41. Claws for Celebration

If you’d have told Hiccup back on Berk that in a year, he’d be living on a whole different continent. In a magical village, with a magical family, and he’d have a dragon, and a girlfriend…

He’d think you were unquestionably insane.

Especially with the girlfriend part.

And yet, that was the reality.

One year.

One year since that fateful crash landing. One year since that awkward time when everyone thought he was some crazy, child-kidnapping dragon boy.

He’d been in the Encanto for an entire year.

And he couldn’t be happier.

Miraculously, he’d found a place where he was accepted. Where his skills were appreciated. Where he was seen as something more than a walking disaster.

A place with an agreeable climate, and a populace that wasn’t a bunch of meatheads. A place his dragon could live without fear of being hunted.

He’d even found a family.

Somewhere in the last half a year, Hiccup couldn’t pinpoint exactly when, but it was definitely after he and Mirabel became an official couple…

He’d basically been adopted by the Madrigals.

It was a subtle change, or several subtle changes.

Lacking parents, Julieta and Augustin sort of slipped into those roles. And it seemed they were quite pleased about it. Always ready to be a shoulder he could cry on, or a listening ear. Augustin started dispensing awkward, fatherly advice to him. Julieta would pick at his hair, trying to smooth it out in that way only mothers could. And she was always making sure he was fed.

 The teasing between he and Isabela evolved in a manner that befit siblings, more than anything.

Luisa started calling him bro, and while at first it seemed very casual, as time went on it felt more familial in nature. He’d even received a few of her crushing hugs.

Pepa would keep an eye out for him, trying to ensure the skies were clear whenever he flew. He assured her it wasn’t necessary, but she’d told him she tried to look after every member of her family when possible. Felix was constantly trying to get him to let loose and relax, insisting the awkward teen needed to chill out and not stress so much. Hiccup started heeding his advice.

Camilo began bothering him much more than usual, trying to get a rise out of him in any way imaginable.

He’d become a bit too invested in Dolores’ gossip, and once she learned he was good at keeping secrets, they frequently indulged in hushed chatter. She seemed happy to have someone else she could confide in.

Mariano, Dolores’ fiancé, had gotten way more huggy. And the guy was already physically affectionate.

Antonio, who still adored Toothless, would frequently call Hiccup his cousin. They’d stopped trying to correct him a while ago.

He and Bruno still shared their little self-exile comradery. And the seer had successfully gotten Hiccup enraptured in the world of telenovelas, he would despair at every cliffhanger.

Valentina, Bruno’s fiancée, promised she’d look out for the boy. She’d said she knew how tough the world could be for little guys. Unnecessary, in a place as safe as this. But he appreciated the thought.

He treated Alma with the utmost respect whenever he encountered her, perhaps too much. She would end up laughing at how tense he was. But he was just trying to make a good impression.

Even Casita, the magic house, seemed excited whenever he came over for dinner. Which was now a few nights a week. Sometimes, it appeared reluctant to let him go. It was the same with Mariano and Valentina. It liked having its whole family in one place, it seemed…

And Mirabel…

He could go on for hours about Mirabel.

In the time since they’d become official, their feelings had only grown. They hadn’t said it, not yet, but they knew they were in love.

When the initial glow of infatuation wore off, and they started to view each other for who they truly, truly were, it only made them fall deeper in love.

She was just…amazing. Her optimism, her love for her family and her home, her creativity, her ingenuity, her determination, how adorable she looked in those glasses-

He couldn’t think of anyone else he’d want to be with.

It was definitely too soon to be thinking about marriage, they were barely seventeen. But one day…

…Yeah.

One day.

Hiccup lied awake in his bed, smiling as he thought about that family.

For reasons still unknown to him, they’d taken him in. When he had no family to call his own, they made him a part of their family. Perhaps not by blood, or by marriage, but by love.

…Hiccup snorted in his bed at that last thought. It was exceedingly sappy.

But it was true.

He’d felt more genuine, real love from these people in one year, than he did from his own father in a decade.

…These days, Hiccup didn’t like thinking about his time on Berk. Those harsh, judging voices had become quieted. He was less prone to bouts of self-loathing, and his feelings of worthlessness lessened with each day.

