But a dragon could not feed a hungry child nor help a dying woman's pain. And who would ever dare to love a dragon? - George RR Martin, A Dance with Dragons.
Hiccup very rarely questioned Toothless. For the most part, it had become an unquestionable truth that what Toothless felt is what he felt, and their decisions were always solid for their bond was deep, intrinsic and everlasting. Toothless got excitable at times, yes, and overly playful. But these were things he loved about his dragon as much as his wonderful eyes, earplates and powerful wings. But at this moment he looked at the Night Fury caught up in his own unbreakable excitement. He worried.
Toothless' tailfin had been damaged for so long, and in the years since their fight with Red Death traversing mainland Europe it never occurred to them that it could ever grow back. They flew together, Hiccup and his dragon, and the artificial tailfin and harness were a part of that since day one. There was nothing else they knew; all Toothless' memories of flying before Hiccup were shrouded in a haze of despair and helplessness over being a slave, trapped.
Toothless was a being overcome with anticipation and restlessness. A great beast, scaled and deadly with the agility and wits to overcome any foe and stalk any prey. But the great dragon acted foolishly at times, and Hiccup couldn't help but grin as his most beloved Night Fury bounced around the field in front of him in careless excitement.
Bounding around a clearing in leaps, disturbing countless small creatures and sending up a flurry of cut grass as he bounds through tall grass and weed, he reaches the opposite end of the field, he turns on hind legs and sprints towards the small human caught in his own thoughts, fidgeting under clouded sky and crisp autumnal foliage. Before Hiccup can react, the dragon throws his head between the boy's legs and catapults him onto his back. Toothless cranes his head around, regarding his boy with glassy emerald eyes. The world is still for a moment, interrupted only by the ominous crow of a raven as the scaled beast tilts his head and quietly croons to Hiccup. :What are we waiting for? What's gripping you like this?:
The telepathy is a slight shock to Hiccup, still somewhat disconnected from the situation despite being manhandled by his drake. He fumbles for an answer, mind racing. As light plays over his tangled auburn hair he looks over the glossy dark scales of his mount with a distressed expression.
:I don't know about this, Bud:.
:Hiccup, without the saddle we will fly like we never flew before. Less weight, less resistance. It'll be amazing, trust me!:.
Hiccup is met with a gummy smile and warble speaking of optimism and reassurance before the Fury tires of waiting and tenses low to the ground, readying to push off.
Hiccup gives one last tentative look at the regrown tailfin. It's definitely different to the other, slightly larger with a subtle off-color to the scales. Ever since it started showing signs of healing Toothless has been crazy with anticipation, but questions of why and how have plagued Hiccup's mind endlessly. There's a high risk the tailfin won't provide the stabilization it should, the smallest difference in aerodynamics a possibility for disaster. He frowns, but is cut short worrying when Toothless pushes up and beats his wings, leaving the ground. Pushing upwards, the two are somewhat stable in the air. Taking it slowly, Toothless maintains a steady pace for a time, hovering in place.
It's good to be back in the air. Locked down while the tailfin regrew, dragon and human grew dissatisfied with grounded limitations. With strong wing beats, Toothless pushes forward. With each thrust a slight lean becomes more pronounced. Trying to overcome it, the two make a hasty over correction that leads them banking right and down on a collision course with a tree trunk.
Hiccup gazed over the scales. They looked the same as before, the same hue as the rest of his flying partner, a sleek polish of midnight black, a faint hint of deep blue underlying. :How does it feel:? he asked, moving a palm over the tailfin :Is it heavier? It seems larger than before:.
Toothless gave his tail a flick, then swung it through the crisp fall air slowly, feeling the weight of an imperfect heal burden the appendage.
:It feels off… I shouldn't have been so hasty, throwing us into the air without knowing.
:I'm not hurt, Toothless:.
:You're bleeding! Don't sit there and give me that when there's clearly a huge-:
:I took plenty of falls when we first flew and got up fine, now is no different, you overprotective sack of scales:
A tentative silence seemed to drag for minutes.
Hiccup shifted, recollecting his thoughts.: We just have to work this through, find the solution like I did then:
He thought back to designing the mechanical fin, a lightweight, finely tuned instrument replicating an already working fin.
It had been a simple matter of seeing how the right fin worked and-
His thoughts were interrupted by a large, slitted tongue running along his back
"Toothless!" He shouted out, breaking the peaceful silence of the small clearing. The dragon crooned :I hurt you:.
