Who said it had to be on Hiccup to be proactive? Let's bring the dragon home!
Disclaimer: I don't own the How to Train Your Dragon franchise.
Toothless lay drowsily inside of his warm cave.
It seemed like he was always tired these days. He wasn't really old – dragons lived for a long time. But he sure felt old. In human years he would be considered old. He had passed the role of Alpha to his daughter a while ago. She had more than proven herself to be ready for the job, and she was well-supported by her younger brothers. She was young and strong. Toothless was… well… Tired. Withered. Lonely.
He remembered his youth, when he was fast and powerful. When he flew with a boy on his back and became ten times stronger than he had ever imagined he could be. His heart ached at the memory.
He's not a boy anymore, Toothless thought. The dragon didn't even know if he was still alive.
When Toothless became King of the Dragons, he worked hard to protect his kind and allowed his fellow dragons to prosper. That had been his mission. He watched proudly as his daughter grew into the new leader of the dragon kingdom. She had a natural independence and confidence, just like her mother.
The Light Fury was still perky as ever. She enjoyed helping her daughter run the kingdom and she often explored the Hidden World with excited energy. Toothless would sometimes go with her, but he always felt like a burden. It wasn't as fun as it used to be. Now it all just felt like work, dealing with the same problems he had been dealing with for years. His mate had always been a happy, free, and independent soul. Toothless loved that about her. But he had always felt like he was searching for something. Something that he had lost long ago. Despite the many years he'd been a King, and the great respect he had earned from the dragons, it seemed he still remained the lonely outlier that he once was when he was a child.
The Light Fury came into the cave and choked up half a fish for him to eat. Toothless looked at the food lazily, before turning away and closing his eyes again.
His mate pushed the fish towards him, urging him to eat it. Toothless groaned in refusal. She huffed in frustration and nudged him with her nose. Toothless lifted his head.
Don't waste good food on me, he hummed.
The Light Fury huffed again. You're not dying, she barked back. You're not old. You're just unhappy.
Toothless whined in half-hearted denial.
I think you should go home, the white dragon murmured in a low hum.
Toothless looked at her, perplexed. What do you mean? He asked. I'm home.
The Light Fury gave him a skeptical look, and then hopped over to the far corner of the cave. She began sniffing around, searching for something.
Toothless rolled his eyes and lied back down to go back to sleep.
He was startled by a clank, and he opened his eyes to see that his mate had dropped an old, rusted prosthetic leg on the ground in front of him. Toothless' heart clenched painfully.
Go home, she hummed again.
Realizing what she meant, Toothless opened his mouth to protest. But she nudged the manmade prosthetic closer to him.
He stared at it longingly.
It's time, love, The Light Fury purred. She rubbed against him gently. You did everything you set out to do. The dragons are safe here. You took care of us long enough. It's time for you to go home.
Toothless groaned sadly. But I can't leave you, he argued.
Yes you can, she replied. Right now, you need him more than you need me.
Toothless felt completely torn. He looked at his mate, then looked at the leg, then looked at his mate again.
She hummed knowingly, before leaving him alone in the cave.
Toothless whimpered, pressing his nose to the metal leg. He wrapped his tail around it and gazed at his own prosthetic tail flap. He loved his mate, and his children, and wanted to be there for them always. But in his heart, he knew she was right. There was nothing more for him here. His children were all grown up. The dragons were following a new Alpha. If he were being honest with himself, Toothless had never really felt like he belonged here. This was the Light Fury's home, and the home of their children. It was where they were born and raised. It was their family, their life, and their world. Now, Toothless was no longer needed here, and he wanted to be back where he belonged – with the one who held his heart and his soul. He wanted his boy. He wanted the family that raised him. More than anything, he wanted to go home.
After saying goodbye to his children, he flew with the Light Fury to the water's edge, where one world collided with the other. He flapped his wings, effortfully trying to keep himself aloft against the winds. He held the prosthetic leg in his mouth and embraced his mate lovingly.
They hummed and called out goodbyes to one another. Toothless glanced back at the grand waterfall dipping over the edge of the world. Perhaps one day he would return to the glorious world of the dragons. But for now, he set off into the other world towards the people he had always called home.
When Toothless finally reached the village, it was late at night. Torches lit the island dimly, and the dragon snuck around the back way to avoid the sentries. He landed at the back of the Chief's house at the top of the hill and stayed in the shadows until he reached the front door. His heart warmed from the familiar smells and sounds of the human world. He hummed quietly before scraping against the door.
He had to scrape a few more times before he heard footsteps inside. The door opened, and a tall lean man with gray hair and wrinkles stood in front of him. He looked withered and frail compared to the last time Toothless had seen him. But his gentle green eyes were still the same as they had always been, and Toothless purred, relaxing more than he had in years.
The man gasped in surprise and opened his mouth to speak, but no sound came out. Toothless moved the prosthetic leg around in his mouth, and then placed it on the ground in front of him. The dragon bowed his head and looked at the man, a silent question in his eyes.
The old man sighed, a soft smile spreading over his lips. "Welcome home, bud," he spoke in a raspy, but still soothing voice. Toothless hummed gratefully and pressed his head under the man's chin. The man wrapped his arms around the dragon, leaning his cheek against his scaly skin. His gentle hands cradled the dragon's head and he placed a light kiss on his nose. "You did good," he murmured, his face reflecting in the dragon's eyes.
The dragon stepped inside the house and curled up on the warm wooden planks by the fireplace. A bright glow, one that had not been present in years, lit up the old man's eyes, and he quietly closed the door behind them.
I know, it's different than most. I actually wrote this out before seeing the movie, and then edited it to fit what happened. Interesting what you come up with when you don't have all the info. Still, it's something to think about.
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(Shameless plug: If you have not read my collection of Post Hidden World one-shots, "Please Save my Heart," please check it out! It's like therapy!)