"Daddy?" a timid voice piped up, making Hiccup's head turn from the statue he was admiring.
"Yes, Stoick?"
"Wh-what's wrong?" the blonde boy asked, gripping his stuffed toy dragon closer to his chest as he walked up to his father, who was sitting in front of the memorial to Toothless, his dragon. Hiccup sighed at the question, emerald gaze wandering back to the finely made statue, glistening in the sunlight.
"Oh, nothing. Today is just, a very special day,"
"Mummy said it was," Stoick nodded, following his father's gaze to the stone dragon. He shuffled up to Hiccup, where the chieftain picked his son up, placing him on his lap, hugging him closely.
"But what is today?" the small question popped up after a minute of silence, and Hiccup sent a glance down to the little child in his arms. A dim smile tugged at his lips, seeing his son's natural curiosity, which reminded him so much of himself at the age of six. The birds in the trees surrounding the Cove tweeted, as the warm afternoon sun smiled down at the two, encouraging Hiccup to tell his story.
"Well, today is when I met a very special friend," the chief explained carefully.
"Toothless?"
"Yes,"
"Why was he named that, exactly?"
"Toothless? I could have sworn you had- teeth," the memory of the dragon flashed through Hiccup's mind, making him chuckle lightly.
"Well, he did have teeth, but they were retractable,"
"Rectra- recrat- what does that mean?" his boy tried.
"It means he can suck them into his gums, so that he looks Toothless," the auburn-haired chief laughed, shifting his son's position on his lap as he found a more comfortable position on the boulder. It wasn't too uncomfortable, it was covered with new moss, which had just come along with the rains of Spring.
"That would look funny," the child giggled, trying to imagine a dragon with no teeth.
"Yes, yes it was," a picture of Toothless' gummy smile clicked into Hiccup's mind's eye, sending a warm glow spiraling around his heart, sending the chief hugging his son closer.
"So, why isn't he here anymore if he was such a good friend? Did he leave you for another better friend?" the question came out fused with child-like inquisitiveness, yet it sent a dagger through Hiccup's chest, freezing the warm glow that had been so welcomed in his heart. He gulped, refusing to meet his son's gaze as he thought of how to answer the question.
"I'm sorry, Daddy," little Stoick's green eyes flashed with guilt, upon feeling his father tense.
"W-well, kind of. But you see, this friend wasn't necessarily better, but he needed her more than me. You see, his new friend was his kind, and there wasn't any of his kind left. If you want, I can tell you the story,"
"Okay!" the little blonde chirped, cheering up at the idea of a story.
"Well, it was all after your mother and I got married, and we were out flying, trying to find her dragon who was leading some new Nadders on a migration back to Dragon Island, who had been captured by Drago and his hunters. We were clearing all the captured dragons after Eret showed us his base, so that they could be free once more. Well, those dragons were very tired, and your mother had trusted Stormfly to make her way back to Dragon Island leading them by herself, yet she hadn't returned for three months," Hiccup began, looking down at his son fondly. A pair of blue eyes watched from the shadows, as a smile lightened Astrid's face at hearing her husband finally talk about the thing that had been tearing him apart, and worrying her herself.
"Hiccup, it's getting a bit late. I don't think Stormfly would be out in the dark she knows that it's harder for the other dragons to fly this late into the night, especially the younger ones!" Astrid cried over the raging winds, bringing her husband's attention to her.
"But, we have to find her!"
"Yes, and we will! We just need to land down, give Toothless a rest!" As if to confirm this, the dragon warbled tiredly, drawing a sigh from his rider.
"Alright, alright, we'll land,"
"As soon as morning comes, we'll look for them," Astrid promised, with Hiccup nodding in reply.
Toothless gratefully alighted on the ground, heaving out an exhausted breath. Hiccup and Astrid jumped down, into the heather, which crinkled a little under their weight. The couple walked down the slope of the cliff, heading towards the shelter of the trees. Toothless begrudgingly followed them, yawning as he plopped himself down next to his rider and his mate, grateful for the coolness as the last glow of light dissolved into the coming darkness.
"Do you want to find the wood or should I?" Astrid yawned, stretching out against Toothless' flank sleepily.
"I'll find it, you just rest tight milady," Hiccup smiled tiredly, kissing his wife lightly on her cheek. The blonde didn't argue, her eyes fluttering shut at the final relaxation of rest.
"Look after her, bud," Hiccup warned Toothless, giving his dragon a playful scratch behind his horns. The dragon just grumbled in reply, shifting his head to his paws.
The chief rolled his eyes, turning to walk into the shadowed woods which rustled in the chilling wind, sending a draft through Hiccup's tousled hair.
A long cry, which could be more described as a shriek, ripped through the calm atmosphere, ricocheting through Hiccup's ears and sending the hairs on his back in a frenzied dance. The chief stiffened, as Toothless' and Astrid's heads shot up.
The wail sounded again, longer and sadder, triggering Toothless to race off towards the sound.