:I had to be there Tooth, I had to see. We fly together, always. A small scar I can live with:.
:Let me heal you:.
:I'm still not convinced dragon saliva heals:.
:Nonsense. See this?: Sticking his tongue out :Works miracles:.
Hiccup gave the out stuck tongue a peck. The dragon gave a small sigh.
He stood up and started pacing. :Your fin. It's off balance, right?:
:Riight:...
:So we match the weight on the other fin:
:It's too heavy.I can't fly tail heavy. There's a reason dragons don't regrow when severed:.
:So why did you?:
A pause.
:The same thing that imbues yourself, Hiccup. Our bond has grown into you; those scales covering your scars. The same thing effects me, it's your connection that made my fin grow back:.
It was something that he had known in the back of his mind since he first brought Toothless back into the air; the dragon affected him to the core, as he did Toothless.
:Let's get moving. I'll think better on my feet:
Hiccup saw Toothless was still bitter from the failed flight earlier. Their greatest freedom, their power to soar above and away from everything was taken with one regrown fin. He sighed and picked up the mechanical fin. But it was more than that, Toothless felt he had let down his mate. Failing to provide for his love would bring his mood down and make him prone to drastic measures. He focused his gaze on the lowering sun as he walked, trying to quell the growing anxiety and worry over such a realization.
They were moving again. I had to catch myself whilst distracted by a bird nest. The mother had returned to her newly hatched chicks for feeding, regurgitating Odin-knows-what into their waiting gullets. Deplorable behavior, expected of such small insignificant creatures. But I had seen the large black-scale one do the same for the smaller. With a backwards tip of the head, narrowing eyes and several small convulsions he deposits half eaten cod, mackerel and salmon for- and this was the strange- No, not strange. Strange is too tame a word. The relationship between the two was something that beggared belief. As is typical for daemons, they are twisted forms of two existing species on our mortal plane.
One resembles a Dragon, but is tellingly not so for he exhibits as many human characteristics as dragon. He also is missing a tailfin. This would be a small detail for one not familiar with dragons and the common injuries they sustain, but with a fair amount of knowledge on the matter, I can say that not once have I seen a Dragon downed due to a severed tailfin. Damaged wings are commonplace through general wear and collisions, but a straight cut removing a fin would require a cutting force that anything trying to harm a dragon would not aim at the tailfin, as it is not close to any vital life giving areas of the dragon.
The other has the general form of a human, albeit weaker than most, from the barbaric archipelagos, however his skin is all marked with several scars- covered entirely by the same black scale the larger creature possesses. Two stubs of bone protrude from his back, like incomplete wings.
Obviously the two were meant to either be dragons or humans, and the taint that suffocates the underworld and chokes that volcano has formed these two wretched souls to haunt our world. For what purpose is unclear, but observing these daemons is the only chance we have to gain an insight into our enemy. It is unclear who destroyed the Red Death and therefore unsealed the entrance to Hel itself, but the consequences of such a careless act are now let loose upon our world. There are not many of us left, but we will cleanse this world, remove the taint and restore all to order.
Toothless becomes only more distraught as the day bleeds into night, and as the two settle down to sleep he falls into a restless nightmare, and unwillingly pulls Hiccup down with him.
I stand before him, some creature. I speak in emotionless tones.
:I am just a worthless liar. I am just an imbecile. I will only complicate you. Trust in me and fall as well.
I will find a center in you. I will chew it up and leave.
I will work to elevate you.
Just enough to bring you down:.
Hiccup woke up with a start, tears streaming down his face. He beat at the wing encompassing him. "You stupid dragon! Look at you, a creature of such power and intelligence, ripping yourself apart!"
:Don't shout, Hiccup:.
:You can't think this way. We'll get you flying again. You have never let me down. You do nothing but impress me:.
He gave Hiccup a lick across the face, salty sweet tears leaving a bitter taste.
:Don't cry for me Hiccup. You share my dreams, but you can never fully understand the way Dragons think. Our pride fuels our emotions and desires. I can't but help feel I let you down. It's in my nature:.
Hiccup tried to understand.
:So when weakness turns my ego up… Dig me up, from under what is covering the better part of me:.
:You're still talking like you're in a dream:.
: Don't lose any sleep tonight; a crooning, :I'm sure everything will end up alright:.
And Hiccup felt sleep overcome him, a wing of midnight black calling him to rest.