Author's note: How to Train Your Dragon belongs to Dreamworks.

This story is rated T for graphic descriptions. No profanity. The story occurs within the frame of Riders/Defenders of Berk but is independent of the TV series.

Comments, suggestions and reviews are always welcome. Thanks for reading!


"Okay, good!" I shouted across the arena. "Now reward her with a fish." I waited for a few seconds for the Nadder to take the fish out of his hand. "Try it again, see if she responds more quickly this time." He spread his arms wide suddenly, opening his chest to the Deadly Nadder in front of him. She looked at him for a beat, then spread her wings wide, head thrown slightly back, and cackled.

"Another fish," I said. He reached into the basket and pulled out another fish. The Nadder smelled what was coming and immediately swooped her head down, grabbing the fish with dexterous ease and pulling it from his hand. The dragon swallowed.

"Good!" I called out again.

Gustav turned around to face me, his helmet wobbling like usual around on the top of his head. "See? I told you I could…"

My eyes widened slightly. I could only get out "Uh…" before the dragon nudged him in the back with her snout, demanding more of his attention. Gustav stumbled forward in surprise, then turned back around to face his dragon.

"Gustav, you can't just break off your attention like that," I told him. "You have to taper so she knows what's coming."

"For the billionth time, I don't understand what you're saying!" he shouted back in a nasal whine. His expression was directed toward the Nadder.

I felt the color begin to drain from my face. "Gustav, take a step away from her," I said quickly.

"Geez, why are you so bossy all of a sudden?" he asked in irritation, turning back toward me.

"Gustav, just do it now."

"Why!?" he shouted. "All you're gonna do is tell me how bad I am at- WHOA!" The dragon whipped her tail around, smacking him in the chest, and sending him barreling toward me. Her statement of being through with Gustav for now.

Gustav let out a long, pained groan as he slowly stood. His helmet tumbled to a stop about five feet in front of him. He had no spikes lodged in his chest, which was a relief.

"I suppose you're going to listen to me from now on?" I asked, rubbing it in.

"Yeah, sure. Whatever," he said, rolling his eyes. He slowly rose to his feet, trying to show me how injured he was, and limped over to his helmet. He snatched it up and placed it back on his head. And as usual, it sank down about halfway over his eyes.

I groaned in frustration. "Look, Gustav, you can't half-commit to a dragon. That's exactly what you did with Fanghook. So if you actually want to do this, you're going to follow the dragon's rules. Not mine, not yours. And that means you have to be totally committed to her."

"But how did you tame Toothless so easily?" he whined.

"Easily? I think 'patiently' is the right word. I let him warm up to me. I let him make the rules. And I made sure Toothless felt safe around me."

"Okay! I am trying to do that, you know."

I stifled a laugh. Didn't try to hide it. "You aren't even close to making an effort. If you can show that dragon she can trust you with her life, then I might buy what you're saying."

"Hiccup, you're saying things I don't understand! How in the world am I supposed to show her she can 'trust me with her life?'" he asked, slurring that last phrase in mockery.

"You have to find that out yourself."

"Oooh, so mysterious," he said, continuing his mocking tone of voice. "If you're so smart, how did you do that with Toothless?"

"I stayed near him when I was around. Never let my attention wander. Made sure to bring food and water for him. And I had conversations with him."

Gustav wrinkled his face in a mixture of disgust and confusion. "That's stupid. He doesn't talk back."

"But he knows I'm talking to him," I pointed out.

"So, what did you tell him? Like, 'Hey how's the weather?'" he asked sarcastically.

"You have to open up to your dragon. Tell her the deepest darkest secrets you'd never tell anyone else. She won't spread them."

"Right now?"

"Only if you really mean it," I warned. "You can't just talk to her to listen to your own voice."

"What do you mean?" he asked.

I thought for a moment. Explanations weren't getting us anywhere. Maybe an example would work. I took a deep breath, mulling it over in my mind before deciding on it. "When I was supposed to do my rite of passage, I didn't want anyone else to know about Toothless. I knew anyone who saw him would have killed him without a second thought." I paused, trying to find a way to say this without looking like I was completely helpless. But I couldn't find a way. I decided to leave a few details out for good measure, though. "The night before I was supposed to kill a dragon, I was so scared I was going to lose Toothless I couldn't even walk straight. So I told him everything. Including how scared I was."

Gustav was silent for a moment. "Some chief you'll be," he said quietly. And walked out of the arena, leaving me with an irate dragon.