He’d become more confident, and laid-back. He was still a bit awkward, and very sarcastic, but he had a much more positive outlook on life.

It’s incredible what being loved can do to a person.

As far as he was concerned, the Encanto was always his home. It just took him a while to find it.

The sound of singing birds broke him out of his musing.

It was time for him to get up, now. As today was going to be a big day.

Dolores and Mariano were getting married tomorrow morning, and so they had to prepare.

The quiet girl was over the moon with joy, constantly shouting her elation. A Dolores shout was still very soft, of course. And Mariano seemed to have his face locked in a permanently dopey smile.

They would all be helping with the preparations. It was the first Madrigal wedding of the newest generation, it was a big deal! And of course, Hiccup was going to assist.

He hopped out of bed, and opened the curtains. Letting the sunlight fill his room.

It wasn’t quite bare anymore. He had a desk, for sketching blueprints. Toothless had his own bed in the corner. The walls were lined with various drawings, some from him and some from Mirabel. He’d also had a shelf installed on a wall, covered in trinkets he’d acquired.

It was still small, but it was unmistakably his.

After washing up, he got ready for the day. He slipped on his sandals, pulled up his beige shorts, fastened his white button-up shirt, and combed his auburn hair a bit.

It was now decently longer than it was when he’d first arrived. He considered getting it trimmed, but Mirabel told him she thought it looked cool flowing in the wind. And so it stayed.

Finally, he put on his beloved sky-blue ruana. Mirabel had given it to him half a year ago, and it was still in pristine condition. He wouldn’t let anything happen to this one.

Now fully dressed, he bent down to awaken the black lump in the corner of his room.

“Come on, Sleeping Beauty! It’s gonna be a busy day, they’ll need us out there!” He nudged the dragon, trying to get him up, but he refused. Groaning stubbornly as he curled up even tighter.

Hiccup sighed, and shrugged. “Y’know what? You’re right. You need your sleep.” He stood, and began heading for the door. “I’ll just tell Julieta to give that big, fat, juicy fish to someone else…”

All he saw after that was a rush of black, as Toothless rapidly awoke and darted downstairs.

Hiccup chuckled. That trick got him every time…

Descending the stairs, he entered the forge. It’d also changed a bit.

The area in the back that Hiccup usually worked in had basically become his area. It was covered in blueprints, sketches, prototypes, and anything relating to his inventions. Surprisingly, people started coming into the forge looking for him specifically. And his unique brand of smithing.

Humming a little tune as he stirred too much sugar into his coffee, was the village’s first blacksmith. Ignacio. A good friend to Hiccup over the past year.

“Getting ready for the wedding, eh kid?” He asked, while chucking a banana to Hiccup.

Catching it effortlessly, he responded while peeling. “Of course, all the Madrigals are gonna be there! Dolores deserves for her day to be as special as possible, and it’s up to us to make that happen.”

The blacksmith laughed at this. “What’s all this ‘us’ stuff about? You’re talking like you’re a Madrigal, kid!”

Right before taking a bite out of his banana, he grinned. “Who says I’m not?” He joked.

But also, it wasn’t really a joke.

Toothless was getting antsy, so Hiccup decided to end the dragon’s suffering and finally go outside. Waving goodbye to the blacksmith as he did.

He stepped into the village, his village, and took a deep breath of that morning air.

Today was going to be a great day.

The weather was lovely, just as it was the last few days. Pepa was incredibly happy about her eldest child being wed soon.

He happily walked into town, the pleasantly hot sun kissing his skin. Still pale, but not as much. He was developing a bit of a tan.

Many villagers, people he’d come to recognize by name in the last year, waved as they walked by. He greeted them all with a wide smile and a wave of his own.

For a time, it’d felt weird to step into the village and not be shouted at. Not be given cold scowls.

But now? It felt normal.

And he loved that.

As he walked past, a gaggle of children all noticed him. Giggling, they started to follow him and his dragon.

His dragon training class, who were all just a smidge taller, approached him as he strolled.

