It was one of those rare occasions when Hiccup walked on his own. Toothless was out "fishing", well, really he was dunking his unhinged jaw into the water and scooping up some poor aquatic creature into his massive jaws, but this meant that Hiccup didn't really have a pair of wings to go exploring with.
After refilling his Dragon Blade with the saliva of the Monstrous Nightmare, Hiccup decided that he would do something that his wee, pre-dragon fifteen-year-old self did when he was avoiding helping his father smith weaponry- go on a walk. So Hiccup started out on Berk's main path, but naturally, strayed off of it. It was a beautiful day outside, at least, by his measure. The sky was gray and overcast, the scent of freshly-caught fish and sea foam hanging in the air. Hiccup loved flying in the clouds. The air was thick and misty, meaning no hot sun on his back or need for sunburn-preventive aloe from the old medicine woman. Toothless would erupt with some plasma blasts on sunny occasions, which always made Hiccup nervous. Wetness like today discouraged Toothless from making such plasma blasts, which fizzled with water to make a very unpleasant rotten-egg scent. Hiccup would definitely have to go exploring with Toothless later.
Hiccup entered the forest. The scent was so familiar here. Out there, the fish, the fires of the metal, the sounds of the tribe- those were his father's sounds. He didn't have any problems with Dad, no, he loved his father, but he still didn't feel quite at home. Here, the smell of fresh earth, of plants pushing up from the ground, even the scent of fresh dragon dung- these were Hiccup's scents.
Soft light filtered through the trees, making it even darker within the forest's realm. Hiccup found himself smiling. The vibrant greens of the leaves, the muted browns of the undergrowth, the slate below his feet, all of these things he loved. He finds himself wandering towards Raven's Point, the place where poor Toothless had landed when Hiccup had shot him down. Things were so different then. Things are so different now. Hiccup slipped up on a loose rock and took a moment to right his footing, being careful with his metal leg. That was a really different thing. There were days when he forgot that he lost the foot. There were days when he was very angry about it. On those days, he reminded himself just how hard it was for Toothless to relearn how to fly. How scared Toothless looked when Hiccup almost cut his heart out. Yes, things were very different from then.
Hiccup often wondered about Toothless. He and the dragon had an immense bond- sort of physical, in the way that they basically made each other lose an appendage and that they could really only fly well together. It was also mental, however; Hiccup found people staring as he easily translated Toothless's eye twitches, tail sashays and the movement of his wings into something human. Hiccup had no better friend, and neither did Toothless.
But...Hiccup had Astrid. A smile was already creeping onto his face as he thought of her. All the things that made her: her low but warbling voice, the skulls belted around her waist, her simpering and gruff grin.
Toothless didn't really have someone like that.
Hiccup was pondering this when he began smelling something dreadful. He blinked, finding himself already on the knoll, in sight of the pit he found Toothless in. Hiccup stopped walking and began sniffing the air. Rotten eggs.
Hiccup grinned, shaking his head.
"Alright, Toothless, come on out. If you feel like sneaking up on me, lay off of the plasma rays."
No response. Hiccup folded his arms across his chest. A breeze hustled through the branches, leaves floating through the acrid air.
"Come on," Hiccup called. "The joke is up. How were the fish today?"
Again, no response. But Hiccup did hear something. A low sigh, coming directly from the pit below. It didn't sound much like Toothless, but there was no sure way of telling with the dragon.
"Okay," Hiccup said. "You want me down there, I'll come on down."
He edged his way down the side of the knoll, the long grass entangling his metal prosthetic several times. Hiccup grunted in irritation and made a few comments to Toothless. But the closer he came to the pit, the more noises he heard. Quiet drawling sighs. Yet the air smelled significantly like a plasma and water reaction. Was Toothless hurt? A ball of worry knotted itself in Hiccup's stomach as he approached the edge of the pit.
Hiccup stared into the pit.
It was a smaller, scaly body. Curved, not angular. Dark black. Plasma in the air. Sleeping quietly. Less spikes running down the back. All curled up into a tight, cat-like ball.
A young Night Fury.
Hiccup forgot about the rest of his walk.