The sun was non-existent, but morning was on its way as a Night Fury sped across the water, cutting through the waves like it was nothing. Hiccup sighed in relief, casting glances toward the tail. The light purple fin was thin, but reinforced giving it a sturdy base as Toothless spiraled in glee. From the saddle, Hiccup could see that some adjustments needed to be made, while the tail was exceptional, it was a little too stiff making their turns a little rocky, but even with improvements needed he could feel the energy as they sliced the sky. 

"Alright, everything looks good, balance good, the tail is holding on. Of course, I could make some changes, but what do you say, Bud? Should we call it a success?"

Toothless gave him a gummy smile, letting out an excited roar into the dark sky. 

Hiccup laughed, leaning closer into his saddle. "Let’s try out speed." With a click of the pedal, the tail opened wide and the two sped up, sending water flying. The two yelled out in an adrenaline-induced excitement as Hiccup pulled the handles back slowing the two down. 

"Okay, speed is not a problem." They flew closer to the Edge, the Night Terrors giving out small hellos as he waved toward the small dragons. Hiccup spotted the forest and a smirk graced his face. He leaned down. "Why don’t we try evasive maneuvers, huh?"

Toothless voiced his agreement, opening his wings wider, quickly adjusting to the added weight of his tail. Once the forest line came closer Toothless let out a plasma echo, his mind creating a map. The two took sharp turns avoiding pines and fallen tree trunks. Hiccup did have to apologize as they raced past a herd of sleeping Gronkles. Hiccup felt Toothless tense below him, unconsciously opening the tail further giving the dragon the momentum to spin avoiding three Pine trees in tight formation. "Good job, bud."

Toothless was ready to give a smile when his ears picked up a low cry further down the forest. He turned toward the soundwaves, getting his rider’s attention. "You got something?"

Toothless mimicking a nod and Hiccup activated his tail, giving him control, which the dragon appreciated as he flew fast, but careful into the forest. The sky was turning a thinner shade of blue as morning approached, but it was still black as night in the endless sea of forest. 

The sound was gone, leaving Toothless hovering in the middle of the thicket, Terrible Terrors warbled from the treetops above them. "You lost it?"

Hiccup looked up, patting the dragon’s head. "It’s okay, go ahead and land. We may have a better chance on foot."

His dragon landed with a soft thud, shaking his head. Hiccup dismounted igniting Inferno, to give the two some much needed light. "Do you remember the general direction, bud?"

Toothless’s ear flaps flickered as he headed West, his rider following behind him. The forest was still, but Hiccup could still hear slumbering dragons in all directions. They passed a ravine, the trees thinning as fauna took over the area. He kept quiet knowing his dragon was fiercely listening to sounds and it paid off when his ears shot up and the Night Fury’s pace quickened. 

At first he couldn’t hear what got Toothless’s attention, but the further the two went down the ravine, he could hear a small collection of whimpers and croaks. Raising Inferno higher, minding the flames, he could see a small cliff in their path with small ridges and black caves deep within. The shadows from the flame gave Hiccup the light that he needed to see a very small shivering shape. He got down on one knee, Toothless next to him. The two shared a worried glance as Hiccup set Inferno against a rock, the flames still burning bright as he slowly reached his hand out. 

"Hey," He started gently, scooting closer. The shape flinched back, its spiked tail flicking back and forth in agitation. "No, no, no. It’s okay, we’re not here to hurt you." Hiccup said slowly, glancing toward his dragon giving him a small nod. 

Toothless walked forward, not stopping even when the small dragon whimpered loudly and scooted as far as the cave allowed. He sniffed the hatchling, taking note that it was a female, and the scent of her parent were faint, almost non-existent. Toothless purred, letting the vibrations calm the little thing as he wrapped his body around the dragon, who quaked at the sensation. Toothless purred once more, nudging the little thing by the head softly, while Hiccup kept his distance. 

After a few more nudges, Hiccup spotted a small crown of horns raised little by little until her head emerged from her wings. "It’s a Nadder." Hiccup got up slowly, assured Toothless would keep the baby dragon safe while he looked around. The cave wasn’t made to care for a hatchling, no nest, and no parents. He grabbed Inferno, taking in the area. The sun was climbing its way up past Snow Cap Peak, providing the tiniest light through the thick forest. At a quick glance, nothing was wrong, but Hiccup knew where to look. Tracks were littered everywhere, some Nadder and some looked like a Gronkle, but from the looks of it, it was more than one Gronkle. Hiccup walked near the cliffside, placing his hand on the cold stone, running it down while he walked. Some parts of the rock were chipped or damaged from concussive blasts, the rock still coated in black soot, others areas of stone were crushed or slashed. 

