This story is incredibly long! Be prepared for angst and feels by the end of the story!
Hiccup is excited today.
He's just awaken, and I can tell that he's really looking forward to something. His heart is beating faster than usual and he reeks of happiness. He even smells excited.
Contrary to popular myth, I, Toothless, have absolutely no idea why. Humans have a lot of reasons to feel excited, and I don't really think I can understand them all.
I don't really think that I care, either. Humans are lazy and annoying. That's what matters.
Well, most of them. There's just one who's only lazy some of the time.
Get up!
I move my snout towards Hiccup's side, crooning slightly to get him up.
He tosses a bit under the covers. I can sense reluctance from his spinal chord now.
"A few more minutes, Toothless..."
No.
I warble, dissatisfied that my best friend is unwilling to get up. See, humans. Laziness. Interchangeable.
We're going flying today, remember?
A loud snort from me makes him put his pillow over his head.
"Please, Toothless..."
No.
There is no way you are going to fall asleep again without telling me what's making you so excited. Youare the only person who I listen to. And I want answers.
You. Are. Getting. Up.
I nudge him roughly on the arm, feeling its warmth and softness. The arm that scratches and pats me so often, the hand that gets so many purrs out of me. The hand that he used to bond with me. He still does, in a way.
But not now.
Get up, you overgrown ape!
"Nngh..." Hiccup groans loudly, but doesn't leave the sheets.
I wildly resist the urge to jump on him. The last time I did, he nearly threw up. And even though he didn't yell at me or anything, I still felt pretty bad about it- and vowed never to do it again if he had a large dinner the night before. Which, sadly, he did.
As much as I care for my friend, I wasn't going to hurt him, even if I meant well.
Since when did I not, anyway?
"I want to hold on to this moment as long as possible..." Hiccup's voice trails sleepily from under the covers. He's scuffling a bit, trying to shift himself to where the heat is warmest.
It must be warm in there, I think. Not hot like the fire that I shoot, but warm enough to keep him comfortable. Knowing Hiccup, who treasures every fun and happy moment of his life, I know that it must feel nice to wake up like that, with no thoughts of burdens or problems, free, nonchalant, not having to care for a single thing in the world. If he wanted to go back to sleep, he could just go back to sleep, without caring about anything at all.
It's a very strong illusion of freedom, but something worth indulging nonetheless.
What is true free freedom, anyway?
But it doesn't matter. He's happy. That's all I need for now. Not flying. Not bugging him.
Just letting him rest there happily, using the warmth of the blankets to boost his freedom.
So I wait patiently for my best friend.
I'm giving you 10 more minutes. Then I will scorch your bed.
I wonder if I've ever felt this carefree before I met him before.
I wonder if he's felt this carefree before he met me. Probably, because now I shake him up every morning.
You are lazy, whiny, and sarcastic- but you are Hiccup. So you live.
True to his words, he gets up after several more peaceful moments. The peace does not last long, though, for the second he does, I jump onto him and lick him furiously.
You're up! Let's go flying!
"Ah! Hey! Toothless..." Hiccup says. He's smiling, too. That must be a good thing.
"I'm sorry that I had to make you wait." he says.
I snort. I'll get you up super early tomorrow to compensate.
Hiccup gets off the bed, stretching excessively and even attempting to do a few push-ups. What has gotten into him today? I prance the room silently, taking account of how all the things in the room just didn't move unless you hit them. Like the bed. Or the desk, as Hiccup calls it. It never, never moves. So much unlike the living inhabitants that use these motionless objects, who do nothing but lie still. The perks of being a creature, I guess.
I suggest you get breakfast first-
"AH!"
Oh, great.
Hiccup's arms give away, his body falling and about to hit floor. Well, it would have, if I didn't move my head right under him to catch him. Hurt my friend and I'll scorch you, I threaten the floor.
From here, I can see Hiccup's eyes perfectly. Happiness, gratitude, and, well, excitement, are all shown through those green grass pupils, glinting madly in the morning light.
"Thanks," he says, getting up and dusting himself- I don't understand why he'd do the latter, considering the fact that he never hit the floor. Or am I dusty?
In any case, flying! I rumble a little bit, reminding him of what we're supposed to do this morning.
He pats my head affectionately and gives me a big smile. "Today's a big day, bud," he says.
Big day? I thought all days lasted the same length.
"But first, let's get some breakfast, shall we?"