"Tooth- bud! Wait up!" the chief cried, gesturing for Astrid to follow. With that, the two sprinted after the departing dragon, straight into a network of boulders forming small caves.
"What were in the caves Papa?" wide-eyed Stoick questioned, his emerald eyes glistening stronger than Hiccup's own.
"It was a dragon. A female Night Fury," Hiccup explained, his smile strong but sad.
"Really? But wasn't Toothless the last of his kind?"
"We had thought that, up until then," the chief confirmed, gaze wandering back to the statue of his dragon, which shone a magnificent golden colour in the dawning sun, outlined by the coming navy of night time.
"But there was the dragon-"the child breathed out, nodding for his father to go on.
"Yes. We tried to bring her back with us, but she was too untrusting. I guess she wasn't used to humans, but she took to Toothless real quick,"
Toothless cooed encouragingly to the new Night Fury, who whined back worryingly. Hiccup patted his dragon's head, as the moonlight outlined the pair in the entrance of the cave. The Night Fury snorted at the Viking, drawing further back into the shadows, shaking her head defiantly.
"C'mon, it's alright. We won't hurt you," Hiccup kneeled down to the Night Fury's eye level, crawling towards her.
The dragon hissed, her teeth retracting outwards, which she happily showed the young chieftain. Hiccup winced at her hostility, drawing his hovering hand back. Toothless took lead, nosing his way between the two and warbling playfully to the other Night Fury. She seemed hesitant once more, glancing to and from the pair in front of her.
Once more she calmed, her body relaxing a little as she let Toothless come over and look at her better. He trilled at her, sending her eyes back to Hiccup then Toothless once more.
The Alpha nodded gently, prodding her flanks to push her towards his rider. She growled once more at Hiccup, before he could even approach her.
The chieftain sighed, looking at his dismayed dragon, who cooed in one last attempt to get the Night Fury to listen to him.
However, she didn't, and as the night wore on Hiccup was forced to leave the dragon in the caves, to go on in search of his wife's dragon. But of course, he logged the location of the island, calling it The Island of Night.
For old times' sake.
They promised her they would be back, especially Toothless who seemed dismayed at leaving the only other Night Fury they had ever found.
"We'll be back," Astrid assured her husband, who seemed both exhausted and depressed. They had just taken off the small island, leaving the assortment of rocks and boulders behind shrouded in the honey light.
"Of course we will," he agreed, looking down at Toothless.
"For his sake,"
"Did you go back?" little Stoick asked, squirming closer to Hiccup eagerly.
"Of course we did," the chief chuckled, ruffling his son's hair affectionately, earning a rolling giggle.
"So, when?"
"Well, it was a couple of months later. I would have gone sooner but being Chief is a big commitment, and a Chief must protect his- own," the familiar phrase came to his tongue, completely naturally.
Toothless scoured the skies, searching longingly for Plasma, which is what they had decided on calling her.
"How did you know it was a lady dragon?" Stoick piped up, cutting in.
"O-oh. Well, Toothless acted the same around her like around Stormfly, playful yet a little more gentle and respecting. And, she was smaller and more navy in colour,"
The dragon trilled sadly, exhaling through his snout, eyes going downcast. Toothless looked to his paws, the memory of another Night Fury taunting his mind's eye. It drove him crazy, and even though Hiccup didn't mean to keep him waiting, the dragon just couldn't stop wondering and worrying about Plasma.
"Hey bud, there you are! There's a dragon fight going on outside the Great Hall and someone almost got squashed, which stirred up a ruckus and now everyone's freaking out. Could you please go and, stop the, fight… Toothless?" Hiccup ended, walking up to his dragon.
Toothless looked at him through rounded pupils that took up most of his eyes, only lined with a thin iridescent glow of green.
"O-oh… I'm so sorry bud, we just haven't had any time and-"
The dragon cooed, returning his gaze to the sky sadly. The Chief's throat restricted at his dragon's grief, and now that he realized it, his dragon had been a little more restless and impatient with the others. Only now did he take the time to really show his loneliness, which hit a note of guilt on Hiccup's heart. He was happily married, and had a whole village full of caring people, and a group of amazing (yet crazy) friends.
"We'll go right after I finish sorting out the meeting with Dagur and the Beserkers. I promise you, we'll bring her back,"
"So you brought her back to Berk?" Stoick asked, confused at how Toothless had to leave in the first place.
"N-no. There was no convincing her to come,"
"Why?"
"Shackle marks!" Hiccup gasped, as the light of daytime highlighted the scars on Plasma. The Night Fury moaned sadly, laying down next to a worried Toothless who wouldn't stop sniffing her neck.
"You must have been captured by the hunters! No wonder Drago knew what a Night Fury looked like!" the chief crept closer, trying to place a hand on her neck. However, Plasma instantly went defensive, bearing her teeth and snapping at Hiccup's hand, which retreated just in time. They were now in a little clearing, just next to the collection of rocks where they had first found her.
"Hiccup, she's not going to trust you believe me," a voice exclaimed from behind the chief, startling Plasma even more.
