After talking with Gobber for a while, Stoick and Callum having silently agreed with Lief to distract the old blacksmith as Lief finished up all the orders that had piled up throughout the day so that Gobber was all caught up and could rest, the brothers decided to bid him farewell and continue on with the tour to get Callum accustomed to their home.
The rest of their stops went fairly fast, only staying at each one for a few minutes as Stoick made a show of explaining each area to their little brother, getting joyous laughter out of the hatchling each and every time. (There were a couple times where he almost fell from Nightfall's back from how hard he was laughing, Lief having to catch him in order to keep him from getting hurt.)
As the tour was coming to an end, Callum caught a glimpse of a statue they were walking past as his brothers talked over where to take him next. He tapped Nightfall to get the Shadowpaw's attention, which worked as he came to a stop and looked at the boy with a curious coo, but Callum's attention was fixated on the statue. It wasn't just any old statue, either.
It was a statue of his parents.
The statue was of Hiccup and Kala in their hybrid forms facing one another as their hands intertwined and their foreheads rested against one another's with their eyes closed. The attire they were depicted in was their dragon scale armor that Callum recalled from the drawing his grandmother had done of them when they were only twenty-six years old.
Callum silently slipped off Nightfall's back and approached the statue, never tearing his gaze away from his parents' faces as he came to a stop and gently put his little clawed hand atop theirs as tears formed in his eyes.
"Hi Mom..hi Dad.." He whispered, trying his best to not break down. "I'm home.."
Stoick and Lief came to a stop and looked behind them when they noticed Callum and Nightfall weren't with them any longer, only for them to gain sympathetic looks when they spotted Callum by their parents' statue. They then made their way towards him and crouched down as Stoick placed his hand over Callum's and Lief rested his on Callum's shoulder. This broke him out of his little trance as he looked at his brothers, some of the tears escaping.
"They know you're home, Cal..trust me.." Lief said with a soft smile, which Callum returned with his own as he nodded slightly.
"I'm sure they've been watching ya since ya set foot on the island, too." Stoick added with a small chuckle. "They were super protective that way."
Callum laughed a bit and nodded as he looked back at the statue. "Yeah..yeah I bet you guys are right.."
"Come on. There's still a couple other places we wanna show ya before the day is over." Lief said as he stood and motioned for the others to follow.
As Callum and Stoick followed suit, none of them took notice of a transparent figure that glowed an electric blue as they peeked out from behind the statue with a loving smile as wisps of their body floated around them.
~~~TDPMS~~~
Their final stop in the tour seemed rather fitting in Callum's mind. They stopped in front of the Great Hall, the main building used for meetings, celebrations, and even meals.
With the sun having begun to set, many tribe members were making their way into the hall for dinner, some dragons trailing behind their riders or just following the crowd out of habit as the day was coming to an end.
"And this building here is the Great Hall, where our grand tour of home shall come to an end for the evening." Stoick said as he dramatically bowed towards the doors. "This is where all the important meetings transpire, where all sorts of celebrations take place, and where the tribe likes to gather for meals if they do not feel like eating in their huts."
"So kinda like a ball room or throne room, yeah?" Callum asked, just wanting to make sure he was on the same page as his brothers.
"Exactly." Lief said with a soft smile. "But it's both of those combined into one."
" Lief! Stoick! " They heard, drawing the Night Furies' attention towards where the call came from.
Stoick and Lief smiled when they noticed it was their parents' Terrible Terror companion Sharpshot, who was flying towards them excitedly.
"Heya Sharpshot. What's got you so excited bud?" Lief asked as he extended his arm out for the Terror as a little perch, which Sharpshot accepted gratefully as he landed.
" I heard from Revna that you two were showing someone special around and– " The Terror began to say, but cut himself off when he locked eyes with the special someone in question, who had wide eyes as he looked at the Terror in shock, still not quite used to hearing dragons talk.
"Hi.." Callum breathed out as he waved slightly at Sharpshot.
" By Akatosh..you're alive!! Callum!! " Sharpshot exclaimed as the shock finally wore off and he bolted towards the hatchling with loud purrs.
Callum's eyes widened as he stumbled from the impact as he caught Sharpshot and held the Terror close as he regained his balance, stifling a laugh as he smiled and nuzzled the Terror in greeting, something that had been buried in the back of his mind coming to the surface as the familiar scent of the Terror filled his nostrils. Sharpshot nuzzled the hatchling back happily as he melted into the boy's arms.