Yes.
Hiccup walks over to my side and hitches up on me. I can hear the prosthetic leg clicking into place with my own tail mechanism. The contraption turns immediately, spreading my artificial tailfin wide. Here goes. I shoot through the window and high into the air, the wind passing under our wings as we go higher and higher together.
Our wings.
"Yeah!" Hiccup yells, urging me to go faster. It's a sensation that I'll never get bored of. His and my delight as we rush into the skies, into our freedom, into the vast space above the land below. Where our spirits soar as high as the skies itself, where we truly understand each other without any doubt or question. In the world above, we are unstoppable.
Crippled when alone, whole when together.
We move effortlessly through the air, reading one another's moves as if it had all been a huge beforehand plan. Every little thought I make, every little move he does, is enough to tell us both where we want to go. His leg shifts to the slightest left and I know what he wants. He knows what I want.
The sea. Fish. For me!
I turn to my left and dive down straight towards the sea. After long periods of flying together, we discovered that this part of the sea had fish in abundance- all year long. Hiccup never told anyone about it, for it would destroy the fish's natural habitat, and, more importantly, it would destroy the small paradise that was claimed only by us.
Not for Hiccup's mate. Not for Hiccup's father. Not ever for his mentor.
Just for us. A sea where I could eat until I was satisfied, just for me and him.
Hiccup spots the massive cluster of fish below us exactly one second after I do.
"Shoot 'em up, Toothless!" he yells.
You got it.
I roar, sending a concussive blast of plasma straight into a nearby school of fish. It strikes the water with such force that the unfortunate fish fly into the air, giving any passers-by the illusion that fish could, indeed, fly. Not like how we flew, but to be in motion in the air.
"Bull's-eye!" Hiccup yells, patting my back to congratulate me. I croon happily, satisfied with my performance.
Hiccup holds up a little sack to catch some of the fish for his own meal, while I grab what tasty marine creatures I can into my mouth as they fall back into the sea. Being a Night Fury, I have a smaller anatomy than the others of my kin, but it also makes me have a much smaller appetite.
It's good, really. If you had to eat over a hundred fish per day, the fish would die out rather quickly. You have to take only what you need, and leave the rest to reproduce so they could make up for their losses.
A noble sacrifice for the mighty dragon, nonetheless.
I roast Hiccup's fish with a small dose of flame, resisting the urge to eat that as well. Burned or not, it's still fish. And it's still delicious! But, it's Hiccup's. So I let him have it.
By the time we head back home, there seems to be quite a commotion in front of Hiccup's house. I let him down gently and follow him towards the source of the noise.
To my surprise, Hiccup's excitement has reached its highest point yet. Did he expect this crowd, his friends, his father, his mentor?
I certainly didn't, anyway.
"I'll be right back, Toothless," he says. I nod, a little bit irritated, but happy that he's happy.
"Hiccup!"
"He's here!"
"Hey there, man!"
So I stand back and watch Hiccup run into his group of friends and get congratulated, hands slapping his back lightly, causing my eyes to slit very, very briefly, before understanding that it is just something that humans did, just like how his mate keeps on punching him. A part of me, of course, wants to pounce on them all to stop them from harming Hiccup, but I resist the increasingly growing urge. I don't want to ruin Hiccup's "excitement" just because I'm getting all worked up just because my friend was hit playfully.
Stupid over-protectiveness.
It's always been inside me ever since he found me in the cove. I want to protect him, for he protected me, gave me back what I lost, along with the so unworthy companionship, and I proved so many times so close to failing to do the same in return. Those early test drives. The arena. The Red Death. The last one was too close. I could never afford to lose him. I absolutely forbid that.
Our bond is only as strong as we believe in it. But there are, of course, things that could break those bonds without the consent of either of us.
I was not going to let those things harm him. Ever.
Hiccup says I'm way too possessive of him. How is that possible? I care for him so much, but I don't own him. He can own me all he wants, and I probably deserve it, being the idiotic thing that keeps by his side all the time, but I could never have him.
He does admit, though, that he's really protective of me as well, even though he can't "do much to help". I still laugh at that thought. How much does he know that I feel the safest when around him? That I feel the most secure? That I feel the most happy?
