Ch. 1- The Storme

(Toothless P.O.V)

Lightning crackled as I sped through the air, rolling, whirring, screaming through the night. My makeshift paper tail fin fluttered uselessly. I couldn't fly properly without Hiccup's help.

I began to spiral downward, the electric discharges illuminating my figure. Trees came closer and closer as I descended, and the ground approached at an alarming rate. I wanted to shut my eyes, but I couldn't; I had to keep watching, like this was some screwed up horror show. I splayed my legs before me, bracing for the terrible impact that was about to come. I could feel adrenaline pumping through my veins as I fell.

At first I didn't even know what hit me. The only thing that signified I had landed was the sickening crack that came from my right foreleg, and the loud thwump that came from my body skidding across the ground. I rolled a few times, landing in a heap near the face of a cliff.

It took a moment for my mind to register what had just happened. The pain came—the terrible, terrible burning that fell over me like a wet blanket, distorting my sight and senses. I was too shocked to roar. The agony was concentrated in my leg that had hit the ground first, which seemed to throb and pulsate with an unholy energy.

My vision blurred, and colors mixed together as I turned my head. The entire world seemed to pound, right with the beat of my heart. Sounds collided, and I felt like my ears were about to burst when a colossal, flaming tree, undoubtedly struck by lightning, collapsed to the ground. I rolled in deathly agony as I tried to shake the pain off of me. It sprouted from my bones, ran through my muscles, and covered my skin. It was inescapable.

Spots swam before my eyes. The world was fading, but not the pain—no, it was still fresh and strong. I couldn't bear it. I screamed in torture, wishing I could free myself from this terrible anguish.

The world went black.

~*~

Rain pattered down on my scales as I opened my eyes. Though not as strong, the pain was still there, still burning, still vacillating. I shuddered as I took a breath. The clouds were dark, even though the sun would have been out by now. The droplets fell on me steadily as I tried to arouse my distressed body. I lifted my right foreleg dismally, and letting out a yelp as rows of aches and stings shot through it like bullets. The rain was cold; I was cold. Shelter… I needed shelter.

Staggering to my feet, careful to hold my injured leg above the ground, I stumbled blindly into a small cave and promptly went back to sleep.

~*~

My sides heaved as I coughed, spluttering up a few droplets of blood. Wonderful. Reminders of what had happened. The pain still lingered in my leg, although not nearly as forceful as before. Memories of the storm from last night flooded back to me, and I shuddered.

Rain was coming down, now stronger than it had been at my first awakening. I could hear a bit of thunder booming in the distance, somewhat of a far way off.

I sighed, laying my head on my front legs, cringing as my skin brushed of the damaged one. The bone was broken, there was no denying that. I coughed again. Great—on top of all of this, I had a cold from being out some of last night.

Curious, I gently poked my head outside my small cavern. My green eyes searched the hollow. It was not unlike the one where Hiccup, my master, and I had first bonded.

Hiccup… Where was he? I tried to replay the night's events in my head. Why had I left? The memories were foggy and blurred. It had been harmless… right? I was just out for flying, to have some fun. But… why wasn't Hiccup with me? I was more confused than ever.

No. It was more than that. A rogue… Nightmare, I think. Yes, that was what it was. A rogue nightmare. My eyes shone as I thought back. I had fled… but to try and lead it away. It had worked—for the time, before the wind died down and I careened into a flaming tree. Now, I had no idea where the beast was.

A guttural sound brought my attention back to my surroundings. Standing by the edge of a small pond was a Night Fury, but not like one I had ever seen. A female, by the looks of it. But, instead of carrying obsidian scales, hers were a dark, ashen gray. Her eyes were like two blots of dark blue, also unusual, compared to the normal yellow or slightly rarer green. She was growling, her head erect, searching for the source of the racket I had been making. Perfectly poised, her small little ears quivered. I noticed one wing hung at her side, like it was injured.

"Friend or foe?" she called. Her voice was feminine, but strong.

"Friend," I answered hoarsely. I staggered out, my limp extremely noticeable. Heck, she could kill me right now. I was laying my life down at her feet. But it was better to be honest and come out right now than for her to discover me later.

She slowly padded forward; I could tell she was a bit nervous. Her strong exterior couldn't hide her slight tinge of fear. "Why are you here?" she asked. "This is my territory."

"I'm sorry," I answered, sitting. "I… um, crashed." I held up my mangled foreleg as evidence.

She sighed. "Welcome to the hospital." Her left wing had a long gash along it, leaving it useless. "Who are you?"

"Toothless," I replied. She raised an eyebrow. "My human gave me the name," I laughed, suddenly realizing how strange my calling must have sounded. Clearly, I had teeth. "And you?"

"…Storme."