Left In The Night

Chapter 35

The week following the rider's return to Firewind, amidst Zyrah's healing, Hiccup deduced he and the others had to return to Berk. They'd been gone for some time now, and while Hiccup fully trusted Gobber, Spitelout, and his mother, Valka, to take care of Berk in his absence, he knew they couldn't be gone for too long; otherwise, he would never hear the end of it from Gobber.

But, as the case goes, there was always one last thing that came up preventing the riders from leaving.

Something was wrong with Blueheart.

The female had been acting unusual for the past two days, mostly her being restless and shifting, unable to be comfortable in one spot. And she was moodier than usual, growling at Zyrah in a manner that was unlike her. Instead of chilling in Zyrah and Rurik's shared room, Blueheart had opted for the old little shack extension Halvar first built when she began living with the family.

And then Astrid took note of Blueheart's behavior, taking it upon herself to take a peek inside the little shack. The hay that was inside had been piled in a manner that only female dragons did during the egg-laying season of the year.

Blueheart was nesting.

"Hiccup, Zyrah, you guys need to come see this." She urged, leading them to the shack.

Zyrah was baffled as to why Blueheart had chosen the shack over her room, but it began to make sense when she saw how the hay had been moved around.

"Is she... nesting?!" Astrid nodded.

"Stormfly has done this countless times for every clutch she's had."

"So you're saying..." Another nod.

"I think Blueheart has an egg on the way."

The next thing Zyrah knew, she was feeling Blueheart's stomach around to see if this was true. It was frankly embarrassing for both of them, and neither enjoyed it. But sure enough, Zyrah felt a single egg inside. There wasn't a surefire way to tell how soon Blueheart would lay it, but it was a reasonable guess that it was soon.

"So this means that Toothless and Blueheart-" Snotlout said, crossing his arms, each hand pointing in the opposite direction.

"Yes... Snotlout... they did." Hiccup confirmed in embarrassment. His dragon mating with his best friend's dragon... was weird. The two Night Furies didn't even live on the same island. How would this even work?

"What're we gonna do, Hiccup?" Zyrah asked, turning to him.

"I... uh..." He paused, unsure of what reasonable solution he could offer, "I have no idea."

"Hope that she lays the egg soon? Like, very soon?" Came Fishlegs. Hiccup shook his head in disagreement.

"No, I don't think it's going to be that easy." The gears began turning in Hiccup's head as he tried to work out how to make this situation work. He didn't want to leave Gobber and the others still waiting for his return, and he didn't want Toothless to leave his mate while she was prepping to lay an egg.

Berk was only a three-day flight north of Firewind, and if the gods were in their favor, then perhaps... they could bring the girls to Berk. And Konall could tag along with Lightbolt, knowing Zyrah would want to be near him.

"Hey, how about this," Hiccup finally spoke up, turning to the group, "Berk is only a three-day flight north of Firewind, maybe two days if the winds are good. We could get Blueheart settled, plus I know that Gobber, Mom, and Spitelout are waiting for us to return. Knock out two birds with one stone."

Zyrah pondered the idea, she knew Blueheart would hate to have to fly more with the extra weight, but it would only be temporary. Plus, Toothless could be with her whenever needed, providing her comfort. And she could finally see Berk in person.

"Actually... I think that could work. I don't think Blueheart will be happy about it initially, but I think she'll be okay."

"In that case, let's get packed up and prep for an egg" As soon as the sentence left his mouth, Hiccup realized how strange it sounded, chuckling awkwardly.

When Zyrah forwarded the news to her parents, they were unsure of their daughter once again leaving home after enduring such a traumatic event. Eðla didn't mind her being with her friends, but she felt that her daughter needed time to heal.

"Mom, I promise I'll be okay. This is more for Blueheart than for me."

"I know that, but I still worry for you. I'm always going to worry. And that goes for your brothers, too." Zyrah resisted the teenage urge to roll her eyes at her mother doting on her, but she genuinely didn't mind, and it was comforting that her parents still adored and worried about her.

"I'll be okay," Zyrah assured once more, clutching her mother's hands against her chest, gazing up at her. With a hesitant smile, Eðla conceded, trusting her daughter to make good choices, verbally saying so as the riders left the following day for Berk.

"Make good choices, Zyrah!"

"Don't worry, Mrs. Trygstad, she will!" Konall shouted from above. In a last-minute decision, Rurik had insisted on tagging along with his sister. So off went her two youngest once more. Eðla hoped they wouldn't return with any distressing tales this time.

Blueheart was not initially thrilled at the idea of flying more than necessary, but Toothless kept assuring her that once they arrived on Berk, she would be provided with all comfort she needed. Her stomach became heavier as their egg waited for the right time. But it wasn't just the process of laying the egg, it was the time it would take to hatch.

Unlike other dragon species, Night Fury eggs did not explode (thankfully) and therefore didn't need to be pushed into a hot spring to ensure safe hatching. In reality, their eggs were much like a bird, with a hard shell, and the hatchling would emerge with a special tooth on their nose to aid them.

And during the flight to Berk, Lightbolt decided to enlighten the dragons on Skrill eggs. Blueheart and Toothless weren't sure what to expect, as Skrills had always been as elusive as Night Furies for centuries.

In a way, our eggs tend to... explode like the others.

Oh, that's comforting.

Not in the same way. Eggs need a lightning storm to hatch. Meatlug glanced over.

What, do they explode from lightning?

Something like that, yeah. Usually, it's during a powerful lightning storm, parents channel the lightning to the eggs, which helps crack the hatchlings out. It's a massive energy surge, especially if it's a large clutch.

I've wondered, interrupted Stormfly from below, if you Skrills are so aggressive and elusive... then how in Thor's name did you and Konall start training together?

Yeah, we've had some unpleasant experiences with Skrills in the past. Barf chimed in. Lightbolt cringed, knowing full well the reputation Skrills had.

Well... that's kinda where Blueheart and I have something in common. We both left our families seeking independence, though I was still a kid, and so was he. Konall and I crossed paths, though I wasn't aggressive or mean to him. This knucklehead used my ability to his advantage, figuring out to use metal to tame me. He started carrying it around with him all the time.

Sounds like Hiccup. Toothless snorted.

Don't forget to mention that once I came into the picture, I had to help keep him chill. Blueheart teased.

Imagine that, two Strike class dragons becoming buddies. Killgrave commented with a chuckle overhead.

I somehow gained another younger brother in the process. Blueheart added, giving Lightbolt a grin, to which he returned.

Wouldn't have it any other way!