HTLANF AU: How to Raise Your Night Furies

Revelations

"Uh oh. I know that look. What's on your mind?"

Hiccup broke out of his trance as he heard his sister and turned his attention towards her as she approached.

"Huh?"

Astrid shook her head with a smirk as she sat beside him on the porch and nudged him with her shoulder.

"You were lost in thought again. Something's bothering you, I can tell. Now spill. Is it about that chieftain meeting coming up?" She asked, a bit of worry seeping out with her words.

"No, actually. But now that you mention it, I am pretty nervous about that. I mean, sure, I've been to plenty of those in the past when Dad was chief, but I wasn't ever really part of the conversations. So, not really looking forward to it. But, no, that's not what's bothering me." Hiccup explained as he leaned back on the porch and put his focus back on watching Toothless and Kala play fighting in their human forms with wooden swords a yard or so away from them.

"Then, what is bothering you?"

Hiccup stayed silent for a while, seeming to have gotten lost in his thoughts again as he kept a close eye on his kids. Kala 'stabbed' Toothless in the side and the teen made a show of being 'hurt' by falling on the ground and being overdramatic with his 'death', which got his sister to giggle happily.

As Astrid was about to wave her hand in front of his face, Hiccup spoke, making her freeze in place.

"Don't you think it's odd that no one's ever come to look for Toothless and Kala?"

"What?"

"Well, I mean think about it sis. We know at least one of their biological parents is dead. Dad killed them six years ago. But have you ever wondered if the other is still out there? Looking for them?"

"Hiccup, what brought this up? You've never questioned this once in the six years you've raised them. Why be worried about it now?" Astrid asked rather concerned for her brother now.

"Well, it's just odd, don't you think? It's like they just appeared, and no one has questioned where they came from. I mean, yeah, we know their biological parents didn't want them because they're runts of their litters, but surely someone from their flock noticed, right?"

"They probably didn't even come from a nest. And even if they did, they were abandoned. Why is this such a big deal all of a sudden?"

"Because it just doesn't make sense. Toothless mentioned that he was neglected before Luna found him, and Kala was on the brink of death that fateful morning when I saved her, but that's all we know about their origins. Nothing else. And what's weirder is it's like they were born here. There's not a single thing about my kids that would indicate they weren't born and raised Berkians."

Astrid thought over what he said as she glanced down at her niece and nephew, who were yet again crossing wooden blades, then glanced back at her brother. He was right, it was as though what happened to the two before Hiccup came into their lives was just a story. There was not a single hint of wild in their bones, especially in Toothless. But the question was, why?

"So, what? You think there's more to the story than we think?" Astrid asked after a couple minutes of silence.

"I know there's more to the story than we think." Hiccup said as he locked eyes with her.

Astrid recognized that look in his eyes and groaned. "Oh gods, you wanna go find out don't you?"

"We have to know, Astrid. Plus, don't you think they deserve an explanation as to why their biological family abandoned them the way they did?"