If he had to guess, the Nadder and Gronkle’s were probably challenging each other over territory claims. Over the year, the gang has handled many disputes on the Edge, making sure that some dragons stick to their territories to avoid possible fights. 

He swallowed when he spotted the familiar sight of blood as he looked around. Some dragons will do anything to claim or take over territories, and others will only threaten them. As he followed the trail, he found spines, but there was still no Nadder. Hiccup climbed a low ridge making his way to the top of the cliff. The ocean was thundering as waves clashed with the rocks down below, and he sighed when he found the Nadder, the jagged rocks claiming the dragon's life. Hiccup looked away, facing in the direction his best bud was calmly taking care of the orphaned hatchling. He walked back, already planning on getting Astrid and Fishleg’s help making a proper resting place for the dead dragon. 

It was a heavy thought, but it lightened when he spotted Toothless wrapped around the baby Nadder, his large wing covering her from the cool morning breeze. He smiled gently, the sky bright enough for him to sheath his sword getting the two dragons' attention. Toothless gave him a concentrated look, a deep message swirling. It didn’t take a genius to know what he wanted, so he shook his head, the image of the dead Nadder freshly in his mind. "Not this time, bud."

Toothless gave him a sad croon, nudging the little one who was watching his rider anxiously. 

Hiccup got down on one knee, making himself visible to the hatchling who burrowed deeper into the Night Fury’s hide. He stretched out his hand, turning his head away, patiently waiting. Toothless gave the Nadder an encouraging nudge as the dragon got to her feet, sniffing the hand in front of her. She chirped, glancing at Toothless who nodded, and leaned into the human’s hand.

Hiccup smiled, giving her a gentle scratch under the chin. "I bet you’ve had a tough week."

The Nadder rolled onto her back, as Hiccup carefully scratched her thin scales near her under belly. He noticed the dull colored scales, some were peeling or damaged as new scales were growing. He knew sooner or later he would have to scrub the old scales off, and watch out for any abusive scales near her wing joints. He’s had enough experience grooming and caring for Hatchlings to know when it was time for their scales to shed. When Berk and the Dragon’s alliance was still young he found himself taking care of many hatchlings. One morning he would wake up and find three baby dragons near the end of his bed sleeping, with his dragon giving him a gummy smile. It was something he always looked forward to years ago.

Hiccup went ahead and picked off some of the loose scales off her hide near her wing joint, watching her shake her wings after removing them. "That should make it a bit more comfortable. We’ll make sure you’re well cared for, but first we need to get you back to the Edge."

He grabbed an extra tunic from his saddle bag, wrapping the shirt tight around her wings to avoid her flying off. He chuckled when the Nadder squirmed giving him a questioning look. "Don’t worry, this is just to keep you secure and warm."

He beckoned his dragon, expertly mounting with his arms full and took to the air. The sun was half way into the sky giving the sky a crimson look as it bled into the night sky. The sun warmed his face as he looked at the bundle in his arms. The Nadder had her tongue out, the wind flowing against them. Hiccup laughed. "Pretty cool, huh?"

Hiccup rubbed her scales, noticing the yellow ridges on her purple scales, even finding hints of blue on the tip of each scale. It always amazed him how nature created such beauty even in biology, to a Flightmare, to a Nadder, and even to a Razorwhip. There are thousands of dragons each with their own distinctive tones and shades, that had his fingers itching to grab a new stick of charcoal and paper and let his hand draw seamlessly onto a blank page. 

The Nadder chirped again, her head up high soaking in the morning rays. "I take it you are a morning dragon." She rubbed her head against the arm holding her in response. 

"Hmm, you need a name, especially before we get to the Edge, we don’t need the twins to give you vowels for a name, so what do you think about Morning-Glide?" He suggested. "It’s not the best name, but I think it suits you, little miss."

Morning-Glide flicked her tail in glee.

The Edge came into view, the base alive compared to the dead of night. Astrid was already up at the arena, the clicker in her hand as Sleuther roared furiously at the target, blasting it to splinters. The woman gave the large dragon a pat, tossing him a piece of dried yak jerky, before continuing the exercise. When they flew over, she waved with a smile, and he couldn’t force the warm feeling in his chest away as he waved and smiled back. 

