Hey! Decided to post this on FA as well, because of future chapters.

BEFORE YOU READ THIS, I want you to go read Nightfall by Le'letha here on FF. NOW. It is the amazing story that inspired me to write this, and inspired my own character. If you want to understand ways I write the future chapters a bit better, read that bind-blowing story, PLEASE.

Now that I've said that, please enjoy!


Birds sang in the trees as the early-morning sun sent glowing shafts of light through the foliage. A patch of bushes rustled as they were shoved aside, a figure muttering lowly to itself as it picked berries from the low branches.

Popping a few ripe ones into her mouth, the girl sat back on her flanks, poking at the wildberries that were piled high in the wooden bowl in her hand. Deeming the pile large enough, she lurched upward into a somewhat bipedal pose, keeping one hand close to the ground as she loped through the underbrush.

Easily clearing a fallen log and skirting a few large boulders, she hopped into a clearing. Set into a small cliffside was a cave - a few caves, to be exact, but just one was close enough to the ground that she could lift herself into it.

She rolled over the lip of the cave, somehow managing to not spill a single berry from the bowl. Once on her feet again, she called out an odd sound - a sort of hooting trill that echoed a little against the stone. A long shape in the shadows shifted, and a dragon head lifted from its folds of scales, smacking its jaws sleepily and letting out a wide yawn with its tongue uncurling from a fang-rimmed mouth.

The girl chortled and placed a berry upon its forked tongue; the dragon immediately withdrew it with a snort. The beast eyed her sleepily as it rolled the berry in its mouth; she merely grinned cheekily at the dragon as she began to stuff more berries into her own mouth.

The dragon sighed and uncoiled itself - seemingly endless lengths of scales and wings shifting about in the half-light, 'till it finally filled the back end of the cave, resting itself on its forepaws. The girl trilled out a welcoming sort of chirp, the dragon's similar reply punctured by yet another yawn. The girl stifled her own echoed yawn, chuckling under her breath as she poured the rest of the berries into her mouth and dropped the bowl on the stone floor with a clatter.

She crawled over to the other end of the cave, searching through a mound of furs piled onto a low wooden pallet. She chattered a constant stream of sounds to the dragon as she searched, excited noises that to any human would have been gibberish, but to herself and the dragon - they were much more than that.

A greeting squawk echoed from the entrance of the cave and both girl and dragon looked on to see a Nadder peering into the cave happily. The girl replied with an identical squawk, speeding up her search and practically throwing the furs on the pallet all over the cave before she finally found what she had been looking for - even more fur.

This fur was different however, and she draped it across her shoulders with a triumphant cry and began pulling her head through the hole in the middle. She played with it as she skipped to the entrance of the cave, getting it turned around the right way and pulling the straps under the fur over her arms as her dragon cleaned up behind her, picking up the discarded sleeping furs with its mouth and placing them back on the pallet.

She hopped up to the Nadder and rubbed her face against the dragon's nose, the dragon chirping happily and snuffling at the girl's short scrappy hair. The two started an excited bobbing dance, communicating about the beautiful morning through head dips and shakes as the serpentine dragon emerged into the sunlight from behind the girl.

He leaned down and gave her a few affectionate licks, causing her hair to stick straight up as she turned around and wrapped her arms around his nose. She pressed her face into his, murmuring low, happy noises that the dragon eagerly returned. Letting go, she stepped under his jaw and rubbed her face against his smooth, small scales, feeling the dragon's rumbles through his warm throat.

The Nadder stepped back as the girl and her dragon wrapped themselves around each other - one quite literally as the girl found herself sufficiently tied up with the dragon's sky-blue coils. They sat there contentedly in the sun for a few moments, the Nadder preening itself to keep itself occupied until the two were satisfied with the morning ritual.

The pair now covered in each other's scents, the girl patted the dragon's side and warbled a question, the dragon obliging and releasing his tight but not uncomfortable grip. The dragon and the Nadder sniffed at one another in greeting, the Nadder bowing its head and the serpentine dragon tipping its head in return.

