Before Hiccup
A/N: Warning you now that there are a few fight scenes which I've never written before so apologises if they're bad. Also I was going to spilt this up into multi – chapter but it didn't flow as well as a one-shot so I keep it as a one-shot. So sorry for the length. This is also my first HTTYD fic so I hope it's not too awful. I though exploring Toothless' life before Hiccup (hence title) would be interesting to do so here is my plot bunny.
It was really hard to write from a dragon's point of view so again major apologises if it's bad. I also included some Dragonese, which is in the books, and I like it so I used it ('cause I'm a major nerd). Some words are still English as I couldn't find a translation for some of them. The English translations also appear in my end author's note as they appear in the fic but most you can kind of work out without them. The islands mentioned are actually on the HTTYD map (I looked it up as previously mentioned; I'm a nerd).
It does include death (of the Night Furies) and fluff.
Disclaimer: I do not own the How To Train Your Dragon Franchise books or films. I'm not making any money from this fic. It's purely for you to enjoy.
None of this is canon or even head-canon for that matter the ideas just came to me. Oh well let's roll with it shall we? Enjoy!
The first thing he remembered seeing was a pair of eyes. Big and green and shining with love. He looked around him and discovered he was sitting in a fragile tight space which he would later learn was the egg he hatched from.
He clambered out of the egg and got a better look at what was standing before him. It was a slender looking black creature. It came in close to him and licked his face. It left his face a bit wet but was grateful for the feeling of being clean.
"Howdeedoodethere. Me is your mama Delinda. We est greenclaws. You est the rarest greenclaw of all. The powerful Zuzztime Fury." She gestured to another dragon next to her. "This is your pappa. Hissa calda Ormr. You calda Nidhug. Welcome tow di world."
These dragons were his parents. He was happy and scared of this new place but as long as his parents were here with him nothing could go wrong.
As he grew older he was dropped off at nursery every day and everyday he didn't want her to leave for work. He didn't understand what work was yet but he knew it took his mother away from him which was something he didn't like. And when she picked him up she was always tired but she tried her best to listen about his day and look after him.
Whenever she left him he would lose what little control over his fire breath he had. Needless to say the other dragons had scorch marks on their scales because of him. This made the other baby dragons scared of him but he didn't mind much he wasn't very social anyway. He did have a few close friends that defended him whenever his was picked on but if he could he preferred to be by himself.
As well as not being able to control his fire breath, he also couldn't control his teeth. They were retractable but he couldn't figure out how to control them yet. They would come up and down whenever they felt like it. It was difficult when he was talking as he needed his teeth to talk properly. His family and friends had grown accustom to what he sounded like with and without teeth and could understand him either way. Others tried and failed so they tended to ignore him or try and decipher what he said when he had his teeth which be likely to to be very fast just in case they retracted without warning.
It seemed to him that he wouldn't be able to control any part of his body let alone learn how to fly; which was something he was looking forward to very much. His wings and tail were very dangerous to be around as like his teeth they seemed to have a mind of their own and he knocked everything over and hit everyone he came across. His mother said he would grow into his body and learn how to control all of it but some days he didn't believe her.
He did gain more control over his body as he got older which he was very glad about. His claws he could manage and he could finally walk through the cave without knocking something over with his wings or tail. Sometimes he still hit other dragons though but it was uncomfortable to keep his wings folded all the time! His teeth were still hard for him to control but he was getting there slowly. Sometimes he'd have to swallow his food whole or he would be gumming it for a long time.
When he turned five he was finally ready for the thing that kept him going – Flight School!
He couldn't wait to go ever since Apep (who was a Monstrous Nightmare) had shown off that he could fly already, granted it was badly as he didn't really know what he was doing but it was better than any of the others could do. That break in the playground everyone was trying to get off the ground. His best friend Zap had managed to get off the ground before he fell but everyone had praised him for it. He wanted to feel that praise too. His father had tried to teach the basics but it was hard to find the time as his parents were always working for the Red Death who was the Alpha of their island. She liked to give the Night Furies more hours as they were the fastest breed of dragon and their black scales allowed them to blend seamlessly into the darkness to hunt unsuspecting prey. Therefore he knew the basics but he hadn't put them into practice.
His father took him to the first day of Flight School as his mother was called into work early.