He and I are the epitome of how strong two souls can care for each other so deeply. Hiccup would never let me get hurt without him being able to help it. I still remember him climbing onto the fire-ridden boat, trying to pull those chains apart, affixed with the unbreakable will to save me. Go, I had thought back then. Save yourself. It's too dangerous. Yet, he persisted, even when the massive tail smashed down onto the ship; he went right down with me, still trying to rid me of the barrier that was shortly going to bring about my death- and his, too. Go!You'll be killed too! He was down there with me, keeping me company until the end of those supposedly last moments, until someone- I don't even care to remember who- came down to set us free.
There is nothing I could ever do to repay that. How do you go that far to save someone, knowing very well, that failure- and even sometimes success- would cost your own?
Nothing, of course. I just told you that.
I catch glimpses of their conversations as Hiccup is still getting jumped on by everybody in the group.
"...It's your birthday, Hiccup! Awesome!"
"...I hope you grow up to be just like your father, dude."
"...Don't push it too far- I'm still the best ladies man in Berk."
"...You look a bit taller today... how much is a taller?"
My eyes meet Hiccup's as he desperately mouths something to me.
Help me, is what he's saying- and thinking. We aren't mind readers, but we understand each other pretty well, especially when the situation calls for it. My eyes slit in agreement.
You. Get off my best friend. Now.
I dash up to him, yanking him from his mentor by the mouth and throwing him onto my back. I snort happily at the group, who seems to not be unhappy at all that I just intervened in their group conversation. "Damn perfect timing," he whispers. "Thanks."
"Aww, can't you see? Even Toothless is happy for you!" Hiccup's mate says happily, patting my head.
I'm always happy for him. Because he's him. And so should you, I croon.
Hiccup hooks up my tail and gives me a soft rub on the leg.
"Thank you a lot, everyone, for the, um, congratulations and all, but, uh, I really have to be off. Toothless is getting kinda impatient." I snort for obvious confirmation.
"Alright, Hiccup!"
"See you later!"
And with that, I turn around and take off to the skies once more, safe in the knowledge that Hiccup's "excitement" was fading quickly and turning into his thrill of flying once more. We fly towards the cove, 'Raven's Point,' as Hiccup calls it.
"Wow," Hiccup says happily. "They sure weren't that enthusiastic about my birthday last year."
I know, right? You needed to gain their trust to get them to like you. Guess you did.
Hiccup laughs. "And you're one of the biggest reasons why."
I am? All I did was be your friend. Then I come into revelation. Wait...
I remember what he told me all those months ago- when he was still seeing me in secret, when he was healing his wounds as well as mine, when no one else in the village truly knew about the story of him and me.
Dragon and human.
He told me that he was never really accepted into the village, widely known as "Hiccup the hiccup" as the best of names, being bullied and hurt all the time, never accepted in his father's eyes. It took a lot from me, back then, to not go looking for these monsters Hiccup mentioned of and rip them from limb to limb.
I wonder if any of those humanshad thought of what they had done before when they were talking to Hiccup. I wonder if they even remember.
If they don't, they're going to pay, I think.
Hiccup notices my silence and gives me a reassuring nudge. "You alright there, bud?"
I warble. Of course. If you weren't just so keen on worrying me all the time.
We reach the cove soon enough. Hiccup gets off and slumps onto the ground, sighing happily.
"This is the life, Toothless. Don't you just love it here?"
I love this place second only to you, but you won't be able to hear me anyway.
But still, it's the thought that counts, doesn't it?
He pulls up a lump of grass and stares at it intently, muttering something that I can't hear.
Humans.
I content myself with drinking water when I see him walk up to me.
He stands beside me, hand on my back, looking at his and my together reflection in the water.
Together. Best friends... forever.
"I'm one year older today, Toothless," he says, patting my scales. "1 more winter, for you."
I don't even remember the day I was born, I think. It isn't really important when you live for so long. Does it really matter when you're so happy?
"Time goes by so quickly," he says. "Only a few months ago I was nearly eaten by you."
I still regret ever considering that, if that makes you feel better, I warble.
But he can't hear me, so he gets worse. His hands droop a bit, his heart beating somewhat slower than usual, and the excitement from earlier is all gone.
What has gotten into him?
"Today is a happy day," he says.
It is. Well, it should be.
"Today when I age older one year..."
Nah. You age all the time, little by little. Today just means that you've done one more cycle of aging. You're 16 cycle snow- only 5 before me, in any case.
Despite dragons' lives being somewhat long, we lack a proper childhood. In about 5 cycles. we are already fit to leave the nest and into the world. We mature so quickly, because we don't have companions to hold us back, it isn't even funny.
