"Do you have to go..?" Callum asked sadly as he gripped the strap of his sketchbook tightly while he watched Dagur stocking his ship.
The old king smiled sadly and made his way over to the eight-year-old, kneeling down and resting his hands on his shoulders. "Aye, I do. I know you want me to stay until you're fully settled in and comfortable little lost one, but that's just not possible.."
Callum looked away from him as he sniffled and wiped at his eyes with his sleeve, which made Dagur's heart ache as he smiled softly.
"But hey, the next time I'm at sea I'll be sure to make a stop here to see ya, alrigh'?"
Callum looked back at him as he wiped away more tears that threatened to fall. "Promise..?"
"Promise." Dagur said with a reassuring smile then he opened his arms for a hug, which Callum accepted as he tackled him into a tight hug.
"I'm gonna miss you Dagur.." Callum whispered as he buried himself further into the hug as Dagur's grip tightened ever so slightly.
"Imma miss ya too, little lost one..be good alright?"
"I will..I promise.."
"Atta boy.."
They then separated and Dagur ruffled Callum's hair as he stood, which made the boy smile a bit as he pushed the man's hand away which got a chuckle out of the former Berserker. Dagur then boarded his ship and pulled in the gangplank then signaled to the workers he was ready to leave.
Callum watched as the ship he saw as home for almost a month was lowered out of sight and he waved at Dagur sadly, to which the old king returned just as sad.
"You okay brother..?" Callum heard, which made the boy jump and look in the direction it came from to see it was Cassia with Sharpshot resting on her shoulders.
"Yeah..I'll be okay..just sad to see him go so soon is all.." He admitted, smiling slightly as Sharpshot hopped onto his shoulders and nuzzled his cheek in reassurance.
" He'll come and visit you more often than you think, Callum. I just know it. "
"Yeah, I'm sure he will.."
~~~TDPMS~~~
" Callum, where are we even going? We've passed by this rock formation twice now. " Sharpshot said as he motioned to a rock formation they were stopped by as Callum frantically looked around the clearing with a whine.
"A hidden entrance to an area I found my first night home.." Callum replied as he looked over at his Terror companion briefly before going back to walking as he wrung his hands on the strap of his sketchbook nervously. "But..I haven't been able to find it since then..it was super dark and..well yeah.."
Sharpshot gave him a skeptical look as he flew beside him, then looked around the forest in thought and his eyes widened in realization as he put together where Callum was trying to go and lit up like the Northern Lights.
" Follow me! I know just where to go! " the Terror exclaimed as he sped up in glee.
"Wait, you do?!" Callum asked with wide eyes as he rushed after the elder Terror, more curious than anything as he followed.
After a few minutes of sprinting/flying, the duo made it to the hidden cove and Callum smiled wide as he took it all in as he and Sharpshot passed through the entrance and began the trek down to the bottom. It was just as beautiful in the daylight as it was in the nightlight in Callum's eyes.
As they were making their way down, Callum froze and looked at Sharpshot with a skeptical stare. "Waittt..how did you even know about this place?"
Sharpshot froze and hovered in place with an awkward smile. " I've known about it for years. "
"How would you–" Callum began to say, but was cut off as he was scooped up in a hug by his mother.
"There's my little Bluejay!~"
Callum stifled a laugh and hugged her back as he buried his face into her shoulder. "Hi Mom."
Kala then pulled back from the hug just enough to make eye contact with him as she rested him on her hip. "How are you doing after Dagur left sweetie..? We saw you saying goodbye, but didn't want to engage, seeing as you're the only one that can see us."
"Oh..uh..I'm doing okay, I guess..just wish he would've stayed a little longer..ya know?" He admitted as he gently clung to his mother's shoulder.
"Yeah, I can imagine. Well, he's not gonna be gone forever, I'll tell ya that much. Dagur's not one to abandon family like that." Kala reassured as she nuzzled Callum's nose with her own, which made the hatchling laugh and nuzzle hers in return.
" So, where's Hiccup? " Sharpshot asked as he landed on Callum's shoulders while looking directly at Kala, which shocked Callum as he looked between his mother and Terror with wide eyes.
