Before and After

i. Toothless

name

Before, he had the name his parents' had given him: Nyxyn. Then, he was simply known as Night Fury by the other dragons enslaved by the Red Death. And the Red Death, in the battle, referred to him as the Pest.

After, he was called Toothless, an unusual nickname that just stuck. Then, he was given the affectionate nickname of bud. And then Hiccup called him "useless" reptile. He loved all of these names though, even the amusement and satisfaction he got out of the last one, and he loved them far more than his old names.

("Toothless? Huh, I could've sworn you had - teeth...")

lazy days

Before, lazy days were rare and few in between. He needed to help his pack, or the Queen's dragons, hunt. Free time meant soaring high above the clouds, relishing in his freedom, or taking a nap.

After, lazy days were more common. However, he was always technically on the clock. He needed to make sure Hiccup didn't fall, since the boy was still wobbly with his prosthetic; Toothless didn't mind though. Free time meant hanging with the other dragons, soaring high above the clouds, relishing in his freedom, or taking a nap, but Hiccup made everything better.

naps

Before, naps happened only when there was nothing else to do, the only way to defeat boredom.

After, naps were a pleasurable pastime. He and Hiccup would often doze in the cove when the village got too noisy for the boy's liking. And the small weight of Hiccup leaning against him always made him fall asleep much faster than before.

nightmares

Before, he had almost never gotten nightmares. Being young and ignorant, there was nothing to fear... Until he met the Queen. There wasn't much time to sleep after that though.

After, he knew them regularly. The most common one was where he didn't reach Hiccup in time to save him from the fire. He knew his boy got them too, so he knew he could live with them, if only to understand what Hiccup was going through.

tailfin

Before, losing one had marked the end of a dragon. The pack would abandon them after a while. Or the Queen would gobble them up. He had felt complete devastation when he had realized it was gone.

After, he knew it wasn't the end of the world. He would never be the same again - but personally he thought it was a fairly small price to pay for all he had gained.

forgiveness

Before, dragons didn't forgive easily. Grudges were taken to the death. If someone wronged you, you didn't forgive. You didn't let go.

After, forgiveness is something that is exchanged daily between the rider and dragon.

sorry

Before, it was something that was said to him, not by him.

After, it goes both ways more often than not, between Hiccup and Toothless, but also, the dragon noted, between humans as well. Maybe that's why their overall society was better than his old pack.

home

Before, home was the place he could rest his head. A place he knew, for the moment, he wouldn't die. When he was forced to join the Queen, the idea of home vanished completely.

After, it's wherever Hiccup is.

fear

Before, he feared for his survival. In the pack, he was too young to really know fear. With the Queen, he didn't want to die. He wanted to get out. He felt bad for the other dragons, but overall it was every dragon for itself.

After, he feared for Hiccup's survival more than his own. And somehow, that scared him a bit too.

humans

Before, humans were odd creatures. Not much was known about them. Then, they were ferocious and should be avoided at all costs.

After, Toothless knew what it was to love one.

bed

Before, his bed was the most comfortable patch of stone in the cave. Then, it was the heated craggy ledge he preferred on Dragon Island, as far away from the Queen's lair as possible.

After, it's a slab of stone in his boy's room. His boy and Stoick had an argument about it. His boy threatened to sleep outside with him if it didn't happen. Stoick finally relented. The Chief would be furious if he knew Toothless sometimes slept with Hiccup on the boy's bed during especially cold nights.

music

Before, he didn't know it. The sound of birds chirping was enjoyable, but that was as far as his knowledge went.

After, Toothless knew it was loud. There were lots of pounding and strumming long pieces of rope and yelling words that rhymed. It was loud. But he liked it anyway.

chief

Before, he had no idea what the word meant. There was the Alpha, his father. The one who looked after everyone. Then, he had a tyrant, who ruled by force and brute strength.

After, he had a sense of respect, forgiveness and gratitude towards the man. And he also knew Hiccup would make an excellent one someday.

dependent

Before, he was dependent on his mother. Later, on managing to bring enough fish to not get eaten.