But with Hiccup, I feel so young. I can finally show a playful and carefree side of myself that I've rarely even brought up.
So why is Hiccup not treasuring this childhood moment? Or is this the day that it ends?
Cheer up, bud. You'll get to mate in a few more years.
Hiccup gives me the biggest look of disbelief ever.
What?
"I'm older now. I can't do things that I could have before..." his tone is becoming more and more depressed. This is his birthday. He mustn't be so sad! I have to cheer him up!
I nudge him softly and let out a small purr.
Life is long! You have time to do plenty of things!
"I only have about 35 years left, you know," he says in a somewhat sad way.
I have a few more hundred to go- WHAT?
I spin around, nearly knocking him to the ground and staring at him.
THIRTY- FIVE- YEARS? is written all over my aghast face, filling up quickly with anger and fear.
Not to mention the morbid feeling slowly sinking into my stomach.
THIRTY FIVE YEARS?
"Whoa! Toothless! Calm down!"
No, I grumble angrily. I shake my head in anger.Thirty five years is like a blink of an eye! Do you know how short that is?
Hiccup seems to understand my anger. He sits down next to me, legs crossed, head down, drawing something in the grass.
"Most Berkian vikings live up to thirty. If you're very lucky, like Gothi, you get up to fifty. But that's it, Toothless. That's the most I can live. I won't be lasting anywhere as long as you."
I roar. Why, Hiccup? Why do humans have such short life spans?
He looks up to me with sad eyes. Those poor, soon-to-be-dead-eyes. Those eyes that mean so much to me. "I don't know why we live so short, Toothless. I've heard that your kind lives up to hundreds, even thousands of years." he says.
Yes. But why are you humans so weak? Why won't you live longer?
Why won't you be there when I'll need you the most?
Why won't you be there for me?
Why?
I croon angrily, stomping down a patch of grass until it's reduced to filth. I resist the urge to burn it too, for Hiccup is sitting so close by. He sees my anger and nods sadly.
"Come look at this, bud," he says quietly.
He motions me towards a ground-drawn picture. It's a horizon of a winter night, the representation of a year cycle, along with a short line on the bottom left side of it, divided into 50 lines perfectly. There's a little bit of empty space between the edge of the picture and the line.
"This is my life cycle," he says, pointing to the short line. I let out an indignant roar.
And it's already 15 damn lines through.
"Can you draw me your life cycle, bud?" his monotonic voice registers in my ear.
I want to stomp on that image, the representation of the puny life that humans had, a memento to me that I will be alone once again, never to see Hiccup again. I want to scorch the very earth that he will soon lie in, and burn the skies that make his life so short-lived. So miserable is his life. Why can't he get any more than that?
But I do what he wants me to. It's the least I can do to make him happy.
I shakily claw a much longer line below the one he drew, extending from the start to the end of the picture, denoting that my life has started only shortly before his. I divide that into several smaller lines, just enough to let him know that my life will consist of several more millennia after his. I snarl at my own drawing, refusing to accept the horrible truth.
Dragons are long-living creatures. We rule the skies and fight off other predators with our fire. We are strong and powerful. We are intelligent.
Despite all that, I feel so powerless at the moment. All the knowledge that I have can't tell me how to make his life longer. Not an ounce of my strength or fire will keep him going after he can go on no more.
I croon sadly, the fight going out of me at this revelation. As much as I love him, I cannot keep him. He will always be him, and I will always be me. We can come close, but we can never become one forever. We can share moments together, but we can never remember them after so long. I can treasure all he has done for me, but he will never be there for me to add more. He will be nothing more but a memory in my mind after his passing.
"Toothless." His voice is pained, but determined.
I turn towards him. If I could cry, like Hiccup did when he was sad, I would.
He draws a vertical line intersecting the two lines at the left side, exactly at the fifthteenth mark that Hiccup made.
"This is where we are now," Hiccup says quietly. "My life... is so short, compared to yours."
I shoot a firebolt into the sky to let out my frustration.
If I could do anything for you, Hiccup. What I would sacrifice to let us stay together longer.
"I know, Toothless..." he says, but I know he doesn't. Humans may have stronger emotions than dragons do, but it doesn't mean that he can even come close to comprehending what I am thinking, feeling, hurting, at the moment.
He was hurt. He was sad.