"Oh, he went to the village to keep an eye on Gobber, so he probably won't be back for some time." Kala explained, not having noticed her son's flabbergasted state at first, but that changed instantly as she caught a glimpse of him. "Are you alright sweetie?"
"Y-you..can see and hear my parents..?" Callum was finally able to get out as he looked towards Sharpshot. "Is that how you knew how to get to the cove?"
" Uh..yeah. I've been able to see them since they passed on eight years ago. But no one else can, dragon or human. It's really weird. " the Terror said as he got cozy on his companion's shoulders with a little pout.
Kala stifled a laugh, which got her hatchling and Terror to look at her. "I think I can explain why it is only the two of you who can see Hiccup and I. You see, Callum, you were born with the ability to see the spirits of your bloodline. This is called Dilectus Aspectu, which is Ancient Draconic for beloved sight. It's a very rare ability that only a select few people and dragons possess."
"Whoa…wait. Then how can Sharpshot see you? You just said I was born with it, but never mentioned anything about him." Callum asked, rather confused now which made his mother laugh.
"I was getting there, little one. The reason Sharpshot is able to see your father and I is quite simple. He's soulbound to you, which gives him Dilectus Aspectu through the bond."
"Now I'm even more confused.." Callum admitted. "What do you mean Sharpshot and I are soulbound? What even is that?"
"Well to put it simply, your souls are interwoven, as in they cannot be separated from one another, no matter the lifetime. You may be separate beings, but your souls will forever be connected to one another. Just like your father and I, but in you and Sharpshot's case, in a platonic way as friends who can't live without each other. Does that make sense my little Bluejay?"
"Ohhhhh, that would explain why we were already so close when we reunited on my first day back home. That's awesome!" Callum said happily with a laugh at the end as Sharpshot began to nuzzle his cheek, which he reciprocated happily.
Kala smiled softly at the sight, glad to see her youngest was so happy, a stark contrast to how he was that fateful night when he reunited with her and Hiccup after all these years. It warmed her heart to see that adorable smile once again.
As she was watching their little display, an idea came to mind and she lit up in excitement.
"How about we go exploring in the forest today? There's something I wanna show you Callum." Kala suggested with an excited smile, which just piqued her son's curiosity as he nodded with a smile of his own.
"Okay."
~~~TDPMS~~~
"Remind me why I have to keep my eyes covered again?" Callum asked as he walked beside his mother while holding onto her hand and covering his eyes with the other as Sharpshot helped by covering his hand with his paws as he flew above him.
"You'll see, little one, I promise. Just a little further."
Callum whined but went quiet as he blindly followed his mother through the forest to their destination, his curiosity eating away at him inside as he wondered what the special thing she wanted to show him could possibly be. Another secret cove? Or a special clearing? A rare plant maybe? A dragon species he's never seen before? All of the above?
After what felt like ages to the young Haddock, they finally came to a stop and he felt Sharpshot's paws leave his hand, and his mother let go of his other one.
"Okay, you can open your eyes now sweetie." Kala said with a smile as she was crouched down in front of him with something in her hands behind her back.
Callum did as told and looked around the clearing they had stopped in. It was smaller than the cove, but still big enough for five or six fully grown Deadly Nadders to cozy up in. The clearing was semi shaded by a canopy of trees that surrounded it and it was filled with luscious grass that reached the middle of his legs, completely covering his boots.
He took notice of his mother crouching in front of him and gave her his full attention as he tilted his head to the side with a curious look. This made Kala smile as she revealed what she was hiding behind her back, glad he hadn't considered he was able to see them perfectly through her transparent form. Callum's curiosity grew all the more when he saw a cluster of what looked to be little fluffballs in her hands and that curiosity only grew when he saw said fluffballs begin to move about and make cute little coos and purrs as they looked up at him.
"Whoa..what are those Mom..?" Callum asked as he reached out and scratched the head of a little blue one, which proceeded to purr loudly as it leaned into his finger.