After, he was dependent on Hiccup for the simple act of flying which was the single most important skill of a dragon. But Hiccup was dependent on him to reach the skies too, and he had no problem with them doing it together.

death

Before, he was too young to understand. Sometimes dragons fell asleep and didn't wake up. Or the nasty colour red covered them. Then, it became all too familiar until it was all around him. And he felt it caress his snout too many times for his liking.

After, he learned of it's sadness. And as people - Hiccup grew up and as the others met death, he learned one of the worst things ever: dragons met death a lot later than humans.

strength

Before, it was a matter of muscles. Could he push his opponent off him? Could he fly faster? Life was survival of the fittest.

After, it wasn't just muscles. It was to stand up no matter how much your heart ached. To try even though you knew you were probably beaten before you even started. And although even after, the villagers never really thought of Hiccup as strong, Toothless knew he was stronger than all of them.

love

Before, it was fleeting. It was more of a like. Then, it was gone completely.

After, it's always the strongest force pushing him forwards.

bravery

Before, he thought that being brave meant not being afraid. If you were afraid, you could not be brave.

After, he knew it was being terrified, and doing it anyway. ("Hold Toothless... NOW!")

hug

Before, it was not something he had ever experienced. Dragons simply couldn't hug. They pressed snouts together, or laid their head on top of another's, if affection was shown at all.

After, he loved getting them. And over time, he managed to give half a hug back.

flight

Before, it was his favourite thing to do. Spiraling into the clouds, letting himself fall back and then gliding over the water at breakneck speeds.

After, it was his favourite thing to do. Spiraling into the clouds, letting himself fall back and then gliding over the water at breakneck speeds. But now it felt wrong if the familiar weight wasn't on his back. So at Snoggletog, he gladly came back with the helmet as a peace-offering.

swimming

Before, he hated swimming. If you got wet, you couldn't use a plasma blast, and that was just an unwise choice for a Night Fury. With the Queen, it wasn't even an option.

After, he gladly went in the water to swim. Hiccup was still relearning how to with his stump and all, and it looked fun. The dragon's cannonball had made Hiccup laugh so hard, the delay in being able to use his plasma blasts didn't bother Toothless at all.

food

Before, it was caribou and elk. Then it was sheep, or a few small fish.

After, it's as many fish as he would dream of in a basket, although he goes fishing with Hiccup when he wants to. And sometimes Stoick sneaks him one under the table. ("Dad, he's going to get fat if you keep doing that!")

family

Before, it was a mother and a father. Then, there was nobody.

After, it was Hiccup. And Stoick and Astrid and the other dragons. But mostly Hiccup.

sacrifice

Before, it was having someone spend their time hunting for him. Or watching a Gronckle give another its largest fish to give the Queen so they wouldn't be eaten.

After, it was something Toothless had done many times for Hiccup. And something Hiccup had done many times for him as well. ("Astrid, if something... goes wrong, just make sure they don't find Toothless.")

trials

Before, they were certain tests, trials he had to go through in order to be a full member of the pack. He passed them all with ease. With the Queen, there were still trials to face - the Vikings didn't like losing their sheep, after all, did they?

After, Toothless has pushed through many to have his friendship with Hiccup. And although they were hard and scary, he would gladly do them all again for his boy.

protect

Before, he had parents who protected him. Then, he had only himself to protect.

After, he had a human - who, he quickly learned, were some of the most fragile of creatures - and he would stop at nothing to guard him from all harm.

friend

Before, he barely knew the word. There were certain dragons he respected, could tolerate, but none he would seek out on his own.

After, it was his whole world.

A/N: The next chapter will be Hiccup's, and like this one, I'll be doing little snippets on 27 words - some will be similar, and I have some already chosen (alone, for example,) but if you'd like to leave some in the review below, please do so. Depending on how many I get, I may not be able to do all of them, but I'll take as many as I can.

:) Tell me what ya thought if you want.