The mother dragon reached through their bond and connected with his mind. She checked his memory of the event and cross-referenced them with different memories in his mind. Hiccup waited for her to finish. When that was done, Toothless pulled out from his mind.
"The way you make them reminds me of pre-war technology." Toothless commented. "They're more ancient than what my father has."
"Pre-war?"
"Before the Great Dragon War." The mother dragon clarified. "It's a war that followed shortly after the Oppressive War. Dragons would forge cannons like that to protect their home."
Hiccup blinked. "I didn't even know that."
"It's not widely known to surface dragons, or most dragons in Hidden World. The technology was largely lost to everyone." Toothless explained what she knew. "What we do know is how temperamental they could be. Excavation dragons are warned against touching them when digging in ancient pre-war sites."
"I guess I'll be more careful with it."
"You better be." The mother dragon retorted. She took a deep breath, before exhaling them. "Anyway... I found where I killed the Lycanwings."
"That's great!" The boy was happy to hear that. He walked into the open cave, which had his alchemy equipment. "Let me grab my things before we go."
"Either we finish them, or they'll finish us!"
Stoick was standing at the middle end of the Mead Hall. There were Vikings surrounding him. The chief was speaking to them.
"If we find the nest and destroy it, the dragons will leave. They'll find another home!" Stoick spoke to the crowd. "This is our best chance! One more search, before the ice sets in."
"Those ships never came back." One of the Vikings in the crowd called out.
"We're Vikings. It's an occupational hazard!" The chief retorted. "Now, who's with me?"
The Vikings looked uncomfortable. "Today's not good for me..."
"I've gotta do my axe returns." Another one hesitantly spoke.
"The new warship isn't done yet!"
Stoick exhaled his breath. "Alright." He decided. "Those who stay will look after Hiccup."
"He can handle his own."
"... and his works." Stoick finished the sentence.
Everyone instantly raised their hands. "To the ships!" One female Viking exclaimed.
"I'm with you, Stoick!" Spitelout shouted.
"That's more like it." The chief dryly muttered, amused by the sight.
The Vikings began walking away. Stoick simply watched as everyone prepared themselves. Gobber was the last one remained. He was busy doing something to the barrel of mead at the corner of the room. "Gobber." Stoick called out. "How are you doing?"
"Eh?" The blacksmith turned around. He was wearing a pair of shoes and gloves. "All good. 'just need to drink water."
"Good." The chief nodded. "I need you to stay and train the new recruits."
"Oh, perfect." Gobber shrugged. He sounded sarcastic. The man raised his tankard prosthetic. "And while I'm busy, Hiccup can cover my stall."
The thought of Hiccup dampened Stoick's mood. The blacksmith continued speaking. "Molten steel, razor sharp blades, lots of time to himself." He shrugged his shoulders. "We still need to rebuild the forge."
The chief looked away. "What am I going to do with him, Gobber?" He asked. He sounded a bit desperate.
The blacksmith frowned a bit. He looked around and noticed that the Mead Hall was empty. It was safe to converse about it.
Gobber focused back to the man in front of him. Stoick looked conflicted. The blacksmith thought for some time, before speaking. "Tell him everything."
"No." Stoick stared at his best friend with deadpan expression. "I'm serious."
"So am I."
"He's not ready." The chief whispered.
"Oh, you don't know that." Gobber retorted.
"I do know that, actually."
"No, you don't."
"No, actually. I do."
"No, you don't!" Gobber exclaimed at him.
"Listen. You know what he's like." Stoick started. "The day he was born, he has always been different. If he knew what he was, the moment he gets out there, he will die."
"And whose fault was that?" the blacksmith questioned. "Ya told me yer dad did it to you when you were five."
"Because he's different." Stoick firmly spoke. He straightened himself. "He'd never be able to grow up here. He doesn't have any human in him."
"Of course he can. He's a deviant hunter!" Gobber was incredulous. "What were ye trying to do, Stoick?"
The chief scratched his head. He looked sad and exasperated. "I don't want him to know." He admitted. "If he found out, he'll throw everything he learned thus far."
"That's not going to happen."
"It will happen at some point."
"Then either ye tell him, or he'll learn 'em on his own." The blacksmith retaliated. "Ye'd only distance him if ye didn't tell him. Talk to him. He'll understand if yer being honest with him."
Stoick mulled over what Gobber had told him. The chief stroked his beard. "... Alright." He decided.
"Glad that sorted out then!" Gobber happily spoke.
"Not yet." Stoick interrupted him. "I want him to train other to fight against deviants."
The blacksmith raised his brows. "And after that?"
"After I return, I will tell him everything."