Eret emerged with Skullcrusher, folding his arms in front of himself. He briefly shook his head as Hiccup reached out once again, only to be snapped at once again. Toothless nudged Plasma gently, trying to stop her from hurting his Hiccup.
"Word of an ex-trapper. They did worse than just lock dragons up in prison and throw away the key. Whipping was a normality. Trust me when I say, seldom any dragon's would trust again,"
"But that's horrible," Hiccup whispered, glancing at all of the whip marks that wounded the Night Fury.
"I know," Eret sighed, patting Skullcrusher reassuringly as the dragon nudged his arm.
"Well, I brought you here to see if you recognized her, or knew of something that could help us. Anything?" the chief asked hopefully, drawing a large sigh from his friend, who's gaze scanned the scarred Night Fury.
"Nothing. You said a dragon, but I thought it was a normal one. Not a Night Fury," the man said, walking to Hiccup's side.
"I would give anything to earn her trust. You would think that such a rare dragon would be treated better, since they would run the risk of extinction. And, they would cost a filthy amount of money on market," Hiccup lamented, as Toothless licked Plasma's scars, which was rewarded with a friendly warble. They started to nudge each other, rolling in the dirt, Toothless clearly ecstatic at finding her again.
"You would think, but there was one thing that held back the generosity," Eret started, as Skullcrasher wandered over to see if he could join in the fun.
"Which is?"
"That Drago loathes Night Furies with a burning passion. In all honesty I'm surprised to see this one escape. Truth be told, after the incident… well, I don't know for sure, but rumours fly around a guy like him," the man chuckled as Plasma pinned Toothless, which had him wriggling and squirming to try and get out of his grasp.
"Why did he hate them so much?" Hiccup asked, a dread clawing up his spine.
"Well, rumour was that his family was killed by them, and he barely escaped,"
"Or tear them apart," the words echoed through Hiccup's head as he remembered the villain's amputated arm.
"And they think it was a Night Fury why?"
"Well, his coat, the one he's had since he appeared, is so close to a Night Fury's it makes you wonder how it couldn't be a Night Fury's. Add that with the fact that he's had it long before he started the dragon army and gotten into the dragon trapping business and it sets up a nice spicy rumour to spread. If you like that sort of thing," Eret shrugged, receiving an unimpressed look from his chief.
"I'm just saying, it looks like a Night Fury's skin. That and his skin has always been a little darker than ours, and let's just say this is not the place to get tanned*," the man chuckled, sending a thoughtful look to drift to Hiccup's face.
"Well, Toothless does seem to prefer hotter climates, and warms up his bed when he sleeps,"
"There, reason for the rumours right there! I always had an inkling, either way, and didn't brush those rumours off. Could prove useful one day,"
"Mmm," the men looked back to the playing dragon's.
"So Dargo killed all the Night Furies?" Stoick asked in a frightened whisper, dreading the answer.
"Well, we never found out, but one day on a raid to get rid of the rest of the dragon trappers and free the remaining dragons, we did find some remains, and on some of the wood we found a Night Fury bite mark. I've always had my suspicions, either way,"
"S-so, what happened next?"
"Well, we kept trying to convince Plasma we meant no harm, but however much we tried, she never left her post behind Toothless. So, we left once more-"
"But, why didn't she just, fly away? She had all her wings, right?" the small child asked, just as the sun started blinking away, casting shadows to play along the pair.
"We, were never sure. Your mother suspected that maybe, since there was a possibility Night Furies preferred solitude, Plasma chose to stay on that little island. It was only occupied with the odd Terrible Terror, and it was quiet and a nice calm place. Eret thought she was tired after her long journey from Drago's headquarters, and weak after her rough treatment, and couldn't physically leave. I personally felt that she waited for Toothless and I to come again, because maybe, like Toothless, she needed a friend,"
"What do you say we bring a nice gift for your girlfriend, eh bud?" Hiccup chuckled as Toothless feigned insult, muttering under his warbles.
"You think she'll like a couple of trout and some nice plump perch?" the dragon licked his chops as the chief dragged a basket of fish, however drew himself back to prevent himself from eating it.
"You glutton," the young man laughed, hooking the basket to his dragon's saddle. "Let's go see her, then,"
"Hey, Plasma! How's it going, girl?" Hiccup asked, eagerly hopping off Toothless and started hauling the basket towards the female Night Fury.
Her eyes slitted in suspicion, her body never leaving her position from sleeping on top of the rock in the sun. She flicked her tail in acknowledgment of Toothless, who sauntered over to his rider. Hiccup flicked the basket over, revealing the fish nestled inside. He gave it a light shove toward the Night Fury, who crept over, never taking her eyes off Hiccup.
Plasma glanced over at Toothless with an inquiring gaze, which received a nod from the male dragon.
Without another second to spare, she dived into the free meal, grateful that she didn't have to go and hunt herself.
"That's a girl, easy does it," Hiccup whispered, sneaking forward with outstretched hands, autumn leaves crunching under his footsteps.