"Take us to the stables, bud. We need to get her cleaned up first before we feed her." 

Toothless changed direction, slowing down to land on the stable’s platform. Hiccup dismounted, glad that the large doors were open as he carried Morning-Glide inside, taking notice that the rest of the dragons were missing from their stalls. He opened one of the stall doors placing her on the thin blanket. 

He turned toward Toothless. "Make sure she stays, I need to gather some supplies." He gave his dragon a look. "Make. Sure. She. Stays."

Toothless rolled his eyes, curling around the hyper little dragon, giving his rider a look, too. What? Like this?

Hiccup ignored him, closing the gate and left to grab the supplies from the storage, leaving the two reptiles alone.

Toothless crooned, laying his head down, relaxing from a night of patrol, keeping one eye open as the dragon sniffed every inch of the stall, climbing with her sharp talons, and flapping her underdeveloped wings. She landed on Toothless’s head, ruffling her wings, nudging the dragon’s head, but Toothless shook his head. No, he didn’t want to play, but when he thought about it, she needed to expel her energy before Hiccup came back to give her a bath and properly groom her and for that she needed to be still, so Toothless begrudgingly lifted himself up and grabbed a small rope draped over the post. He sat on his hind legs and held the rope in reaching distance. At first, Morning-Glide did nothing but stare, but seconds later she leaped only to bite down on thin air.

She landed giving Toothless a curious look, but the older dragon only laughed. Toothless shook the rope again and waited as the excited gleam sparked back into the hatchlings eyes as she made a second leap. Each time she bit down on air, it forced her to come up with more creative ways, like climbing up the Night Fury’s back, but the dragon gently knocked her off. 

She slammed her tail lightly on the ground in frustration. The two wrestled around in the small stall. Morning-Glide was fast, but weak as she fluttered her worn wings. Toothless lowered his head, giving her a chance and she took it. Finally, grasping the rope the two played a gentle game of tug-a-war. She would make ground only for the stronger dragon to take it away from her. 

Morning-Glide pulled hard, harder than ever, and Toothless saw that letting the rope go and watched her fly backwards, rolling until she landed against the gate upside down. Toothless let out a dragon laugh before he grabbed Morning-Glide’s tail with his teeth and pulled her back up.

She headbutted the black dragon, before nudging in affection. She liked playing rough with the dragon. They passed the time playing, her favorite was trying to bite down on Toothless’s tail, who wasn’t in favor of the game, but the dragon always moved it away from her reach. She was biting Toothless’s tail who was giving her an unimpressed look when the brown haired viking came back with a crate full of items that were unfamiliar to her.

Hiccup sat the crate down on a table, and pulled down a lever next to him that poured water from the well under the stables connected through a cave system that reached the ocean into the small basin on the table. He dusted his hands off, approvingly, before he opened the hatch to the stall. 

Morning-Glide chirped, jumping into the Viking’s arms smelling the scent of fresh forest and ocean air. She leaned in as Toothless walked out of the stall. Hiccup carried her over to the basin. Without asking, Toothless shoots a small blast into the water raising the temperature to a lukewarm.

"Alright, let’s get you cleaned up, shall we?" Hiccup asked, placing the dragon into the basin, grabbing a brush. He applied some soap onto his hands until the soap and water mixed and gently rubbed it deeply into the young dragon’s scales. Hiccup smiled as Morning-Glide relaxed and purred at the sensation. Once the soap was carefully rubbed in, he grabbed the brush and combed his way through every scale, lifting the loose scales and brushing underneath them. He chuckled when the Nadder popped some of the bubbles floating with a surprised expression, continuing her small game. 

Her hide was clean, any dirt or grime brushed clearing the way for ointment. He grabbed the jar of Nadder saliva. Over the years, using the same species of saliva on a hatchling's hide is beneficial for their hide. Makes sense, too. Gronckles' hides are hard and tough with rough edges that make them impenetrable, therefore, their tongues would have the same texture to combat their own skin. Nadder’s is softer, more defined than the rest of the dragons, meaning their saliva was lighter, more gentle for a Nadder’s thin, but strong scales. 