"Alright." Gobber thought that was fair. It was their assurance against potential deviant dragons. "I'll hold your words on that."
Amber remembered the first time she was caught.
It was when she was about 2-year-old. She just reached her fledgling age, and it was her hatchday. Her parents were celebrating them; happy that their only hatchling had reached her old age. They had a gift for her prepared for the event.
The gifts were meant for later, but Amber was too curious. One thing led to another, she sneaked through her parent's roost and checked the gift. It was a large tuna fish; something Amber really liked.
However, her parents caught and punished her. The gift was taken away from her.
Instead of deterrence, Amber was encouraged to not get caught.
The second time she was caught was by her best friend; Toothless. It was how she met her the first time. There was a festival where Arch Alpha Wodensfang was expected to attend.
While he was giving a speech, Amber went into the restricted section. She sneaked through the guards, before finally meeting the young black dragon. They sneaked out together to eat mushroom snacks.
It was how they became best friends together. Toothless disliked authority in general, which was ironic, considering who her father was. The cheerful yet undaunted Night Fury enjoyed her company.
That feeling was mutual.
The Night Fury had a long rebellious streak. There was not an inch that she had not explored involving her father's studies. It was what inspired her to become a crystallographer. She had a knack of breaking into places.
Amber was that friend who tagged along for the adventure. It was how she learned about her likeness to psychology. The white dragoness remembered all sorts of trouble they caused, only for her to talk their way out of it.
That did not always work, but that 50 percent chance was often worth it.
When they grew up, the black dragoness had moved on from that phase. Toothless continued her education and earned a degree in Crystallography. She spent her time working as freelance crystallographer for roaming flocks. She even had plans to earn higher degrees.
Occasionally, she would overcharge nobles associated with her father. It was how Amber learned how petty Toothless could be.
Amber took different direction in her studies. She found interest in all sorts of lovemaking. She continued her studies in psychology and became a professional mind healer. She volunteered at International Veteran Rehabilitation to help war veterans adjust to Hidden World lives.
Despite this difference in profession, they remained close as friends.
When Toothless' mother died, Amber was the one who helped her back up. They went to live together at the same roost. They hunt together and fish together. Occasionally, one had to leave when opportunity called their life.
Just like how Toothless left because she found Charcoal.
Amber wondered if it would be the last time she was caught. When the arch alpha captured her, they stripped her of crystals in her mana pool. Then, she was thrown into an empty room with iron door. It was where they left her with her thoughts.
That was not to say she did not try to escape. Amber tried to melt the door, but it was strong enough to endure her flame. Then, she melted the frame, which was made of stone. That surprisingly worked, and she did almost escape.
She was caught near the exit, mainly because it was closed, and she was surrounded.
Her next attempts were always close. From melting the wall; faking injury and knocking out the food delivery dragon; to fumbling Logic Crystals; poisoning mana stored within crystals and caused catastrophic failure - something she never thought possible before; and forging guard dragon's mana signature.
The guard dragons learned from every attempt, making things more difficult the more she tried to escape. It reached the point where guards were even afraid of feeding her, causing her to starve.
While she was always close to escape, it was just that - close. The more Amber failed, the more frustrated she got.
In the end, she finally gave up. Amber cursed herself for biting more than she could chew. The Light Fury simply collapsed in her room, resorting to wait until they wiped her mind.
CREAK!
Suddenly, the iron door slid open, revealing several quadruped grey guard dragons. "Elisabeth Amber?"
Amber slowly stood from the ground. "Are you releasing me?"
"Arch Alpha Wodensfang wants to see you." The guard dragon at the front said, before moving aside. "Don't try anything funny."
"Hrr..." The Light Fury was amused. She slowly walked out from the place. Dragon guards had her flanked on every side. Once they were ready, the guards began to move, pushing Amber along with them.
Amber was moved into a massive food place. There were long stones acting as tables, and there was a counter at far corner in the room. Interestingly, the food place was empty, except for the certain large Night Fury at a table, and an unknown dragon behind the counter.
She still remembered what happened back then.
The Light Fury was led to stand in opposite side of the Night Fury. The dragon guards had moved to cover the doors and counter. Amber sat on the ground, before slowly looking up to the arch alpha dragon. "... hi."
"Hello." Wodensfang seemed to smile at her. "I hope you don't mind speaking here. It's lunch time."
"I don't mind."
The ancient Night Fury relaxed. "Would you like to eat as well?"
Amber nodded, almost desperate. "Yes, please."
Wodensfang glanced back to the unknown dragon at the counter. They noticed his stare, before heading through a doorway behind the counter.
Few minutes later, they went out carrying two stone plates with large food on them. Amber watched as they went around the counter and placed the food on their table.
