I Am Dragonblood: Alpha and Chief {Book Two} (HTTYD Fanfic)

Chapter Ten - A Dragonblood's Acceptance

Full moon. 
    The night most Dragonbloods loved. 
    But not this one. 
    Hiccup sat at his desk, a candle flickering by his elbow, and stared unseeingly at his drawing of a sleeping Night Fury. The tingling in his spine and shoulders that foreshadowed the night if the full moon was strong, almost an ache. It was nearly moonrise, he could tell by the way his inner dragon was fighting to get free, longing to fly under the stars. 
    With a growl Hiccup threw down his pencil and stood up, knocking his stool over. Toothless opened one eye and watched him pacing the room, his agitation obvious at a glance. The Night Fury uncurled himself and slinked up behind the Dragonblood, pushing him towards the door just as it opened. 
    'Errm,' Fishlegs said, seeing the cranky Chief and annoyed dragon. 
    'Fishlegs? What are you doing here?' The Chief asked, trying to dodge away from Toothless. 
    The Ingerman came into the room and shut the door behind him. 'I saw the light and was wondering if you'd forgotten to blow it out. Why are you still here? Shouldn't you...? You know.'
    Hiccup sighed, rubbing his shoulder. 'I'm not Shifting again, not after... What I did. I don't think I can face that side of me again.'
    Fishlegs but his hands on Hiccup's shoulders, forcing the Chief to look at him. 'It wasn't you who did it, it was the Bewilderbeast. You would never have harmed him, or anyone, that is not you, Hiccup. Who you are is...' Fishlegs let go and gestured to him. 
    'You just pointed to all of me.'
    'Both sides of you,' Toothless said.
    'What? Oh.' Wings stretched from his back, glad to be free at last. He tried to Shift back, but there was no chance now, not this close to moonrise.
    'You'd better go,' Fishlegs said, pulling him to the door and looking out to make sure no one was around. He firmly pushed the Chief out and in the direction of the cove, hurrying him along with a prod in the back. 
    Once he was inside the treeline Hiccup ran, sprinting agilely through the forest and down into the cove, where he was confronted by greenish yellow Stormcutter eyes. 
    'And where have you been?' Valka asked, sitting down with her wings folded tight in. 
    'I, er, I got sidetracked,' Hiccup made up quickly. 'I thought I saw a new kind of dragon and...'
    The Dragonblood's mother eyed him thoughtfully. 'You were going to try not to Shift, weren't you? Oh, Hiccup, it was not your fault, you must understand that. The Alpha made you do it, don't blame yourself.'
    'But..' He swallowed, trying to clear the lump in his throat. 'But what if it happened again? What if I lost control and fired at you, or Astrid or anyone? I couldn't live with myself if..'
    Valka drew him to her with a wing, folding him in a warm tent. 'The Bewilderbeast is not here now, it cannot take control. You are a dragon, Hiccup. You cannot deny that. So stop chastising yourself, fly free again, be who you are meant to be.'
    As the full moon rose over the edge of the cliff, Hiccup let himself Shift to his dragon form. Skin melted away to scales, nails transformed to claws, bones became lighter and his eyesight sharpened dramatically. Under his mother's wing he let pent up tears fall, all the pain, guilt and sorrow finally finding a way out. No, he could not deny that he was a dragon at heart, no Dragonblood could. From now on, he wouldn't let what had happened stop him, he would do his father's spirit proud. He would be Chief of Berk, and make it the greatest tribe around. 
    From the trees above the cove, a pair of hazel brown eyes watched. The edges creased with smile lines, finally seeing the conformation that they had not been deceived. 

***

In the deep ocean far to the west of Berk a massive dragon swam, its wings slicing through the water like it was soft butter. Fish darted away, most of them getting towed along behind from the slipstream. The Bewilderbeast didn't look back, having left its triumphant enemy on the Isle of Berk and his torturer writhing as a wingless Screaming Death in the sea. 
    The creatures pale eyes searched out an underwater cave, big enough for a Nightmare to squeeze through but only claw sized for the former Alpha. He got as close as he could to the hole on the rocky seabed, then his form shimmered and he changed, the huge dragon being replaced by a skinny, lithe human. The water pressure thrust in on him, but he paid it no mind, that being the advantage of a Bewilderbeast Dragonblood. He kicked away from the sand and swam into the cave, disappearing from view and the minds of the marine life. Leaving nothing but a splinter of tusk in the silty seabed and a faint swirling of water.

837 words, :D