He smoothed a thin layer to soften them before rinsing her off. Next, he grabbed a long cloth, taking her out of the water, drying her off. "Morning-Glide, you have to stay still." He said, holding back a smile, as the baby Nadder squirmed at the rough rubbing. After she was dry, he quickly applied another layer of Nadder saliva on, adding a lavender scented oil over it. 

"And there, all cleaned." Hiccup smiled. 

Toothless gave her a sniff, earning his rider an approval growl as Morning-Glide jumped onto Hiccup’s saddle, settling down with a contented sigh. 

"Okay, next up on the list is breakfast." Hiccup said, walking beside Toothless to the Clubhouse. "We’ll get you fed, and find a place for you to sleep tonight."

Hiccup smiled at the chirps and growls coming from both Toothless and Morning-Glide. It wasn’t long before the smell of cooked meat reached the trio. 

Astrid and Heather were seated next to each other, trading small blades while eating, the two smiling. Fishlegs was dumping a cart load of rocks for Meatlug, who hurriedly scooped them in her jaw and chomped down in one go with a satisfied growl. The twins eagerly switched their bowls of broth as they grabbed their spoons, digging into the opposite bowls. Snotlout leaned against his dragon, his plate in his hands, tossing a piece of lamb at Hookfang who snatched it swiftly.

"Morning Gang." Hiccup greeted as the gang waved and greeted him. 

Fishlegs sat next to Heather when his eyes landed on the little newcomer. He let out a small squeal in excitement. "Ohhh! Is that a baby Nadder?!"

Hiccup grabbed Morning-Glide, setting her in his arms as he headed to the table. "Yeah, we found her on patrol this morning. She’s a little banged up, but in good health."

Fishlegs grinned as he offered his hand to the baby dragons, screaming inside as the Nadder sniffed him curiously. "She’s so tiny, definitely less than a month old, and already shedding, too. Did you…"

Hiccup nodded with a soft smile. "Yep, we gave her a bath, scrubbed her scales before giving her the ointment. She should be good for another month before we have to reapply."

Astrid slid over a bowl of cool water. "I bet she’s thirsty. Inferring that she’s here I’m assuming her parents are out of the picture?"

Hiccup sighed. "Parent. Mother and a group of Gronkles had a territorial dispute and from the looks of it she lost. I was hoping later you, Fishlegs, and I can get her taken care of."

Astrid nodded with a frown. "In the meantime, what are we going to do about her?"

"She seems well attached to Toothless, so she’ll bed down with us tonight. We need to find her a herd before the next migration, hopefully with her being an adolescent a Nadder will take her in without any problems."

Fishlegs grabbed a map, rolling it out on the table. "Well, according to the trail, the migrations should be resting near Berk, we have maybe a three day window before they move to the next stop on their journey."

"Okay, so that doesn’t leave us much time. The sooner we get Morning-Glide accustomed to a new herd the better her chances will be. Astrid, Heather, and I will go to Berk tomorrow while the rest of you stay behind. Hopefully, we’ll catch them soon enough."

They nodded at the order as Fishlegs grabbed a measuring strip. "But before that, I need to chart down her measurements." He said, as HIccup sat her down, watching her drink eagerly, sniffing Fishlegs plate. The husky viking smiled, grabbing a chunk of lamb tearing it between his fingers, handing it to the hungry hatchling. Toothless laid next to Hookfang and Stormfly catching up on some much needed rest.

Hiccup watched the gang fawn over the little dragon and he grabbed his journal and a fresh piece of charcoal. The baby Nadder was happily eating up the attention and his hand slid over the paper, pieces of charcoal broke off, but years working with the stubborn material gave him an edge as he used his thumb to smear the lines, casting a hollow shadow. Heather would feed bits and pieces of lamb to Morning-Glide as Fishlegs charted down measurements and other information that was added to the Book of Dragons. He sketched Morning-Glide’s wings, even as she fluttered and flapped them away from Fishlegs reach.

He felt Astrid sit next him as she watched him draw with a hum. "You know it always amazes me how you do that."

He wiped off the excess dust. "I don’t know when it happened. When I was younger, being the walking disaster that I was, got me in Gothi’s hut more times than I cared to admit, and I wasn’t always the best patient."

Astrid scoffed with a smile. "I can believe that."

"One day I had an accident in the forge, burnt my hand pretty badly, so I headed off to her hut. I can’t remember if it was a bad day, or what, but I was being a muttonhead. I remember her hitting me on the head with her staff, before she walked away. When she came back I apologized, but she just brushed it off and handed me a blank journal and a stick of charcoal." He said, watching as Heather gave the Nadder a belly rub. "After that, it just went from there. I never stopped doing it."