This wasn't just any Terror, this was his Terror. Sure, he was trained by his parents, but that didn't change the fact that Sharpshot was his . From the day Callum was born, Sharpshot knew he was meant to be Callum's companion. It was this sort of instinctual feeling that was buried deep beneath the surface of both dragons, something that would transcend even this lifetime.
Stoick and Lief smiled warmly at the sight, having expected something like this to happen once Sharpshot caught wind of Callum's return. The two had been inseparable when Callum was a newborn, so it only made sense that this would be their reaction to seeing one another once again.
As the hatchling and elder Terror were soaking in one another's company, Lief noticed that there were a lot more tribe members entering the hall than usual, his eyes widening in realization as he put together that their grandmother had arranged a feast. As Stoick was stifling his laughter at Callum and Sharpshot's reunion, Lief nudged him in the side to get his attention. As he looked at his brother with a raised brow, Lief motioned to the hall with his head and Stoick glanced towards it then back at Lief as he put it together himself with wide eyes of his own.
"Hey, Cal. Before we head into the hall to show ya around, why don't we work on your transformation abilities, yeah?" Stoick suggested as he gripped the hatchling's shoulders and steered him away from the hall as Lief parted ways and made his way inside.
"Oh, uh, okay." The hatchling said in slight confusion as he loosened his grip on Sharpshot as Stoick led them away.
~~~TDPMS~~~
When Lief entered the hall, he maneuvered his way through the crowd to get to the front where he saw his grandmother and sister conversing with their old family friend Dagur.
"Grandma, what in Thor's name is going on?" Lief asked as he stopped in front of the trio and gestured to the hall exasperatedly.
"Lief! So good to see you!" Dagur exclaimed joyously as he pulled the young dragon into a bear hug.
Lief yelped in surprise and pushed out of the hug. "Y-yeah, it's good to see you too, Dagur, but don't change the subject please. I wasn't told there would be a feast tonight."
"Oh calm down, Lief. Don't get your scales ruined." Dart said as she rolled her eyes, ignoring her brother as he growled in annoyance at her. "Grandma thought this would be a good way of telling the tribe the news. Although I still think this is all a ruse and we shouldn't be doing this anyway.." she said, muttering the last part and hissing as Revna whacked her in the back of the head.
"As your sister said, it is a good way of telling the tribe your little brother has returned to us. And what better way to get him accustomed to the tribe than a feast to celebrate his return? Speaking of your brother, where is he?" Revna asked as she looked around for the hatchling in question.
"Stoick is distracting him right now by helping him transform back into his human form. As for this, doesn't this seem a bit much for his first day back? Callum just got here a few hours ago Grandma. He's been at sea for weeks and needs rest." Lief explained with a sigh.
"I am aware of the situation grandson, but he deserves a proper welcome home. Your parents would have done the same." Revna shot back.
"Yes, I know they would, but they would have at least waited until he was well rested first." Lief argued with his arms crossed.
"Okay, let's not start a fight, lad." Dagur said as he got between Lief and Revna. "I know this seems too soon, but yer grandmother has a point. Callum's been nothin' but nerves the whole journey here. He deserves to see that his tribe is happy to see 'im back safe and sound. He needs that reassurance, and this is the best way for him to get it. Alright?"
Lief mulled over the old king's words and sighed in defeat with a nod. "Alright, fine. But I'm going to say I told you so if he gets overwhelmed and runs, because I know he will."
Dart rolled her eyes once again as Lief made his way back through the crowd to meet back up with Callum and Stoick.
~~~TDPMS~~~
As Lief caught back up with his brothers, he was able to watch the results of Stoick's teachings as he saw Callum's appearance change back into his human form.
Callum opened his eyes when he heard Stoick and Sharpshot cheer and he looked at himself and smiled wide when he realized he had finally succeeded in transforming back into his human form, his wings, tail, and scales nowhere to be found.
"Hey, I did it! Finally!" He cheered as he jumped around in glee.
Stoick chuckled and nodded in agreement as Lief came to a stop beside him. "Ya sure did Cal! Good job!"
"Looking good there bud. Bet all that transformation practice made ya hungry, huh?" Lief asked with a knowing smile, getting his answer as the hatchling's stomach growled which made Callum freeze with an embarrassed blush and awkward smile.
