A.N: The HTTYD franchise is one of all-time faves and this last movie got to me so bad, that I had to write a story.
This franchise taught me about friendship, and loyalty, and love, and loss and abscence and personal growth. And I just love it. I hope those lessons are conveyed well enough in this story. I was trying to summarize the lesson of the third movie, I suppose. I just love the lesson of growth and loss it symbolizes. So here ya go. A sappy, little oneshot that just had to get out on to the page.
-Story greatly inspired and encouraged by song
Something Wild by Lindsey Stirling and Andrew McMahon.
ENJOY!
*
Hiccup was taking a moment. Just a small moment.
A moment to soak it all in. To soak up the warm sun on his face. To soak up the feeling of the prickly grass underneath his hands. To soak up the sound of his children laughing and playing.
To just breathe.
Hiccup takes a breath in and let's it out. His eyes travel to the clouds up in the sky. His heart instantly lifts at the recent memory of flying with Toothless again.
He smiles gently up at the clouds.
Flying had been--incredible. Amazing. Beautiful. Freeing. He was up home in the clouds again for just a fleeting, precious moment.
The sound of his children rolling around in the grass with the three Night Light babies carries over on the wind.
He looks over and Hiccup chuckles to himself as he watches Zephyr screech and then she tackles the white one to the ground. Ever bit the feirce and playful Viking Princess that she is.
The baby grunts, shakes Zephyr off, and then rolls back to face her.
The Night Light bows in a playful manner, and Zephyr then turns and runs away from him. The white Night Light instantly gives chase.
The pair chase each other through the grass, Nuffink joining them in a rough and tumble game of dragon tag. The other two babies are not far behind them and they all travel down the hill. A pack of giggles, shouts, and grubby hands, and snuffles, grunts, and wagging tailfins.
Nubless--ever the sharp and attentive dragon mother that she is--is down at the end of the hill. She is watching quietly as the motley pack of children and hatchlings play. He knows nothing will happen to his children when she is on duty.
Astrid is still out there, flying with Stormfly.
Stormfly may be showing off her own brood to her Viking girl, Hiccup isn't entirely sure, but he knows that the two of them are fine. They'll head back to this little patch of ilse when they're ready.
Hiccup looks back to the sky again. He takes another breath in and out. Soaking it in for just another moment longer.
Toothless suddenly blocks his view, tounge hanging out of his mouth as he looks down at Hiccup.
Hiccup playfully shoves him out of the way and sits himself up.
Toothless croons and nuzzles his side in a sign of affection and care. Hiccup runs his hand over his head.
His eyes catch his dragon's gaze and the two share a look. Hiccup's soul reflected back to him through Toothless. He brings his forehead to touch Toothless's and whispers to him just as he always did all those many years ago.
"You never cease to amaze me, bud."
Toothless breathes out a slow, warm breath, ruffling Hiccup's hair.
He gives off an answering rumble deep in his chest. Then he draws back and looks over at his hatchlings and the children. He grins his familiar dragon grin and then turns back to face Hiccup.
Hiccup nods. "Yeah, bud. You did it. Your wild and free and raising a family of your own, now. That's amazing."
Toothless straightens up and grunts in satisfied agreement.
Hiccup can't help the wide grin that splits his face. His heart is filled with such a greater sense of hopeful promise.
A promise for a better future.
A better tommorow.
Where dragons may once again fly with riders.
A future that he wants to build for his children more than anything else.
Hiccup gazes up at Toothless. He is still his best friend. Still his protector. Still his defender. Still his comfort and home.
An important peice of Hiccup's very soul resides in this big, black, scaly beast. He is the Night Fury dragon that changed his life forever. Marked him and molded him. Made him turn into a man. He become a better friend. A better son. A better person.
It was all because of Toothless. They wouldn't have ever been able to even find New Berk without the dragons.
Toothless had loyally and faithfully gifted Hiccup every thing. Everything Hiccup had in his life today was because of Toothless.
Making the decion to let him go had been crushing. Hiccup was firm and confident in his decion to let his best friend, and all the dragons, go- but it had still been devastatingly hard to grapple with the heartbreak of letting go and trying to move on. Hiccup, Astrid, and the rest of the village had all grieved over their collective loss.
Those first six months to a year had been the worst of it. They had all mourned. Some used drink to dull the pain. Fights and fires had been started. Some became reclusive and as a result, were then elusive and difficult to try and get a hold of.
The Berkians were a tough amd hardy bunch, but even their immense collective stregth could not hide all of their broken and bleeding hearts after the dragons left.
The original crew, Ruff, Tuff, Snotlout, Fishlegs, Astrid, and Hiccup all drifted from each other in their own ways.
Ruff and Tuff started out on their own ventures of tricks and mayhem, their shared hut was their feindish center of schemes and plans. They did still have a small following of other villagers to worship Loki, the god of mischeif.