“HI HICCUP!” They all shouted. He laughed as he held his hands over his ears. Toothless had his nubs pinned back as well.

If that was tough for him to hear, how hard was it on Dolores?

“Hey, kids! Sorry, but no flights right now. I’m in a hurry!” They all groaned in disappointment. “I know, I know…” An idea hit him. “How about this? As soon as I’m free, not only will we go flying…we’ll do some target practice!”

The children cheered their approval. There was nothing like some good old-fashioned explosions…at a safe distance away from the village, of course.

He ruffled the children’s heads, and then resumed his walking.

Some street musicians were playing, and he felt the need add a little rhythm to his steps. He couldn’t help it, this town just put him in a good mood! And Felix had been teaching him to dance.

He passed the Madrigal mural on his way, which had received a few updates. Bruno was smiling, and Augustin and Felix were included. He figured Mariano was to be added soon, and Valentina soon after.

He wondered if he’d be on it one day…

The thought made the smile on his face even wider.

Finally, he arrived at his destination.

The church, where the wedding would be held tomorrow. A building he still didn’t quite understand.

But now wasn’t the time to ponder that.

Now it was time to help prepare for a wonderful occasion.

Now it was time to help the family.

His family.

He opened the doors, and stepped inside.

…And was immediately assaulted by a vase.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Mirabel was never adverse to change.

In fact, for ten years, she was begging for a change.

She welcomed it. Embraced it with open arms.

But now, at this stage in her life, she was really hoping change would keep its distance.

Little, pleasant changes were nice. Or perhaps unfortunate, but small and forgettable changes. Those were also acceptable.

But that was the limit.

Because right now, her life was perfect. She didn’t need anything about it changing.

Her family was happy, truly happy. Being allowed to be themselves, and not just their gift.

She felt included, appreciated, loved. Not ignored. Not overlooked.

Her relationship with her abuela was better than ever. Whenever she saw that glow of pride in her grandmother’s eyes, she felt a wave of joy wash over her.

She had an amazing boyfriend. The boy was so confident in himself, he almost seemed like a different person from when he’d first arrived. But he was still Hiccup. Her compassionate, caring, incredibly dorky Hiccup.

Just a year ago, her life was radically different. Sometimes she’d lie awake in bed, wondering if things would always be that way. And being very afraid that it would.

She was so happy that it didn’t.

But now that she had everything she wanted, she wished for the reverse. She wished for everything to stay as it was.

In truth, she was a bit terrified.

Terrified that something, anything would ruin the life she’d made.

Terrified that something would take her happiness away, now that she’d only just gotten it.

On a conscious level she recognized that change was an inevitable part of one’s life. It was the only thing you could expect.

But in the deepest recesses of her heart, she truly wished there was a way to just have her life go on like this forever.

She was happy! Her loved ones were happy! Did that really have to change?

No.

She wouldn’t let it.

Things changed. Her life may be completely different in another year.

But no matter what got switched around, turned upside down, or mixed up…

Her, her family, and her Hiccup.

They’d still be together. They’d still be happy. No matter what it took, she’d ensure that.

She’d gotten her happily ever after, and now she would fight to protect it.

And speaking of happily ever after, she really needed to stop existentially brooding right now.

She had a wedding to help prepare for!

Mirabel was in the church, alongside the rest of her family. Besides Dolores and Alma, who were discussing the wedding plans with the Guzmans.

They were all busy preparing the venue for the upcoming ceremony, and Mirabel couldn’t be happier for her cousin.

For years, whenever the topic of love came up, she would become very gloomy. As if she believed true love was something she could never achieve. But now, all that was behind her.

Mirabel was currently busy adding finishing touches to Dolores’ wedding gown, and making sure it fit. She’d been zoning out for a bit there, so she pushed her intrusive thoughts aside and focused on her work.

Camilo, in Dolores’ form, was quite displeased.

“Would you hurry up? My arms are getting tired…” He whined.

Mirabel rolled her eyes, mumbling while holding pins in her mouth. “This would go faster if you’d stop squirming…”

“I’d stop squirming if you’d stop poking me!” He argued, before mumbling under his breath. “Can’t wait until I’m done with this stupid wedding…”

Pepa walked by, carrying a vase of flowers. “You know you’ll have to do Mariano’s tuxedo after this, right?”