A low rumble vibrated in Plasma's throat, sending a clear message that she knew Hiccup was there, and that he better not dare to step any closer. She gobbled up a particularly large perch, then indicated for Toothless to come over with a flick of her snout. The other Night Fury obliged, trotting forward as he joined in the feast.
"Traitor," Hiccup chuckled as his dragon licked his lips as the last fish disappeared. The two Night Furies gave satisfied sighs, curling up next to each other, happy to enjoy the midday sun by each other's sides.
"It was clear how much they cared for each other, and with each visit, they bonded even more. The closest I ever got was brushing my fingers against Plasma's snout, but she still didn't really allow any more contact. She did let me sit at a distance, though, which was probably the best anyone has gotten with her," Hiccup sighed, switching Stoick to his other knee.
"So, when did you have to leave him?" the boy asked, clearly wanting to get to that part.
"Well, it was after a lot of chaos. With Drago returning and everything," the chief gave a bitter sigh.
"Mummy told me he tried to conquer the dragon's throw poisoning the fish with dragon root," Stoick said, remembering the tales of the ruler of the Dragon Hunters. "And that he did many things to try and control the dragon's again, but was that all?"
"Well… the devastating thing was that Drago figured if Toothless defeated the previous Alpha, then he would use another Night Fury to control the dragons,"
"But, Plasma-"
"Yes, he infiltrated Berk with some of his warriors who were still faithful to him, and found the co-ordinates of the Island of Night that I had logged the first time I had met Plasma. They used that to go and capture her, and then her dragon root. She was only then controlled by the chains she was in again, and he challenged Toothless and me to a duel, or I had to surrender Berk,"
"But that's horrible!"
"Yes, it was. But it was just the kind of thing Drago would do,"
"Hand over your island, Dragon Master! Surrender or let me challenge your dragon for title of Alpha!" Drago growled at Hiccup, as their face off in the middle of the village begun. They had managed to lay siege to the village, gathering all the scattered hunters to hit their final strike.
"Look, Drago, I don't want to fight. Can't we settle this like reasonable people?" Hiccup pleaded, as the axe in Drago's good arm gleamed.
"Reasonable isn't how you control things. Senseless is the Viking way, is it not? That's why I need my dragon army to become King of the Wilderwest!"
"That's just a myth, Drago! You can't control the dragons, trust will always win over brutality!" Hiccup cried over, as he just held back a seething Toothless.
"Myth, or no myth, I plan on finding out," the villain grinned, driving Toothless into a frenzy.
"Yeah I know you want to be over with it, bud, but we have to hear what he has to say. We promised, and maybe there's a better way. I failed last time, I can't fail again!" Hiccup whispered in his dragon's ear, pleading him to settle down. Toothless did, however didn't relax enough not to shoot an angry plasma blast into the middle of the square.
"So, you want to be this mighty ruler, and yet now you can see that the current Alpha hates you, and will never let you control the other dragons. Toothless also defeated your previous Alpha, so how do you plan on challenging for this post?" Hiccup asked, rubbing Toothless' neck.
"The Dragon Master's beast shall sniff out my lost treasure, and along with it, the Dragon Jewel" Drago quoted, smirking at Hiccup's surprise.
"And with the Dragon Jewel the King shall rule all of the Viking Tribes!"
"Liar! There's no such thing as the Dragon Jewel! You'll never get it anyway, even if it did exist!" Hiccup cried, shifting his sweating palms to hastily wipe away.
"You don't seem so sure,"
"Well, how will you challenge Toothless? You never answered!"
"The Bewilderbeast wasn't enough, so how about another, Night Fury! Bring her out!" Drago howled, whirling his staff in the air.
A screech of metal scraped through the atmosphere, as a cage crashed open, letting lose a whirling rage of a dragon. A dragon with navy blue scales. With whip marks on her flanks and shackle scars on her neck.
It was Plasma being hauled out, hissing and spitting at her captors, her pupils narrowed down to thinned slits.
"I've heard you've ben acquainted with this dragon before, oh Dragon Master? Let's see if the almighty Alpha can bear to hurt one of his own!"
Hiccup felt as hopeless as Toothless. They stood, frozen as the raging Plasma caught sight of them, and started advancing.
"What did you do then?! How could Toothless hurt her daddy!?" Stoick cried out, tears pricking his eyes.
"Well, for the first bit we didn't, and were chased all around Berk, trying to convince Plasma out of her rage. But of course, the Dragon Root had taken a hold of her, and there was also something else- I think we should stop, you seem a little worried and it's getting late. The sun's nearly down!" Hiccup fretted as his son's petrified face stared up at him.
However, upon hearing this little Stoick straightened up and violently shook his head from side to side.
"No! I want to know what happened!"