"Be crak Bud. We believe ipps you. Just is your besta plus you will be fine."
He nodded in understanding and ran after Zap and his other friends Sara and Avalanche. Zap was a Deadly Nadder, Sara was a Terrible Terror and Avalanche was a Gronckle.
Their teacher lined them up and started calling names out. He was putting them in groups according to their breed. That meant his friends would all be spilt up! But more importantly he would be alone. He was the only Night Fury in this current generation.
"Asa you est all unsamey breeds of greenclaw you will all flip-flap inna unsamey ways so you will learn woh with your own breed okey?"
They all nodded in unison but there were sad faces at not being with friends. He got looks of pity from some of the dragons. Like he didn't know he was on his own!
All different types of dragons came then and took their respective group of young dragons. He was left on his own. The teacher said he would be learning with him as no other Night Furies were available.
After a couple hours of learning theory and watching his teacher fly he was finally given the chance to try himself. Zap and Sara where already in the air along with some of the others. Avalanche looked like he was having trouble and some others were so scared they couldn't lift a claw of the ground.
He prepared to take off and did all of his safety checks. Fanned his wings out and extended his tail flaps. He could feel the wind under his wings already waited for him to flap his wings and take to the sky. He tested his wings with a short sharp flap and was surprised when he lifted off the ground slightly. He looked at his teacher for reassurance. His teacher nodded in encouragement. He flapped his wings slightly and he was up!
He had just enough time to reveal in the feeling off being off the ground when he picked up too much wind and lost control and promptly fell back to the earth in a crash. He was alright though and was ecstatic at actually getting off the ground.
They did this every day for a month. Some of them had graduated already including Zap and Sara. Most of the other dragons were getting better but still not comfortable on their own. But he had, had enough. After a month he still couldn't stay in the air for longer than ten seconds. It was starting to become infuriating. But no matter what he did and what advice his teacher gave he couldn't do it. It all felt wrong somehow, like he was forcing it.
They had to move on from flying to hunting though as they couldn't rely on their parents forever. This class went far better than he was expecting. After learning how the sneak which was an ability he was born with and the best catching methods they were told they had an hour to go out and catch something.
If he couldn't be the best at flying, he was going to be the best at hunting. This was proven when they all returned. Most had fish and Apep was bragging about his goat but when he returned all chatter stopped as in his claws he held a full grown yak.
The teachers were stunned after all he couldn't even fly! But he had proven them wrong. You didn't need to know how to fly to be able to hunt; yes it helped but it wasn't necessary.
As a reward they got to eat what they caught and he was enjoying his yak (he was still very proud) when he heard Apep and some others commenting on how he ate. He couldn't help that his teeth had a mind of their own and were blunt! He tried to ignore it but it really got to him. Here he was supposed to be the best dragon of them all and he couldn't fly or control his teeth! It made him feel very small, he just wanted to go home.
He vowed he would become the best flyer of them all and one day beat Apep in a race that he was always challenging other dragons to. His teacher had even lost to him!
The next few weeks he worked none stop to improve his flying. He was doing everything his teacher told him but it still didn't feel right. Then it hit him. What if that was the problem? His teacher was a Scauldron. He was a completely different breed and had been trying to teach him to fly like a Scauldron! He should have done what he thought in the first place and listen to his instincts. He took a deep breath and prepared to take off. He flapped his wings in a way that felt natural and not how his teacher had taught him to. Before he knew it he was in the air and gliding on the wind.
It was the best feeling he ever had.
When he showed his friends they couldn't believe it.
"Wow ta est flip-flapping! Me is so smirkling pur yow!"
Lost in the joy of finally being able to join his friends he didn't realise that his teacher was watching him and thinking that he was the best flyer he had ever seen.
When he asked him to take part in a flying race he had opened up to the whole school he was wary but willing to give it a try. Apep was racing with some of the older students and he remembered that he vowed to one day beat Apep. He also couldn't wait to get older so he could hunt in the human lands like the older dragons were.
The day of the race came and he was excited and nervous. Both of his parents had managed to get some time off which was incredibly rare but he was glad for it today. Some days his parents looked like they were being working to death.
At the starting line he was lined up next to some dragons he didn't know and you were much bigger than him. They were making fun of him for being small and saying that he didn't have a chance to win or even come in the top ten.