"These little guys are called Adoraburrs. They're very friendly and cuddly, and can stick to most anything. They're originally from Xadia like Nightfall, but because we are so close to the Hidden World, they were able to adapt to the magic emitting from the entrance and learned to survive in our conditions and thrive. You adored them when you were a wee thing before you were swept away by that storm all those years ago." Kala explained with a soft smile as she watched her son begin to give attention to all three of the Adoraburrs in her grasp with an excited shimmer in his eyes and a huge smile upon his lips.
"I can see why. These little guys are amazing! No wonder baby me loved them so much. Can..can I keep the little blue one?" Callum asked as he looked up at his mother with hopeful eyes.
"As much as I would love to say yes, I'm not too sure your grandmother would be too happy with you bringing an Adoraburr into the hut." Kala reasoned with a small laugh.
"I could leave it at the cove with you and Dad! Pleaseeee?" Callum pleaded with puppy eyes and he clasped his hands together.
"How about this? If this little blue one is still in this clearing once you have learned how to transform at will into all your forms and fly and land without struggle, then he can come stay in the cove with your father and I. Deal?" Kala suggested with a little smirk.
Callum crossed his arms as he considered the conditions as he tapped his chin with his finger then he smiled and nodded. "Deal!"
~~~TDPMS~~~
Callum and Sharpshot were exploring the village on their own the following day, a decision Callum had come to that morning to ingrain it all to memory on his own even if the tour that his brothers had given him his first day back helped tremendously. The hatchling in question coming to a stop in the middle of the plaza.
Sharpshot came to a stop midair and glided in place beside his companion as he gave him a curious look. " Why'd ya stop Callum? Everything okay? "
"Huh?" the boy said as he looked over at the elder Terror then shook his head and smiled. "Oh, yeah I'm fine. Was just thinking if I wanted to keep exploring or go to the forge to see what Gobber is up to is all."
The duo looked towards the forge in contemplation, then at each other as they considered if they should go in or not. On one hand, it would be great to see the old blacksmith again, but at the same time Callum wasn't sure if it was safe for him to go into the forge without his brothers to keep him from getting hurt or in the way of Gobber's work.
The more he thought about it, however, the more he realized he should make sure Gobber didn't get hurt from his work.
"We should check on him.." Callum muttered worriedly as he began to make his way to the forge, Sharpshot following with a nod and a worried whine.
As the two dragons entered the forge, the sight they walked in on was not what they were expecting. Gobber was in the process of pouring molten metal into a small mold, which upon closer inspection was a medallion mold of a curled up Night Fury, with shaking hands. But that's not what caught the little dragons by surprise.
Hiccup was also there beside the old blacksmith holding onto the stone cup that housed the molten metal to keep it steady, gently guiding it to the proper spots of the mold for his mentor. Callum and Sharpshot exchanged glances with wide eyes then looked back at the duo, not understanding what was going on, but glad Gobber wasn't spilling the metal all over the place.
After a few seconds of watching them pour the metal in awkward silence, Callum gathered the courage to go up to them to get a closer look and Sharpshot landed on the table to get a better look himself.
"What're you working on Gobber?" he asked as he looked at the cooling metal then up at Gobber with a curious look.
Gobber smiled as the last bit of metal fell into place and placed the stone cup to the side, Hiccup guiding it to the table for him to prevent it clattering to the floor, and he looked at Callum as his smile grew.
"A welcome home present of course! Was gonna surprise ya with it later, but seems like ya beat me to it laddie!" Gobber said with a chuckle.
"A welcome home present? You didn't have to do that Gobber, really. Just being able to meet you the day I came home is enough. I know how much you meant to my parents and grandfather, so being able to get to know you myself is all the present I need." Callum explained with a small smile as he made his way around the table and gripped Gobber's good hand with his own.
This made the old Viking tear up as he squeezed Callum's hand gently and a warm smile formed on his lips the same time one formed on Hiccup's as well.
"Tha' means the world ta hear laddie..I'm glad I get the chance ta get ta know ya, too. But Imma still make ya this present." Gobber said as his smile turned into a smirk, which made Callum stifle a laugh.
