Taming Hearts

Chapter Fifteen: New Beginnings

Adrianna wasn't at all surprised when Finn narrowly defeated Thorein to become Thawfest champion. It wasn't his first win, after all, but it had happened in front of the Outcast tribe as well as the Hooligans so it was quite impressive. She was well enough to see his victory but she decided she didn't want to subject herself to name calling so she stayed out of the way. Naturally, Finn didn't care.

When the kerfuffle of the Thawfest games was over for the day, Erick, Olaf, Adrianna, Hiccup, and Fishlegs could all be found in Charger's pen. Fishlegs had hypothesized that the egg would hatch quite soon and none of them wanted to miss it. They had already prepared for its hatching by removing the bones from several fish and putting them out for the baby. It wasn't an ideal first meal but they had failed in their mission to find Charger a mate. He looked a bit forlorn as a result. Lily comfortingly cooed at him but he didn't respond.

"I really hope she makes it." Erick said at last, breaking the silence. "You think the fish will be enough for her?"

"We haven't tried it before, Erick." Hiccup sighed deeply. "We're just going to have to hope for the best. Besides, she's related to Charger and he's a fighter." he patted the dragon on the back.

"I know." Erick gently stroked his dragon as they waited. "I think think she'd be better off if she had a mom too."

Adrianna looked almost depressed. She had so wanted Erick to find Charger a mate but had been so preoccupied with Thawfest that she hadn't even helped him look. And now the baby Nadder had no mother at all. What if she didn't survive without the proper food?

Quite suddenly, the egg began to rattle a bit. Charger sprang to action at once, pushing it into the water filled hole they had dug and the five humans and dragons (which crowded the pen so much the other dragons had to look in through makeshift windows and Toothless through the ceiling) watched the egg eagerly. Adrianna and Erick were the most excited of all. Unlike the adults in the room, they had never seen a dragon egg hatch. They wanted to lean in and watch closely but everything they had ever heard about dragon eggs told them that this was unbelievably stupid, not to mention dangerous.

SPLASH!

A turquoise blur came shooting out of the water and landed right in front of Charger. The baby dragon uncurled her body and looked around at everyone who had been watching. She made a tiny noise in her throat.

"Aww!" Adrianna squealed. "She's so cute!"

That was certainly an accurate description. The baby Nadder had big eyes, a bright turquoise body, and a kind of manic energy. She hopped around her father, making little squeaking noises. Even the grown men were melting at the sight of this tiny dragon.

Charger leaned down and put his snout right up against the newborn's. She licked it enthusiastically. He licked her back, causing her to drip with dragon saliva. The baby didn't seem to mind; instead she hopped underneath the bigger Nadder's legs and affectionately rubbed them. Adrianna had her hands on her mouth and tiny, delighted squealing noises emanated from her throat almost of their own volition.

Fishlegs, however, seemed excited for an entirely different reason. "My hypothesis was correct!" he exclaimed. "You can tell the gender of an unborn dragon by studying the egg!"

"You've tried this before?" Hiccup asked, eyebrow raised.

"On a few of Meatlug's. But apparently it's universal!" Fishlegs took out the Dragon Book, which still looked almost brand new, and jotted down some notes. "This is the best day ever!"

"I wonder if dragons can tell what a baby's going to be before it's born." Adrianna pondered but went unnoticed. Her mind now overwhelmed with curiosity, she decided to try to find out on her own.