He swore to prove them wrong. He wasn't just doing this because his teacher asked him to. He was doing it for the rest of the Night Furies as they were ridiculed whenever they went. But most importantly he was doing it for himself. He had to prove to himself that he could do this.
The start of the race was signalled with a fire from a Deadly Nadder and they were off! Apep was leading from the start but he knew that the course was long and to save his strength for the straight at the end when his speed would really come into play. Being the last to learn how to fly and the only Night Fury in his class worked in his favour as none of the other racers knew of his true ability and many wondered why he was there in the first place.
He hung in the middle of the group of racers for about half way through and thought he could risk it and fly faster so he did. He sped past the rest of the middle group leaving some wondering what had happened as he moved so fast that he was a black blur.
Soon enough he caught sight of Apep and smiled. Victory would be his!
The final straight came up quickly and he stretched his wings to their full width to get as much lift as possible. He stormed past Apep who looked just as shocked as he thought he would.
He crossed the finish line in first place and couldn't have been prouder.
He did lots of these races but he soon found that winning came too easy as no-one could match his speed or even come close. He could tell that his friends were a bit jealous but he didn't know how jealous until he heard them talking one day.
"Me feel com hissa is rubbing it inna ussus faces now." That was Sara's voice
"Me feel the same. Me na likeit him lotsa anymore." Avalanche! His best friend didn't like him anymore just because he could fly now! "Me ava do admit me likeit it tarra hissa was worse than me."
His own friends had turned their backs on him! The dragons he shared anything and everything with! He knew where he wasn't wanted. He turned to leave and made sure to knock something over so that they would know he had heard them and flew away into the night sky.
He didn't know where he was going but just away. He was a teenager now; he could take care of himself. It wasn't long before he realised that he had flown off the island he called home as he was flying over open ocean.
He thought about keeping on going. He could fly and hunt and had much better control over his teeth so he would be fine. It was one dragon that stopped him though. His mother. She would be devastated if he ran away but what cause did he have to stay aside from her? His father he supposed but they argued more as he got older and started to question the Red Death. Apart from his parents he really didn't have a reason. It was clear is friends didn't care for him anymore.
He spotted a nearby island and decided to land and rest before returning. He couldn't bring himself to leave his mother.
When he landed he was attacked from behind. He jumped instantly to survival mode whilst cursing himself. His father always said that dragons from other islands couldn't be trusted. Why hadn't he listened?! Lacksmart! Ta est too lacksmart Nidhug! Too lacksmart!
He felt claws scrape across his scales behind his head. He twisted and bit the air in front of his attackers face. He realised he hadn't let his teeth down which had grown sharper as he aged and bit again, this time making contact. He held down on what felt like a wing and started to claw at what he assumed was an underbelly.
He couldn't even see what breed of dragon he was fighting with to identify its weak spot. Their scales were black and hard. He ran though his mental list of dragons and the only one that currently fit with what he knew was the breed he himself was – a Night Fury.
His attacker squirmed out of his grip and backed off. He thought that was the end of the fight but then felt a heavy weight on his back. His attacker had flown up into the air as he was standing back up and fell onto his back pining him on the ground.
"Hoody est ta?! Yarra est ta from?!" a female voice growled into his ear. He struggled to breath under the weight of his attacker. He felt them push down hard on his neck. "Answer me!"
"Okey okey! May ta get of me?!"
She growled again but seemed to realise that he couldn't breathe properly and climbed off him.
They turned to face each other and he confirmed what he already thought. His attacker was a Night Fury.
"Me calda Nidhug. Me folda da flip-flaps ipps Crescent Island. Ta?"
"Vizza Sunstone Island. Me calda Caramel. Quera est ta vola? Me could ava killa ta"
"Stil ta fix-not."
"Nee-ah" she trailed off and he thought he should be getting back.
"Me'll google ta dere."
"Yessee, toodleoon Nidhug." She sounded sad but he didn't think too much on it.
He took to the air and followed where his instincts told him he needed to go to reach home.
He thought about Caramel at lot in the next days and planned to go see her again. Eventually it became a regular thing. They didn't even plan it; if one of them was where they met the other was sure to turn up soon.
