I.

Valka ran her fingers along his shiny, ebony scales as Toothless regurgitated some fish for the small baby dragons that scurried around the front of his feet. He sniffed at it with faint interest and flung out his tongue at the idea of consuming it. Valka chuckled, stroking the skin around his fire gland. Toothless gave her a toothless grin and noticed her hand on his throat. Suddenly he made an airy sound inside of it several times and squinted hard each time, his nostrils flaring. Valka gave him a puzzled look and went to check his stomach.

Hiccup, understandably but always busy, was walking by with some of the villagers.

His mother let out a startled breath and motioned for him without looking. "Hiccup!"

The young chief turned with some residual surprise when she called for him but he came. Truthfully, he was feeling kind of bad for missing time with her and Toothless; even if neither ever let on. Toothless panted heavily and Hiccup was slow to approach Valka.

"Is everything okay? I need to go..."

"This will only take a minute," Valka concluded, taking his hand and pulling him along.

The two seated themselves on a pair of matching gray stones.

"Hiccup," she said softly, touching his cheek. "Toothless-,"

"Is something wrong with Toothless?!" He peered over, his recent fear of neglect surfacing.

"No, no, nothing's wrong." His mother insisted as she quickly reclaimed his attention. She touched his cheek and he clasped her fingers in his ever-growing ones. "Toothless, Hiccup," her voice got much gentler now, her jade eyes glistened like sunlight on green ice. "Is a girl."

Hiccup started, his mind clicked unwillingly and he shook his head with a twitch.

"Uh... uh... a girl?"

Just then Toothless came over and rested (his?) large head on Hiccup's lap.

The dragon he looked at looked exactly like Toothless and Hiccup rubbed the left side of his head in automatic affection, he grew slightly worried when the feeling came after the worry two seconds later. Toothless innocently centered a curious look up into Hiccup's green eyes.

A smile crossed the chief's lips and he stroked Toothless's head again.

"Nothing has to change," Valka touched his arm.

He peered down at it and then up at her as if seeing her for the first time. Somehow she seemed to connect with this. Hiccup's brows drew together; his mother was telling Hiccup that Toothless was a girl. Nodding in astute confirmation to her son's disconnect, Valka let them both be.

Hiccup gave Toothless a half-hearted smile and got up to stumble away.

Toothless was a girl... Toothless was a girl.

"Rawr!" Toothless called to him as he followed close behind.

The Viking turned to look his friend honestly in the eyes. Toothless read the meaning this time. He made a guttural noise; Hiccup knew he was asking if he felt pressured in his role as chief and shook his head. Toothless squawked again. The man smiled, his breath stifling a well-meant chuckle through his nose. Toothless tilted his head and squinted his eyes, he couldn't get it.

Hiccup realized Toothless didn't know.

He moved to the side and swiped his hand sideways to show him Astrid and StormFly.

Toothless looked at them and shook his head stiffly: "So?"

"You're them," Hiccup explained.

"Hrrrm?"

"You're not me," he shook his head and touched his heart. Toothless's eyes widened. "No! No. No..." Hiccup caught Toothless around the bottom jaw; his eyes inflated worriedly as he misunderstood Hiccup. "You are me." Hiccup touched his heart. Toothless calmed a bit.

"Rrrraaii?" Why?

Hiccup levelled him with a steady look, standing straighter. "Toothless, you're not a boy." he pointed to Snotlout and Fishlegs, then to their dragons, "You're...," he pointed to Ruffnut, then her dragon, he pointed out Hiccup's mother coming into the middle of the village now in the company of CloudJumper. Hiccup pointed two fingers to Astrid and StormFly a final time.

The look on Astrid's face was sympathy. As the other Vikings figured it out, courtesy of a confirmation from Fishlegs that he knew for quite some time but never said anything out of respect (and possibly fear), Toothless turned with pondering eyes back to Hiccup. He gazed off to the side as he realized what was going on and looked back into Hiccup's eyes. Toothless had done something that should have ended their friendship; he had done nothing wrong to deserve this attention for 'he' was a 'she'. Now, as the other dragons and Vikings gathered, a look of something like steel entered Toothless's eyes and 'he' puffed out his chest with pride.

Hiccup stood where he was, watching, but he didn't acknowledge 'him'.

" 'He's' showing you that he's proud." Valka told her son.

In one beat, Hiccup crossed the grass and grabbed Toothless around the neck. He could not help being drawn to what he should have known all along; his first mother figure. Hiccup's mind told him "what about pride?" "What about dignity?" His heart cried out, "We cuddle all the time." "I love him like he was my mother..." "She protects me" "She loves me" As if in response, Toothless laid a front paw on his back. Hiccup clung tighter and smiled softly.

He was then gently pulled back by careful talons on each side of his shoulders. His best friend looked him in the eye. Hiccup saw there was no 'her' in Toothless's eyes and it was with the realization that Hiccup had been seeking his mother in Toothless five years ago that he turned with his eyes covered. Astrid called them away and Valka made sure they left. No one but they understood. Toothless yelped softly, afraid Hiccup missed his father. The child-turned chief looked at him in crushed expectation. Toothless exhaled.

"Rawr," he huffed gently.

There was no 'she' and Hiccup would never know his mother; but he did know someone.

He clasped Toothless's face on both sides. "You're my best friend." The dragon brought Hiccup to his chest and closed his arms around him. He closed his wings around Hiccup and encircled his tail around them, too. Toothless wasn't his mother, but he accepted him with the love and protection of one. "Nothing's changed." Hiccup whispered to his friend.

Toothless just held him tighter.

...

Hiccup walked over to where his 'mother' sat on the rocks, looking out at the mist. Her dragon placed a paw on Toothless but didn't bring him closer. As Hiccup sat down, his 'mother' placed a hand on her son's shoulder and he touched the top of hers in acceptance.'

The End.

~ Lavenderpaw ~