It was then Amber could make sense what she was seeing. The quadruped dragon was green, almost tree leaf-like. They had yellow wing pattern that made them look like leaves. Their 'horns' were more of a moving appendage, like Fury nubs, except their ears were just below them. Even their back spikes looked like wooden sticks.
The green dragon used some sort of plant tendrils to carry the stone plates. Once everything was in place, the tendrils were retracted into their body. The dragon was nothing like what Amber had seen before. They must have come from somewhere deep in Hidden World.
Wodensfang was pleased with the food. They were massive, cooked and chopped steak. The meat was still hot, and it smelled great. "Chef, you have done it again!" He praised, prodding the cooked meat with his claw. "Very tender. This feels right."
The green dragon looked pleased with themselves. "I took your advice to heart." They spoke with feminine voice, hinting her gender. "Everyone loved them. I hope you do too."
"I definitely will." The arch alpha dragon remarked, before gulping one with his tongue. The heat did not really affect his mouth. Regardless, he was happy with the taste. "You have done well. Keep it up."
"Yes, arch alpha." The chef bowed to him, before walking back to the counter.
Amber did not know how to eat them. Her meal was cut much smaller compared to the black dragon in front of her. Copying the arch alpha, she used her tongue to pick up a piece of steak. The Light Fury carefully ate one.
She widened her eyes when the steak almost melted in her tongue, introducing her to all sorts of flavour. Once she gulped them down, the white dragon went to eat the rest.
It was how the next hour went on. The two dragons ate in silence. Occasionally, Wodensfang requested more food and drink. It was also Amber's first time tasting what humans called mead. Regardless, Amber was content to have them eat in silence.
Eventually, they finished their lunch. Wodensfang exhaled his breath. "Harr..." He looked satisfied with the food. "There is no love sincerer than the love of food."
Amber looked down at her empty plate. The arch alpha stared at her. "So!" He called, getting her attention. "I heard you've been giving the guards a hard time."
"I don't like the place." The Light Fury shrugged her wings. She hid her surprise from the dragon in front of her. Amber did not expect him to be bold and friendly.
"Nobody likes being caged. That's just how dragons are." Wodensfang commented. "How's Toothless? I haven't seen her in a while."
"She's doing well." Amber gave her answer. She noted that the chef was arriving to their table.
The green dragon moved to take the empty plates away. While that was happening, the arch alpha continued to ask. "Is she happy at the surface?"
"She's..." The Light Fury did not know what to say. She had to be careful. "... happy. Her life is more exciting than mine."
"I heard she became mates together with a Night Fury." Wodensfang seemed rather relaxed. "Charcoal. That's his name. The brave general that did what he could."
Amber remained silent. The black dragon continued speaking. "I heard he started the idea of Remembrance Day." Wodensfang remarked, before focusing on the white dragon. "What does it look like?"
"It's both celebration and funeral for fallen dragon soldiers." The white dragon seemed to relax. "They want them to be remembered."
"That sounds like honourable thing to do." Wodensfang nodded approvingly. "A general that honours their soldiers. We don't see that often."
Amber was curious. "Isn't that common for your generals?"
"You can know a general from how they treat their soldiers." The arch alpha remarked, resting his forelegs on the table. "He treated them like his own sons and daughters. No wonder they admired him. He's a good dragon."
Amber remained silent. Wodensfang exhaled his breath. "... Toothless made good judgment in his character." He reminisced, saddened. "I wish she wasn't so credulous about it. I wonder how she behaves around her friends."
There was a pause. The Light Fury realised that was a question. "She can be hateful sometimes." Amber told the tale. "I remember the time when she moved a large fishpond. She did it to spite a male dragon trying to court her."
"Must be quite a sight." The arch alpha commented.
Amber ignored him. "But..." She was remembering her time together with her best friend. "She's also very lonely."
Wodensfang paid attention. The Light Fury continued speaking. "She knows how to socialise and enjoy herself. She knows how to make friends." Amber explained what she knew of her. "She has this look of longing until she met Charcoal. I don't know why she feels lonely when she has a loving family."
The arch alpha dragon softened his expression. "Sometimes, the best-looking family is the worst kind." Wodensfang admitted. There was a hint of shame in his voice. "Did she tell you about us?"
The Light Fury shook her head. "No."
"As you probably know, in the span of my life, I have four hatchlings." Wodensfang began his tale. "Merciless is the eldest. Then, there were Horror and Luna. Toothless is the youngest."
Amber paid attention, having heard of them before. The arch alpha dragon continued speaking. "We're not the best family, but we did our best with what we know." Wodensfang told the tale. "And sometimes, doing our best is not enough. And I take full responsibility for that."
