A/N: Okay, so...this chapter was not supposed to happen. At all. But the idea just kind of popped into my mind at the last second and here we are. Enjoy :)
Disclaimer: How many times must I repeat myself? I don't own HTTYD!
VALKA'S POV
"I'm okay."
*You're not okay!*
"Cloudjumper, honestly, it's not that bad!" I reiterated with an exasperated huff, then immediately winced as a hot flash of pain shot through my torso. I pressed the cloth harder against my side, hoping the bleeding had at least slowed. When I glanced down, the once white material was stained bright red. Just great.
Cloud's chest rumbled with anger at my denial, and he beat his wings even harder, flying as fast as he could towards the nest. The adrenaline running through my body was the only reason I was still awake and able to hold on. This was one of the few times I wished my dragon wore a saddle. Over the years, I'd perfected my ability to stay balanced on his back without one, and he preferred it that way as well. Now, though, I was clinging to him for dear life.
I looked over my shoulder at the small group of dragons that was struggling to keep up with Cloudjumper's pace. Most of the ones we rescue choose to come back to the nest, and these were no different. As much as my side hurt, seeing the dragons alive and well dulled the pain a bit. Their safety made it all worth it. I might've gotten a small wound, but they would've been killed if I hadn't stepped in.
Usually, I do a lot of recon before a rescue. Alpha and some of the flock will help me with the big operations, but Cloud and I always do the smaller missions alone. It makes it a lot quicker. Sometimes I can sneak in and cut the dragons loose without any of the humans noticing. Those are the good days.
When I found the hunters' ship today, though, I didn't have time to come up with any sort of plan. They had five dragons in cages hanging over the side and were about to drop them in the ocean to drown. It was one of the most disgusting acts I've ever seen throughout the years dealing with these lowlifes.
I'd swooped down onto the deck before the leader could give the kill order, taking them by surprise. I'd wasted no time going on the attack. My father had trained me well. I could defeat any man with a sword or a staff. The only problem was that there were twenty men on the ship. I had managed to kill or knock out five of them before they recovered from their shock, but then I was suddenly up the creek without a paddle. Cloudjumper did what he could to help, but he was so large that it was difficult for him to maneuver around without accidentally sending one of the cages falling into the dark waters below. He couldn't use his fire, either, or he'd risk sinking the ship.
I'd been able to hold my own, dodging every swing and countering with precise movements, but eventually one of the men landed a blow. His sword had sliced into my side, creating a laceration that instantly started bleeding heavily. Cloudjumper had roared with fury and jumped in to deal with the man, and I'd somehow stayed focused enough to deal with the last two.
The rest seemed to happen very fast. After making sure there were no other men or dragons below deck, we'd released the caged dragons and destroyed the ship's sails. The mission was a success in my eyes. Not so much in Cloud's.
Now we were racing back to the nest so I could properly treat my wound. I needed Hiccup to help me stitch it up. For his sixth birthday, he'd asked me to teach him to sew. It wasn't exactly what I'd been expecting. None of the boys on Berk ever learned to sew, much less wanted to. But apparently after watching me make his clothes all these years, he decided he wanted to try it himself. He was always coming up with designs for all sorts of things. His unique birthday request was probably going to be what saved my life.
After a long, uncomfortable flight, we finally made it back to the nest. Cloudjumper sped through the tunnel into the main dome, diving down to the cavern entrance as quickly as he could. He let out an urgent roar, and in just a few seconds Toothless and Hiccup came flying into sight.
Hiccup jumped off Toothless' back before he even landed, running over to me as I slid carefully down Cloudjumper's wing. "Mom!" He shouted worriedly, a term he'd recently started using after claiming he was "a big boy now who needs to use the big boy word." He noticed my injury immediately and grabbed my free hand in a vice grip. "W-What...what happened? Are you okay?" He sniffed, his eyes starting to get glossy.
I nodded, limping towards the familiar tunnel. He stayed directly next to me, his gaze flicking between my face and my side. Toothless followed right behind us, crooning with concern. "I'll be okay, buddy, but I need your help. You have to be calm and steady, though, alright? Do you think you can do that for me?" I asked, squeezing his hand.