"Okay." The hatchling agreed, then he looked at the mold again with a curious look. "What is it supposed to be, though? I know that's the Strike Class symbol, but what's it for?"
"Glad ya asked." Gobber began to say as he let go of Callum's hand and grabbed the mold with his tongs prosthetic to let Callum get a better look as he backed up his wheelchair to hold it at Callum's level. "I'm makin' ya a medallion ya can wear as a reminder of yer roots in case ya ever decide ta go back to Xadia someday."
Callum's eyes widened as he looked closer at the mold, tears welling up in them as a soft smile formed on his lips, which began to tremble slightly at the pure overwhelming joy he felt. He then dashed forward and enveloped Gobber in a tight hug and buried his face in his shoulder. Gobber jumped the slightest bit in his wheelchair, but relaxed a split second later as he placed the mold back on the table again (yet again with Hiccup guiding it for him to prevent any damage to it or Gobber himself) then he wrapped his arms around the young boy just as tight with a smile.
"Thank you Gobber..I'll wear it always.." he thanked, burying his face further into the blacksmith's shoulder and ingraining his scent to memory.
"Yer very welcome Callum.."
They stayed like that for what felt like ages, but it was only a couple minutes before they separated and Callum looked at the mold again with a joyous smile.
"Could I help?" Callum asked as he looked towards Gobber once more.
"Absolutely not." Hiccup cut in as he crossed his arms with a tiny glare directed at his son. "You're way too young to be working with molten metal Callum."
Callum puffed out his cheeks in a pout at his father with crossed arms, which made Gobber chuckle even if he wasn't sure what that sudden change in mood was even about.
"I don' see why not. How bout you go through the leather scraps in that basket by the saddle stand and find a cord sturdy enough to hold the medallion?" Gobber suggested, on the same page as Hiccup when it came to the metal, even if he wasn't aware of that fact.
Callum lit up and nodded excitedly, then dashed over to the basket in question and proceeded to sift through the scraps to find the perfect cord for his medallion.
~~~TDPMS~~~
That same afternoon, Callum and Sharpshot chose to kill the rest of the daylight at home, the hatchling wanting to familiarize himself with every nook and cranny of their hut to feel more at home.
As he made his way up to the porch, he admired the new medallion that rested comfortably around his neck. It wasn't that large, fitting perfectly in the palm of his hand. Gobber had made sure it wouldn't be heavy, either, having made the medallion out of Gronckle iron. He also added a carved emerald to act as the eye of the Night Fury as well. The perfect reminder of Callum's roots, and something he would cherish his whole life.
"Whoa, cool necklace! Where'd ya get it Callum?" he heard as he approached the door, looking up just in time to see that his sister Cassia was exiting the hut with a huge grin as she looked at his medallion. "It looks awesome!"
"Oh, Gobber made it for me as a welcome home present. I helped with the cord and put the emerald in the eye socket." Callum explained with a soft smile as Sharpshot landed on his shoulders and got cozy, which made Callum let go of the medallion as he scratched his head in greeting out of pure habit.
"Well that was sweet of him. I bet he loved having some company, too. Lief doesn't work in the forge that often anymore, so you two must've made his day." Cassia said with a small giggle.
"Wait, really?" Callum asked in shock as he dropped his hand to lock eyes with his twin.
Cassia nodded with a sad smile. "Really. Lief's been too busy with helping around the village lately. Grandma may be the chieftess right now, but doesn't mean she can do everything , ya know?"
"Yeah, I guess so.." Callum agreed, trailing off as he looked down at his medallion in thought, silently promising Gobber that he would spend as much time with the old blacksmith as he possibly could to make him still feel wanted and part of the Haddock family, just like his father does even if he wasn't aware of his presence.
"Anyways, Imma go hang out with my friends. You're welcome to come with me if ya want. I bet my friends would love to get to know you Cal." Cassia offered as she began to make her way off the porch.
This broke Callum out of his train of thought as he remembered exactly what he was going to do when he arrived home and his eyes widened slightly as he spun to face his twin. "Thanks, but I was actually planning on researching our species so I can get in control of transforming. Do we have any books or journals on that in the hut somewhere?"
