Once in a Nightlight

Chapter 3

As dawn rose the Alpha was sat awake on the lip of the cave that was dug into a cliff. Toothless observed over the forest tips carefully with a twitch of his ears and slimmed eyes in concentration, Luna slept peacefully still in the corner with her face buried into her small arms.

"Luna..Wake up, it's time we go." The Alpha whispered softly as he padded over to her. The Lightfury awoke at once but she murmured tiredly to him, gently pressing her face into his warm side "I know, I'm very tired too...But the sooner we get to our new home the more sleep we can get" He chuckled softly and gave her little head a lick, then turned and sauntered to the edge of the cave again "Everyone is awake, I sent Hookfang to assemble them down at the beach before the sun rises any further."

"Good idea..." Luna whispered sleepy as she stretched herself out to loosen any stiff bones, then joined her mate at the entrance "The air is crisp and the clouds are light...Maybe we can make it there without rain if we're lucky."

"Possibly." The Alpha replied simply as he leapt down rock to rock landing neatly on the forest floor "You can go and hunt for a little if you like, just don't be long." He touched their noses softly "Meet me at the beach before sunhigh."

The couple ran off in different directions, Toothless heading his way towards the beach where loud chatting arose from the bottom of the cliff he stood on. He soared down and landed on the soft sand where he gave orders for a few dragons to hunt for fish and some to hunt on the fields above before they took off

"I certainly wouldn't be happy flying on an empty stomach." Stormfly joked as she bounced towards the sand edge and helped out Hookfang and Cloudjumper fish. Toothless settled himself down on the sand once he had caught his own, gulping down the last morsel and licking around his lips as Luna approached with a fawn in her jaws.

"Nice catch." Toothless chuckled

"Thanks, wasn't too hard." Luna grinned triumphantly as she settled besides him to eat her proud catch. Toothless peered up the cliff to see the rest of the flock flying down with their prey in their jaws, then settling down in a huddle to much while they talked with mouths full. Stormfly and the other dragons crouched on branches while they munched seen as the beach was pretty swarmed with everybody. The King and his mate was at the corner of the beach out of the way while he groomed Luna's face as she turned to groom his back. 

"Do you think we're ready to go, my King?" Cloudjumper flew over the heads of the dragons who were finishing their meals and sitting down. As Toothless looked around to check if anyone was still eating, he got up 

"I think we're ready."

They had left the island before the sun had reached above their heads. Toothless was behind checking for any ambushes while Luna lead the way, she knew where she was going. The Elderly dragons was ahead to set the pace so none was left behind, the strong in the middle surrounding the weakest dragons in the flock. The Alpha had all his eyes and ears alert looking around for any sort of danger, but he saw none. Toothless continued to fly after his clan as they made their way towards their new home, his stomach churned at the thought of it, a little nervous and a little excited. But he pushed that all aside as he thought of his future ahead with his flock and his new mate.

The dragons pushed through a harsh wind that hit them half way there, a few cubs had lost their control but the mothers had them safe in their grasp as they flew now, some even offering to help carry them as a sign of respect. Toothless held one himself, the cub perched in his teeth boasting question after question.

"The king is carrying me!" the cub squeaked out excitedly as Toothless chuckled softly at his enthusiasm.

"Indeed I am, but it's not that exciting, young one." The Alpha replied coolly but his voice was muffled against the scruff of the cub.

"Is it true that you killed the Bewilderbeast? And the Red Death?? Mother told me so! But I wasn't born when that happened so I didn't know." The cub scowled "I wish I was."

Toothless gave a hearty laugh as he held him in his jaws, flying smoothly still "Yes, I did, I guess the story has passed down in the nursery?"

"Yes! Cloudjumper always tells us the story of when you took down your own king and queen to protect us! Almost every night in the nursery" The cub's eyes glimmered up at him admiringly "I wish I could be like you one day! Fight with my flock and take down the biggest bullies!!"

"I'm sure you will one day, kid. What's your name?" He felt rather foolish not to know this young male's name, but all the same he had seen him before, only when he was newly born.

"Colt!"

"Ah..Colt. Yes, I've heard of you before, your mother is Dayflight?" 

"Yep! And my father is Venonwhip, have you heard of him, Toothless?" Colt looked up at him still, twisting his head stiffly in his grasp as his big golden eyes shone in the sunlight that blistered down on them.

"Indeed I have, Venomwhip is a good friend to me, and so is your mother."

"My mother and father are good friends with you? Does that mean that we'll be good friends?"

Toothless chuckled once more. "I'll be good friends with all of you, I'm sure of it."

Colt continued to ask Toothless countless questions but the King didn't mind, answering them confidently enough as he carried the young male in his jaws over the sea. They didn't stop for a break, other wise they would be behind schedule and reach the Hidden World at midnight. Dayflight hovered back a few times to check up on her son as he boasted how he was friends with Toothless. Dayflight couldn't help feeling flattered for her son, after telling her alpha that Colt struggled to make friends mostly because he would continuously be talking. Toothless felt a pang of pride to be friends with this cub, and allowed him to ask as much questions as he liked. Dayflight then flew back ahead to keep an eye on her other cubs carried in the mouths of other dragons as they made their way to their new home.

"Toothless! I think we're there!" Luna called from the front.

The Hidden World laid right in front of them, a gaping hole with the sea being swallowed right into the darkness.