He gulped, then after a few seconds of intense consideration, lifted his chin and nodded with determination. "I can do it," he declared firmly. "What do you want me to do?" He wondered. I smiled briefly, proud of him for being so brave. This is the first time I've come home with more than a few scrapes and bruises. He was probably freaking out on the inside.
We reached the cavern, and I went straight to the chest that contained medical supplies, collapsing next to it with a pained grunt. Hiccup let go of my hand so I could dig around for what I needed. I sighed in relief when I found the desired items, holding up the needle and thread in front of him. His eyebrows furrowed in confusion.
"You...want me to sew something?" He asked hesitantly, taking the objects from my grasp and inspecting them.
I couldn't help a small chuckle from escaping at his innocence, and shook my head. "Sort of...I need you to stitch up my wound. It's like sewing...but with skin..." I trailed off with a grimace, hoping I wasn't completely scarring him. "It'll stop the bleeding and help me heal," I added.
His eyes widened. "But won't that hurt? This thing is sharp, you know!" He told me, tapping the point of the needle to demonstrate.
I nodded, turning so I was resting with my back against the chest. "It will only hurt for a second. I promise. Just pretend you're making clothes," I suggested, waving for him to approach. He walked over and knelt beside me, biting his lip nervously.
Toothless suddenly pushed his way between us, sniffing at my side before looking up at me. *I can help, too, Valka. My saliva will make it heal faster.* He informed me. I raised an eyebrow in surprise. That would explain why Hiccup's occasional scratches disappeared so quickly.
"Okay..." I agreed, slowly pulling the cloth away from the cut. As soon as it came in contact with the open air, I cringed and bit my tongue to keep from crying out. Toothless went to work, licking at the wound soothingly. The effects were instantaneous. A cool, numb feeling started to spread through my side, and I slumped as the adrenaline flooded out of my body. "Thank you, Toothless. I don't know what I'd do without you." I sighed, laying my head back. He purred, the vibrations of it tickling my skin and making me flinch slightly.
"The other dragons don't have healing saliva," Hiccup spoke up, leaning around Toothless so I could see him. "So you're extra lucky he's around," he insisted, patting his dragon's shoulder.
Toothless pulled away, having finished his task, and turned his head to nudge Hiccup's arm. *You're lucky to have me around. With the amount of times you've fallen and tripped, you wouldn't have any skin left on your hands and knees if it wasn't for me.* He snorted. Hiccup bared his teeth in a draconic manner, taking offense to Toothless' comment.
*Nuh uh!* He argued childishly, sticking out his tongue.
"Hiccup," I called out, interrupting their little argument before it could become a distraction.
He ducked his head. "Right. Sorry, Mom...What do I do?" He asked, looking between the needle and my cut with a scrunched up nose.
I grabbed his hand, guiding the needle point to where he needed to begin stitching. "Start right here and make your way to the end. It's just like a tear in a piece of leather, okay? Don't think about it too much." I instructed. He might only be six, but I trusted him completely. He was mature for his age, and smart enough to understand the situation.
He nodded vigorously, and finally stuck the needle through to begin stitching. I could barely feel it due to the numbing effect of Toothless' saliva. Hiccup's breathing was surprisingly steady, and his eyebrows drew together in concentration. *I got this...* He murmured to himself, and Toothless warbled encouragement from where he sat beside us.
I watched his progress closely, but he never made a single mistake. My son was a natural. Hopefully he wouldn't have to do stuff like this a lot in his life, but I had a feeling that wouldn't quite be the case. My line of work wasn't sunshine and rainbows. It was dangerous. Not as dangerous as living in a war zone like Berk...I thought irritably. Still...it would be easier if Hiccup wanted to stay in the nest his whole life, safe and sound. I knew he was bound for far greater things, though. One day he would leave the confines of this icy dome and put his mark on the world.
My train of thought was broken when Hiccup sat back with a satisfied grin. "Done!" He announced. I glanced down at his work. It was neat, probably better than I could've done, and I smiled at him gratefully.
"You did amazing, darling. I'm proud of you," I told him, running my finger lightly over the stitching. The bleeding had stopped, and it barely even hurt with Toothless' saliva working its magic. They were quite the medical duo. "Do me a favor and go tell Cloudjumper that everything is okay now," I added as an afterthought. My dragon was probably worried sick outside.
