Soul of Furies (Book Three)

Chapter 1: Son of Dragon Trainers

Hiccup's POV

"Good job, Destin! Keep trying!" I call, my hands cupped around my mouth.

I squint, trying to keep my eyes on my son despite the sun in my eyes. Destin keeps a solid grip on Dark Moon's harness, but his stance is rigid and the male dragon looks rather wary about the entire thing. Emerald does lazy turns in the air near them, but her dark green eyes hardly waver from her brother. She's just as concerned for them as I am.

Toothless lays at my side, his belly brushing the ground as he moves his head slowly with his children's movements. I can't help but smile a little at that. His pupils are dilated, giving an adorable look of wonder.

I whistle, lifting my hands and beckoning the trio back to land. Destin jerks Dark Moon's harness, making the dragon swerve off course. He snorts and smacks the boy with his ear plate, his yellow eyes narrowing in annoyance as he takes control and lurches for land. Destin yelps and presses himself against the dragon's back, squeezing his eyes shut as the rebellious Night Fury touches down, leaving grooves in the dirt and sending chunks of earth flying at me.

I shield my eyes from the flying debris, momentarily losing sight. When I reopen them, Destin lays on the ground near Dark Moon, staring up at the sky with a discouraged look on his face. The Night Fury lets out another huff and seats himself on his haunches, licking his paw before using it to rub his ear plate.

"Dark, that wasn't very nice," I scold, walking closer to them.

He rolls his eyes at me, swinging his large head so he isn't looking in my direction at all. Emerald touches down nearby and gives him a short glare, acting as the more mature twin, as per her usual. He growls under his breath at her, but doesn't act hostile for long.

"Sorry dad," Destin mumbles, still laying on his back. "I'm no good at training dragons. I bet even Runa could do it better than me." He exhales heavily and shuts his eyes.

I arch an eyebrow and kneel at his side, nudging his shoulder gently. "What makes you say that?"

"Did you see me? I crashed the dragon!" he whines as he throws his hands up, launching himself up so he's sitting with his knees against his chest. Dark Moon lets out a short roar, as if agreeing with the boy. Emerald smacks her brother with her tail.

I sit down, resting a hand on Destin's shoulder. "Do you know how often I crashed Toothless when I learned to fly?" I question, casting my dragon a short glance.

The nine-year-old looks at his feet. "...lots." He looks up at me, his green eyes still swimming with disappointment. "But Toothless couldn't fly without you. Dark can fly just fine." He digs his heel into the dirt absentmindedly. "I must be the one who sucks."

He lowers his face into his knees and sighs. I watch him for a moment, my focus switching to the Night Furies near me. Dark Moon is still being huffy, but he's always been more stuck-up about this sort of thing. Emerald bats around a rock, not caring for whatever conversation is going on, and Toothless seems to be napping.

"Son," I say, giving his shoulder a squeeze. "Do you know who you are?"

"Yeah. I'm Destin Hiccup Horrendous Haddock the Fourth," he mumbles into his knees.

"Yes, but you're also the son of a Night Fury trainer extraordinaire."

He slowly lifts his head and looks up at me. "You?"

"No, your mother," I correct.

His brow furrows. "But...you train Night Furies too."

"Ah, I trained Toothless." I shrug my shoulders before reaching up to tousle my hair. "Since I'm chief, I leave your mom to the training."

"So, I'm the son of a great Night Fury trainer, and..." He pauses, brushing his curls from his eyes as he thinks. "And a super awesome chieftain?"

"Well, super awesome is pretty good. More like extremely awesome," I joke, getting to my feet.

"You sound like Uncle Snotlout." Destin laughs.

"Oh really now?" I ask, offering him my hand.

He nods before he takes it, letting me pull him back to his feet. His shoulders slump as soon as I release his hand, my expression flickering with concern. He sighs, looking over at our dragons.

"But...I'm not you or mom. I'm me," he mumbles.

"And you is the best person you can be, because there isn't another you in the whole world."

Destin smiles a tiny bit. I open my arms, offering a hug, and he accepts. As soon as he's close enough, I grip him close and swing him into the air, making him squeal. Dark Moon and Emerald jump to attention, making Toothless snort and wake up from his short nap. Emerald growls happily and bounces over to us, wagging her tail.

I spin in a quick circle before setting Destin back on the ground, his face flushed with laughter. He giggles further, nearly stumbling over, but he regains his balance as he wipes his eyes.

I smile and lean down to his eye level. "Now, how about you try again with the flying thing?" I suggest. "You can try riding Emerald. I bet she'll be a lot more forgiving if the landing is shaky."

His green eyes light up and he nods, his messy hair getting impossibly messier. "Yeah, okay. Can you come up into the air with me and show me how to steer again?"

"Of course."

He turns, runs to Emerald, and climbs onto her saddle, taking a deep breath and readying himself. Dark Moon snorts, blasting a patch of earth into ash before settling on the warm pile to sleep.

My smile falters for a moment, my thoughts travelling to Thora for a moment. I wonder what she could want to talk about tonight, but I'm sure it's nothing big. She's probably wondering about what else she can do around here to cease her boredom.

"Dad! Come on!" Destin urges.

I whistle for Toothless and he comes running, letting me climb on his back and situate myself.

"Alright?" I ask. He nods, lips pouting with determination. "Ready...set...GO!"