They talked about an all manner of things but they were both vague about their home lives. They shared stories about the problems of their teeth as she had trouble as well but she got the hang of hers earlier than he had. He told her how he was ridiculed and made fun of because of who he was and his friends turning their backs on him. She told him stories of her brothers and sisters as she came from a big family of Night Furies.
Neither mentioned the Red Death. Their meeting place felt like a safe haven, a place where they could say what they really thought without fear of being overheard. They didn't talk about the future either or what they hoped to achieve with their lives as they knew all that awaited them was working for the Red Death until they died. It was a depressing prospect.
On day as he was leaving to go meet her his father asked where he kept on going for such long periods of time. He lied and said he was working on his flying skills. His father wanted to believe him but something in his voice gave him away and he followed his son to Sunstone Island.
Once he found out the truth he was first hurt that his son lied to him and then angry. Leaving the island for hours at a time all for a girl! He banned them both from seeing each other again a practically dragged his son home.
Of course being teenagers this made them more determine to see each other which they did. But one day Caramel decided their relationship wasn't what it once was and that they were only putting off the inevitable.
History was repeating itself! First Sara, Avalanche and Zap. Now Caramel. His one true friend and lover was turning her back on him.
He left before she could explain fully vowing to never get close to another living creature ever again as it always ended in heartbreak.
If he stayed to hear her out he would have learnt that she joined the rebellion against the Red Death to make a better future for them, the one that she wanted to share with him.
Years passed and he never forgot her. He never forgot his feelings for her. He never forgot the pain in her eyes when she called off their relationship. It was obvious she didn't want to so why did she? He went back to their meeting place several times but she was never there. He learned to move on though it still hurt him.
He spent his days now flying around aimlessly as he was still too young to work for the Red Death but too old to be in school. He wished for something more. He didn't know what but more than the life he had.
He would sometimes fly to the nearest human inhabited island called Berk and watch the humans. Their lives were so much more interesting than his. He would never go near them, just watch. He'd hunt in the forest and then watch them some more. He would spend most of his days like that. It was slow and boring but had a tranquillity that reminded him of Caramel. She would have liked this place. She always thought that dragons and humans could get along if only they understood the situation the dragons were in with the Red Death. He didn't really believe it himself but he couldn't take that slim bit of hope away from her.
One day he decided to bypass Berk and fly to Scauldron Island. Not many dragons flew there as the Scauldrons preyed on other dragons. He thought it would be a bit of an adventure.
He was surprised when he saw a group of dragons flying toward it and decided to follow them. He caught some of their conversation. He picked up on some words like "Red Death" and "Rebellion". He immediately interested. A rebellion against the Red Death?! Where did he sign up?!
As it turned out joining the rebellion wasn't that hard but they took security very seriously and had to have another dragon already in the rebellion vouch for him. There was a slight problem with that as he kept himself to himself and wasn't known by many. He felt his hopes crash and prepared for death which was the punishment for traitors or possible spies when he heard a voice that sounded so familiar.
"Me'll vouch par hissa."
Caramel! This must have been why she called off their relationship. Now he could finally apologise and possibly get her back! He couldn't believe his luck.
If hiding his relationship with Caramel was hard, hiding being part of a rebellion was even harder but he was determined to succeed. His mother called him out on it and he could never lie to her so he told her the truth and made her promise not to tell his father which she agreed to.
The final plans were coming together for the attack that was going to end it all. For good or for bad this would be the end.
The day came where the plan was finalised and had several back-up plans had been arranged. They were spilt into squadrons of eight dragons each into eight squadrons. That made 64 dragon rebels in total. Compared to the Red Death and everyone who was too scared to defy her it was not a lot. The prospects were dismal at best but they would remain hopeful.
Caramel was in a different squadron to him and he wasn't sure what to think of that. On one claw it was good as the speed of the Night Fury would be needed to be as spread as possible for the best advantage. But on the other claw what if something happened to her? He wouldn't be there to protect her. It worried him greatly but he had to remain focused. This was war.
They set off for victory – or death.
Somehow the Red Death had learned of their plans and already had a counter-attack waiting. Combat in the air was much different to combat on land. There were wings and tails everywhere. Claws slashing, biting, spines being shot, water being launched and fire. So much fire.
