Heart of Water

Chapter 8: The Hidden World

It took a few days, but eventually, the small group of four young dragons finally came into sight of the waterfall that served as the entrance to the Hidden World.

"What do you think Mom and Dad will say about you and Heiđrún being girlfriends?" Pouncer asked as they continued flying. "Do you think they'll approve of Heiđrún?"

Heiđrún scoffed and smacked Pouncer's head with her tail. "The correct term is future or soon-to-be-mate." She scolded the white spotted Night Light with a small huff.

pouncer scowled and blew a raspberry at his sister's soon-to-be-mate.

"Oh shut up," he grumbled under his breath, still scowling as he turned his head away from Heiđrún's gaze.

"Um, hey, guys?" Ruffrunner spoke up suddenly, making the three other Night Lights turn to face him. "What do you think Mom and Dad will say?" He directed the question mainly toward his brother and sister.

Dart frowned and stared pensively down at her claws. "I'm not sure, Ruff. I'm honestly not sure." She retold him with a puzzled look on her face.

After a few moments of awkward silence, she turned to face her eldest brother, who mare her gaze with a bit of hesitation.

Dart flicked her tail from left to right uncertainly. "I dunno, Pounce. You and Ruff did go a bit overboard." She gave her brothers both a sideways glance before continuing to speak.

"Mom and Dad might except her - and they might not. But we gotta at least try." The eldest Night Light responded with an anxious expression forming on her face.

Pouncer blushed and ducked his head, giving his sister an apologetic look while Ruffrunner just smiled nervously and stared down at his claws.

"We did act kinda extreme in our little interrogation," Ruffrunner replied with a nervous laugh. "Sorry again about that, Runie."

"Yeah, we're really sorry about that, Runie." Pouncer apologized, smiling sheepishly and ducking his head. "We won't do that ever again, we promise."

Heiđrún giggled softly and gave him a toothless grin. "It's all fine guys, you're forgiven." She told them with an excited flip of her tail.

Dart glanced over at Heiđrún and flicked her tail nervously from side to side anxiously. "I sure hope they do," she replied softly with a small frown forming on her face.

"Well Runie, are you ready to meet our parents?" Dart asked her girlfriend with a small yet nervous smile on her face.

Heiđrún smiled widely and nuzzled her girlfriend's neck before pulling away and turning to face straight ahead of her as she flew.

"Yeah I'm ready," Heiđrún told them albeit with a nervous frown tugging at the corner of her mouth. "Although, I have to admit that I'm a little nervous." She told them truthfully.

"Oh Nóttu, please let my parents be understanding of why we left!" Dart prayed silently to herself as they approached the top level of their home.

But her hopes were soon dashed upon seeing the angry looks on both of her parents faces as she and the three other dragons flew downwards to the ledge that Toothless and Star were sitting on.

"Where have you younglings been?" Star was the first to speak once they had landed. "And who is this Night Light you brought back with you?"

Dart blushed and stared down at her feet, not looking her parents in the eyes.

"Mom, Dad, this is Heiđrún, the daughter of Shadow and Luna." Dart told her parents while staring down at her feet. "And she's also my girlfriend."

"And she's also her soon-to-be-future-mate." The white spotted Night Light paused to take a breath before continuing. "Well, she'll be her future mate if everything works out." Pouncer chimed in with a wide grin planted on his face.

"I trust Heiđrún with my life! She's very trustworthy and a loyal friend whom you can call upon to help get us out of sticky situations." Dart spoke up again, jumping to her future mate's defense and staring up at her parents with determination shimmering in her sky blue eyes.

Silence was her only answer.

"Mom? Dad?"

It took a few moments but after a long while of awkward silence, Star was the first to speak.

"While I'm mad at you for ignoring our orders to stay put, I'm happy to hear that you've found a good partner in young Heiđrún over here." Star then scowled and twitched her tail in frustration. "But your father and I need to have a word with your future mate."

Heiđrún gulped and dug her claws into the stone floor. "Oh Nóttu, please let this go well." The younger female sighed and followed after her girlfriend's parents.

While their parents were off somewhere interrogating Heiđrún, the three siblings just sat where they were, anxiously awaiting what would be said on the matter.

"What do you think they'll think of Heiđrún and I being together?" Dart asked, staring at her brothers with fearful bright blue eyes.

Pouncer patted over to his sister and draped a comforting wing over her. "It'll be alright, Dart. I'm sure they'll come to love her just as much as we have."

Dart gave him a small smile and wrapped her wings around him in a tight hug. "Thanks, Pounce. I really needed that."

Ruffrunner yawned and curled up on the ground, tiredly staring at the place where their parents had previously just been sitting. "Can I just go to sleep now?" He asked no one in particular.

Dart and Pouncer groaned and both rolled their eyes, sighing softly and giving each other knowing looks.

"Oh, come on, Ruff!" Pouncer groaned while batting at his brother's face with his wings. "You're always tired!" The white spotted Night Light grumbled with an exasperated sigh.

Dart nodded her head in agreement. "I agree with Pouncer, Ruff. You do like to sleep a lot." The orca-spotted Night Light replied with a flick of her white-tipped ears. "Can't you please just stay awake for five minutes? Just for this one time?"

Ruffrunner growled lowly and hid his face in his wings, mumbling incoherently under his breath as he did so.

Dart had just opened her mouth to retort when the sound of approaching pawsteps made her freeze and she quickly sat up straight, ready to hear what her parents had to say.

Pouncer hissed and jabbed his brother in the nose with his tail. "Ruffrunner, get up right now you lazy lump of fur! Mother and Father are coming back with Heiđrún!"

At hearing those words, the normally lazy dragon snapped his eyes open and lept to his feet, coming to stand beside his siblings as their parents entered with Heiđrún trailing close behind them.

"So, what's the news?" Dart was the first to ask upon seeing her girlfriend re-emerge from the other cavern with her parents.

Both Toothless and Star glanced to one another before turning back to face their daughter.

"We've asked her everything that we wanted to, and we accept her as your future mate. You two may become official when you're both 7 winters old." Toothless informed his daughter, using a tone of voice that made no room for arguing.

Dart squealed in excitement and rushed up to embrace her parents with a wide grin plastered on her face. "Oh thank you! Thank you! Thank you!" Heiđrún laughed quietly and walked over to her girlfriend and nuzzled her cheek with a soft purring sound.

The two older dragons chuckled and nuzzled each other as the four younglings ran off to play. They knew that Dart would be happy with Heiđrún by her side.

"We made the right choice with her," Toothless said with a gummy smile and a motion of his tail toward the two orca-spotted Night Lights. "They'll make great parents when they're old enough to have children of their own."

"Yes, yes we did my love." Star purred back, licking her mate on the cheek and nuzzling the top of his head. "Now come on, love. Let's give them some space and go for a flight."

And with no words left to be said, the two mates unfurled their wings and took to the sky, flying outside to get some fresh air.