But he wasn't going to be the one who would miss me like I would.
He draws something in that wintery horizon. There is a little dragon, flying through the snowy sky, chasing the stars, with a small boy on his back, body leaning close to the dragon's for warmth.
"This is us now," he says.
He draws another vertical line, towards the middle of his own lifespan.
The dragon stays the same, but he draws a new boy- a boy grown much larger in size.
"This is us in a another decade," he says, voice slightly shaking now.
I let out a whimper.
He draws several vertical lines towards the end of his life, then adds more extending beyond that. Then he erases the boy from the white paradise.
"This is..." he begins, his voice very close to tears now.
...us in another 35 years. It's just not 'us' anymore.
It's the horrible, unchangeable, indelible truth.
It's me. Without Hiccup.
Alone.
Hiccup gives me a sympathetic look. He is strong, the boy, and I can see so much determination in him. He's close to crying, but he just won't.
"T-there will be a time, Toothless... that I will be too old to be able to ride you anymore..."
Without Hiccup.
My legs give away, slumping onto the ground, emotions blurred all into a deep mixture of fiery watercolors, staining my mind and tainting my consciousness. I let out a cry of despair, a cry that I have only used once before in my life, which was when Hiccup lay on the bed, motionless, for so many days after the battle with the Queen. I thought he was never coming back. But now, I realize that he is going anyway, regardless of what I do. Be it by nature or hand, he was going. My wings are arched towards the ground, the will to move them any further all gone. My snout drives itself into the ground below, not knowing why it should ever come back up.
He's going to die.
He won't be able to ride me anymore.
He's going to leave me alone.
"Toothless!" Hiccup says, surprised at my weakness. I can see a tear forming in his eyes.
Dragons are the mightiest of creatures. The strongest. They never pain in death, nor reveled in birth. They are fierce. They do not bow down to puny, sentimental emotions.
And yet, here I was, a dragon who, at the moment, was the opposite of it all.
I knew from the moment I met Hiccup that I wasn't a normal dragon. But I wasn't too different, either. I am strong, majestic, and bold.
Or so I think. But now, with the truth so clear and close...
Hiccup must think I'm a weakling, I think bitterly. I am a weakling.
But he is going to die anyway. What does it matter?
Of course it matters. He's my companion. My true friend. My heart and soul. My pride and joy. My freedom and happiness. My love and care. My shadow and light.
In Dragonese, the language of dragons, we have a word that means "not lonely". The human tongue, for all I know, does not. So ironic for a species that live mostly in large groups.
What would happen to me if he died?
My heart would shatter. My mind would shut down all at once, leaving my mentality dysfunctional and my soul crushed. I would only be able to think of one thing: He's gone. He's never going to ride your back again. He's never going to laugh, smile, or wake up again. He's dead. I would try to nudge him, to wake him up, to assure him it's all been just a bad dream, so I can feel his warm touch once again, and let out a roar of despair after it fails. I would refuse to eat. I will...
What am I going to do once he's gone?
There are many considerable possibilities, none of them worth anything after Hiccup's demise.
I could live after his death, but as a broken dragon of what I used to be. But why would I bother? What was the point of living anymore after him? There was nothing worth doinganymore. Not after all that he's done with me. Nothing would ever feel as good as that.
I would only live to survive for another day. What use would that be? I'd just be another of those reminders for the others in the village, a representation of the happy boy that once ran and played on the isles who was there no more.
I could go on and look for other Night Furies, even though I know that my efforts will be less than fruitless. I am the 'unholy offspring of lightning and death itself'. I come from the electrical storms that shook the world and killed the creatures of the world, and when I die, another massive tempest will arrive to collect my lifeless body.
Ever since I was born, on a high cliff, I was alone. I knew nothing of the word 'friend'. I don't even think the Night Fury Dragonese has a word for that. I always kept to myself, even in raids, for I did not know the point in communicating with others. Dragons, or at least the more isolated ones, have very little sense of care. They live alone, and get snappy when they are engaged in conversation. They do not feel the need to talk; they can be fine alone.
Night Furies are very, very, isolated. I never shrieked in horror when a fellow dragon was shot down. I never felt the need to take revenge for something, because I never cared for any of them. I only came and went as the Queen ordered, and even she knew to not try to converse with me. I had always felt nonchalant. I did not feel happy, nor sad, for I had no feelings at the time. I just did what I was told. I was a mechanical slave, in a way.