"Well, it certainly comes in handy. You and Heather are the best cartographers I’ve ever seen." She said, knocking his shoulder. He gave her a sheepish smile, rubbing the back of his neck.

"Thanks."

"You’re welcome, but as second-in-command, I think you should take Toothless back to your hut and get some rest. We’ll take care of Morning-Glide in the meantime. Go." She ordered softly as Hiccup laid his head on her shoulder. He was exhausted, but his mind was being quite stubborn, his thoughts wide open and loud, but the thought of at least catching some shut eyes was too appealing to dismiss. He gave Astrid a quick peck on the cheek as thanks and woke Toothless up, who gave him a tired glare at being woken up. 

"I know, bud. What do you say we head home and get some real sleep?" His dragon yawned, before padding over to his rider’s side. The two made their way out. Morning-Glide saw the two leave and whimpered in their absence, but another viking, female with black hair and metal arms, took her in her arms and quietly shushed her. Morning-Glide liked the touch, but it wasn’t warm, it was cold. She whimpered again, as the urge to cuddle in the Night Fury’s wings took over. She bit down on the hand petting her scales, and fell as the female viking yelped, holding her hand to her chest. She fluttered her wings heading toward the door where the Night Fury scent was still fresh along with the viking that smelled of forest and ocean. She almost made it before another Nadder, an adult jumped in front of her, crooning and nudging her back inside, but she didn’t want to. She chirped, her nose flaring as she tried to get past her elder. 

She wanted the Night Fury and told the Nadder so in small growls, but the Nadder nudged her with a shake of her head. 

A blonde female viking with blue eyes patted the older Nadder’s scales. "Good girl, Stormfly."

The female viking picked her up, her grip stronger. Morning-Glide looked toward the entrance with a sad croon. "Don’t worry, they’ll be along soon, but you need to be a good dragon. You could’ve hurt a wing or worse."

Morning-Glide sighed in a very dragon manner accepting her fate. The words did comfort her a little and she was still warm, a complete contrast to her life in the cave after her mama left, never coming back. She could wait, impatiently, yes, but she will wait.

oOo

Hiccup groaned as he opened his eyes, shifting his head against his pillow as his head throbbed. His sightline on the wooden ceiling as he sat up, the blanket falling off his shoulder as he rubbed his temple. He glanced over at his dragon who was still sleeping peacefully. He stretched his stiff limbs and quietly made his way downstairs, trying not to disturb his sleeping dragon. He opened a cupboard where he stored his herbs and water. He grabbed a few sheets of Willow bark and tossed them into a kettle and clashed flint and steel lighting the furnace. He poured water, waiting as it boiled watching the bark soak turning the water into a dark brown. 

He didn’t look up, hearing light stomps on the stairs. "Hey bud, get enough sleep?" He said, pouring the tea into a cup and sat it down on the table as he grabbed a basket of fish stored under his hut where the stone and dirt kept the fish at a cold temperature. He closed the compartment and dumped the fish near the dragon who gave him a grateful grin and dug in.

Hiccup smiled softly as he grabbed one of his journals going over notes and drafts while he sipped his tea. He had various maps and lists of hunters Heather revealed one night when the two couldn’t sleep. Her experience and intel with the Hunters was invaluable to their cause, sewing together loose ends. Some hunters were crossed off. Searching for Hunters was easy, finding them alive was a much harder avenue. The Grimborn brothers weren’t known for their easy going demeanor. It was a daunting task, but a necessary one if he hoped to one day put an end to this war. 

He looked up from his notes when someone knocked on his door. He quirked an eyebrow, and stiffly rose from his seat, limping to the door. He pulled the handle up, the door collapsing, revealing the Twins who were giving him sheepish grins. "Uh…Ruff? Tuff? Can I help you?"

Ruff elbowed her brother. "You wouldn’t happen to see a baby nadder come through here, did you?"

Toothless looked up from his meal with narrowed eyes. 

Hiccup pinched the bridge of his nose. "Alright, what happened?"

Tuff glanced at his sister. "Okay, so we were playing, but I’m not entirely sure…uh…"

"Belch scared her off. I told you it wasn’t a good idea!" She punched her brother, who growled. 