The girl grinned and grabbed at the furs around her neck, pulling up a large hood - and a sky-blue, dragon-faced mask attached to it. She pulled it over her face, the horns set into the fur bristling with her movement as she made sure the mask was securely held over her face.

She looked up at her dragon, and he chuffed as he leaned down enough for the girl to pull herself onto his back, settling into the crudely made saddle that was tied there. The Nadder squawked excitedly, and above their heads happy roars were heard, as more dragons were waking up and turning their faces to the morning sun.

The girl leaned around at the same time her dragon peered back at her, and they grinned the same wide-toothed smile.

The nest was awake.


"Hiccup! This is crazy! We need to turn back!" Astrid had to practically scream to be heard over the storm, icy winds clawing at her cheeks and braid.

"No! We have to keep trying - they have to be out here somewhere!" Hiccup yelled back, eyes squinting against the rain even through his leather helmet. He tried to keep his eyes glued to the steel grey ocean beneath them, but it was hard when the wind kept dragging at him and Toothless like chains.

On Hiccup's other side, Snotlout and Hookfang weren't faring much better. Rain poured down from the Nightmare's wings in sheets. "Hiccup, you may be the Chief, but I'm not afraid to tell you that this is ridiculous! We're getting nowhere, and the ship is nowhere in sight! They've probably capsized by now!" He slurred out, his jaw frozen in the cold winds.

Hiccup's grip tightened on the handles on Toothless' saddle, Astrid wheeling Stormfly up and around to cuff Snotlout in the ear as she scolded him.

Hiccup had been named Chief for barely a few months, and he hadn't been taking the responsibility lightly. But with the title came a whole new slew of problems, so on top of his weekly Dragon Training classes with new recruits at the Academy, he also had to delegate and direct the entire village, the inhabitants of which couldn't seem to take two steps without asking him for direction.

At least it seemed that way to him, though he knew better. His friends had been helping him out the best they could, even with their own responsibilities. Even Eret had been accepted into the group - a bit too eagerly on Ruffnut's behalf - but the extra hand had been a welcoming addition, along with his experience as a leader of his ex-dragon trapper lackeys.

But it was still so much all at once for Hiccup. He hadn't been able to have a relaxing flight with Toothless in weeks before a nagging guilt would begin to settle into the back of his mind, and he'd find himself steering the grumbling Night Fury back to Berk.

And now the first chance they've had to fly for longer than half an hour, and it was in the middle of a furious storm as they tried to locate a missing fishing vessel. The village had been warned of the storm thanks to Bucket's howling, and dragons had been sent out to retrieve fishing fleets, but one dragon and rider came back without ship in tow. They hadn't been able to find it, the ship nowhere near the estimated coordinates.

And as his responsibility, Hiccup and the others had flown out even as the storm clouds rolled over Berk, the group splitting up with each of the Tracker dragons respectively. But the rain had all but washed out any scent that Stormfly could have possibly found, and they were now practically flying blind in the middle of a howling maelstrom.

"Hiccup, they'll be fine. It's too dangerous to be out here for much longer, our dragons are getting tired." He vaguely heard Astrid call to him over on Snotlout's side, his focus split between trying to find the lost ship, and trying to NOT think about things he's done wrong the past few months. It's a bad habit he's been feeding in his desire to try and metaphorically fill his father's enormous shoes.

"Just a bit longer. I'm sure we'll find them!" Hiccup cried out, hunkering down on Toothless' back even further. The black dragon rumbled underneath him, in agreement with Astrid but unwilling to disagree with his rider.

Astrid could only make a noise of dissent, trying to hang on to Stormfly's saddle tighter despite barely being able to feel her fingers. She shook her head, both at Hiccup's stubbornness and also to shake her rain-soaked fringe from her eyes, and looked up at the horizon.