Cassia froze midstep and snorted. "'Do we have any books or journals'? Of course we do ya dork. How else do you think the triplets and I were taught about being Night Furies?"
"Well I just assumed Mom, Dad and Grandma taught you all themselves." Callum said with a shrug.
"Yes, they did, but they also utilized the journal our family on Mom's side has kept for centuries." Cassia said with a small smirk. "If you wanna know everything there is to know about our kind, that journal is what you want. Last I saw, it was stored up in the attic with all of Mom and Dad's things. You'll know it when you see it."
"Thanks Cas, you're the best!!" Callum shouted as he bolted inside with a giddy grin, Sharpshot squeaking in surprise at the sudden speed and clinging to the boy's tunic to prevent himself from falling.
Cassia shook her head with a smile then dashed away from the hut in search of her friends.
~~~TDPMS~~~
It took Callum a good fifteen minutes to find the entrance to the attic, which led him to make a mental note to thoroughly explore the hut to know where everything was by memory for the next time he needed to find something.
As he and Sharpshot poked their heads through the entrance, immediately they could see baskets upon baskets of things. Each pushed to the sides in their own little sections, which Callum assumed was for either each member of the family or just to categorize by items.
Once they were fully in the attic, Callum closed the door behind them and scanned the room for a better idea of where they should start.
"There's a lot more up here than I thought.." Callum muttered with a sigh. "This may take longer than I expected.."
" Or not. " Sharpshot said as he flew off Callum's shoulders and flew to the other side of the attic to a basket filled with journals.
Callum raised a brow in confusion and followed the Terror to the basket and picked up the journal on the very top of the pile. It was covered in a layer of dust, so he wiped the cover clean to see if there was any writing, only to be disappointed to see there was none. He then gently opened the journal to a random page and saw a hand drawn map of what he assumed was Old Berk, but the odd thing about this one was it had x's in odd areas of the island and the whole thing was scribbled through, as though the person who drew said map had grown frustrated and gave up.
"What the..?" Callum asked, then looked at Sharpshot with a silent question.
" Don't look at me. I've never seen the pages of this one before. All I know is it was one of your parents' journals from a long time ago. Way before I was ever part of the family, too. " Sharpshot explained as he landed on Callum's shoulders once more.
Callum then proceeded to skim through the journal, coming to the realization that this was one of his father's journals from when he had met his mother when they were teenagers. As interesting as it was, it wasn't what he was looking for, so he put it to the side and began to dig through the basket.
After pulling out a good few journals, he finally found the one he was looking for. It was bigger than the others and had a decorative cover that consisted of Night Furies flying around the title. The language the title was in was unfamiliar to the hatchling, yet he could easily tell that the title was 'The Journal of the Night Furies'.
"Found it! Yes!" Callum exclaimed in glee. "I can finally get control of my transformations!"
~~~TDPMS~~~
"Arghhhhhh! Why isn't it workinggg?!"
Hours had passed since Callum had found the journal and read through all the contents, albeit getting slightly traumatized by the mating section and regretting letting his love of books overtake the logical side of his brain that would have prevented him from reading that section all together until he was older. Yet, having learned everything he had been so desperate to know since learning of his origins, he still could not seem to transform into his hybrid form or dragon form at will.
With a growl of frustration he slammed the journal shut and fell back on the forest floor with a defeated huff as he watched the clouds slowly float past with his arms and legs spread out.
"What am I missing..?" he muttered to himself, then he glanced over at Sharpshot who was fast asleep in a little sun patch a few feet away from him, then he looked back up towards the sky. "Maybe I should've gone to one of my brothers or Cassia to ask for help.."
"Everything okay bud?" He heard and looked behind himself to see that his parents had found the clearing he had hidden himself and Sharpshot away to read, realizing that his father was the one who had spoken.