At his groan, both his cousin and his mother snickered.

Mirabel was almost done, just one last poke of her needle ought to do it.

However, apparently that was one poke too far.

As soon as she’d pricked the dress, and him along with it, he yelped in pain. And accidentally shifted into the much larger form of Luisa.

His now hulking frame bumped into Pepa, knocking the vase out of her hands

The three watched in fear as the vase sailed through the air, dreading the moment it collided with the ground in a shatter of glass.

But just as it was about to hit the floor, the church’s door opened.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Hiccup had never been jumped by a pot before. That was new.

As soon as he entered the church, he saw the vase plummeting towards him. With reflexes that surprised even himself, he caught it before it could hit the ground.

Or his face.

Breathing a sigh of relief, Pepa hurried over to take it from him. “Perfect timing, Hiccup!” She grinned.

“Y-Yeah, no problem…” He replied, slightly trembling from the weight of the vase.

Upon hearing that familiar nasally voice, every head in the chapel turned to face the new arrival. They all greeted him, joyously.

The cacophony of voices didn’t bother him anymore. If anything, it was comforting.

Before anything else, he paused, his arms outstretched. As soon as he heard the rapid footsteps, he knew what was coming.

Mirabel tackled him into a hug, as she frequently liked to do. They blushed, as they nuzzled noses.

“I’m glad you could make it…” She smiled.

He smiled as well, though a bit baffled. “Was there any indication that I wouldn’t make it?”

She winked. “No, but I’m glad you’re here anyway!”

Hiccup couldn’t argue with that.

As soon as Mirabel released him, he was pulled into a second hug by Augustin. “There’s my boy!” He cheered, hugging Hiccup from the side.

“Hey, Augustin!” He greeted, returning the side hug. Julieta also approached, smiling warmly.

“Good morning, Nino!” As usual, she immediately began messing with his hair. “Ay, It’s so messy! Did you comb it today?”

“Yes! I combed it, jeez…” He waved her hand away, though he was smiling.

He followed Mirabel back to Camilo, as she resumed her work. Unfortunately, his switch into Luisa caused the dress to tear in some places. Meaning Mirabel had to spend even more time fixing it up.

Hiccup didn’t miss the twitch in her eye.

With a groan, she took the dress from Camilo as he assumed his normal form. Muttering curses as she got to sewing.

“I’d say I was sorry, but I’m honestly just glad I’m not getting poked anymore.” The shifter smirked.

Hiccup could only laugh at the scathing glare Mirabel was now giving her cousin.

“Hey, Hiccup!” The boy turned to see Felix approaching, holding some drapes. “Good to see you, man! You mind flying up there and hanging these up?”

“I wouldn’t mind at all!” He spoke, taking the drapes, before calling for his dragon. “Hey Toothless?”

The dragon, who had already made his way over to Antonio as was enjoying some vigorous scratching, reluctantly joined his rider.

Together, they flew upwards. The Night Fury hovering in place as Hiccup placed the drapes.

The dragon’s wing beats caused a gust of air to flurry beneath them. Disturbing Isabela, who was trying to decorate.

“Ugh, do you have to fly inside?” She huffed at him.

He smirked down on her from above. “I thought you’d like this? The wind flowing through your ridiculously long hair!”

She grew a smirk of her own. “The only one here with ridiculous hair is you!”

He clutched at his heart, pretending to be in pain. “You wound me, Isabela…” The two shared a giggle.

Walls now thoroughly draped, Hiccup and Toothless came in for a landing.

Right next to Bruno, startling the poor man.

“Sorry about that…” Hiccup apologized. “We didn’t see you there.”

The seer waved off his worries, slightly chuckling. “Don’t-Don’t worry about it, it’s my fault! Wasn’t watching where I was going…Hey, wait a minute!”

Suddenly, the scruffy man stood fully straight. He held his hand up over his head, an moved it towards Hiccup. To his great despair, it touched the tip of the boy’s forehead.

“Aw, what?” He cried, offended. “When did you get taller than me?”