At thirteen years old, Gustav was still impressionable, but Snotlout had done phenomenal work at creating a spitting image of himself. I sighed, knowing as long as he was gonna act this way, there wasn't much I could do at helping him befriend a dragon. He was doing everything he could to maintain a tough-guy image, which would never do him any favors at getting him a dragon friend. Or a girlfriend for that matter.

Fanghook deserved better than what he got. But Gustav wanted more than anything to become like Snotlout. He learned Snotlout's mannerisms, including his obnoxious and inappropriate behavior. He learned from Snotlout that dragons were things to be objectifed, rather than part of a village. Part of families, even. Caring for a dragon was a lifelong commitment, and Gustav just didn't want to see that. He neglected several times to feed Fanghook or take him out for flights. He barely socialized with that dragon, so one day, Fanghook simply flew off, never to be seen again.

It was a hard lesson for him to learn, because I'd never seen anyone that torn between preserving his image and breaking down into a ball of tears. Gustav was doing everything he could to maintain that image, even though I could see the hurt in his eyes that his dragon had deserted him. And, silly me, I thought it would have been an opportunity for him to learn something about dragons. Well, except for that one fact that he was looking up to Snotlout.

I didn't know whether to be offended or frustrated at Gustav for his comment about me being a lousy future chief. I quickly decided to stop thinking about it and see if I could use the Deadly Nadder on my right to ease the feelings I had.

Slowly, I trudged my way over to her. She was a beautiful, light-green backed dragon. Looked similar to Stormfly, except for the color on her back. She was also a little more jumpy than Stormfly, so I took it slow, letting her see I wasn't a threat. I wished I could have found a calmer Nadder for Gustav, but this was the best I could do. Astrid had immediately vetoed my idea of using Stormfly to teach Gustav about training dragons.

The dragon reared back slightly and opened her mouth a little. Threat display. She was still on-edge from her encounter with Gustav. I waited, letting her decide what to do. When a dragon puts on a defensive posture, you do not approach. That's a recipe for an attack. If the dragon intensifies its actions toward you, you simply back away and either give it space or leave entirely.

So I waited some more, keeping my attention on her. I was waiting to see if she opened her mouth a little more. Or maybe she'd turn her body slightly, getting her tail ready for an attack. Both of those would be my cue to leave her alone.

But she did neither of those things. Instead, she slowly closed her mouth, keeping me in her eyesight. I slowly approached, not offering a hand, as she'd quickly bite it off. I didn't say a word either. They didn't seem to help with unfamiliar dragons, even if you had the sweetest, softest tone ever imagined.

The Nadder's breathing quickened slightly, so I stopped for a moment to let her tension release slightly. Approached again. She tensed, so I waited. And finally, I got close enough to touch her side.

I put my hand on her thigh, keeping a gentle touch and also keeping my movements to a minimum. Slow, steady movements if necessary. I felt the dragon's tension slowly release as she relaxed under my touch. She gave a quiet warble after a few minutes, telling me I wasn't in any danger from her, as long as I kept doing what I was doing.

"Let's get you out of here," I told her. I walked sideways, keeping eye contact with the dragon. She hesitantly followed me, slowly walking through the gateway toward Berk. Looked around for a moment, then cackled slightly and took off. I would have been willing to bet she was grateful for the freedom.

I sighed, knowing it was gonna be a long time before Gustav could accept what I was trying to explain to him. There was no way he'd have the patience he needed to be around a dragon.

Maybe it was me. I wondered if my explanations really were a foreign language to Gustav. Perhaps I could find a different way to explain dragons to him.

Walking back toward the village, I wondered if there was any hope at all for Gustav. Maybe, but it would definitely take him a long time…

Time.

That was it. Well, hopefully. I remembered when I was spending afternoons with Toothless in secret. I'd be away from Berk for several hours on end, spending time with Toothless. I realized I had plenty of unpleasant experiences with Toothless, just like what happened to Gustav today. It was frustrating at times, but in the end, all the effort was definitely worth it because I could say my best friend was a Night Fury.

I rolled my eyes in secret, sighing. I was the problem, not Gustav. I was solving everything for him. But I was so protective of the dragons we had around that I was making the rules for everyone, instead of letting people learn, even if it meant a few bumps and bruises. In true Hiccup fashion, I was scared of someone hurting a dragon.

I should have let Gustav address the problem on his own when the Nadder bumped him in the back. Instead of me telling him what was correct, he'd be able to feel what was correct. The difference between those two ideas is about as wide as an ocean.

