New Life Ahead [HTTYD]

Chapter 12: Suspicion

"Hiccup!" Called the male Night Fury. He had searched for the boy everywhere. After all, today was the day him and his mate would oversee this raid personally, and someone had to watch their child while they were gone.

"Coming!" Replied the former Viking. Giving a quick goodbye to the female Nadder he'd been talking to, the teen flapped his wings and came down to the level where the male was. Giving the dragon a quick bow (since it was custom according to what the dragons told him) he stood back up and waited for the dragon's reply.

"My mate and I will be going on this raid tonight, but we need to ask a few favors of you." The male stated. His mate in question was busy gathering the other dragons that were gonna go with them. The Terror had followed their orders to the letter.

"One, we need to know where exactly your tribe keeps the fishing nets."

Hiccup smiled. "That's easy. Just check the building right next to the boats. You'll find a bunch of nets hanging off to the side."

"Good." Replied the Night Fury. "By the way, is there a particular place where your village keeps their children at all?" He asked.

Hiccup did a double-take. "Wh-Why would you want to know that?" He asked suspiciously.

To his surprise, the Night Fury smiled.

"Well, if this idea of yours does pay off, then we won't have to attack your village that often, if at all." He answered.

Hiccup's eyes narrowed, his tail whipping about nervously. "That still doesn't answer my question." The former Viking said sternly.

The male Night Fury grimaced momentarily, before it quickly became a happy expression again. He let out a chuckle, (which, to Hiccup, sounded a bit forced) before answering.

"We'd like to not harm any humans this time. Our raid team has been given specific orders not to hurt humans unless necessary. However, since your village will attack us on sight, we might have to burn some buildings to keep them occupied." The Fury frowned a bit, his voice taking on a sympathetic tone. "The trouble is, we would hate to have to accidentally burn a building with younglings."

Hiccup's suspicious glower instantly softened. From what he'd heard so far, these dragons were making a real genuine effort to help themselves and his former tribe. Smiling, he warned the Night Fury not to target the mead hall, which was the biggest building in Berk. He knew where most of the children would hide since he'd been thrown in there personally by his father. sigh Constantly.

The Night Fury gave an unnaturally large tooth-filled grin before turning it into a regular satisfied smile. It confused Hiccup greatly about why the Night Fury seemed so ecstatic about the advice. Then again, it could be that the dragon was happy that this human-dragon 'war' may soon come to an end.

"Thank you Hiccup." The male answered simply. When he turned to leave, he paused, then looked back to the human.

"I made the right choice that day when I decided to spare your life and your mind." Said the Fury. Hiccup's eyes widened in surprise. Why was the dragon bringing this up?

The dragon smiled warmly. "I can't imagine why everybody in your tribe ever saw you as 'useless.' Maybe if things had turned out differently, they might have accepted you. But who knows? That's their loss." The male gave Hiccup one last wink before turning and walking off.

While Hiccup smiled and thought about what the dragon had said, he never noticed the smirk the dragon had as he walked away.

"And this tribe is about to lose a lot more." The male thought to himself while grinning.

Hiccup flew up to the high part of the nest where the Night Fury family resided. He found both parents there, nosing the baby dragon as he fell asleep. Nighttime had come down, so the couple would be gone soon for the raid. Fortunately, Hiccup had promised them that he would watch the child while they were gone. They were now laying down some ground rules for Hiccup.

"And remember, if he wakes up, just tell him that his parents are all right and that we will be back soon." Said the female. The baby loved Hiccup, but he always got finicky when both of his parents were gone for too long.

"Don't worry about it." Hiccup said, "I've watched him before. I mean it's not like he going to disappear while you guys are gone or anything." He laughed.

Both Furies chuckled, although they shared a glance at one another which betrayed a hint of smugness. Hiccup's smile deflated a little, confused about what these two were keeping from him. He was an expert on telling what people were actually thinking based on their facial expressions. After all, his tribe had always been smiling when his dad was around, but their smiles dimmed when HE was around.

"I'm sorry, but is there something going on?" He asked abruptly. The two Furies seemed to realize that their subtle language wasn't so subtle, so they looked away from one another and back to Hiccup.

"It's nothing Hiccup." said the female. At Hiccup's suspicious look, the male was quick to reiterate.

"It's just a little joke between us Hiccup," He explained. "Just something we find funny."

Hiccup's expression turned to one of confusion. "What's the joke?" He asked. The couple seemed to grimace in response.

Before the male could answer Hiccup's question, a loud onslaught of roars was heard throughout the nest, coming from a group that flew up and landed on the cliffs walls near the Fury cave.

"Leader, the sun has set! We are ready!" A Gronkle cried out. All the other dragons nodded in response.

Instantly, the couple snapped up in a refined place, giving off a superior status by the way they stood. Giving Hiccup a quick goodbye, both sprang off the cliff edge, flying in unison together before letting off loud screeches. The other dragons let out accompanying roars, moving behind them in a V-shaped formation.

Hiccup stood and watched by the entrance as the dragons flew off, feeling happy that this raid might be the last one the dragons would ever have to make.

But for some reason, he couldn't shake off the feeling that something was wrong. Pushing it to the back of his mind, the former Viking went and spread his wings across the baby Fury's body and tugged him close. The baby purred in response.

Hiccup smiled, forgetting his problems as his eyes closed into a relaxed nap.