Come Darkness, Come Light

Chapter 14 - A Change In Perspective

A/N: I'm forcing myself to take a break from writing. Not a long break—I probably won't last longer than two days without posting again—but a much-needed breather. So...see you later! :)) P.S.— I hope this chapter is at least somewhat decent. I wrote it super late when I was exhausted, so...

Disclaimer: ಠ_ಠ

VALKA'S POV

Over the next few months, I kept a close eye on Hiccup. If he wanted to go outside the nest, he had to tell me exactly where he was going, and he had to check in every couple hours. At first, he was fine with the new rules—he didn't particularly feel the urge to venture outside the nest. He spent a lot more time practicing his skills with his sword (he had upgraded from a wooden toy to a dull blade) or hanging out with the other dragons, and he and Toothless visited the nursery almost every day. Being around them—around his family—had always made him happy. It helped him heal, I think, from his experience with the trappers. He was always telling me how one day he would lead a mission against "the bad humans" himself, and the dragons would have his back when that time came. I knew he was telling the truth on that point, but I also think all the extra time he put into training worked as a distraction from his fears. He was brave and determined, but he was still just a kid. He was allowed to be scared sometimes—I just don't think he believed that himself. Classic Berkian mentality there.

It didn't take Toothless long to go back to his normal self. He and Hiccup remained attached at the hip, and he was eager to play with his nest-mates when they came around. Shimmer—the only dragon besides Cloudjumper that knew what had gone down on that ship—treated him the same way she always had. It was like nothing had happened at all, which I was extremely relieved about. I'd been worried she might be afraid of him, but that wasn't the case.

Alpha never asked any questions or behaved any differently towards Toothless, though I had a feeling he knew something had happened. Bewilderbeasts are an intuitive species, after all. I did tell him we'd found a ship, just so he could be on the lookout whenever he went into open ocean. It didn't seem to worry him too much, which made me feel more confident that humans ending up on our island was a one-time thing. And if we did ever have any human-related issues, Alpha would protect us just like always. It's nice to have a Bewilderbeast on our side.

Recently, Hiccup has rediscovered his adventurous side, and after a lot of pleading, I'd agreed to lift my "check-in" rule so he could fly farther out to the surrounding sea stacks. He's making a map, apparently, although he won't let me see it. He hates showing me unfinished work. Anytime I try to sneak a peek at one of his designs he nearly has a conniption. The other day I found a basket of Toothless' scales in his room. He didn't tell me why he was collecting them, of course, but I suspected it had something to do with a flight suit idea he'd mentioned briefly a couple weeks ago. I have no doubt that the finished product will be amazing and unique, just like him.

Today, it was Hiccup's eighth birthday, and I had a special surprise for him. It was more of an idea than a gift, really...but I suspected he would love it either way. I was currently making my way through the tunnel that led to his room, clutching a large book in hand. It was blank, with leather binding—just something I'd acquired for cheap at the markets.

When I reached his room, Hiccup was sitting at his desk, hunched over a small stack of papers. He was drawing something, probably for the flight suit he refused to tell me anything about. Toothless was curled around the chair. It looked like he'd been dozing, but as soon as I walked in his head shot up with a small growl. As soon as he saw it was me (honestly, darling, who else would it be?), his pupils widened and he warbled out a greeting. Hiccup immediately dropped his pencil and covered up his work before I could see, then turned in his chair to face me with an innocent smile.