"Y-yeah.."
"Well then let's head to the Great Hall and get some grub!" Stoick exclaimed as he scooped Callum up and rested him on his shoulder.
Callum laughed in joy and clung to his brother as Sharpshot landed on his shoulders happily as the brothers made their way to the hall to get some food. When they reached the doors, however, Lief stopped them as he came to a stop in front of Stoick.
"Now before we go in, I must warn you that the entire tribe is in here tonight. Grandma decided to throw a feast, so just be prepared for what is to come next once we go through these doors, alright Callum?" Lief explained as he gripped the large handle of the door behind him.
Callum stiffened up significantly on Stoick's shoulder as he swallowed nervously with a small nod. "O-okay.."
"Do you want to still be on my shoulder as we go in, or would ya rather walk in on yer own Cal?" Stoick asked as he and Lief looked up at him patiently.
"Um.." Callum mumbled, too nervous to think properly as his mind began to race at a thousand miles per second. "C-can I just…walk in there on my own..?"
"Sure ya can." Stoick said with a soft smile as he set Callum down and ruffled his hair, which worked as intended as the boy laughed and pushed his hand away then proceeded to fix his hair.
"Ya ready?" Lief asked gently as he saw Callum had begun to shake slightly.
Callum took a deep breath to calm his nerves, and at the feeling of Sharpshot changing his position on his shoulders to be lying down instead of standing helped calm them even further as the Terror nuzzled his cheek in reassurance. The hatchling smiled and returned the gesture, then nodded at his brother as he shook out the nerves.
"Okay..I'm ready.."
"Alright. In we go." Lief said as he pushed the door open and gestured for his brothers to enter.
Callum hesitated as he looked between Stoick and Lief, both of them giving him reassuring smiles with nods before he finally had the courage to enter, his brothers following right behind him.
As the three Haddocks made their way through the crowd, Callum heard muttering throughout the crowd from various tribe members which only made his nerves grow. Stoick noticed and knelt down beside him as he took hold of the boy's hand.
"Hey, it's alright Cal. You got nothin' to be worried about, alrigh'? Jus' think of this as one of them balls you had ta attend back in Xadia, yeah?"
Callum took in a deep breath as Stoick's words sank in and he nodded. "Yeah..yeah I can do that..it's just like a ball in Katolis..yeah.."
Stoick smiled and nodded as he stood, keeping Callum's hand in his when he felt his brother's grip tighten and he guided him through the crowd to the table where the rest of their family waited. Stoick's brow raised in confusion when he noticed someone was missing, but then shook his head to clear it.
As they reached the table, Callum seemed to relax significantly when his eyes landed on Dagur. He let go of Stoick's hand and rushed to Dagur's side, clinging to him as the former Berserker embraced him in a hug.
"Heya little lost one. Would you look at ya, finally human once again. How'd you like your time with your brothers?" Dagur asked with a comforting smile.
Callum looked up at him with a joyous one of his own as his eyes glimmered with happiness. "It was amazing. Thank you for bringing me back to them Dagur."
"Anytime laddie. Now what do you say to some dinner, huh?"
Callum nodded as he wiggled his way out of Dagur's arms and claimed the seat between him and Lief. Sharpshot then hopped off of Callum's shoulders and claimed his spot in the boy's lap as he curled up with a soft purr, which made Callum smile and pet him gently as he relaxed.
Revna smiled at the sight and went to stand, but Stoick grabbed her arm to stop her.
"Shouldn't we wait until everyone is here?" He asked with a pointed look at Callum as if hinting towards something.
"I think we have waited long enough dear, whoever is not here can sneak in on their own time." Revna said with a small smile, then she stood and clapped loudly to get the tribe's attention.
As her clap reverberated off the walls, the chatter quieted down and all the Vikings and dragons present put their full attention on the elder Night Fury.
"Thank you all for coming. I know this feast was very sudden and you are all wondering what it is all for, but I assure you that there is a very good reason. I am sure quite a lot of you have noticed a certain someone who has joined us today, but haven't the slightest clue who that person is."
As those words left his grandmother's mouth, Callum's eyes widened in shock as the pieces finally fell into place and he stiffened up significantly in his seat as his breathing grew heavy. Sharpshot took notice immediately and looked up at his companion with concern filled eyes, adjusting his position in the boy's lap to be closer to his chest as he rested his head against it with comforting purrs, but they didn't seem to help much as Callum's mind raced as his eyes darted around the hall worriedly.
