A/N - No, this isn't the big fic I've been working on. It's just something to work on when I get frustrated with Manlíkan, but the first chapter should be up soon. This story will go a little bit into the language I'll be using for dragons in the big one, though.
Disclaimer - If only.
"Say again?"
Toothless hummed, then clicked twice.
"Like this?" Hiccup made a strangled noise that sounded something like a dying yak crossed with a sheep during mating season, then smacked his lips in an imitation of Toothless' click.
Toothless groaned and covered his eyes with a paw. Hiccup frowned. He tried again, this time attempting to lower his voice and make it as rough as Toothless'.
"This Rœða?"
Toothless perked up, surprised, then smiled widely, his tail wagging and head bobbing up and down in confirmation. He had been trying to teach his human Rœða (or Dragonese, as Hiccup called it) for weeks. Hiccup asked the Night Fury what sounds he made for words, and Toothless spoke the words in the clearest, slowest voice he could use without sounding like a complete fool and, as a result, Hiccup now understood most words of the language.
The hard part was learning to speak it.
Hiccup listened hard as Toothless let out an excited string of warbles and barks and managed to catch a few words, mainly "...yes!" and "...joy!" The rest he couldn't make out. Toothless seemed to realize this because he slowed his speech considerably to a speed Hiccup could understand.
"Hikke speak Rœða with Toothless and Hikke sound like dragon! Joy to Toothless and to Hikke!" He crowed happily, flaring his wings slightly. "Hikke first verja dragons from Sá Dróttningillt, now Hikke speak with vikingr and dragon!"
Hiccup frowned. There were a lot of things he didn't understand in that statement, but he was pretty sure that Hikke was his name in Dragonese, vikingr was Viking, and that Rœða meant Dragonese, but he didn't know any of the other unfamiliar words Toothless had used.
"What Sá Dróttningillt?" he tried, sounding out the words carefully.
Toothless' frills drooped slightly as he considered how to explain the words to Hiccup with his limited understanding of Rœða.
"Is big, come mountain, live in fire rock?" Toothless said, tilting his head as he thought about his words. "We fly down, Sá Dróttningillt follow." He glanced at Hiccup's fake foot. "Take leg."
Hiccup's eyes widened in understanding. The Red Death.
Toothless looked at his prosthetic tail, then at Hiccup's leg. "No bad thing. Take leg, give flaugun. Make both one. Together!"
Hiccup tilted his head like Toothless had. "Flaugun?"
Toothless waved his tail and flared his wings again. "Flaugun! Fall with wings!"
Hiccup laughed. Toothless meant flying. "Yes. Fly together. Always," He crooned slowly. "Joy for Viking and Human!"
Toothless jumped up and pressed his large, flat head into Hiccup's chest, burying himself in the soft wool of his vest. He began to purr, and Hiccup caught one long word.
"Love."
Hiccup smiled, and wrapped his arms around Toothless' neck in an awkward, draconic hug.
"Love."
A/N - I thought you guys could use a happier ending after that last one. In case anyone's confused, Hiccup and Toothless are speaking Dragonese whenever the dialogue is in italics, and the bolded words are words Hiccup doesn't know yet.
If you're interested, Toothless' word for the Red Death literally translates to "Queen of Evil" or "Bad Queen". There isn't actually a word for hiccup in Old Norse, which is what I used for the Dragonese, so I just translated hiccup to Norwegian.
Anyway, I love writing these things, so I'll probably be back soon.
Till then, fara heil ok vel.