"Well, if you insist. Apparently," Hiccup continued, "there was this ancient riddle that was spoken to a dragon, that few people could recite properly, that drove them into a rage. They called it the Red Rage, which was even stronger than the Alpha's hold on dragons. I never believed anything could overcome anyone out of hope, but seeing Plasma really placed doubts…"
"We can't keep flying away, bud! We have to fight, there's no other choice!" Hiccup called down to his dragon who frantically flapped out of the way of a plasma blast. They rolled around into the air, until Toothless righted himself.
"Toothless, bud, think of the other dragons. Think of Berk. We can't let Drago do this!" the chief whispered pleadingly down to his dragon who looked back up with the saddest eyes Hiccup had ever seen.
It really broke his heart.
But so would the destruction of dragons and of the people he loved.
"Come on, land down in that clearing,"
"I could do this all day, Dragon Master! All you have to do is surrender and we'll be done with it!" Drago yelled over to Hiccup. The chieftain threw a glance over his shoulder to catch sight of Drago yanking on Plasma's chains, directing her forwards. It sent a wave of fresh hot anger boiling through Hiccup, fuelling his persistence.
"Never!" the young man yelled back, as Toothless alighted in the clearing.
They whirled around to face Drago, who also landed with a snarling Plasma. He jumped off, thudding to the ground, Hiccup following suite.
"If you won't back down, I'll make you," the chief seethed, drawing the Inferno from his belt. Drago smiled, laughing at Hiccup's continuing resistance. Plasma stalked forward, toward the man who stood defiantly with his sword in two hands.
"You? You, the disappointment of Berk? Don't make me laugh! Oh wait, I already have!" Drago crowed, receiving Hiccup's narrowed glare.
"We'll see what you can do. But what will you do if you're attacked by one of your most precious dragons?" the trapper seethed, "Finish them!" Drago barked to Plasma, who took one look at the whip in Drago's belt and turned to Hiccup and Toothless, menacingly taking another step forward.
Toothless moaned, pulling his ears back and bobbing once. Hiccup took a gulp, as Plasma continued towards him.
"Come on, girl. We're friends! Don't you remember me and Toothless coming over and bringing you fish? Please snap out of it!" Hiccup begged, walking back to his dragon's side.
Plasma didn't seem to remember, and pounced.
"Just like that?!" Stoick whimpered, snuggling into his father's side and clutching his toy closer to him.
"Yes," Hiccup gravely replied, hugging Stoick closer to his chest and resting his chin on his head.
"What happened?"
"Well, Toothless didn't fight at first, but once Plasma started drawing blood, he had to. For self-defence, even if he clearly didn't want to,"
"What did you do?"
"I tried to convince Drago to stop, but that didn't work," the chief sighed, "He attacked me, so I had to defend myself with Inferno. It was just like that,"
"Wh-who won?"
"Umm,"
"See where loyalty gets you, Dragon Master?" Drago spat, as he pushed his sword closer towards Hiccup, who feebly pushed back with the Inferno, pinned as he was on the ground.
"Love blinds you! You Alpha isn't as strong as you thought, and having that loyalty has brought you down! Now you both must suffer the consequence for having that weakness!" the trapper lunged his blade towards Hiccup's chest, who only just parried in time.
"It doesn't make us blind! It makes us stronger! It brings us peace and harmony, and all you want to do is take that away!" Hiccup yelled, his rage overcoming him.
"Ha! I want to rid the world of the hazard! And possessing the Dragon Jewel will do just that!"
"How?! How will it do that?" the chief cried, sword slicing downwards.
"The Dragon Jewel, is said, to contain a collection of rocks known as Peridotite. When this comes into contact with carbon dioxide, it converts the gas into minerals like calcite. Along with this rock, is the juices of a large collection of Blue Oleanders, which are extremely toxic to dragons. It is said that the Blue Oleanders are extremely reactive with calcite, and once the Jewel is broken, the carbon dioxide reacts with the peridotite and therefore creates calcite, which infuses with the Blue Oleander juice, and spread a toxic gas throughout the archipelago. The smell is said to be so strong that dragon's don't need to directly eat it to be killed, and infects into their lungs in a matter of minutes," Drago finished victoriously, bringing his sword above his head, Hiccup quickly deflecting it.
"The dragons on Berk, maybe, but how will the gas spread all throughout the archipelago?! It's outlined by the ocean!"
"Once the gas is released, the calcite all around starts to react with it and any stone containing this calcite will react. It will spread, and as for the matter with the seas, the wind will blow it," the trapper didn't seem so concerned, and quickly whipped his wrist, cutting into Hiccup's arm.
"Argh!" the chief gasped, trying to keep a steady arm despite the pain.
Toothless looked up from his battle, just enough to get Plasma bowling into him again, pinning him down just like before. With a lot less friendly intent. The gas gathered in the back of her throat, as she readied herself to release one last bolt of plasma.
"Don't bother, their skin's fireproof," Drago growled, faking a lunge to Hiccup's stomach, only to circle his sword around to hold under his chin. He reached out and kicked the Inferno out of the chief's hand, smothering the flame as it fell on the ground.
Plasma seethed, gulping the flame back down, reluctant to follow this man's orders. But upon seeing the whip.