The Light Fury was curious. "What happened?" She softly asked.
"Whatever happened, happened." The arch alpha dragon gave a non-answer. "But, in respect of my daughter, you should ask her if she's willing. You should hear what she said."
"She always avoided talking about it." Amber pointed out.
"Then give her time to open herself." Wodensfang advised. "Be patient, even if it takes a thousand years. She only accept those that respects her privacy."
"Oh." The Light Fury looked down at the empty table. "... thank you for telling me."
"It was no problem."
The two dragons fell silent. It was rather awkward for them both. Wodensfang was staring at her with soft expression, while Amber was apprehensive about what to do next.
Given that the arch alpha himself was present, she could not make any attempt to escape.
Regardless, Amber wanted to know. She looked up to the arch alpha dragon in front of her. "Why did you invite me here?"
Wodensfang raised his brows. "Is it wrong to talk?"
"Well, I'm your prisoner." Amber pointed out. "You caught me sneaking into this place."
"And we were impressed." The arch alpha dragon finished that sentence. He leaned close to the white dragon. "For someone with clean and clear background, you seem to know a lot about infiltration."
"W- Well, I like to watch alpha dragons." The Light Fury confessed. She was hesitant. "They're usually high in security. I just learned how to do it."
"Watching alpha dragons..." Wodensfang pondered what she meant, before euphemism caught on him. "Ah. A pervert."
"Krk..." Amber almost snorted.
"Not the worst dragon I've seen or heard of." The arch alpha dragon continued speaking. "But that's not why you're here."
The Light Fury felt dread. "Why am I here?"
"You are here because I'm offering you a job." Wodensfang changed his resting position. He moved back and leaned to the side. "You have talents. It would be a waste not to nurture them."
"I've been nurturing them just fine." Amber retorted. There was mirth in her eyes. "Some of your dragons can tell you that."
"Hrr..." The arch alpha dragon hummed in amusement. "Would you like to hear my offer?"
The Light Fury pondered that idea. There was a chance that she would be thrown back into her room, should she refuse. It was best to hear them first. "What's the job?"
"The job is simple. We station you around Charcoal and Toothless, and your job is to protect them." Wodensfang explained his offer. "Should you accept, we would accommodate you with Super Dragon Project."
Amber blinked at that. "Super dragon project?"
"Something to make you powerful." The arch alpha dragon answered. "Perhaps on par with my soldiers."
The Light Fury thought that was a tempting offer. "What if I refuse?"
"Should you refuse, we will wipe your mind about everything involving this place." Wodensfang further answered. "You will be released and kicked out to the surface. Toothless would be informed, and you are barred from entering Caldera for three months."
Amber felt somewhat relieved. The other choice was the same one that Toothless told her. However, she wanted to know more about the intent. "Why are you making this offer?"
There was a pause. The arch alpha dragon took his time to answer. "... as you probably know by now, something is wrong with Charcoal." Wodensfang explained the context. "When you were caught, Toothless was questioned, and we were alerted of the situation."
The Light Fury widened her eyes. Wodensfang straightened himself. "We did our investigation, and we came to a conclusion." He further explained. "We have a traitor. Who they are, we cannot say. We are still investigating this."
'Furious.' Amber thought, realising the significance.
The arch alpha guessed her first thought. "We have investigated the obvious suspects. They were all innocent." He continued speaking. Wodensfang was still relaxed, despite the seriousness of the situation. "While we are doing our work, we need someone to aid them. This is where you come in."
"And what would happen after that?" The Light Fury questioned.
"You would be bound to Toothless." Wodensfang answered. "That's who you will answer to."
Amber realised that was the consequence. She would be bound to her best friend. "What about my job? My family?"
"It would be up for Toothless to decide."
The Light Fury thought that as much. "Then... I will have to refuse."
Silence. The two dragons stared at each other. If Wodensfang was surprised, he did not show them. The arch alpha dragon simply tilted his head. "Why?"
"Toothless would hate me for accepting." Amber explained her decision. "You're asking me to be her servant. She hates servant, especially one against their will. I don't like them either."
"Hrr..." Wodensfang simply hummed. For some reason, the Light Fury felt like she just passed a secret test. The arch alpha dragon responded. "Let's alter the deal then. You will not be bound to anyone. Would you accept?"
"... no. I don't." Amber gave her final answer.
"But you will not be bound." The arch alpha dragon pointed out. "That invalidates your argument."
"Toothless doesn't like associating herself with you. She told me to reject any offer you made." The Light Fury gave him a wry smile. "She left you when she was young. I think I can trust her judgment."