Hiccup nodded and jumped to his feet, climbing onto Toothless' back. Once they were gone, I rested my head back against the chest. I was absolutely exhausted.
Thank the gods for my miracle of a son.
After a few weeks, the cut was barely noticeable. I'd taken the stitches out, so now there was just some light scarring. Cloudjumper had remained glued to my side until he was positive that I was healed enough. It was sweet at first, but eventually I'd demanded a little bit of space. I loved him, but I wasn't like Hiccup—I needed time to myself some days. I knew he was the same way. Before my injury, he spent a lot of time off on his own somewhere in the nest while I was busy with other things. We weren't attached at the hip like Hiccup and Toothless.
A loud squawk overhead brought me back to the present, and I readjusted to a more comfortable position against Cloudjumper's side. We were currently hanging out on the beach by the lake, and he made a great backrest. I had a notebook in hand, as I was making a list of supplies we were running low on. Hiccup was nearby making sandcastles, with Toothless dozing lightly right behind him.
It was a peaceful day, and I was content to just watch my son play. I often forgot how young he was, especially after the incident a few weeks ago. A part of me wished he had some kids his age to play with, but then I thought better of it. I know how kids are on Berk. It's tough to fit in, but it would be especially difficult for Hiccup if he lived there. He was smaller than the average viking boy, and his intelligence might be off-putting to some people. I, of course, felt like the luckiest woman in the world to have him as my son.
Hiccup didn't need other people around to be happy, not as long as he had Toothless. Plus, there were a few other young dragons in the nest that he enjoyed spending time with, such as Shimmer. The Deadly Nadder had grown a tremendous amount since the first time I'd seen her in the nursery. Her species matured faster than most others, and she already stood taller than Toothless, who had recently surpassed his mother in size. I often saw Shimmer flying around with them—they loved to race, although the result was always the same. No dragon is faster than a Night Fury. Toothless liked Shimmer a lot, and always greeted her with an excited head bob. All the socialization he'd gone through at an early age had definitely paid off. He could get along with most dragons in the nest.
But...there was one species that had always rubbed him the wrong way—the Monstrous Nightmare. I could see why—they were haughty and mischievous creatures. If there was a squabble in the nest, it was undoubtedly because there was a Nightmare causing issues. They had better personality traits, such as their bravery and loyalty. There wasn't a single Nightmare in the nest that wouldn't defend its fellow dragon from an attacker. If there was no threat, though, they had to get their entertainment elsewhere, usually by picking on a nest-mate.
So, when I saw the large, red-scaled Monstrous Nightmare land near Hiccup and Toothless, I immediately tensed up. As the dragon's feet touched ground, his powerful wingbeats sent a blast of air that destroyed Hiccup's progress with his sandcastles. My son's shoulders slumped in disappointment. The noise roused Toothless, whose eyes transformed into slits when he noticed the source. He stood to his feet, slinking around to stand in front of Hiccup. This specific Nightmare and Toothless had gotten into some minor scuffles in the past, but they'd both been much smaller then. I'd been able to break them up before it got too serious. I wasn't sure that would work this time. As if sensing my thoughts, Cloudjumper placed his wing around me, his eyes expressing a clear warning to not get involved.
Toothless flared his wings, growling lowly. *Get away from us. Now.* He demanded, not bothering to make conversation. Hiccup observed their interaction warily out of the corner of his eye, most of his attention on collecting a new pile of sand to begin building again.
The Nightmare snorted, lowering his head to gaze at Hiccup curiously. *No need to get territorial, Night-wing. You don't own this beach.* He retorted, sniffing around. Hiccup and I usually brought a basket of fish with us to the lake for our dragons, which this Nightmare had obviously picked up on. The scene before me was much too familiar. Last time, it was Jade that stood here. She'd faced off against a Monstrous Nightmare, and had won that fight quite easily.
*Does it look like I care?* Toothless snapped in return, baring his teeth. *Go find fish somewhere else.* The Nightmare paused, eyeing the Night Fury with slight amusement.
*Why? Do you not like me near your precious human?* He taunted. Every dragon in the nest knew about the bond my son and his dragon shared. That was a low blow, even for a Nightmare.
