Dragons: The New Chief

Chapter 43: What it's Like

"Go Astrid!" Eir yelled as the woman took another lap around the island and dunked yet another sheep into her basket.

Hiccup chuckled at the little girl who was standing on Toothless' back. Right now they were observing the dragon race, which was a few days after Loke left, so he was expected anytime now. On the podium, Hiccup sat in the chief's chair with Toothless lying by his feet. The dragon's head was intent on the race, every time Astrid and Stormfly zoomed by his ears perked up even higher and he let out a loud warble of excitement.

He didn't mind the little girl jumping on his back, I mean, he has Hiccup, although he is still a fish-bone, sitting on his back all the time and sometimes Astrid, so a 40 pound girl wasn't a big deal for him. Toothless actually grew fond of Eir, who grew to like him as well. Whenever Astrid was making dinner and Hiccup hadn't returned from his duties for the day, she and Toothless would sit in front of the fire or with Valka, if she was there, and play. The night fury would make funny faces and noises while the girl wrapped her blanket around him like a cap or ran her terrible terror toy along his side. Whenever they were together, Eir would not stop laughing.

Snotlout stormed by, chasing Astrid's tail.

"Go Snotlout!" Heather shouted.

Spitelout, who stood to the left of Hiccup, rolled his eyes. Despite how much he and his son were on bad terms, they never spoke of the occurrences in the Great Hall the other day. Nobody acted different, luckily.

More riders flew by, stirring the air with force. Hiccup quickly grabbed Eir to make sure she didn't fall.

"I'm fine!" She protested in the mans grip.

"Are you sure about that?" Hiccup questioned.

He lifted the girl away from the dragon in front of him and began to tickle her side. She squealed loudly. Gobber turned to his left and watched as his chief tickled the little girl to death. Eir, who was turning redder by the second, doubled over, trying to protect her sides.

"Uncle! Uncle!" She gave up.

Hiccup laughed as he stopped and helped the girl stand on his right thigh. One hand held one of her legs in place as the other wrapped around her body and gripped her side so she wouldn't topple.

"Can you see better?" Hiccup asked.

"Yes! Yes! Yes!" Eir yelled as she bounced on the chief's tight.

Hiccup let out many 'oofs' as his leg was being trampled.

"Go! Go! Go!" Eir yelled.

"This is what it's like to be a father." Gobber whispered in the chief's ear.
Hiccup shook his head. "Did I act like this to my father?"

"Worse."

Hiccup chuckled, getting lost in memory. He did remember messing with his father, before they drifted apart. Not many memories from when he was Eir's age did he remember, but there were some prominent, excessive things that they used to do together.

Like how Hiccup would run around the front of their house just for fun or whenever Stoick told him it was time for a bath. He would let his father get the tub filled with warm, soapy water, but when he reached for the child he would run away, giggling loudly. Stoick would stumble after him and some how they managed to get out the front door before Stoick captured him and got him to bathe.

Whenever his father wasn't overly busy, Hiccup remembered sitting on his father's shoulders and demanding him to go places. Most of the time that would be the docks or the forge, but sometimes he asked his father to visit the 'cute blonde girl' that lived by the forge with her uncle. Of course Stoick knew who that was, Hiccup never had to say her name. His father would ask him what her name was or that if he really thought she was cute and every time the little boy would blush like a rose bush, burying his head in his father's red hair. Stoick used to get a kick out of it; when Hiccup would be playing with the little blonde girl, Stoick, Gobber, and the girl's uncle would sit close by and watch them as they talked about the 'secret crushes' the two had on each other.