"Harr..." Wodensfang exhaled his breath, before relaxing himself. "Even after all those years, my past sins still haunt me." He lamented. The arch alpha dragon looked back at the white dragon. "Very well. We will wipe your mind and release you."
The Light Fury looked visibly relieved. "Thank you."
The arch alpha dragon looked back to the counter. "Chef." He called out. "Could you get us a pile of boiled cod fishes?"
"Give me a minute!" The green dragon, who peeked through the doorway, gave her answer. "Do you want them big or small?"
"Small, please."
"Alright." The chef went back inside. "Coming right up!"
While waiting for that, Wodensfang turned to face one of the guard dragons. They moved to check on the arch alpha. "Yes, sir?"
"Tell Professor Hubert to prepare the Super Dragon Project." Wodensfang gave his order. "We have a Light Fury as subject."
"Yes, sir."
"W- Wait. No." Amber called out, stopping them. She was confused and afraid. "I said no. I refused the offer."
"Miss Amber." The arch alpha dragon spoke. It was the first time he called her name. "I know where you are going to go after this."
The black dragon stared at the white one. Wodensfang continued speaking. "You're going to fly to Barbaric Archipelago and help Toothless however you can." He gave his prediction. "You care too much to leave her alone."
"But-"
The arch alpha dragon continued speaking. "They are trying to solve their problems. Problems, which they are unprepared to solve." Wodensfang hardened his expression. "You will die."
"I..." Amber was nervous. She straightened herself. "I think it's worth protecting my friend."
"And I don't want to hold a funeral." Wodensfang retaliated. He relaxed upon saying that. "As you can see, we want to help them. We just disagree on how."
"Then you lied when you said you'll wipe my memory." The Light Fury narrowed her eyes.
"Oh, we will wipe your memory." The arch alpha dragon smiled at that. "What you don't know, they can speculate. For all you know, you were caught in an experiment by accident."
The two dragons fell silent once more. Wodensfang gestured the guard dragon to leave, which they did. Just as they left, the green dragon chef arrived with two stone plates of cod fish piles. Having just came out from the boiler, they were smoking hot.
"Here you go." The chef placed them on the table. "Boiled small cod fishes."
"Thank you, chef." Wodensfang expressed gratitude.
The green dragon chef bowed, before walking away to the counter. The arch alpha dragon stared at the white dragon opposite of him. "I've already lost a son and a daughter." He explained. "I don't want to lose another. I know you understand."
Amber simply stared at her pile of boiled cod fish. She would be going through that experiment, after all. Even if she would not remember them. Realising that there was no other choice, the Light Fury moved to eat her food.
Just before she did, the dragoness noticed something right next to the plate. It was a familiar-looking crystal plate. That was the same Book Stone crystal she used to store a copy of Mimir's information. Amber widened her eyes, before looking back to the arch alpha.
Wodensfang was busy eating his fish. Not wanting to interrupt, Amber quietly pulled the Book Stone crystal into her mana pool. After it vanished with bluish-white flame, the white dragoness went to eat her food.
... they were really good food.
Toothless were flying at moderate altitude in the sky. Hiccup was sitting on her neck. Gryphon was following behind; the Night Fury hatchlings were secured in her pockets. They were heading down to a large forest clearing.
There was something in the middle of the clearing. It had the clue to understand what happened with Hiccup.
The two dragons landed close to it. Hiccup slid down from her neck. Gryphon raised her wings a bit, allowing the hatchlings to see. The boy went to look at what was at the centre. He grimaced upon seeing them.
It was the remains of what appeared to be a living being. There were only bones and decaying scales. Interesting enough, however, the bone structures were unusual.
They looked like what remains of humans with skulls, spines, ribs and other bone parts. However, in addition to that, there were wing and tail skeletons attached.
Looking at the other remains, that one was similar. However, one of them had arm bones fused with wing bones. Hiccup pulled out his certain book, before comparing them with the images. "... they were Lycanwings."
Toothless inspected the remains. "I didn't look that close after I killed them." She noticed that there were other skeletons as well. "Those looks fully human, but that one look like a human skull with a dragon snout."
Gryphon frowned at the sight. "I wonder how something like Lycanwing exists."
Hiccup crouched over the skull and pulled out his knife. "The most preserved sample is in the head." He stabbed the skull, which quickly went through. He wedged his knife, before moving them like a saw, creating a hole.
Once that was done, Hiccup pulled out a small latched wooden canister from his pouch, popped them open, and placed the skull piece into it. "That's the bone. Let's see what's inside." He remarked, before peering into the skull. The boy paused for a moment, staring at something. "... that's new."