Hiccup frowned and looked up from his work. *Hey! I'm not precious! I'm tough!* He protested.
The red dragon glanced at him derisively. *I could snap you between my teeth like a twig.* He argued. Well, that did it. Toothless snarled furiously and lunged forward, jumping onto the Nightmare's back and digging his claws in.
Hiccup and I stood up simultaneously at the sudden action, but Cloud continued to hold me back. I turned to glare at him. "Let me go! I have to stop them!" I insisted.
He shook his head. *You'll get yourself killed. Just wait.* He reasoned calmly. Wait? Wait for what? For one of them to die?
The Nightmare screeched with anger, flaming up immediately, though it had no effect on Toothless. The black dragon bit down on the Nightmare's wing joint, shaking his head back and forth roughly to tear his scales. The red dragon roared, twisting his head around to give Toothless a retaliatory bite on the shoulder.
Hiccup ran towards them, holding up his hands. *Stop!* He shouted.
I struggled against Cloud's hold. "Hiccup! Get back!" I screamed desperately. I always knew that boy would get himself killed one day!
Suddenly, the ground began to shake, and I released a breath of relief as Alpha's huge form breached the water. I didn't understand how he knew there was a fight that had broken out, but I was happy to see him nonetheless.
*STOP. Peace.* He ordered, and the two dragons separated instantly. The Monstrous Nightmare bowed low to the ground, whimpering slightly in apology. Toothless, on the other hand, was pacing back and forth as he glared at the red dragon. His tail thrashed side to side as if he was considering finishing the job. How was he ignoring the Alpha's command? *YOU, FLY.* Alpha continued, his gaze trained on the Nightmare. The smaller dragon instantly took to the air, flying high and out of sight.
Toothless padded back over to Hiccup, curling around him and nuzzling his cheek, then he glanced up at Alpha. The two of them stared at each other for a long time, until finally Alpha broke the tense silence. *No fight. Not in nest.* He told the Night Fury, no longer speaking in a commanding tone—not that it seemed to work on Toothless, anyway. *Night-wing mother fought. Then forced out.* He pressed, the threat in his words clear.
I gasped quietly at the revelation. Toothless' mother hadn't left of her own free will! The Alpha had made her leave! He must've grown tired of the problems she caused in the nest and eventually forced her to go...
Toothless finally looked away, licking at the bite wound on his shoulder. *I'm not my mother.* He murmured defensively. Hiccup scratched at his scales soothingly.
*Hope not.* Alpha responded firmly, then dove back underwater with a gigantic splash.
Cloudjumper let me go, and I ran over to meet Hiccup and Toothless, grabbing my son's arm. "Hiccup, don't ever do that again, do you understand?" I fretted, referring to his attempt to stop the fight.
He frowned. "I had to try something, Mom! They were gonna kill each other!" He exclaimed.
I sighed. He was too much like me sometimes. "You were lucky this time. Next time you might not be." I warned him.
Hiccup shrugged, pulling away to lean against Toothless. "I'll be more careful. Honestly!" He said, seeing my unbelieving expression.
I rolled my eyes, turning my attention to his dragon. "Toothless...did you know that your mother was forced from the nest?" I questioned. He hadn't look surprised when Alpha mentioned it.
Toothless pawed at the ground in embarrassment. *Yes...* he admitted.
"Why didn't you tell me?" I wondered.
He ruffled his wings, trying to appear nonchalant. *I don't know...I guess...I didn't want you to think I was like her. I know how to follow rules. I-I'm not ruthless.* He stammered. Hiccup pet along his spine to calm him.
"Toothless..." I said softly. "I would never think that. I know you have a pure heart. I see it every day. You don't have anything to prove." I reassured him, reaching up to scratch his snout. He purred, leaning into my touch.
"She's right, bud," Hiccup agreed with a grin. "You're the best dragon in the world." He stated proudly.
*What does that make me?* Cloudjumper spoke up from behind us, his voice full of amusement.
Hiccup pursed his lips in thought. "A really close second!" He answered, and we all broke into laughter. All except Cloudjumper, who huffed at my son's remark.
I patted his cheek. "Don't worry, Cloud. You'll always be my number one." I promised, and he purred in satisfaction.