"Times up, Dragon Master,"
"But you obviously weren't killed, right?" Stoick cut in, too wrapped in the story to wonder how stupid his questions were. A smile lit Hiccup's face once more, as he looked back down to his son.
"Of course not,"
"Then what happened?"
"Plasma was going to kill Toothless, but of course Drago didn't want Toothless dead. The 'Dragon Master's beast would sniff out the treasure' as he said," Hiccup's lips thinned at the memory.
"Then?"
"You're going to show me where the Dragon Jewel is, dragon, unless you want your precious rider dead!" Drago shoved Hiccup forward, who landed on the ground with a thud.
Toothless groaned, stepping up as Plasma grudgingly slid off him. The Night Fury glance from Drago to Hiccup, who looked back at him with an apologetic gaze from his kneeling position.
"I won't hesitate, considering he's useless to me,"
The Chief flinched, only slightly, at the old and unpleasant nickname. The Alpha growled, the rumble echoing throughout his body, as he shifted from foot to foot, gazing at his rider dismally. Hiccup matched the dismay on his dragon's face, glancing back at the sword at his back. The chieftain clutched his injured arm, to stop the blood from flowing too quickly.
Time stood still, as man and dragon looked back and forth, trying to decide.
Toothless trilled over his shoulder at Plasma desperately, who just hissed at him in reply. Hiccup could see the heartbreak and betrayal in his eyes, despite Plasma's condition. The rider shook his head slowly, pleading Toothless not to give in, not to be weak on his part.
"If you won't decide, I'll help, enlighten, the situation," Drago growled at the Alpha, bringing his sword up to Plasma who stood to attention upon seeing the weapon. He clicked it into his belt, then drew out his whip, and cracked it beside Hiccup, resulting in a large flinch away. The female dragon tensed, her jaw tightening as memories flashed through her mind of the hunters. The trapper brought pointed his whip once more at the Night Fury, then led her gaze towards Hiccup with it, cracking the whip once more.
The chief hesitantly looked up, to look right into Plasma's bloodthirsty eyes. He could almost see the Red Rage that drove her inside those burning turquoise orbs, and it scared him.
For the first time in the longest time, a dragon scared him.
"Finish him," Drago grunted, freezing Hiccup's spine.
"Finish him!" the trapper howled, cracking the whip in the air to shot the message across. The chief didn't know why Plasma was so hesitant before. Here was a human, defenceless and waiting, to be killed. She could easily have wrought her vengeance on mankind right now, and yet she was pausing. He dared a peek up, to see Toothless standing in front of him, head lowered, eyes pleading her, pleading her not to do anything to hurt his rider.
It was clear she was starting to fight herself, shaking her head and screeching confusedly.
"Finish. Him," Drago seethed, reaching his whip out to crack beside her flanks. Plasma shrieked, snapping out of her dilemma, and started round Toothless to get at Hiccup. The Alpha blocked her, cooing desperately. Plasma growled warningly, whipping around to try and attack from the left. Again, Toothless blocked her, begging her with his eyes.
Without warning, Plasma tackled Toothless back to the ground, pouncing off him towards Hiccup. Said chief tried to back away, but was met with the slashing sound of Drago's sword being tugged out. Sure enough, cool metal met the back of his neck, urging him towards the enraged dragoness.
The trapper backed away as Plasma pinned Hiccup down to the ground, despite his pleads for her to snap out of it.
"Plasma, girl, come on you know you don't want to do this! Don't, you're helping the extinction of your own species!" the chief winced at her replying shriek.
He could vaguely hear Toothless' cry at her to stop, but right now he only focused on the female Night Fury. The chief stretched out his hand, once more, in a feeble attempt to tame her. He lowered his head, and waited, whilst the sound of her fireholes creating the gas to fire at him sounded. But she never did.
Toothless barrelled into her, the plasma blast shooting him on the side of his chest. Just in time to save Hiccup from being fried to a crisp. The two Night Furies rolled around, a furious mess of claws and tails. The chieftain started at the pained cry of one of them, which sounded to be Toothless, and tried to start forward, only to be held back by Drago's blade at his throat.
"Make a move and I'll finish what the dragon started," he hissed, pressing the sword closer to Hiccup's neck to prove so.
"Wa-wait. If Dargo had you there, what did you do to help?"
"I couldn't do anything. He had me there, and made me watch Toothless and Plasma. They fought for probably ten to twenty minutes, even if Toothless was really only defending himself most of the time," Hiccup explained, gently rocking his child on his knee.
It was already night-time, with the moon shining and lighting Toothless' statue. It was almost more beautiful than the afternoon sun casting the gold on the memorial.
"What happened to stop the fight?" little Stoick asked, wide eyes intrigued.
"Toothless pulled away after Plasma hurt his shoulder, that ended the fight,"
The two dragons separated, panting. Toothless' shoulder bled freely, the green blood flowing down his front left paw. Hiccup's jaw trembled at the sight of Toothless hurt, and he tried to tug his arm away from Drago's hold, but was stuck fast by the sword at his throat.