Toothless and Gryphon leaned to check. "What is it?"
The two female dragons and the boy stared at the hole. There was a bright white-purple, grape-like crystal inside the skull. Hiccup frowned as he poked the thing with his knife. It was the size of his thumb. "Strange..."
"I know natural crystals comes from dead dragons." Toothless hesitated. "But... they're supposed to form in few centuries."
Hiccup used his knife to pull the crystal out. "This might be a special one then." He inspected them, before putting them inside his wooden canister. "Maybe a coincidence, but..."
The boy moved to a different corpse. He caved the head skull open, revealing similar crystal inside. That one was bigger than before. Hiccup pulled the crystal out with his knife, carefully placing them on the ground. "I've never seen anything like this before."
Hiccup hovered his hand over the crystal. He pulsed his mana, and the crystal pulsed back its own. There was no other reaction, but that was enough for him to know. "This is the disease."
Toothless was alarmed. "The disease?"
"Yes. Lycanwing is not a normal disease. It's mana-bacterium. This is a big clump of it." The boy answered. He was fascinated by the white-purple crystal. "Bacteria is first observed by a Dutch microscopist in 1676. They're tiny creatures around us that we can't see. At least not without microscope."
"I didn't know there's such thing as mana bacteria." Toothless commented.
"I have an alchemy book dedicated to crystals. It's written by the same author as the dragon book." Hiccup remarked, carefully inspecting the grape-like crystal. "It described mana affecting diseases. They always crystallise like this."
The mother dragon was deep in thought. "Is it different compared to normal bacteria?"
"I don't know. The book only cover diseases that affects mana." The boy admitted, glancing at her. "There are non-mana diseases and affliction that affects mana. It's easier to think of them as some sort of hybrid."
"Harr..." The adult black dragoness exhaled her breath. "I better read that book one day."
"I second that." Gryphon commented.
Toothless glanced at her. "I thought you already know that."
"Yeah, well..." The Valstrax hesitated. "I like reading books. Human books. I just can't touch them because of my claws."
While they were talking, Hiccup continued his work. He put the crystal into the same canister. The boy went to gather more crystals. "One day, I'll write a book about my discoveries." He decided, getting their attention. "What are the chances that someone already discovered this?"
"None. They would have taught us in school if we did." Toothless gave her answer, before pointing something out. "Nobody has ever observed Lycanwing disease before. There's no living patient."
"So far." Hiccup quickly pointed out.
"So far." The mother dragon nodded. "You're the first one I've met."
"If only we have a mana expert that could help us understand this." The boy was sarcastic. He searched around for more intact skulls. Finding none, he closed the canister shut and locked the latch. "... maybe I shouldn't complain. This is my chance to learn something new."
"Hey." Toothless softened her expression. "We've done our best with what we have."
"I know. I should've known better." Hiccup mumbled as he switched canister with an empty one. "... right. Bone samples."
"Well, well, well..."
The two dragons and the boy quickly turned to face potential adversary. They were two familiar Light Furies standing not far from them. Hiccup recognised them. "Mathew? Avisha?"
Toothless sharply stared at him. "You knew them?"
"They're Arbitrators. Detectives of Longfin Empire." Hiccup answered, not looking away from the Light Furies. "I met them when they were investigating missing ancient egg."
"You were very convincing the last time we talked." Mathew grunted as he approached. "We will not make that mistake again."
Toothless, Hiccup and Gryphon were ready to fight. Avisha stomped on the yellow-eyed Light Fury's tail, stopping him. "No need to scare the kids." He decided. "We already know everything."
The boy was confused. "You do?"
"It's not hard to guess what happened." The red-eyed Light Fury nodded, before letting go of the tail. "A Haddock Night Fury, not knowing who he is, affected by Lycanwing, under False Mind by Furious himself. Everything here just confirmed what we suspected."
Toothless narrowed her eyes. False Mind was defined as fake mind inside a real one. That aptly described Hiccup's situation. "Are you going to report this to my father?"
"The Valstrax egg was supposed to reach the Imperial Egg Storage." Avisha answered. He sounded amused. "It hatched and imprinted itself to Charcoal here. The case is closed, but we had to make that report."
The black dragoness felt somewhat relieved. It meant nothing would be done. It was just bureaucracy. "Can you help us reach Caldera?"
"Long time ago, you told us not to interfere with your life." The red-eyed Light Fury pointed out.
"This is an emergency." Toothless further explained. "Merciless would arrest us if we try to cross the border."
"Unless your father ordered us, we can't help you." Avisha responded. His red eyes seemed to bore the female black dragon. "We are detectives, not smugglers. We don't have authority over Merciless if he wanted to make an arrest."