Valentina, who’d been watching from the side, chimed in with a wry smirk. “You’ve never been the tallest guy, Hombrecito!”

As Bruno faced her with a look of utter betrayal, Hiccup laughed triumphantly. “Two words, my friend! Growth-Spurt!”

In truth, he was only a little taller. But for someone as small as Hiccup, every inch he gained was welcomed.

Hiccup suddenly felt his hair being tousled. “You can have as many growth-spurts as you want! You’ll still be tiny to me, bro!” Luisa joked, as she one-handedly hefted the heavier decorations about.

“That doesn’t count, everyone’s tiny to you!” Hiccup retorted, trying to get his unruly mop back in order.

“Excuses!” She called back.

Hiccup then heard a grunt of frustration, and looked over to an agitated Mirabel. Still trying to mend the dress. He approached her, and she answered his question before he could even ask.

“I need another needle, and I accidentally left my spare back home…” She turned to him with those puppy-dog eyes. “Do you think you could go pick it up for me?”

Even if he wanted to, he couldn’t say no to her.

“Fear not, milady! I shall acquire your needle posthaste!” He declared, in an overdramatic voice that always made her laugh.

“Oh, how gracious of you, Senor Hiccup!” She replied in a tone equally as haughty.

He then called to Toothless once more.

The dragon was on his back, receiving some belly rubs from Antonio. Upon hearing his name, his released an annoyed warble. “He says he’s not getting up from this spot!” Antonio translated, while still scratching him. The dragon grumbled again. “I’m not gonna say that part…” Muttered the child.

Hiccup snorted at the image before him. “Oh yeah, I forgot the unholy offspring of lightning and death itself is just an overgrown kitten. How silly of me…”

Mirabel giggled, before looking to Hiccup once more. “The needle is on my desk in my bedroom, you can’t miss it…Well actually you can miss it, it’s very small…please don’t miss it.” She pleaded.

Leaving Toothless behind to be scratched to his heart’s content, Hiccup left the church and made for Casita.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It was almost nostalgic.

The sight of villagers running for their lives, screaming in fear…

Because of a giant fire breathing reptile.

Hiccup had gone to Casita and retrieved Mirabel’s spare needle, as requested. And now he was on his way back to the church. Not in any hurry, just enjoying the pleasant breeze.

And then he heard it.

Shouts of pure terror.

Deeply concerned, he sprinted towards the source of the screaming. He couldn’t help but notice that other townsfolk were running away from where he was heading.

Amongst the crowd of fleeing folks, was Osvaldo. Hiccup stopped him in his tracks, and tried to get some answers.

“Osvaldo! What’s happening out there?” He asked, frantically.

The blabbermouth looked scared out of his wits. “It’s terrible! A monster is rampaging through the village!”

Hiccup needed to know more. “What do you mean, a monster?”

Sweating up a storm, Osvaldo tried to describe it. “I-It looked like a giant demon bird! With spikes all over its head, and a whip for a tail!”

Hiccup felt a chill down his spine.

That description sounded awfully familiar. But there’s no way one of those would be here…

Right?

He had to see it for himself.

Pushing Osvaldo aside, Hiccup continued running towards the commotion.

Finally he arrived at the town square, and he saw just what was scaring all the villagers so bad.

Frankly, it scared him too.

There was a dragon in the Encanto.

And it wasn’t his.

It stood in the center of the village. Over ten-feet tall, covered in cyan scales and bright yellow thorns, with a spiny tail worthy of the creature’s name.

A dragon Hiccup had seen many times, burning his old village to the ground to pilfer their food.

The Deadly Nadder.

Hiccup ogled the beast with fear and confusion. What was it doing all the way out here?

The villagers were insanely frightened.

They were running all over the place, scrambling for safety or hiding behind anything they could find. And making a lot of noise.

"Isn't that a Deadly Nadder?" One child whispered to another, hiding behind a fruit stand.

"Yeah, but why's it outside the arky-pelly-go?" The other child fumbled the pronunciation, while responding.

All the scurrying and screaming...It was clearly starting to agitate the Nadder.