I walked past the forge and noticed black smoke curling from the chimney. I paused some distance away from the forge and turned around. I liked the routine and (dis)organization of my little study in there. It was almost ironic compared to the neatness of the rest of the forge and armory. I heard sharp, rhythmic clanking from somewhere inside, probably at the anvil. Gobber was hard at work shaping a piece of iron. I listened to the hammer striking iron for a few seconds, but was distracted soon after by a chill wind. Winter was on its way out, which meant it wouldn't take long to return with a vengeance. But for now, it was clinging tightly to the air with its last fingernail.

I shivered as I began walking again. For a brief moment, I wondered why I didn't bring Toothless with me to help Gustav understand what I wanted him to learn. I had taken two steps when I nearly stopped and was a split-second from doubling over in sarcastic laughter.

Good one, Hiccup, I thought to myself. That was almost funny.

I didn't bring Toothless with me because Gustav didn't understand how lucky I was to find, much less befriend, a Night Fury. And using Toothless as an example would have only reinforced to him that he'd need to cripple a dragon for it to befriend him.

I took a deep breath, adjusted my flying vest for show and looked around for anyone who might have noticed me stumble. Nobody was giving me a bizarre look, so I simply continued in my trek to the great hall as if nothing was wrong.

I filled a basket with fish for Toothless at the great hall and left without a word. Carried it up the hill to my house. I opened the door and walked in.

As soon as Toothless noticed me, his head shot up with a grunt. He sprang from his spot and bounded over to me in elation. I smiled, putting the basket down. The door closed itself behind me. I put my right hand on his cheek, letting him know he was still important to me. Toothless nudged into my chest with his snout, returning my gesture. This was one of those surreal moments where we communicated with emotions. For just a few seconds, the world seemed to disappear. I felt Toothless' gentle pressure on my chest and stayed there for a moment.

The door suddenly opened a second time, abruptly yanking my mind away from Toothless. My dad walked in with a gruff sigh, oblivious to what was going on between me and Toothless.

I let my hand fall to my side and dutifully grabbed the basket. I led Toothless over to the large wooden table we had in the center of the house and tipped it over.

Just like usual, Toothless dug in. He pulled a fish out of the pile and stared at me intently for a few seconds. Swallowed it and grunted. And returned to the basket without another sound.

I watched my dad as he shuffled over to a chair and inelegantly sat down. Grace in movement was certainly not something he was good at. He nodded at me slightly and mumbled, "Hiccup."

I nodded back at him. If he had a conversation planned, he'd say something else, but for tonight, there wasn't anything pressing on his mind. Well, at least for him to say. His eyes were slightly lost in thought, so today must have been more difficult than average for him.

Toothless cleaned the basket out and loped over to me, rubbing his head underneath my left hand. He sighed happily as I gently scratched behind his ears. I relaxed slightly, letting the world disappear from the present for now. Toothless and Astrid were the only ones who could get me to relax like this.

I glanced at my dad before opening the door to let Toothless out. He didn't do anything except stare at the table for a few seconds before turning toward a large cauldron set over the fire in the hearth. Supper time. I thought his actions were a little out of the ordinary. Most of the time, my dad was very purposeful in his movements, but today, he seemed a little…off.

I shrugged slightly, making a mental note to eat something later. Probably what he was cooking. I turned toward the door and opened it, letting Toothless walk out. I followed him.

As I closed the door behind us, Toothless grunted and took off in excitement. He bounded over to Stormfly, who was walking up the hill toward my house with Astrid. Toothless skidded to a halt in front of Stormfly and growled playfully, his legs hunched beneath him. He was trying to goad her into a game of chase. She hunkered down and lunged at Toothless, who took off running, Stormfly following him close behind.

I watched our two dragons chase each other for a moment before returning my attention to Astrid.

"Milady," I said in mock deference. I bowed slightly in her direction.

Astrid had a wry smile on her face and her hands on her hips. "I thought I told you to stop that," she said in half-jest.

"You did," I said back. "And I'm still wondering if I should call someone else that."

"Nah. I guess it's not that bad," she quickly conceded.

Both of us smiled at each other. And after a few seconds, we both broke down giggling. There were certain points in time when I was grateful for not having "grown up." This was one of those times.

Toothless and Stormfly caught my attention. They were still in a game of chase, Toothless in front and Stormfly in back. I heard Toothless grunting with every step he took, his tongue hanging out of the side of his mouth. His eyes were wide in happiness as he sprinted past us. Stormfly wasn't too far behind him, cackling every so often.