The mother dragon was about to retort when she remembered something. "Have you heard about the deviant incursion at Berk?"
"We do." The red eyed Light Fury nodded. "We have reported them to Greater Alpha Furious."
"Did he decide to do anything?"
Avisha glanced at his partner. "We overheard him summoning a dragon for meeting."
"Are you reporting the incursion to my father?" Toothless further questioned.
"Every deviant incursion recorded are to be reported directly to Arch Alpha Wodensfang." The red-eyed Light Fury seemed to avoid the question. "It is Greater Alpha duty to make that report."
"Fine. Can you send this to my father?" The mother dragon requested as she tapped the ground. A large dull greenish crystal plate appeared with dark purple flame. It was a Stone Book crystal. "Highest priority."
Avisha carefully approached them. He moved to grab the stone book crystal. "What's the content?"
"It's a summary of the last three years of my life after the Battle of Lava-Lout Island." Toothless answered his question. "I'm supposed to give this to my father myself when I get to Caldera, but I can't because of this situation. He needs to know what's going on here."
"I will deliver your message as soon as possible." The red-eyed Light Fury answered. He tapped on the crystal plate, and it disappeared in red flame. "Is there anything else?"
"We think Furious is trying to keep everything quiet." The mother dragon informed. "We don't know what he's planning. We're not taking any chances. Make sure it reaches my father."
Avisha straightened himself. "I will personally ensure its delivery."
"Good." Toothless nodded. "Now go."
The red-eyed Light Fury bowed at her, before walking away from the place. His partner followed behind. After some distance, the two dragons took off into the air, leaving the place.
After they left, Hiccup prepared his empty canister. "Now, I can get bone sample."
Suddenly, one of the hatchlings spoke from Gryphon's pocket. "Dad?"
The boy looked up. "Yes, Hamish?"
"Can you tell us what part is human or dragon?" The small hatchling questioned. "I'm confused."
"Alright." Hiccup shrugged. "Get down from your sister."
All at once, the hatchlings jumped off and began crowding around the boy. "I want to know too!" Helena exclaimed. "What are those bones?"
"Oooh!" Amelia was checking the rotting Lycanwing corpse. "Is that a worm?"
"One by one." The boy called out. "Kids, please!"
"Hrr…" Toothless was pleased to see that. Their hatchlings were asking about anatomy. Despite their situation, she was glad that there was some time spent with the hatchlings. At least there was nothing too harmful this time.
Hiccup came back to Berk later that night. The boy had spent the whole day teaching his hatchlings about how bodies worked, like how their wings and legs move. While not really useful for now, he thought it was best to indulge their curiosity.
After returning to Berk, he went straight into Haddock house. His father Stoick the Vast was sitting on the fireplace, staring at the fire. The boy thought that it was his chance. It was time to speak to him about his situation.
"Dad." Hiccup started, getting his attention. "Uh... I have to talk to you, dad."
Stoick turned around on his seat. "I need to speak with you too, son."
"I think I have Lycanwing that turn me into a dragon."
"I think it's time for you to teach how to fight deviants."
Hiccup and Stoick had spoken simultaneously. The message had completely gone over their head. "What?"
"You go first." Stoick gestured.
"No, no." Hiccup replied, gesturing to him. "You go first."
"Alright." Stoick nodded. He softened his expression. "You'll be training others to fight deviants. You start in the morning."
Hiccup stared at his father with surprised expression. "What?! Uh, man I should've gone first." He nearly cursed himself. He thought his father was going to tell him something important. "Uh, 'cause I have something very extra sure would make you panic."
Stoick grabbed an axe and handed it over to Hiccup. "You'll need this."
Hiccup held the large axe. The boy looked back to his father. "Really?"
Stoick chuckled. "Come on. What else do you need?"
"Rephrase: Dad, I don't want to teach how to hunt." Hiccup replied, somewhat pleading. He did not even know where to start teaching!
"Yes, you do." The chief insisted, before pausing. "... think of it as your training. If you successfully trained one, I have something to give you."
That raised his curiosity. Hiccup calmed down as he wondered. "What are you giving me?"
Stoick dramatically paused. "... Your ancestor's books."
"My ancestor's..." The boy stopped himself. He realised what he meant. "... there's more?"
"Our tribe has lived for over 2000 years." The father explained to his son. "For many generations, we Haddocks have been the chief of the tribe. No other family line has ever become the chief. There is a reason for that."
Hiccup had heard of that story before. He placed the axe away. "Because Hiccup the First is our ancestor."
"Yes. The Legend of Haddock." Stoick softly spoke to him. "A long time ago, there was peace between humans and dragons together. The peace started with our tribe."