It looked wary, and cautious, but not aggressive. It stood in a defensive stance, tail poised to strike as it eyed the frantic townsfolk. But it never moved to attack.

If it wasn’t looking for a fight, perhaps it could be reasoned with.

But first he’d have to do something about these villagers.

Hiccup cleared his throat, preparing his exclamation. His vocal muscles had gotten a decent workout recently, as he had become used to being with a loud family who liked talking over each other.

“STOOOP!!!” He shouted, as loud as possible. Every ceased moving, and looked to the boy. Even the dragon.

The plaza now sufficiently silent, Hiccup made his move.

He crept towards the Nadder, in a submissive stance. Trying to show he was no threat.

“Hey there, pal…” He whispered as he approached, both palms out. “You’re pretty far from home, aren’t you?”

Villagers watched him in suspense. Wondering what he was doing, when he’d get eaten, and who’d be the one to tell the Madrigals he’d been eaten.

The dragon’s spikes relaxed, just a bit, and its breathing slowed. It was starting to calm down.

Now close enough for contact, Hiccup held his palm out and let the dragon finish the next step.

After a moment’s hesitation, snout met hand.

And the dragon now had the disposition of a puppy.

Stomping its feet with joy, while chirping merrily. Nudging Hiccup with great excitement. Hiccup giggled as the giant reptile tickled him.

The awestruck townsfolk watched in amazement. Hiccup had tamed not one, but two dragons. Did he simply have a way with the beasts?

As Hiccup was being poked and prodded by the Nadder, he couldn’t fight the strange sense of familiarity he felt.

He looked into its eyes…

And remembered those same eyes, from his last day on Berk.

His eyes went wide, as he gasped. “Aren't you the...?”

It squawked in confirmation.

He was amazed. This was the Nadder that had helped him and Toothless escape, it had saved their lives.

He smiled widely, happy to see that it had escaped. He touched his forehead to its snout, and spoke softly. “Thank you…”

The dragon playfully nipped at his hair. He took it as an acceptance of his thanks.

He then remembered he had an audience.

Backing away from the dragon, he faced his fellow members of the Encanto. “Don’t worry, guys! Everything's under control!” He declared.

They didn’t seem entirely convinced, but as they watched the large creature preen itself like a tiny little bird, they didn’t seem terrified anymore either. And soon, the crowd started to disperse.

Hiccup sighed his relief, happy this hadn’t ended in disaster. He turned to regard the dragon again. “Alright, now what am I gonna do with you- “

It was gone.

It must’ve flown away. Odd, Hiccup didn’t recall hearing its wings flapping.

He looked up into the sky, but he couldn’t spot it anywhere.

Eventually, he shrugged.

It probably just flew off somewhere else.

He hoped it didn’t run into any trouble. But there wasn’t much he could do.

He put his hands in his pockets, and began strolling back to the church.

…Until a large blue foot swooped in from the skies, and snatched him up.

He cried out in fear as he was clasped in the creature’s talons.

It flew onwards, taking him towards the yonder mountains.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The preparations were now complete. The church was fully decorated, and Julieta had the cake baking back home as they spoke. Mariano’s tux fit perfectly, they had the details of the ceremony and the reception all worked out…everything was ready for tomorrow.

Except for Dolores’ dress.

“Hiccup had better hurry up…”

Mirabel sighed, figuring she should have gone with him. Her room was a bit of a mess, or at least that’s what it looked like to anyone who couldn’t understand her organized disorganization. He was probably still looking for it.

Dolores was back, along with Alma, Mariano, and his mother. She had tears in her eyes as she clutched Pepa, whispering about how beautiful everything looked.

“I don’t even have the words to describe how incredible this is…” She sobbed, softly. It warmed everyone’s hearts to see her so happy.

Dolores sniffled, and continued. “I just want to say- “

And then she froze.

Eyes wide, she tilted her head ever so slightly towards the church’s doors. Listening.

Everyone looked to her, concerned. She only got that look when there was trouble.

And trouble there was.

Suddenly, she spoke. “People are screaming, in the plaza. They’re talking about a…monster?”

Everyone’s confusion only increased.

“Are you serious?” “A m-m-monster?” “Dolores, what are you talking about?”