"Not really…I haven't been able to transform into any of my other forms since Stoick helped me transform back into my human form…" Callum admitted as he sat up and pulled his legs up to his chest as he rested his head atop his knees with a small pout. "I thought reading the journal would've helped me figure out what I was missing, but even after reading through it all I'm still stuck…"
Hiccup and Kala exchanged glances with concerned looks, then Hiccup made his way over to their youngest and sat beside him and proceeded to rub his back in comforting motions.
"I get what you're going through..took me a while to get the hang of transforming into my hybrid and dragon forms too.." Hiccup admitted with a soft smile.
"It did..?" Callum asked as he looked up at his father in confusion.
Hiccup nodded as his smile grew slightly. "Sure did. I may have never gotten the hang of it if it weren't for your mother, though."
This made Kala blush slightly as she smiled and leaned against the tree she was by with her arms crossed, content on standing back and watching the father son bonding moment before her.
"How long did it take you?"
"Well, weeks really. I got a good grasp of it at first, but then your mother got really hurt and that caused some issues between me and the tribe, and that caused me to fear my dragon side. I'd say it was about two or three weeks after that, that I was able to finally try transforming again. So, not exactly like what you're going through, but similar enough." Hiccup explained, making sure to keep the main details of that horrible situation to himself so as to not traumatize Callum more than he probably already was.
Callum looked away from his father with a sigh as he began to mess with the grass. "Yeah…but as you said, it was only a couple weeks for you…it's been months for me…years even…it's hopeless…I'll be stuck in human form forever…"
"Hey..look at me Bluejay.." Hiccup said as he stopped rubbing his back, which caused the hatchling to look back up at him. "You won't be stuck in human form forever. Wanna know why?"
"Why..?"
"Because I'm gonna teach you how to transform."
Callum's eyes widened in shock, his mouth slightly agape as he stared at his father. "Y-you're gonna teach me how..?"
Hiccup nodded with a smile as he stood and offered his hand to him. "Sure am. C'mon, up and at 'em. It takes more than reading the journal to know how to transform into all your forms, bud."
Callum nodded slightly as he took his father's hand and allowed himself to be pulled up to his feet. "Okay..so what first?"
As the boys prepared for transformation training, Kala gathered up the journal and Sharpshot to give them room and made her way out of the clearing, but only to a safe enough distance where she could watch and be nearby if her mate and hatchling needed her aid. Sharpshot huffed in annoyance at being picked up by someone besides his companion, but then proceeded to fall right back into his nap when he realized it was Kala who had picked him up.
"We'll start easy. Since our hybrid forms are the in-between form, we'll focus on that form first." Hiccup began, making sure Callum's full attention was on him before continuing. "It's a lot more simple than you're making it out to be. All you have to do is envision what you would look like with your wings, tail, claws and scales as a human."
"Easier said than done Dad.." Callum said with a small huff.
Hiccup chuckled with a shake of his head. "You're overthinking the steps, bud. That's why you're struggling so much. To quote your mother from when she was helping me learn, the best advice I can give is don't overthink it. Just go for it."
Callum took a deep breath as he closed his eyes, putting his father's advice into consideration as he concentrated on the image of himself in hybrid form. Envisioning his wings and tail sprouting from his back as claws replaced his nails and scales formed around his eyes and atop his hands.
"Hey, there ya go!" he heard his father cheer, which got Callum to open his eyes as he registered the new weight upon his upper and lower back.
Callum looked at his hands with wide eyes as he saw the scales and claws he had grown so familiar with over the past few months, then he looked behind himself to see his wings and tail, said tail swaying behind him excitedly as he smiled wide in joy.
"I did it! Yes! Finally, I did it!" he cheered as he hopped around in a circle with giddy purrs forming in the back of his throat.
Hiccup stifled a laugh as he watched his son hop around. "Good job Cal. Now I want you to try transforming back and forth between human and hybrid so you get a good grasp on it. You may have gotten it this time, but I want you to be sure you can actually do it without hesitation, alright?"
Callum nodded and focused on transforming back and forth like Hiccup had instructed, getting a hold of it once he realized it was as easy as his father had said. After transforming back into his human form for the sixth time, he looked up at Hiccup with a huge smile as his eyes sparkled in glee.