'Nonononono, this isn't how I wanted my first day home to go! I didn't want to be the center of attention! Not like this! Why did Grandma think this was a good idea?! I'm not ready for this!!'
"As you all may recall, we lost the youngest member of my children's hatchlings eight years ago, and my children not long after that. But the gods smiled upon us today and guided Callum back home to us." Revna continued, gesturing to the hatchling in question with a joyous smile.
Callum froze in his seat as the tribe finally took notice of him in shocked silence. Then after a few seconds had passed, they erupted into cheers of rejoice and celebration. And that was all it took for the boy to scoop up Sharpshot and scurry under the table. Dagur's eyes widened and he leaned under the table to see that Callum was guiding Sharpshot onto his shoulders.
"You alright there little lost one?" Dagur whispered, earning a shake of the head as his answer as the boy started to crawl towards the end of the table. "Cal–"
Before another word could leave the old king's mouth, however, Callum had reached the end of the table and scurried his way to his feet then proceeded to dash through the crowd, dodging everyone as he ran past them and pulling himself free from people's grasps as they got ahold of him in celebration of his return. Lief and Stoick took notice just as Dagur began to rush after him and followed suit, but before any of them could so much as get into the crowd, Callum was already at the door and frantically trying to open it.
To the hatchling's relief, a member of the tribe that had been lagging behind opened the door to enter the hall, only for them to jump in surprise as the Fury and Terror sped past them to get outside.
"Callum, wait!!" Lief shouted, but his words were drowned out by the crowd and the door closing behind his little brother.
~~~TDPMS~~~
As the door closed behind him, Callum only staggered for a second before he dashed through the village. There was no particular destination in mind, either, he just needed to get as far away from the Great Hall as possible.
Only downside to that was he wasn't watching where he was going and then proceeded to run into someone, sending them crashing to the ground, Sharpshot letting out a screech as he was flung off Callum's shoulders as they all tumbled from the impact.
Callum, Sharpshot, and the person they had collided with all groaned in pain as they struggled to get back up.
"What in Akatosh's name was that for you muttonhead..?" The person Callum had slammed into whined out.
As those words registered in the boy's mind, he realized that he had run into a girl and bit his lip as he slowly sat up while rubbing his head to soothe the pain. "S-sorry..I didn't mean–"
Before he could finish his apology, however, he froze in place with wide eyes as he finally saw what the girl looked like. She looked exactly like him, just longer hair styled into twin braids.
The clothes she wore were obviously different than his, consisting of a sleeveless deep red tunic, a leather battle skirt that had a fur underlayer with dulled spikes, dark gray pants under the skirt, a simple belt, leather shoulder pads, fur arm braces, brown bear fur boots, and a simple kransen upon her head.
"Didn't mean to what dummy..?" The girl asked as she rubbed her head, then froze with wide eyes as she locked eyes with Callum. "Wait…"
"Y-you…you look…" Callum stuttered out, but couldn't seem to finish his sentence as he tried to wrap his head around the situation, thinking through all the books he had read on his family history.
"Like you..?" The girl finished for him as a smile grew on her lips. "I would hope so. Would be kinda weird if I didn't look like my twin brother of all people. Is…it actually you Callum?"
"I have a twin sister..? W-we're twins..?" Callum asked in shock with wide eyes as he stared into the girl's, still not quite understanding what was going on.
The girl laughed in glee and tackled Callum back down to the ground in a tight hug. "Oh my gods, it actually is you! Grandma was right!"
Callum screeched in surprise as he was tackled, but smiled as tears welled up in his eyes and he hugged her back just as tight. "Yeah..it's me.."
Sharpshot shook out his body as he stood and smiled joyously at seeing the little sibling reunion, then he scurried his way to their sides and nuzzled them happily.
" Looks like you finally reunited with the whole family, Callum. " He said happily, which made the hatchlings laugh.
"Seems like it.." Callum agreed.
"You okay after that fall Sharpshot?" Callum's sister asked worriedly as she and Callum separated from their hug and sat up, putting their full attention on the elder Terror.
" I've had worse, Cassia. Trust me. I'm perfectly fine. "
"Cassia, huh? That's an awesome name." Callum said with a small smile as he rested his arms loosely atop his legs.