And practically screamed.

"HICCUP, SNOTLOUT!" She cried, tugging sharply up on Stormfly's saddle as the dragon bucked in reply, stopping short as best as she could in the strong winds. Hookfang obeyed Astrid's command, halting suddenly and causing Snotlout to buck forwards in his saddle and curse, lifting the fallen helmet out of his eyes and gaping.

Hiccup hadn't heard her however, too absorbed in his search and his thoughts. He shot past the two of them on Toothless -

Right towards an enormous waterspout. The howling winds were muffled by Hiccup's helmet, and he didn't look up till Toothless let out a frightened howl, his wings trying to brace against the tugging winds. He swore as the waterspout bore down on them with frightening speed, and despite their quick roundabout, the gale caught Toothless' wings and sucked them backwards.

Hiccup got a last glance at Astrid and Snotlout before the storm whisked him and his dragon away, the sight of Astrid's pale, shocked face burned into his eyes. Toothless was screaming, the wind tugging and pulling at his wings and fins terribly despite his best efforts to control his flight. Hiccup hung on as tight as he could, feeling the leather and metal under him creak and groan under the force as he tried to keep himself tight to Toothless' back.

The storm bit and tore at them relentlessly, whipping them around like they were nothing, disorienting and exhausting them. The thunder roared around them like a monster, lightning licking at them and illuminating terrifying shapes in the clouds.

Suddenly, Hiccup heard and felt a sharp snap, one of the straps that locked him to Toothless' saddle breaking under the strain. Hiccup was flung upright as a sharp wind took advantage of the weakness, and Hiccup felt the second strap snap as well. His fingers were wrenched from the saddle's handles, and he was flung halfway off Toothless' saddle, his right foot slipping from the stirrup.

His left foot was still locked into Toothless' gears however, and with Hiccup's extra weight the two of them were spun around and played with, at mercy to the storm. Toothless' wings and claws buffeted Hiccup, his dragon desperately trying to get a protective grip on its rider, but the wind wouldn't allow it.

Hiccup could barely hear himself yelling over the screaming winds, his leg feeling like it was being dislocated as he was flung about. The small harness and straps that kept his peg leg tied to his calf were digging into his skin, the storm attempting to pull it off with force.

He felt a sharp pain as Toothless' claws dug into his left leg in an effort to pull him towards him, a wave of emotions bubbling over as he felt the same terror, the same fear that had ripped through him before in a similar situation.

Yet again, luck was not on their side, and Toothless' claws sliced through the already strained leather of the foot's harness, and Hiccup was torn away from his desperate dragon. He screamed Toothless' name as he plummeted downwards, buffeted by the wind and watching as Toothless' form grew smaller and smaller, the dragon being blown away despite his valiant efforts.

Hiccup could only listen to the Night Fury's fading roars, the wind whisking the sound away as he plummeted. In a last ditch effort, Hiccup righted himself and slotted his arms into his flight suit's wing-straps, but only the right wing was pulled open – Toothless' attempts at saving Hiccup had unfortunately shredded the straps on his left side.

The wind eagerly caught at his one good wing, spiralling him about and causing Hiccup to absolutely lose his bearings, his vision filled with alternating views of sky-sea-sky-sea. Finally, and with barely any notice, Hiccup was plunged into the roiling seas, the ocean now the one in control as it grabbed at his open wing and pulled him under.

With what little air Hiccup had in his lungs, he untied the straps on his right arm, the leather wing now fluttering useless behind him in the dark waters. He kicked and fought, feeling the salt water sting his wounds and the coldness seeping into his exposed stump.

He managed to break the surface, but only got a single gasp of air before a wave doused him, dunking him under and making him fight upwards again. Again, he surfaced and gasped for air, the seawater trying to pour into his lungs. He began yelling for Toothless, for Astrid, for anyone to come save him - but no one came. The storm was too fierce.