She continued to listen. “I can hear some kind of animal. It’s stomping around, and squawking…”

“Like…a big chicken?” “Don’t be silly!” “Can I pet it?”

Then, Dolores sighed in relief. “Hiccup is there…” At their fearful reactions, she calmed them down by elaborating. “He tamed the creature, everything is fine.”

“That’s my bro!” “Of course he tamed it, it’s probably a lizard…” “CAN I PET IT, THOUGH!?”

However, Dolores calm visage shattered when she abruptly gasped. Throwing her hands to her mouth.

Once again, everyone looked to her. Exponentially more concerned.

When she spoke, it was in a horrified whisper. But it may as well have been screaming.

“The monster attacked Hiccup…It’s flying away with him, right now…”

She finished with a petrified squeak.

For a moment, everyone stood completely still. Shock on all their faces. No one dared to even breathe.

And then Mirabel bolted to the doors.

Toothless chased after her, and Antonio after him, and Pepa after him.

Soon they were all running outside, terrified for the boy.

Busting the doors open without a second thought, Mirabel immediately searched the skies. Unfortunately, she couldn’t spot anything.

What she did spot, were horrified villagers all staring upwards as well.

Quickly, she ran up to a woman. “Where’s the monster? Where’s Hiccup!?” She demanded.

“U-Uh, it looked like it was flying towards the cracked mountain, but- “

That was all the information she needed.

Mirabel looked back to Toothless, who met her frightened gaze with his own.

No words were spoken.

They knew what they had to do.

They ran towards each other, and without stopping Mirabel hopped onto his back. She effortlessly fit her feet into the pedals, adjusted the fin, and they took off.

Her family watched as she left, before they could even get a word in. They all looked towards each other, and nodded.

Mariano stayed, with his mother. And Valentina remained to get the frenzied crowd under control.

Every Madrigal marched forth, as one big group, towards the cracked mountain.

They had to get their dweeb back.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Flying in a dragon’s claws is very different than flying on a dragon’s back.

It wasn’t as fun, for starters.

Hiccup struggled not to look down as he was flown away from his home, being held captive by the Nadder.

Even still, it didn’t seem aggressive. It actually seemed to like him! So he wondered why it was taking him, and where?

…He hoped it wasn’t hungry.

They were currently outside the Encanto, just a bit beyond the cracked mountain, and Pedro’s river.

After a few more minutes, they were starting to descend.

Hiccup’s eyes made out what looked to be a camp, with several logs placed around a bundle of sticks. And various items strewn around the site.

But…who was out here?

Now close to ground level, the dragon dropped Hiccup onto the dirt. Before flying off again.

Now alone, the boy stood up. And examined the camp.

He noticed an assortment of weapons, lying in a neat pile. Alright, so these people were willing to choose violence. That wasn’t good…

Something about the weaponry felt familiar.

He saw wet fur coats, and a very large and very wet fur cape, drying out on a log. They smelled like a wet dog…and something else.

He was starting to be reminded of things he really didn’t want to be reminded of.

What frightened him the most, were the bags.

A small stack of bags, sitting on the grass.

All bearing the familiar emblem, of a toothy grinned serpent.

His heartrate increased, he started sweating profusely, the world started spinning so fast that he was forced to sit back down.

“No…No, No, No!”

Somehow, even though they were hundreds of miles away…

Somehow, even though they shouldn’t have had any clue where he was…

Somehow, even though he was so close to forgetting them…

Berk had found him.

He was close to screaming. But before he could, a voice called out to him.

A very snotty voice.

“Well, well, well…”

Hiccup watched in dread as a stout boy and a pair of blonde twins stepped out from the woods. A trio he hoped he’d never see again.

Snotlout stood above him, grinning smugly. Ruffnut and Tuffnut snickering at his sides. “If it isn’t Useless…”

The bully pushed his face up against Hiccup’s, a threatening glint in his eyes. “Did ya miss me?” He whispered aggressively.

As his panicked breathing accelerated to dangerous levels, Hiccup could only think of one thing to say in response.

“…Not really, no.”

And then Snotlout punched him.