"Dragon, you are going to find me the Dragon Jewel. Now!" Drago barked at Toothless.
Plasma shreed at Toothless, baring her teeth in reply to his last pleading glance. Hiccup groaned internally, trying to back away from the blade at his neck. There wasn't any hope, really. Drago would probably get Plasma to kill him anyway, he just hoped that Toothless wouldn't find the real Dragon Jewel.
Toothless sighed (as close to a sigh as a dragon could) and trudged, more like limped, forward. The weight of defeat was hanging in the air, and it wasn't pleasant.
"But, did or didn't Toothless find the Dragon Jewel?" Stoick cut in once more, earning a annoyed look from Hiccup, which soon melted into sadness.
"Yes, yes Toothless found the Dragon Jewel,"
"W-where was it?" the little boy asked, worried at the outcome of the story.
"Toothless was made to let Drago find the Dragon Jewel, but he wouldn't leave my side, of course. So, the trapper soon made one of his trappers take me on Plasma. I was handcuffed to her, and couldn't jump off or anything like that. Either way, Toothless found the Jewel, and it was in the middle of Dragon Island, in a little cavern underneath the lava. Only a Night Fury's plasma could melt the lock that had locked the door to it, which is why the 'Dragon Master's dragon' could only get to the treasure,"
"Wow. Is that where the silver for Toothless' statue came from?"
"Yes, yes it did," Hiccup nodded.
"So, how did you get the Dragon Jewel back from Drago?" Bright emerald met dull emerald, ending with Hiccup sighing and looking around the cove, which was currently descending into a darker deep blue.
"It was rough. There was a great battle between the Berkians and the Hunters once me and Toothless got away. Many people were injured, and a couple killed. Your Uncle Snotlout, he- he was the bravest of them all in that battle. He didn't make it…"
"I'm sorry, daddy," little Stoick looked up at his father with sympathetic eyes.
"It's alright," a dim smile lit Hiccup's face once more, "He was awarded a Black Star. It's only given to warriors who show outstanding skills in a battle or a time of crisis. He truly deserved it,"
"Chief, I know how to distract the hunters!" Snotlout piped up.
"Let's hear it then, Snotlout," the chief nodded encouragingly.
"What if we swap clothes and dragons, and I ride out and pretend to be you, and you can go in and take the Dragon Jewel from right under Drago's nose!"
"But- that's dangerous, Snotlout. You could get yourself killed!"
"Anything for my Chief and my island," the Viking smirked, eyeing Ruffnut who just rolled her eyes in disgust.
"Are you completely sure?" Hiccup asked uncertainly, scanning his cousin for any signs of nervousness, none of which he could detect.
"Completely," Snotlout nodded gravely, a wave of seriousness engulfing him.
"Alright," Hiccup sighed in agreement.
He knew he was going to regret this.
"He flew out on Toothless, taunting the hunters. Drago especially was enraged, and from a distance he couldn't see it wasn't me. They followed Snotlout over the ocean, and he turned to look over his shoulder at where they were, or to shout some insults. Drago threw his spear, at the same time Plasma shot a bolt. It, got him right in the chest," Hiccup swallowed hard, his hands shaking at the memory, "and the plasma blast shoved him off Toothless' saddle. They both fell down,"
"I tried to save him! But I also had to get to Toothless. At the time I was riding Hookfang, so I jumped off of him, and used my wings to glide down to Toothless. Hookfang dived down after his rider, but he couldn't, didn't make it. We tried to dived down, but Drago still had the Jewel in his hand. We couldn't do anything more," the chief ended, sadly mourning the loss of his cousin.**
"What happened next?" Stoick asked softly, as a breeze came in to wrap the pair up in a soft mist, with the moonlight breaking through to cast its light on them and the statue.
"I went up to Drago with Toothless, and tried to convince him to give his goals up. Again he refused, and started attacking us. After all, now that he had the Jewel, Plasma just had to defeat Toothless and then she would be Alpha. That was the last bit of Drago's plan, and I just couldn't let him win. So, we attacked, and fought back, even if Toothless just tried to get Drago off Plasma,"
"Attack!" the command split through the horrified atmosphere, and Hiccup just managed to duck down to avoid a plasma blast before being burnt to a toothpick.
"Dodge bud!" he cried out, swerving in the air to avoid the other blast. Toothless beat his wings back, approaching Plasma and Drago. He let loose his own plasma blast, aimed at Drago, who also swerved so that the bolt only took off his fake arm.
"You have no hope, Dragon Master!" the trapper spat, yanking Plasma's chains, shoving her forward with a kick to her sides.
"There will always be hope!"
With a shriek, Plasma clawed at Toothless, just grazing his snout. The male Night Fury shreed in pain, shaking his head to rid himself of the sudden discomfort.