Snotlout threw himself into Viking battle training harder than he ever had before. He was training and working towards that Viking strength brutality he desired so desperately. Without his dragon to no longer breathe fire, Snotlout had to find his own fire to breathe.
Fishlegs helped Hiccup, eventually becoming what Gobber had been for Stoick as Cheif of Berk. Fishlegs helped with building plans, and livestock settlements for New Berk. He sat with Hiccup many a night over that first year. He helped Hiccup brainstorm and soundboard new ideas.They built things and invented together, using their collective genius and melding their ideas together to rebuild, stregthen, and fortify New Berk.
Astrid, though she remained a steadfast part of Hiccup's support system, did draw into herself a little more. She'd routinely storm off into the woods, swinging her axe, and go and get in some target practice. Sometimes, she'd dissapear with her axe for hours during the day. Other times, she would train with Snotlout, trying to keep her fighting and hand to hand combat skills sharpened. She wanted to be ready for a fight at any moment's notice.
Not that Hiccup blamed her. They were both stresed and they each had a lot to deal with.
Because, just as he was rebuilding New Berk alongside Fishlegs, Valka, and Gobber, Hiccup was also preparing to marry Astrid, and she him.
After the loss of the dragons, Hiccup simply threw himself wholeheartedly into his role as Cheif. He burned himself out repeatedly, staying up late coming up with plans or tinkering or just star-gazing.
He listened to his people, and he listened to what they wanted and what they needed. He tried his best to help them all deal with the loss of the dragons. He had his own burden of grief to deal with, but he shouldered all of the villager's as well. There was a part of him that had felt a great amount of guilt for his people's heart ache.
Valka and Astrid both helped him get out of that particular pit of despair.
When Hiccup finally came up for air, and after they had finised building New Berk, that's when they both knew it was time for marriage.
Astrid and him had married a year after the dragons left.
She, him, and Valka finally located the entrance to the Hidden World two years later.
Then Zephyr had been born six months after that. Nuffink came along almost three years later.
Hiccup and Astrid had their own family.
In the eight years Hiccup was seperated from Toothless, so much had happened. So much of both the good and the bad had come to pass.
And Hiccup would not have wished to change a single second of it. Not one single moment.
Even though him and Toothless were seperated, flying in their own ways with hearts torn and bruised, their molding and molting had had to take place. Hiccup became a better and smarter Cheif without Toothless there. He was a better husband and council for his wife. He was without a doubt, a better father, too.
For Toothless, Hiccup imagined much of the same had taken place for him over these past eight years. Though the dragon could not speak for himself, he did carry himself differently than he had eight years ago. Maybe it was leading the dragons on his own, or maybe it was becoming a father, or maybe it was just Nubless's magic spell cast over him. Or maybe it was all three.
Hiccup could tell Toothless was happy and fullfilled, and that the ability to fly free was the best gift that Hiccup could have given his dragon. It had been the missing puzzle piece Hiccup needed to complete his soul. He needed to see Toothless well and safe and happy. It was everything he wished for him when Toothless left with the other dragons on that night all those years ago.
Hiccup was immensly grateful and proud that they had all made it through. His villagers. His mother. His wife. Himself. His family. The twins and Fishlegs and Snotlout.
To gather his family, prepare the ship, and then set sail for eight days to get to the Hidden World had been a feat in and of itself. The Haddock family did not do very well in confined spaces and the trip had proved to be challenging.
But they had made it. And Toothless did remember him and accept him back into his flock. His family. He was all grown up. Man and dragon both were.
Hiccup leans into Toothless, putting almost all of his weight on the dragon for a moment. He sighs a heavy sigh just as Toothless does the same.
He leans back up and stands to his feet.
Toothless watches him with sparkling green eyes, tracking his movements.
"Thank you, Toothless. For everything."
Toothless grumps in thanks and then he licks Hiccup's hand.
"Oh gross! Ugh! What in the world have the other dragons been teaching you?" Hiccup laughs.
Toothless does, too.
Together, dragon and man walk down the hill to join the rest of their families.
One's steps are a little uneven and for a split second he almost slips on the smooth grass. The other catches him with practiced ease. They take a beat, and then continue on down the hill together.
It's like they never missed a single step.
Even though you're scared
You're stronger than you know
If you're lost out where the lights are blinding
Caught in all, the stars are hiding
That's when something wild calls you home
If you face the fear that keeps you frozen
Chase the sky into the ocean
That's when something wild calls you home
*
A.N: Ah, I hope someone will like this! Let me know your thoughts!
I would love to write a second oneshot about Toothless, and I am currently tinkering with that idea.
-Nubless is the name I am using for the Light Fury. It seemed like a great name for her and I like that the fandom embraced it so happily. Thanks, HTTYD fandom!