His precious leather suit was making it difficult to stay afloat, the metal and cloth heavy in the freezing waters. Each time he managed to get himself above the water, it felt like there was less and less time for him to catch his breath; the more the water pulled at him, the more the cold seeped into his bones.

Finally, his vision blurred from the seawater, his throat hoarse from yelling, his limbs heavy with fatigue, with one last whimper - he slipped below the waves. His eyes slid closed as he watched his breath stream from his mouth in small bubbles, the dark greenness of the ocean washing over him. As he lost consciousness, faces flickered through his mind, of the people he loved.

And how he had let them down.

Deeply unconscious, he didn't feel the pressure that gently came pushed under his back, lifting him up and carrying him away from the stormy seas.


The sky was beautiful. A pure, deep blue punctuated artfully by the occasional bright fluffy cloud, the wind gentle and rolling.

In the air, the two were one. The girl hung on joyfully to her dragon's neck, fingers pressed against the smooth scales as she felt the ecstatic rumbles that poured from his chest. Gripping the wooden handle that made up the reigns of the saddle, she tugged backwards, encouraging and leading her dragon into a reverse freefall, the open sky filling their vision.

They let out an excited roar in unison, flipping around into a sharp nosedive while they curved upwards, the dragon's six wings carving through the air expertly. Spinning around in a tight spiral, they banked, dipped, and soared through the skies like the wind itself.

This was what it meant to live. To be at one with each other, with the sky and the sun and the wind at their backs and surrounding them, the ocean just a blue-green smudge beneath them that peeked through the clouds occasionally.

The girl felt her grip slipping however, unable to hang on for long in such extreme maneuvers. This was usual though, and she shrieked a warning to her dragon before letting go, the wind snatching her and carrying her down. She righted herself, spreading her arms and legs wide as her furs flapped wildly around her, her mask pressed tight to her face.

She wasn't afraid. Not in the least, not in their element. She turned her head and spotted her other self, plummeting downwards right beside her with an expression of bliss across his snout. He smiled at her, and the two of them spiralled around one another with practiced ease.

The fall allowed the girl to regain some stamina, the two of them miles above the ocean surface. With plenty of time to spare, the dragon turned his back to the girl, and she slotted herself back into the saddle. She tugged on the reigns again, signalling that she was seated, and the two of them lifted up into a more level flight, the dragon folding in his four smaller wings and allowing the wind to carry them along gently.

She stretched, letting go of the reigns to extend her arms to the sky, her legs wrapped around the dragon's slim neck for stability. She gave a satisfied chirr, which the dragon returned. The two of them relaxed, catching their breath and allowing their hearts time to calm.

Soaring through a thick bank of clouds, the two of them broke through into a clear spot of sky. The dragon came up short, pulling up as the girl grabbed for the reigns again.

Before them was a solid stormfront. The stormclouds were dark and angry, thick and roiling in contrast to the almost friendly clouds behind them. A strong swatch of wind had split the storm from their skies, keeping it at bay and moving it around their territory.

They watched the storm roar and threaten them, thunder rumbling like a caged beast, lightning flashing like flame. The girl gripped at the saddle, whistling a concerned note to her dragon. Most days they were unafraid of storms, enjoying the challenge that the dark and the rain brought to their flight.

This storm was dangerous, however. It wasn't to be trifled with, the two together feeling the storm winds pulling and trying to suck them into its cavernous maw.

They did a roundabout and fled, ducking into the bright clouds that protected their nest and the sun that encouraged their flight back home.

They knew when not to challenge something. Experience had taught them not to bite off more than they could chew, and there was nothing dishonourable about fleeing a battle you could not win.

Especially with a storm as vicious as a monster.


If you couldn't gather, the title means 'Soul of a Dragon' in Old Norse,or more literally - (sál = soul) (eiga = have the power to, possession, own) (dreki = dragon). It's the closest I could think of/translate from the english title. Feel free to correct me if I'm wrong!

Thanks for reading!