"It’s not my fault, Belch wanted to play. Maybe if Barf didn’t hate Belch so much we wouldn’t be having this meanlessing conversation." He said with his arms crossed looking away from his sister, who was seething. 

Hiccup raised his hands trying to diffuse the situation. "Okay, okay, no need for violence." He sighed. "Do you at least know where Morning-Glide went?"

Tuff nodded. "Yep. She scampered off toward the Stables."

Toothless nudged his rider in concern. "I know, bud, we’ll find her." Hiccup turned toward the twins. "You two need to get your dragon’s straightened out. I understand you guys have some feud going on, but don’t bring your dragons into it, got it?"

They saluted. Tuff fistpumped the air. "We’re on it. Those two will be snuggling closer than a Viking and his cup of…"

"Okay! Just go!" Hiccup interrupted. He mounted Toothless’s saddle and the two took off from the platform leaving the twins behind. "We dodged that one, didn’t we bud?" He shook at the mental image. "Or not."

Toothless laughed at his rider’s discomfort.

"Alright, Morning-Glide is heading in the direction of the Stables. I mean it makes sense. The stables was the first place we took her." Toothless crooned as he flew toward the high ledge where the stables were constructed. He landed and immediately heard the loud squawks behind the closed doors. 

Hiccup patted his dragon’s head. He opened the door and a small bundle shot toward his chest slightly throwing him off balance. He adjusted his hold as the Nadder continuously purred and nudged his chest. Toothless warbled and took the Nadder from him, placing her on his back. 

Hiccup hummed at the scene. The scene was heartwarming, but concerning underneath. It was essential to a hatchling’s life to have a secure figure in their lives, to attach to, and learn from, but as he watched his dragon nudged the shaking Nadder in comfort, he was saddened by the fact that by sundown tomorrow at least, the two would have to say goodbye. The leader in him knew that they had no choice. Morning-Glide needed to be with her kind, but the friend inside him was proud of his bud at how well Toothless was taking in the young nadder.

He patted his dragon's head. "You know bud, parenting doesn’t look half bad on you."

His dragon huffed, but even in his electric green eyes, Hiccup could see the agreement and consideration at the statement.

He chuckled. "Come on, let’s get her something to eat."

oOo

Hiccup winced as Morning-Glide’s claws dung deeper into his armor for the fourth time as they made their way to Berk. He could sense Astrid and Heather sending each other wide grins behind him. He rolled his eyes, as he tried to calm the squirming dragon. "Morning-Glide, settle down."

Heather smiled. "I have a few strands of Dragon Nip if you need it."

Hiccup groaned, glancing at the gashes on his armor. "Now you tell me?"

The females chuckled at their leader’s discomfort as Heather flew close enough to hand the sweet smelling grass, careful to keep it away from the dragon’s nostrils. He gave her a quick thanks and expertly calmed the dragon who purred endlessly. 

Hiccup sighed in relief as he rubbed the Nadder’s tail, keeping her tail tame and still. He already had small scratches from the weak spines littered across his arms. "Oh, thank Thor."

Astrid laughed. "You okay?"

"I’ll be fine. Let’s just get his little miss taken care of before I become an abstract painting."

Berk's silhouette slowly revealed itself as dawn rolled in. Heather brought out her map Fishlegs provided. "According to Fishlegs, the Nadders should be northwest to a small group of islands near Berk and Dragon Island."

"We’ll split up and take different islands. Send up a signal if you come across the herd. We’ll meet up at Berk after a few hours of searching." Hiccup ordered. The three split up in different directions toward their selected islands. 

The group of islands was decades of land that cracked and drifted away from Berk’s edges. It was a canopy of ravines, high sharp cliffs, steep gorges, and hidden chasms. Before they rode dragons, the young vikings had various trials, such as sailing and navigation. The concept is to navigate through the tough pathway between each island and make it back to Berk. He didn’t quite remember that trial, only the quiet waves of water and the profound sense of loneliness. He barely managed to pass, losing half of his sail and an oar along with half of his provisions. His father wasn’t overly proud at the state his boat was in, but he was just glad to still be alive to care.

Toothless crooned as they flew overhead taking a quick glance before they dived down. They skimmed through the forest, Hiccup using his spyglass while Toothless kept an ear out. "Hmm, nothing. What about you, Toothless?"

His dragon shook his head in denial. "Okay, let’s give the neighboring island a try."