It was Hiccup who brought that out sentimental side from me. It was him who reached out and placed his hand on my snout, forming the strongest bond the world has yet to see. I was him who taught me how to feel happy. Not silent and solemn. But joyful. Happy.
Now I know why Hiccup cries so much about his mother. Because you once knew how it was like to be loved, to be cared for. And then it's taken away from you before you know it. And you yearn so deeply for it to come back once more. You can't turn back to being that nonchalant soul again. Once you love, you will always love.
Once you love, all you need is love.
Why would I even consider living, then? It makes no sense.
I could just die along with Hiccup. It would be so simple. I could time my heart beats in sync with his, so that when his stopped, so would mine. Then neither of us would have to worry about the other not being there. Because we both wouldn't.
Most dragons don't believe in an afterlife, but Hiccup does. I wonder if it really exists, and if it does, would I be in it? With him? Or is it only for humans?
If not, then I would truly be lonely forever.
Hiccup... who gave me back my life. The one who showed me the point of living, and who was going to strip me of it after he died.
Hiccup...
I divert my eyes around, looking for him. He isn't by my side now. Where is he?
"Toothless..." says a voice near my back.
My ears perk up, along with my nose as I register the smell of fish. And water.
I turn around and see him, soaking wet, panting, with a fish in hand.
Hiccup had gone into the pool and caught a fish. Just for me. With his prosthetic still on. How I did not hear him going in was a wonder.
Why he did it forme wasn't, though.
Hiccup? I ask curiously.
He smiles. "Toothless."
And it's just like what had happened several months ago, when he approached me with a fish, trying to gain my trust, replaying in my head, and now once again in front of me. I try to understand his motives through those large, green eyes of his. Apology? Kindness? Understanding? Does he forgive me for being mad? Was he ever mad at me in the first place?
My mind replays what it had thought all those months ago, at this very same place, back to me.
You got this fish just for me?
My mouth inches slowly for the fish, my teeth retracted to not scare Hiccup. He looks at me with a small smile, his mind running with excitement and concern.
"Toothless, huh? I swear you had-"
I snap my jaws shut on the fish, biting it twice before swallowing it whole.
I approach him slowly, but this time, he stays where he is. When I get close enough, he reaches out his hand.
Which I meet with my snout.
Hiccup...
Then he's all over me, hugging me and crying and laughing at the same time, leaving me to stand there and rumble happily in content, for that this is Hiccup, this is my soulmate, my friend for life, my reason for living.
He gets up from his hugging posture and gets down on one knee, so our eyes meet each other in perfect level.
"I'm sorry that I made you worry, bud," he says with an apologetic look.
You still do, everyday, but that's alright. I forgive you.
You're my friend, after all.
I resist the urge to regurgitate the fish from my stomach. Instead, I give him a nod.
"I know that you're worried that I won't be there for you, Toothless," he says.
I mumble quietly, but loud enough to let him know that I am.
"But... whatever may happen, Toothless, I want you to live your life to the fullest, alright?"
Why? I think. What point is there to live without you?
"Because your life is much more important than mine, Toothless," he says. "You have so many more places to go, more places to see."
My back legs twitch.
"You don't have to be stuck with this scrawny little boy forever, you know. You'll find new friends, better than me, and you'll be really happy. Isn't that what matters the most?"
My front legs twitch.
"If it's fine by you, I-I've made a new prosthetic tail for you, one that you can fly on your own with," he says. "So that you can explore the world once I'm gone."
My ears twitch.
"You are the most important being in my life, Toothless. I want you to be happy until the day you die, alright?"
My wings twitch.
"I don't want to hold you back. And certainly don't die for me-"
That's enough.
I pounce on him, knocking him down and licking his face so vigorously that he's forced to lay his head to the side to avoid the oncoming assault of dragon saliva.
Which, if it could ever cure anything, it would be sadness.
"Ah! Whoa! Buddy..." he says weakly as I draw back, satisfied with my doings.
As he gets up, I push him slowly towards a rock- the very same rock so many months ago, in fact- and push my snout up towards his chest, where I know where his heart is.
You are the reason why I am still living, Hiccup. You mean so much to me, much more than my own self means to me. Without you, I would not be here today. I can never tell you how happy I feel to just be with you, fly with you, play with you, everyday, because you just keep adding more and more, and I want you to be happy until the day you die as well, Hiccup.