Stoick dramatically paused, before continued speaking. "But then, something happened. Dragons did not like our peace. After a hundred years of peace, it was broken. They killed the very first chief that founded our tribe."
"It's Hiccup the First." The boy spoke up, before continuing. "Dad, look-"
"But it was not the only time it happened! Hiccup the Second brought peace among humans and dragons again!" The chief interrupted him. "This time, the situation is different. In different parts of the world, others learned about dragons. They see them as mere animals."
"And there was peace, and then there was betrayal, and then there was the war." Hiccup further interrupted. He did not want to waste his time. "Dad, look-"
"Hiccup." Stoick sharply interrupted. "I'm not finished!"
The boy was frustrated, but kept his mouth shut. He gestured his father to continue. Stoick straightened himself, before continued speaking. "Every Hiccup before you had brought peace. Every Hiccup before you befriended a Night Fury. Hiccup the First had a dragon named Wodensfang. Hiccup the Second had a dragon named Furious. They all died trying to keep that peace."
That legitimately surprised the boy. While he was aware of them, he never saw the connection. Given his father had noticed, Hiccup realised the seriousness of the situation.
Stoick continued speaking. "When the elder came to me and told me to name you Hiccup, I thought it was a mistake." He confessed. "But when you befriended Toothless, I thought that was the end of it."
There was a long pause. The father exhaled his breath. "When you killed the deviant Monstrous Nightmare two years ago, I thought it was a fluke." He admitted. "You have two capable friends with you. Alex was there to help."
Hiccup was incredulous, but did not interrupt. Stoick continued speaking. "When you killed that monstrous creature this morning, I couldn't deny myself anymore." He confessed. "I'm just delaying what was meant to happen."
"Dad..." The boy softly whispered. "I wasn't looking for trouble."
"I know, but trouble likes to find you." Stoick retorted. He took a deep breath, before speaking his mind. "Would you like to know a secret?"
The boy leaned forward. He was morbidly curious to know where it was going. The father leaned closer to whisper. "I had a dragon friend." He whispered. "She was a Night Fury."
Hiccup was shocked to learn that. "What?"
"It was a long time ago." Stoick continued whispering. "I found her in a net, just like how you found Toothless."
There was a long pause. The boy was still in shock. He was processing what his father just said. Hiccup never thought Stoick the Vast could befriend a dragon, let alone a Night Fury. "What happened to her?"
Stoick shuddered his breath. He steeled himself. "She was taken by another dragon." He answered the question. "Not all dragons like their kind befriending humans."
Hiccup remained silent. The chief turned around. He went to grab something from his back. "There are more I want to tell you." He spoke while searching for something. "But! I don't have time to search my stuff. For now, these will do."
The boy stared as his father showed him the thing. It was a large thick book and an oval-shaped object. Hiccup carefully picked them up, before inspecting them. The oval-shaped object was a blue crystal, and they had small leather strap on them.
Hiccup recognised the crystal. "A Kinship Stone."
"My old stone." Stoick softly added, getting his attention. "Wear them. Show them to your dragon. You'll be surprised."
The boy already knew what it could do. He slowly strapped the Kinship Stone on his gauntlet. Once it was secured, Hiccup gave a bright smile. "Thanks, dad."
The father simply nodded. Hiccup moved on to check the book. It was written in a very old Greek; Mana: Principles, Techniques and Tools. It was authored by Hiccup the First. The boy was surprised to see them.
The boy looked up to his father. "How did you find this book?"
"It was left to me by my father, which he inherited from my grandfather." The father answered the question. He looked sombre. "We couldn't read them. The language is too old for us to learn."
Hiccup was more focused on the book. "... this book is older than the Roman Empire." He whispered, realising its significance. "It might be well over two thousand years old."
The book itself looked like it had been made with dragonsmithing technique; something he never thought was possible.
The hard cover was made of red dragon scales, and the paper was incredibly sturdy. There were round golden scales embroidered at the cover, which had intricate carving of a dog.
The dragon-scaled book looked like it could last for eternity. Given its quality, it was possible that the book might be the only one of its kind.
Opening the book, everything was written in old Greek. The first page explained the basic concepts of Life-Force. It was nothing that Hiccup did not already know, but considering how thick the book was, he would need to check other sections later.
The chief stood from the chair. "Remember dragon training." Stoick informed him as he picked up his own axe near the fireplace. "Teach them. Get them ready. I'll be back."
The man began walking out from the house. He opened the door. Before he left, Stoick looked back to his son. "... probably." He softly spoke, before closing the door behind him, leaving Hiccup alone inside the house.