Cassia stifled a laugh and nodded with a smile. "Yeah, Dad was the one that named me. At least from what I've been told. I'm so glad to finally meet you, Callum. I've dreamed of this moment for years."
"I'm glad to finally meet you, too sis." Callum said as his smile grew. "I didn't even know I had a twin sister until now honestly. No one ever mentioned you. Not the woman who raised me, not Dagur, not our brothers and sister, not even Grandma!"
Cassia's eyes widened in shock at that.
"Wait, seriously? Not a single person told you about me?"
Callum shook his head sadly. "Not a one."
"But how?! I of all people should've been the first one you were told about! I'm your twin for crying out loud!!" Cassia whined as she shook her brother.
Callum stifled a laugh as he rested his hands atop hers. "Okay, okay! You don't gotta shake me Cas! I'm just as shocked about it as you are. At least we know about each other now, right?"
Cassia stopped shaking him and sighed with a soft smile. "Yeah, you got a point. So, why were you running anyway? Something happen?"
"You remember how you had said earlier how Grandma was right about me coming back?" Callum asked, which earned a nod from his twin. "Well, I was running because of the feast. I..couldn't handle being the center of attention so soon..so I ran.."
Cassia frowned as Callum pulled his legs up to his chest and held them close and she scooted closer to him and mimicked his position as he rested his head atop his legs. Sharpshot whimpered and gently clawed his way to Callum's shoulders to lay down and nuzzled him comfortingly.
"I'm so sorry Callum.." Cassia whispered. "Ya know..I think if Mom and Dad were still here, they'd probably put an end to that feast the second they saw you were starting to freak out at all that attention..at least I think they would've based on the stories I've heard growing up.."
Callum smiled softly at her, but before he could say anything, their attention was torn away from their conversation as they heard someone approach. The twins then raised a brow in confusion as they saw none other than Snotlout approaching with a very noticeable sway in his movements and a tankard of either mead or ale firmly in his grasp.
"Uhh..is that..?" Callum whispered as he motioned to the Jorgenson and Cassia nodded.
"Yup. That my dear brother, is our uncle Snotlout."
When their uncle finally took notice of the little trio his eyes widened slightly and he glanced at the tankard in his hand then back at the twins.
"Godssss, I must be reallyyyy drunk..seeing double.." He muttered, then he waved at the hatchlings. "Heya Casss. Whatcha and Sharpshot doin' out here?"
"Just getting to know my twin, Callum." Cassia said with a nonchalant shrug, a little smirk creeping its way up her lips as she and Callum watched the realization slowly appear in their uncle's eyes as he looked between them.
He kept glancing between them as his eyes grew to the size of dining plates, pointing at the both of them as the gears began to churn in his fuzzy mind. Then after a minute or so, he promptly passed out from the shock. Callum bit his lip in a wince, but Cassia on the other hand had to cover her mouth as she snorted gleefully.
"He's definitely gonna feel that tomorrow.." Callum muttered, which made Cassia burst out laughing as she clutched her stomach and fell back on the ground as her legs kicked back and forth in happiness and Callum looked at her in confusion. "Why is that so funny to you..?"
"B-because he–pfft ahahaha!! He thought he was the cause of you dying, a-and it's just so hilarious to see that he was wrong!!" Cassia was able to get out before she was hit with another wave of laughter.
Callum rolled his eyes with a small smile, but that quickly faded as his eyes widened in fear when he saw their siblings and grandmother rushing towards them with Dagur and who the boy assumed were his aunt and other uncles.
"There you are!" Revna shouted when they all spotted the twins on the ground. "Callum Numinex Haddock, explain yourself right now!!"
At the use of his full name, the hatchling flinched and whimpered as he shrunk in on himself. "I-I'm sorry…"
"Whoaaa..it actually is him!" The man who Callum assumed was his uncle Tuffnut said with wide eyes.
"Aww, he looks just like Hiccup!" His aunt Ruffnut cooed out with her hands on her cheeks.
"Did you guys seriously think that Revna was lying about Callum returning?" The man who Callum recalled being his uncle Fishlegs asked with a raised brow as he put his hands on his hips.
"Would you believe me if I said no?" Tuffnut asked, which made Fishlegs sigh as he rubbed the bridge of his nose.
Revna ignored their antics and put her full attention on her grandson as she leaned down with her hands on her hips, a stern look on her face. "Explain. Now."