The process was repeated as the two thoroughly searched. Hiccup gives out a Nadder call every now and hoping the species will respond to his call. After three islands, the two were considering heading back to Berk when Astrid caught up to them.

"Hiccup!" She called getting the duo’s attention. "I think we found them. Stormfly picked up their scent closer to Dragon Island."

"Perfect. Let’s go." Hiccup said.

Along the way, they spotted the familiar gleam and glow that reflected from Windshear’s scales. Heather followed them close behind as Astrid led them to a small broken island the size of Melody Island. The three landed in a small cove where a herd of Nadders were socializing in a twisted array of colors.

Hiccup looked down at the sleeping Nadder and the herd apprehensively. With a sigh, he dismounted, petting the Nadder's scales. "Alright, Morning-Glide, time to wake up."

The little dragon purred, digging deeper into the crevice of Hiccup’s arms and the young man could only roll his eyes fondly. "Come on, girl. It’s time to meet your new family."

Heather stood next to him. "You think this will work?"

Hiccup shrugged. "I guess we’ll find out."

The dragon was stirring and Hiccup took it as a sign, so he walked toward the group, his dragon watching carefully for any threatening dangers. Hiccup tapped Morning-Glide’s nose as she slowly peaked her eyes open. "Morning, girl."

She chirped as she looked at their surroundings, noticing the bundles of Nadders like her sleeping while others were watching her cautiously. The viking noticed, his muscles tensing, but otherwise remained calm as he walked forward, with his head down. One Nadder growled not taking the human likely, but one fierce growl from the Night Fury behind them silenced it quickly. Another Nadder, bigger than the others, deranged red and orange scales walked forward. 

"Must be the leader." Astrid whispered.

The Nadder stilled, only a few feet away from Hiccup. He cleared his throat. "We came to ask a favor. This is Morning-Glide and she really needs a home. Her mother was killed against a herd of Gronckles and she needs her kind to survive. If you are willing, we ask you to integrate her into your herd.” Hiccup said, keeping his voice even and soft minding the sleeping dragons. Another Nadder, turquoise and green, and much smaller came and nudged the leader, the two purring. 

Hiccup looked down as Toothless nudged his hand, nodding. The smaller Nadder was the leader’s mate and the two obviously didn’t mind the extra member, so Toothless gave his rider the go ahead, watching him set Morning-Glide down and taking a step back. 

Immediately, she was lured over to Toothless’s side, but the Night Fury shook his head with a sad croon, using his tail to push her toward the Nadder’s.

Morning-Glide just stared, trying to go back to the dragon’s side, but Toothless wouldn’t let her, nudging her with his head to the large Nadder who was giving her assuring growls and purrs, while the female sniffed Morning-Glide’s scales, giving them a soft lick.

Toothless glanced at his rider who gave him a nod, and the dragon sighed. With a growl he got the leader’s attention, conveying everything he needed to tell to the large Nadder, who nodded in respect to the black dragon. Morning-Glide chirped as the female regurgitated a small fish with a coo, and she immediately swallowed the fish whole, licking her snout. The female approved the action and nodded to her mate in acceptance. 

The female walked up to Toothless, leaning down to give his head a lick as a thank you.

Morning-Glide watched it all happen and knew she wouldn’t be seeing the Night Fury for a long time, so she slowly walked up to the warm black scales rubbing her head against it with a sad chirp. She leaned in as Toothless purred. The female came and wrapped her tail around Morning-Glide’s sternum and lifted her onto her back.

Hiccup scratched Toothless under the chin. "Don’t worry bud, you’ll see her again." He said. They walked back to the girls who were waiting patiently. 

Astrid patted Toothless’s head with a small smile. "You did a good thing, Toothless. She’s where she belongs."

The Night Fury grinned as his rider mounted his saddle. “One day we’ll find a Night Fury, bud and raise a family of your own, but let’s hold off on that, huh? You are way too young.”

Toothless rolled his eyes at the comment. He was old enough to have a family, he was just content being a brother with his rider than daydreaming about his own future hatchlings. 

He let out a roar that woke up the other Nadders, but Toothless didn’t care as Morning-Glide let out the loudest roar she could manage voicing her thanks and a see you later. 

"What do you say we make a quick pit-stop at Berk?"

Toothless was all for it and Windshear and Stormfly followed close behind him as morning dawned brighter than ever.

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A/N: You're welcome.