. As soon as he saw my expression, he jumped off the rock and padded over to us, crooning with concern. *Are you okay, Valka?* he fretted. My eyes widened even further and I took a step back, my throat suddenly feeling very dry. His voice...it wasn't like mine or Hiccup's. It was strange...soothing, almost majestic in a sense. A type of sound I'd never heard before. Otherworldly, I suppose.
I shook my head vigorously, pinching the bridge of my nose. "I must be losing my mind." I whispered to myself, taking in a deep breath. Hiccup giggled at my reaction, drawing my attention. As freaked out as I was currently, I couldn't help smiling at him.
*I think you're just getting smarter.* He replied matter-of-factly. I snorted, ruffling his hair.
"Right, well, come on, my little genius. I wanna show you something," I told him, then looked warily at his dragon. "And you...I just...I don't even know what to say," I said honestly.
Toothless raised a scaly brow, amused at my predicament. *I do!* he retorted lightly, and before I could process his words, he jumped up on his hind legs and pulled me into a sloppy hug. *I love you.* he purred sincerely. My heart melted there on the spot, and I hugged him back tightly, letting out a breathy laugh.
"I love you, too," I replied, feeling a stronger connection to him now than ever before. He dropped back down, nuzzled my stomach briefly, then bent down so Hiccup could get on his back. "Now, let's get back to the cavern before one of these mothers bites my head off," I announced, only half joking. Someday I'll come back and attempt to worm my way into their good graces. Maybe Hiccup can put in a good word for me.
I let Toothless lead the way back, which made the trip a lot quicker. I held onto his tail so I didn't get lost in the dark areas. When we reached the cavern, Hiccup climbed off of Toothless and followed me to the chest where I was keeping his surprise. It was something I'd crafted a couple weeks ago. I was just waiting for the right moment to give it to him.
I lifted the lid, rolling my eyes at his impatient foot-tapping, and took out the small wooden sword. When I turned and held it out to him, he gasped with excitement and wonder—the kind only little kids could have for such a simple item. "I made it for you. I'm gonna teach you how to fight." I told him proudly. Kids on Berk started learning to fight very early on. It was kind of a necessity, seeing as it was a village constantly at war. I figured it was a good idea to teach Hiccup how to defend himself with something other than his dragon.
He grabbed it, waving it around wildly. "Look at me, Toothless! Rah!" He yelled, charging his dragon with his best impression of a roar. Toothless bowed playfully, jumping to the side right before Hiccup swung at him. As Hiccup sailed past him, Toothless pushed the boy's back with his snout, sending Hiccup flailing forward onto the ground with an oomph! Hiccup rolled over and sat up, glaring at the laughing Night Fury. "Hey! No fair!" He complained.
I chuckled lightly, walking over to him and helping him to his feet. "This is why we practice with the wooden sword," I teased, dusting off his tunic.
He pursed his lips in thought, then grinned up at me. "Does this mean I get to go on missions with you?" He asked hopefully.
Toothless' mood instantly soured. *Absolutely not!* he protested, padding over to us.
Hiccup scowled at him. *You're not the boss of me.* He huffed, and Toothless grumbled quietly, pushing his head under Hiccup's arm. It would definitely take a while before I got used to him using thought-speak.
"No, but I am, and you're still too young, mister," I informed him, crossing my arms. He slumped in defeat, so I decided to give him some better news. "I promise, when you're older, and I'm sure you know how to fight properly, I'll let you come on missions." I said, resting my hand on his shoulder. He immediately perked up and hugged me around the waist.
"Thanks mama!" He replied happily.
I shared a look with Toothless, and it was obvious from his expression what his opinion was on the subject. He was way too protective of Hiccup to be okay with letting him go straight into the danger zone. But, he also knew that once Hiccup set his mind to something, there was no stopping him.
"I'm gonna go show Cloudjumper my sword!" Hiccup stated, running off down the tunnel without another word.
Toothless watched him leave, then glanced back at me worriedly. *What if he gets hurt, Valka? I...I can't handle...I mean...he means too much to me—*
"I know." I cut him off before he could spiral into a panic. "You just have to trust that I will always do what's best for him, Toothless. I'll make sure he's ready." I assured. The Night Fury didn't look totally convinced, but he didn't offer a response.
Hopefully when the time comes that Hiccup is ready, Toothless will be, too. Because no matter what the future holds, they will face it together.
P.S.S.— I'm sure you guys picked this up, but "quotation marks" are for regular speech and *asterisks* are for thought-speak.