"Grandma, enough." Lief said as he got between her and the twins as Cassia finally calmed down from her laughing fit and sat up stiffly with wide eyes as she saw the whole family had shown up. "He clearly got overwhelmed by it all. Which I told you would happen if I recall?"
Revna huffed as she stood and crossed her arms. "Yes I am aware you said that Lief, but that does not excuse your brother's behavior."
"Oh come on, Grandma! Just drop it already! Callum wasn't ready, and you getting mad at him for it isn't going to help any. It'll only make him even more antsy. You tried the feast, it didn't work like you hoped, end of story." Stoick said with a small glare. "Let's just go home and have dinner as a family instead of feasting with the tribe, like we should have from the beginning."
"I–wha–" Revna stuttered out, then she shook her head and cleared her throat. "What in Akatosh's name has gotten into the two of you?"
"Common sense." Lief shot back as he made his way towards the twins and scooped Callum up, which the boy accepted as he clung to his brother gratefully, Sharpshot keeping a firm grip on the boy's tunic to keep from slipping off as they were lifted off the ground. "Which seems to have left the rest of your minds for some reason."
"More like the two of you have lost your common sense. That isn't Callum and you are insane to think it is, and you're pulling everyone down with you." Dart growled out with crossed arms.
"They are not!" Cassia shouted angrily as she stood and crossed her arms with puffed out cheeks.
"Not you, too Cas.." Dart groaned.
"How are you the only one that thinks that my twin brother hasn't come back to us?! Look at us!! Identical! Just like Aunt Ruff and Uncle Tuff!" Cassia shot back as she motioned between herself and Callum, then their aunt and uncle to emphasize her point.
"Why you little.." Dart growled out, which earned a snap of Cassia's teeth before she stuck her tongue out at her older sister.
Stoick stifled a laugh as he made his way over to her and ruffled her hair, then crouched down with his back facing her as he offered to give her a piggyback ride, which Cassia gratefully accepted as she hopped onto his back and wrapped her arms around his neck for support as Stoick stood back up.
"Just drop it Dart, you ain't winning this one." Stoick said with a chuckle, then he and Lief left the rest of their family behind as they made their way back home, not even taking notice of their uncle Tuffnut trying to wake their uncle Snotlout up with the aid of Ruffnut as she dumped a bucket of water on his face.
Revna sighed and ran her hand down her face, then glanced towards Dagur as Snotlout shot up coughing and Dagur raised his hands in surrender.
"Hey, don't look at me. I may 'ave been the one to bring the lad back home, but that don't mean I knew he would react that way." He defended and Revna rolled her eyes before she followed her grandchildren, gesturing for Dart to follow to which the woman in question did with a reluctant groan.
Not a single member of the family noticed the worried transparent figure that glowed toxic green as they watched a good yard or so away and bit their lip nervously, then proceeded to follow the Haddocks to keep an eye on them as wisps of their body floated off and around them.
~~~TDPMS~~~
After the feast disaster, the family ate in silence in their hut, only being disrupted when it was revealed that Callum couldn't eat raw fish like the rest of them, having pushed his plate of trout away nervously as his face grew green as the memory of trying raw fish for the first time on the ship resurfaced and his meal was promptly replaced with moonberries by Cassia.
Once everyone had their fill, they turned in for the night. Callum's eyes widened when he realized the room he had awoken in thanks to Nightfall earlier that day was actually his and Cassia's, which made his twin giggle.
It didn't take long for her and Sharpshot to fall asleep, but Callum struggled. He tossed and turned under his furs, not able to find a comfortable enough position to fall asleep properly. After a good hour of that, the boy finally fell asleep.
Only to wake up a few minutes later thanks to a nightmare.
Sharpshot woke with a startle as Callum shot up panting and he sleepily crooned curiously with a tilt of his head.
"I-I'm okay…just a bad dream…" Callum reassured as he rubbed Sharpshot's head.
" Wanna talk about it..? " The Terror asked worriedly, but got a shake of the head as his answer.
"N-no…I think Imma go get some fresh air…don't worry about coming along…just get some sleep…" Callum whispered as he got out of bed and snuck out of the room before Sharpshot could reply.
~~~TDPMS~~~
The night air was cool against Callum's skin as he exited the hut and it made the boy sigh in contentment as his body relaxed.