I may become broken, I may become what I am not today, but I will live for you. For you gave me life, and I will not let that life go to waste. You gave me a reason to live on after you, and that is so I can be happy. And I will.
No matter where I go, I will always remember you, Hiccup. You will always be the flame that lights my soul, the burning passion that keeps me alive. When I see the sea, the earth, the sky, or all these places we have roamed together, I will think of you. My travelling companion. My friend for life.
I will never find someone as good as you, because I will not feel anyone worth being with more than you, for you introduced these feelings of sentimentality to me. I will never again let anyone ride on my back, for the seat is reserved for you only, and I will wait for death so you can take the seat once again and fly into the infinite space before us.
I will never approach a human that is not related to you, because I know that I cannot trust anyone else that you do not trust yourself. I will be happy on my own, to fly where I want, to see the sceneries and sunsets until the day my body falls to the ground and is taken away by the fierce lightning that too gave birth to me, so I can tell you of these beautiful things once we are together again.
Hiccup... thank you. For everything. Love you, bud.
I lift my snout from his chest slowly, him looking at me with a teary, yet happy face. I know that he heard me, understood me, felt me, for these feelings are not of our own individually, but shared together in a ball of everlasting fire that will stand to test the limits of time. It is one of those times that you know that the other can't talk, but you can just hear them talking to you, in your mind, for our bonds are strong enough for these feelings to reach each other. In other words, we are one.
There is no 'my human' or 'his dragon'.
There is only us.
Hiccup beams at me, his tears doing nothing to hide his glowing face.
"W-We'll be together again, Toothless. Don't you worry. Even after death do us part."
You betcha.
He leans forward and gives me another tight hug by the neck.
"I love you too, bud."
We walk over to the pond, where, after approval from Hiccup, I burn the drawing to a crisp, so even the sand underneath becomes an ashy black.
"You drew pretty well too, though," he says.
I snort. You don't happen to forget the day I drew a picture for you, do you?
"I know that you drew a picture before," he says, looking at the scorched earth. "It's just I've never seen you do it again since."
Oh, I can do it again, I warble.
He laughs.
We spend the rest of the day lying in the cove, snacking on what we can, but mostly just lying there together, watching the sun rise to its maximum peak.
And this is an excellent example of our friendship, I tell you.
Because one of us can speak. The other can't. But yet we know each other so much better than those who talk to each other every day. These instincts, actions, emotions, are all caused by understanding and happiness that we know the other has. You would get rather bored, if you had a mute person as a friend. You wouldn't have anything to talk about after some time and you'd eventually leave. Or maybe you've had a friend so close that you became tooclose, and the more you talked the farther you pushed each other away.
Not Hiccup, that's for sure. He is the living testament that humans could truly befriend dragons, that unconditional love can be found in the most unlikely of places, that you didn't need to be strong and bulky to be someone's friend. That all you needed was trust and care.
And he certainly didn't mind that I couldn't talk.
It is a sign of how close we are, to understand thoughts and feelings without even talking.
Not very many people have friends like that. Even less don't even have friends.
We are a lucky pair, I think.
"We sure are," Hiccup's voice trails from next to me. It's only then that I notice that he's asleep. Again.
And again, I let him be, unfurling a wing and wrapping him softly to block out the sunlight.
It's his birthday. Give him some slack.
A few hours later, when the sun has clearly passed its prime, Hiccup gets up. He's still pretty touched from the conversation earlier today, and gives me an affectionate pat on the head.
"You ready to go, bud?" he asks, climbing up the saddle.
You mean, to fly off into the sky?
"To feel the wind pass our bodies, to do tricks that would baffle even ourselves."
I spread out my wings, waiting for Hiccup to lock the prosthetic into place.
To live life to the fullest.
"To live life to the fullest," Hiccup says at the same time. He notices this and laughs.
And so do I.
We're up in the sky before we know it, the splashes of sunset vividly dancing around as we shake loose our fears and worries with the passing wind, the air flying past our ears, drowning any outside sounds, like the world is insignificant, and what only matters is us, soaring through the layers of wind, wings flapping in a melodic pattern, body turning and spinning gracefully in the air, our dives and climbs free and true, our shouts of joy echoing out for the whole world to hear, even if the whole world didn't care.
And, you know what, that was fine by us.
Because, in the end, what mattered the most was how we felt. Not anyone else.
Only us.
A/N: Chapter 2 is coming (very) shortly!