HTLANF AU: How to Raise Your Night Furies

Part 1 ~ Chapter 3

Later that night I rushed to the Great Hall with Kala in my arms. She whined and hid her face in my chest to keep the rain from hitting her face and I smiled softly and kissed the top of her head before I pushed one of the Great Hall doors open with my shoulder. I struggled because of how heavy it was, but I managed and sighed in relief when we were out of the rain.

As we got into the hall, I saw Gobber talking with the others at a table further in. He was pacing around the table as he spoke.

"Alright. Where did Astrid go wrong in the ring today?" He asked.

I slowly began to make my way to the table as I dried Kala off with my tunic, trying to listen to the conversation as I walked.

"I mistimed my somersault dive. It was sloppy. It threw off my reverse tumble." My best friend berated herself, crossing her arms as she did.

I smiled and shook my head. 'Of course she would be upset about a small mess up like that. That's Astrid for ya.'

"Yeah, we noticed." Ruffnut said sarcastically.

"No, no, you were great. That was so 'Astrid'." My cousin Snotlout said, trying to flirt with Astrid yet again, which earned a glare from her.

I rolled my eyes as Kala chose to take my head as her perch once she was dry enough. 'He just won't give up on trying to win her over will he?' I thought as I became very cautious of how I was walking to keep my daughter from falling off my head.

"She's right, you have to be tough on yourselves." Gobber said, then he noticed me once I was close enough to the table and gestured to me. "Where did Hiccup go wrong?"

'Oh come on Gobber! Really?! I didn't even wanna do this!' I thought as I caught Kala as she fell from my head with a surprised squeak from her losing balance.

"Uh, he showed up?" Ruffnut asked.

"He didn't get eaten." Tuffnut said with disappointment clear in his tone.

"He's never where he should be." Snotlout said with a glare directed towards me.

I looked away as I held Kala close, but gained a small smile when I heard my cousin yelp in pain from Astrid hitting him.

I sat next to Astrid and gave her a thankful smile for saving me a spot and some food. She returned it with her own as I began to eat as Kala situated herself in my lap.

"Thank you, Snotlout." Gobber said with a roll of the eyes. He then dropped a book on the table, which made Kala jump and yip in annoyance at the startle from how loud the book was when it hit the table. "You need to live and breathe this stuff. The Dragon Manual. Everything we know about every dragon we know of."

'Not everything we know.' I thought as I gave Kala a bit of raw fish that Astrid brought for her. She ate it hungrily and chirped happily, which made me smile.

We all looked at the doors as thunder roared outside. Kala jumped and cowered close to my chest from the noise and I smiled softly and held her close as I rubbed her back soothingly.

"You're alright..it's just a bit of thunder little one.." I whispered.

"No attacks tonight." Gobber said, then he tapped the Dragon Manual. "Study up."

And with that, the blacksmith began to make his way out of the Great Hall.

"Wait, you mean, read?" Tuffnut asked as Gobber walked away from the table.

"While we're still alive?" Ruffnut added to her twin's question as she lifted the book by the corner in disgust before she dropped it back onto the table with a shudder.