He glanced up at the sky and smiled slightly when he noticed the moon was full, giving plenty of light to the point that barely any torches were lit throughout the village. Not a single cloud was in sight, giving the moon and stars full coverage of the inky blackness and a gorgeous view to behold. Callum could have stayed staring up at the sky till daybreak, but an all too familiar scent caught his attention and piqued the hatchling's curiosity.
Callum slowly made his way off the porch, following the scent to the side of the hut to find a row of moonberry bushes planted against the wall of their home. The boy smiled and took a couple ripe berries off the nearest bush and tossed one into his mouth with a happy purr.
As he went to head back inside, however, he froze in place when he spotted a bright light moving in the corner of his eye. He turned to look where the light was coming from, only for his eyes to widen when he realized the bright light was a transparent electric blue figure that was heading into the forest.
Curiosity quickly replaced his shock as he squinted slightly as he watched the figure walk away, then his eyes widened yet again when he noticed the figure looked very familiar.
"Is that..? No…it can't be…right..?" Callum muttered to himself, but then shook his head and tossed the last berry he picked into his mouth and proceeded to follow the figure.
The further into the forest they got, the more ethereal it began to feel, but also the more comforting it became too. So much so, that Callum became even more relaxed the further he walked than when he had seen the night sky just moments before.
Callum came to a stop when he noticed the figure stopped by a set of boulders, or more like an entryway to a hidden area within the forest the hatchling came to realize as the figure disappeared from sight as they walked past the boulders and dropped down. Callum dashed to the boulders and peeked down from the cliff face the figure had disappeared from, only for his eyes to widen when he realized the figure had glided down with their own wings and tail, the tail having a very noticeable prosthetic tailfin on the left side instead of two intact tailfins like he and the rest of his family have. But that wasn't the only thing the boy noticed.
There was another figure in the hidden area that was a transparent toxic green as compared to the electric blue, but what stood out about this one was the prosthetic leg on their left side.
As Callum's head swam from all the rushing memories of the illustrations and images he had seen of his parents, he finally registered where exactly he ended up. The hidden area was actually a well hidden cove that was surrounded by high rock walls in a big circle. There was a large tree that had roots that grew down into the cove, along with other roots growing down the walls, trees on the ground and some foliage here and there. There were also boulders and rocks scattered about. The one thing that stood out was the lake and the waterfall.
It was beautiful. It felt like home.
Callum was then broken out of his little trance as he heard the figures, no not figures, his parents begin to talk.
"The kids alright?" Hiccup asked as he approached his mate with a worried look.
Kala smiled softly and nodded as her wings and tail went into hiding once more. "Yes, our children are just fine my love. All fast asleep. Though, Callum was struggling for a good hour before he finally fell asleep, but that's to be expected."
"Good. Gods, what a way for him to reunite with the family..what in Thor's name was Mom thinking..?" Hiccup groaned out as he ran his hands over his face and through his hair in frustration, which got a small laugh out of his mate as she wrapped her arms around his neck.
"She was just relieved and overjoyed to see that our youngest found his way back to us after all this time, that's all. Though, I do hate that she thrust him into that kind of situation so soon..at least a day of rest would have made all the difference.."
Hiccup chuckled as he wrapped his arms around Kala's waist and nodded in agreement. "You have a point, milady. Seems like Akatosh was right after all, even if it was a rocky start."
As his parents were talking, Callum leaned a little further down the cliff face to try and hear them clearer, but gravity had other plans as a rock under his hand gave way and the hatchling screeched in surprise and scrambled to keep himself from falling, only for his scrambling to make the fall happen all the quicker as he tumbled his way down to the bottom of the cove.
Hiccup and Kala jumped in surprise as they heard the screech and separated with wide eyes that then morphed into worry as they spotted their youngest hit the ground with a pained whine, biting their lips nervously as they glanced at one another not sure what to do considering they were unable to be seen by the living.
Or so they thought.
"I thought you said Callum was asleep like the rest of our hatchlings..?" Hiccup asked, trying his hardest to not let his worry show but inevitably failing.
"When I left he was asleep.." Kala shot back as she held back a whine from seeing her youngest in pain.
Callum slowly sat up and rubbed his head to relieve the pain then looked up at his parents as they talked, realizing they noticed he wasn't where he should be and stiffening up significantly in fear of being scolded, not realizing they didn't know he could even see or hear them.