"They're cute," Astrid observed. I nodded in agreement. I watched our dragons run around for a few moments, wishing I could have the same sense of abandon they did.

"Hey, I saw you with Gustav in the Academy," Astrid said after a few seconds.

I rolled my eyes before turning to her. "Yeah, that was fun," I said sardonically.

"Is anyone hurt?"

I shrugged. "Not really. The dragon slapped him with her tail, but that was about it."

Astrid laughed for a second. "He's improving, isn't he?"

"Not even maybe. All he does is look at Snotlout and see how he treats Hookfang. I don't know how Hookfang even puts up with him. But Gustav has it set in his mind that Snotlout is pretty much a god, so he does everything he can to be like him."

"And he doesn't understand why dragons don't like him," she concluded.

"Congratulations!" I half-shouted in sarcasm, throwing my arms up. "You've just won the game!"

"Yeah, I can tell it's getting to you," Astrid pointed out. "Maybe you should just, you know, keep him out of the Academy."

"That's not gonna stop him from getting his hands on a dragon again," I said. I turned around, looking for our dragons. "Speaking of which…"

"That way," Astrid said flatly, pointing up the hill.

Toothless and Stormfly were both lying on the grass, exhausted for the time being from their little game of chase.

I started walking up the hill without saying anything. Toothless flopped over to his front side as I approached and stared at me. Stormfly followed a few seconds later as Astrid got into her field of vision.

"Hiya, bud," I said to Toothless. I stroked his cheek as I walked around to his saddle and hooked in. "Let's go flying."

Toothless grunted and got onto all fours. Just before he tensed, Astrid said, "We're coming too."

As Toothless launched into the air, I remembered Stormfly had probably worn him out somewhat. I was guessing this would be a short flight to get rid of the rest of his pent-up energy.

A few minutes later, my prediction held up. Toothless flew almost on a beeline toward a rocky arch sticking out of the ocean. He landed on top with a hollow ka-thump and lay down on his front, breathing heavily. I was grateful for a short flight, so I could simply relax and enjoy the rest of the day. Didn't have to think about anything as the sun continued on its journey across the sky.

Stormfly landed a few seconds later with a cackle, followed by Astrid dismounting. Astrid walked toward me and sat down on the grass.

It didn't make much sense to me that there was grass on the top of this rocky arch in the middle of the ocean, but I pushed the thought out of my head for now. Strange things happen every day in this bizarre world, and a curiosity like that just wasn't pressing enough to worry about.

"You ever wonder why there's grass growing here?" Astrid said after a few seconds. She completely ruined the logic I had come up with just now.

"Mm, sometimes," I said. "Doesn't make much sense, does it?"

She shook her head and looked toward the horizon. I got off Toothless's back and sat down next to her.

"How often do you come up here?" she asked.

"Whenever Toothless feels like it," I said simply. "I let him decide where we're going…most of the time."

Astrid looked at Toothless. Toothless looked back at her and blinked. I grinned slightly, then returned my attention to the horizon.

Out of my peripheral vision, I saw Astrid's face creeping closer to me. After a moment, she whispered, "Hiccup." I turned toward her, caught completely off-guard, and she darted in for a quick kiss. "You're too predictable," she said playfully.

I grinned. "Thanks, Astrid." I said it in half-sarcasm. After a moment, I glanced back toward the west. And focused my gaze on a spot in the distance. "Hey, do you see that?" I asked Astrid.

"…Yeah," she said slowly. "Why?"

"Wonder who that is," I said without thinking.

Astrid didn't say anything. Both of us simply waited in silence, watching the figure draw closer. Maybe five minutes later, she announced, "I think it's Trader Johann."

I rolled my eyes slightly. Another hundred exaggerated tales about some near-death experience he narrowly escaped. But most everyone in Berk liked him, so I didn't have a choice but to tolerate him.

A few more minutes of waiting gave us a definite answer. It was Trader Johann. Several Vikings milling around Berk excitedly ran down the docks, ready to help Johann moor his boat. Then the search for knickknacks would start.

Predictably, Johann's boat tied up without much trouble, and several Vikings quickly boarded, searching for that perfect little trinket. Astrid and I weren't too far away, so we could pick out several words being exchanged.

My dad walked down to the docks, where Johann spotted him. They greeted each other, and Johann said, "Stoick. I have something for you."