"Now what?" The hatchling asked in anticipation as he seemed to buzz in place from excitement.
"Now, we work on your dragon form." Hiccup said with a small smirk as he crossed his arms and put all his weight on his right leg. "Same as your hybrid form, just envision what you would look like as a Night Fury."
Callum nodded and closed his eyes, picturing all the drawings and images he had seen throughout the books, tapestries, carvings, and even the journal of what Night Furies looked like as dragons then took all of that and envisioned what he himself would look like as one. It was a strange feeling, the feeling of his body morphing in size as his wings and tail sprouted out of his back like before. It was more painful than just transforming into his hybrid form, but not as painful as he had imagined.
Once he felt his body settle, he opened his eyes and looked at himself with a croon of curiosity. Transforming into his hybrid form wasn't shocking to him in the slightest, but his dragon form was a completely different story. But he didn't react like his parents' had expected.
Instead of screeching in fear and flailing around like Hiccup had his first time, Callum just stood there with wide eyes as he took in his draconic appearance, seeming to be too stunned by the transformation to do much else than take it all in. He carefully moved his wings and tail as a test to make sure he wasn't hallucinating, then he looked down at his front paws and flexed his claws for the same test. As he felt it all, it sank in that he had successfully transformed into his dragon form and he purred happily as he looked up at his father excitedly.
" Can we work on flying next?! " Callum asked as he began to buzz in place once again from excitement.
Hiccup and Kala stifled laughs at their hatchling's reaction to finally having transformed fully into a Night Fury for the first time.
"Easy bud, we'll get there. Before that, though, you need to practice transforming back and forth then we'll get to flying." Hiccup explained, chuckling as Callum whined in annoyance.
" Fineeee. " The hatchling agreed, proceeding to practice transforming back and forth between his human and dragon forms, adding his hybrid form to the mix without instruction just to be sure he had a grasp on all forms.
After he had practiced that for a good half hour, he transformed back into his dragon form and looked at his father expectantly. Hiccup smiled and transformed into his own dragon form to better help his son learn how to fly.
"Okay, this will have a lot more to it than just envisioning what you look like in a certain form. You sure you're ready for this?" Hiccup asked as he approached his hatchling with a slight tilt of his head.
Callum nodded in determination as his father came to a stop a few feet away from him. " Yes. I wanna be able to fly. "
"Alright. First things first, you have to have control over your wings and tail." Hiccup began to instruct, but before he could go any further Callum already began to show his parents that he could easily fold in his wings and flap them, as well as easily control his tail and tailfins.
" You mean like this? " He asked as he showed them, then folded his wings back in and rested his tail behind him with his tailfins closed.
He then looked at his parents confused when he saw how shocked they looked.
" What? I had a lot of time on my hands while Dagur and I were sailing here, and I was stuck in my hybrid form the whole journey. So I taught myself how to fly a bit, I'm just super bad at it. " Callum explained as he blushed in embarrassment under his scales and pawed at the forest floor.
"Sorry sweetie, we just weren't expecting you to have a grasp on that just yet considering how much you've struggled with your transformations until now." Kala explained with a soft smile once the shock wore off. "That's good that you at least tried to teach yourself on your way here. Makes it a little easier for you to learn and get used to it."
Hiccup nodded in agreement with his mate once he too was out of his shocked state. "You're mother's right Bluejay, that makes it way easier for you. With that in mind, to take to the air in this form, you'll have to flap your wings vertically. You also have to be sure to keep your tailfins opened correctly, or else you won't be able to stay in the air." he explained as he demonstrated exactly how to take off.
Callum paid close attention to how his father's wings and tailfins moved as he lifted off the ground, then took a deep breath and followed his lead. He did it slowly at first from nerves, just as his father had all those years ago. He was able to get into the air easily, but he wobbled in place.
" Whoa.. "
"It's okay. You got it bud. Just fix your tailfins to keep balanced." Hiccup encouraged as he hovered in front of him with a warm smile. "You constantly have to shift the positions to match what you're wanting to do."