"How'd he even find the cove..?" Kala muttered as she began to mess with a strand of her hair as her mind began to spiral from all the possibilities. "Did he have a nightmare..? Maybe he got scared by Nightfall again and that's why he came into the forest..but that doesn't make sense because he was literally riding Nightfall while Lief and Stoick were showing him around the village.."
As his mate was spiraling from all the possibilities, Hiccup tried to stop her pacing, but then froze when he noticed that their son was looking directly at them. Not only that, but he made eye contact with him.
"Kala." Hiccup tried, but his call went unnoticed by the spiraling mother as she bit her finger with her arms crossed.
"Maybe Dart said something that went too far…but she was dead asleep when I checked on her, so it couldn't have been that…a nightmare makes the most sense…but that still doesn't explain how he found the cove of all places…not even the rest of our children have come across it in all these years…so how did Callum..?"
"Kala!" Hiccup yelled, which broke her out of her trance and he motioned towards their son and she froze in place as Callum locked eyes with her.
"Um…I-I know I'm supposed to be in bed…but…I couldn't sleep…and the night air felt nice and I noticed we had a ton of moonberry bushes on the side of the hut then I noticed you going into the forest and–pleasedon'tbemadatmeMom!" Callum explained, getting very nervous near the end as he broke eye contact with his mother as he looked at the ground while gripping his pants tightly as tears welled up in his eyes, but why they were forming he hadn't the slightest clue.
"Oh my gods..he can see us..? You can actually see us?" Kala asked, not having registered what her son had actually said as the shock of him even acknowledging that his parents were in front of him overtook her.
Callum glanced up as he sniffled and nodded, wiping at his eyes with his sleeve. "Uh huh.."
"And you followed me back here because you saw me leaving after you went outside because you couldn't sleep?" Kala asked, finally realizing Callum had apologized for being out so late, which earned another nod from the hatchling.
"Was it a nightmare bud? " Hiccup asked as he knelt down to be eye level with him and Callum nodded yet again.
"Y-yeah…"
"Oh, my little Bluejay…" Kala said softly as she fell to her knees and wrapped her arms around Callum tightly.
Callum's eyes widened in shock at the feeling of his mother's arms wrapping around him, not having expected her to actually be able to make contact with him, tears welling up in his eyes even more and blurring his vision as his bottom lip trembled and he clung to her, not surprised when he himself could make contact with her as he buried his face in her shoulder and let the tears escape.
"I-I'm sorryyyyyy…" Callum whimpered out as he let the tears flow, burying himself further into his mother's hold as the survivor's guilt devoured him whole, his body shaking violently from how hard he was crying.
"Hey..hey..it's okay.." Hiccup soothed as he crawled closer to his mate and hatchling and joined the hug, kissing the top of Callum's head. "We're not upset bud.."
Callum shook his head and fought hiccups as the tears flowed even harder. "N-noooo…I'm s-sorry that I–that I-I'm the reason you're goneeeeee…"
Hiccup and Kala exchanged somber looks as their hearts shattered.
"Hey…look at us Bluejay…" Kala said as she and Hiccup pulled away from the hug just enough so Callum could make eye contact with them as she lifted his head with her hand and wiped away some tears with her thumb. "You are not to blame for your father and I's deaths, okay..? We chose to go find you..we chose to fly through that storm..we did it for you because we love you more than words can describe..and we would do it ten times over, no matter what.."
"Your mother's right Callum..if we were given the choice to live through it all again, we would always choose to go find you, no matter what..and we'd do the same for any of your siblings..because you five are our entire world ..and you always will be.." Hiccup added with a comforting smile as he cupped Callum's face and rubbed away tears with his thumb like Kala had.
Callum leaned into their hands as his eyes drifted closed, his body relaxing once again as the tears slowly faded away to only sniffles and hiccups. A weight he hadn't even registered was there lifted off his shoulders as though a mountain had finally been lifted from them to let him breathe once more. He released a sigh as his body went completely lax against his parents' corporeal forms, a soft purr forming in the back of his throat at how cool and warm at the same time his parents felt against his skin.
He finally felt at peace with their passing, the weight of it all completely gone and replaced with blissful comfort at the fact that even though they were no longer alive they were still here, still able to be present in his life and still able to raise him like he dreamt of since the day he learned who he really was.
He was finally home .
~~~TDPMS~~~