It was hard to keep track of who was friend and who was foe. There were roars all around and heavy splashes from the ocean as injured or dead dragons fell in. In his panic he allowed himself to get attacked form behind.
He was going down. This was the end. He closed his eyes and awaited death. At least he had found Caramel again.
Suddenly the pain was gone. He turned surprised and saw his attacked – which was a Nadder – being attacked by his father. HIS FATHER! What?!
He looked towards Crescent Island and saw most if not all of the Night Furies and some other dragons spiralling into the air. Reinforcements! Maybe they weren't doomed after all.
As soon as the thought left his mind there was the loudest and angriest roar he'd ever heard. The Red Death was finally joining the battle.
The fighting stopped and the allies of the Red Death swarmed behind it. The rebels knew exactly what was coming. At least they had tried.
He was looked for Caramel. He found her and their eyes met moment s before she was burnt to death. He let out a pained wail. It wasn't fair! They had only just found each other again and now she was gone.
His mother and father flew in front of him as he grieved. His mother looked at him.
"Flip-flap. As staraway as ta may! FLIP-FLAP!"
He heard the urgency in her voice but he couldn't leave them to die! The Red Death was getting closer to where they were hovering.
"GO Nidhug!" his father yelled.
It was then he realised he had to get out of there and never come back. He looked one last time at his parent's faces and flew.
He didn't know what happened that night as he never returned but he imagined it was awful. He still saw some dragons hunting in the humans lands but they weren't be subtle about it anymore. They were fully attacking. Orders from the Red Death no doubt.
He couldn't stay on one island for long. He was so scared that the Red Death would be able to track him and bring harm on those who inhabited the islands. The one island he did return to frequently was Berk. He couldn't bring himself to leave the place entirely. Berk was his last tie to Caramel and better times.
Whilst he jumped from island to island he kept himself to himself and sometimes the other dragons wouldn't even know that he was there. That was the way he liked it so that was the way it was going to stay if he had anything to say about it.
He thought about how he may be the last of his kind – the last Night Fury. He was sad and angry both at himself and the Red Death. He would be the one to kill it. Nothing would stop him avenging his parents and Caramel.
As he thought this he felt a searing pain in his tail and his wings being pulled into his body. He couldn't fly! Something was stopping from using his wings. He managed to get a look at his tail and saw one of his tail fins had been damaged but by what he couldn't say.
The next thing he knew he was falling.
A/N: These are the dragonese translations in the order they appear in the fic.
Hello. I am your mother Delinda. We are dragons. You are the rarest dragon of all. The powerful Night Fury.
This is your father. His name id Ormr. Your name is Nighug. Welcome to the world.
Be good Bud. We believe in you. Just do your best and you will be fine.
As you are all different breeds of dragon you will all fly in different ways so you will learn how with your own breed ok?
Wow you're flying! I'm so happy for you!
I feel like he is rubbing it in our faces now.
I feel the same. I don't like him much anymore. I have to admit I liked it when he was worse than me.
Stupid! You are so stupid Nidhug! So stupid!
Who are you?! Where are you from?! Answer me!
Okay okay! Can you get off me?!
My name is Nidhug. I live in Crescent Island. You?
This is Sunstone Island. My name is Caramel. Why are you here? I could have killed you.
But you didn't.
No.
I'll see you then.
Yes, goodbye Nidhug.
I'll vouch for him.
Fly. As far as you can! FLY!
Go Nidhug!
A/N: What do you think? The events of the film(s) follow after my ending with no changes but let me know if you want to see some other parts from Toothless' point of view. (And if HTTYD 3 is out when you're reading this and they find more Night Furies some survived and if not maybe in HTTYD 4 – if there is one, which I hope there is, I LOVE this franchise – did I mention that I'm a nerd?)
I'm sorry if the final fight felt a bit rushed but I'm really not good at action/fight scenes. Also I'm not a dragon so I don't know how an aerial dragon fight would work.
Names were randomly chosen but I called Toothless 'Nidhug' as I don't think that's what his parents would have called him. It comes from the Old Norse meaning 'dreaded striker' which I thought summed up the Night Furies well. Also it has 'hug' in it, which sums up Toothless very well!
As always comments, reviews and criticisms appreciated! Tell me your favourite part as well if you want.
The sequel titled 'After Toothless' has been posted now as well so check that out if you want.