Callum took a deep breath and nodded as he adjusted his tailfins and he was instantly able to steady himself and hover in place like Hiccup was. " Hey, I did it! "
"There ya go, bud! You're doing amazing. Wanna try a lap around the clearing now?"
" I-I can try. " Callum said timidly, then took a deep breath once again to calm his nerves.
"Okay, so for moving about you will have to flap your wings horizontally, but add in pushing them back like this." Hiccup instructed, demonstrating the motions with his wings. "You basically are having to scoop at the air with your wings to push yourself forward."
Callum nodded as he paid close attention to what his father was doing with his wings. It took him a bit to gather the courage to try it himself. But once he tried it, it was like a switch flipped inside him and he was flying circles around his father.
Callum roared in joy as his parents laughed just as happily, Kala being hit with a wave of nostalgia as she watched her youngest take lap after lap around the clearing, having recalled how her mate had reacted all those years ago when he got a grasp on flying on his own pair of wings. It brought a warm smile to her lips as her heart swelled with pride.
After what felt like ages, but was only a few minutes, the boys landed as they transformed back into their human forms and Callum dashed over to his mother full of energy.
"Did you see that Mom?! I finally got the hang of transforming and flying!! And I didn't fumble while landing this time either!" the eight-year-old exclaimed as he bounced in place from all the excitement he had from finally getting the hang of the one thing he was born to do, being a dragon and soaring the skies just like his family.
Kala stifled a laugh as she watched her hatchling bounce in place and nodded with a smile. "I sure did my little Bluejay. I'm very proud of you. And to celebrate, I think I promised you an Adoraburr didn't I?"
At the mention of the promised Adoraburr, Callum transformed back into his dragon form and dashed out of the clearing, not able to contain his excitement any longer. His parents laughed at his reaction and followed suit calmly.
"An Adoraburr, huh?" Hiccup asked as they followed their youngest, who kept pausing and looking back at them to make sure they were following before proceeding to run off once more.
"Yes. I had taken him to one of the clearings they live in while you were helping Gobber at the forge yesterday and he really wanted a little blue one that had white patches on it. So we made a deal that he could have it live in the cove with us if he got the hang of his transformations and flying first. And he did it a lot quicker than I expected, but he has been very attached to Adoraburrs since he was a newborn so I'm not that surprised by this outcome." Kala explained with a fond smile as she watched their youngest dart about in search of the clearing.
Hiccup shook his head with a smirk. "Of course you did milady."
~~~TDPMS~~~
Once they reached the Adoraburr clearing Kala had taken Callum to the day before, the boy transformed back into his human form and proceeded to sift through the grass in search of that little blue and white Adoraburr that had caught his eye. Sharpshot had awoken from his nap just a little before they had reached the clearing and had decided to help his companion search for the little creature.
As the two dragons searched through the grass for the little guy, Hiccup and Kala stood at the edge of the clearing as they waited, wanting this to be something Callum could do on his own as a reward for finally getting a grasp on who he was as a whole. At least, to the boy's knowledge that is, for there was still plenty more about himself that he has yet to learn and won't learn until years later.
After a good hour or so had passed, Callum popped out of the grass covered in Adoraburrs with a victorious grin as he held up his hands with the little blue and white one he had grown attached to the day before resting atop his palms with an adorable smile.
"Found him!!!" he exclaimed joyously as Sharpshot tickled off all the other Adoraburrs from his companion's body.
"Glad he was still here. So, whatcha gonna name him bud?" Hiccup asked as his youngest made his way back over to his parents once all of the other Adoraburrs were tickled off and only the little blue and white one in his hands remained.
He then raised his hands closer to his face to get a better look at the little guy as he purred up at him. He narrowed his eyes in thought then lit up as his eyes widened excitedly. "Caerulei!"
"Caerulei?" Hiccup and Kala asked in unison with raised brows of confusion.
"Yeah! It's Ancient Draconic for blue skies, and Caerulei looks like the sky!" Callum explained excitedly as he held Caerulei up towards his parents so they could get a better look at him.
Hiccup chuckled and ruffled Callum's hair with a smile. "Caerulei it is."
~~~TDPMS~~~