"Yah!" Drago yowled, charging at Hiccup and knocking him off his dragon. The chief gasped as his prosthetic clicked out of the stirrup. The started to freefall, all three, Hiccup, Drago and Toothless, down towards the cold and unforgiving sea. Hiccup screamed, as he tried to shake Drago's hold off of his arm, so that he could glide towards his plummeting dragon. But he was stuck fast, Drago trying to draw out his sword to finish the Dragon Trainer and chief of Berk. But it was hard to whilst you were falling to your death, with the freezing air numbing his fingers. The chief kept trying to shove and claw Drago off, only managing in ripping his dragon skin cloak off him.
Down below on Berk amidst the chaos of the battle, Valka looked up and gasped, along with Astrid, as they spotted the chieftain falling to their death.
Hiccup just managed to kick Drago in the stomach, releasing his grasp on the chief. He then yanked open his wings, allowing him to skim towards him dragon. Drago howled angrily, finally drawing out is sword and aiming to throw it at Hiccup. Toothless saw this, however, and shot one last plasma blast.
It all went in slow motion.
Hiccup gasped, his gaze following the plasma blast over to Drago, who looked at it in shock. He gaze one last yowl of anger, before being caught full on in the chest, the force blowing him from his course to the sea, instead landing in on to the ground of Berk. He lay there, giving one last breath and glare of anger, before closing his eyes.
The great Dragon Trapper, Drago Bludvist, was dead.
The war was over.
Hiccup gave a stuttering exhale from the back of his dragon, who he had finally reached. Toothless crooned reassuringly, bringing the chief's eyes down to look at his concerned dragon.
"It's over, buddy. It's finally over,"
"Wow. So if it wasn't for Toothless, Dargo would have killed you?" Stoick breathed in wonder.
"Once again he saved my life. And even then, I knew it was the last, as I looked back at Plasma. The Red Rage had disappeared at seeing her Master lying dead, and she landed in the square to sniff him, just to confirm," Hiccup nodded, remembering once more.
"So, what happened to his followers?"
"Without a leader, they scattered once more. Probably eager to go off and get a new life, since I suspected most of them had owed something to Drago. Without him alive, they didn't have any purpose on Berk, since Drago would have been their King. No Drago, no reason. So, they fled,"
"But, what about the Dragon Jewel?"
"The Dragon Jewel," Hiccup echoed, sighing once more, "was lost in that freefall. I must have clawed or kicked it out of his grasp or belt when I tried getting away. I do remember seeing something shiny falling out and falling into the sea, though. It was probably for the best. It's probably down on the sea bed, swallowed up by the currents, where no man can touch it, let alone use it to wipe out the dragons," the chief nodded slowly, thinking of the one good thing that came out of it.
"So, what happened after Drago died?"
"That's- that's when Toothless had to leave…"
"It's over… It's over!" Astrid cried happily, racing over to her husband who had just landed. All of the hunters were pushing and shoving to get to the docks, upon seeing their dead leader.
Astrid cannon balled into her Chief, hugging him close.
"Thank Thor you're alright!" she sighed thankfully, head snuggling into his chest.
"Last time I checked," Hiccup chuckled, kissing her forehead, relieved the war was over.
"Hiccup! Oh I swear to Valhalla you gave me a heart attack!" Valka cried, hugging her son close. Cloudjumper walked up beside his rider, nodding to Toothless. However, the dragon was too worried about Plasma, who was now shaking beside Drago's dead body, looking unsure of what to do.
"Yeah, I do that often," the chief offered a shy smile, which washed away as Astrid looked at his dragon.
"What's she going to do now?" Astrid ask, gesturing to the female Night Fury was who worriedly sniffing Toothless' wounds she had caused, cooing in concern.
"I guess, she has to stay with us," Hiccup explained slowly, as Toothless nuzzled Plasma, comforting her worry at what she had caused.
"Son, she doesn't look like she wants to stay around humans anymore," Valka said gently, taking his hand in hers.
"But she has to! We need to protect the two last Night Furies!" the chief insisted, looking around at his friends who had gathered.
"We also need to protect Berk, Chief. We saw what happened to Snotlout," Fishlegs said gently. A fresh new wave of guilt and despair washed over Hiccup, as Snotlout's death pricked him like a thorn digging into his heart.
"I- a Chief protects his own…" Hiccup nodded sadly, taking one last glance at the Night Furies. "Bud, look after her I'll be back, okay!" Toothless flicked his ears, signing that he had heard his rider.
"Alright. Astrid and Fishlegs, you go and help all of the injured and work out how many casualties there have been. Twins, go and get the A team and start clearing up. Snotlou-" Hiccup stopped, throat constricting and frame shaking at the slip up. Astrid placed a hand on his shoulder comfortingly, and he held it with his own tightly. "Mum, you can go with the twins to make sure that they do so,"
"Right," Valka nodded, giving her son's hand one last squeeze and then hopping on to Cloudjumper, giving him a quick nudge before following after the twins to fetch the A team.
"I'll start helping everyone with you and Fishlegs," Hiccup nodded to Astrid, who have him a tight smile.
"The clean up took a while, but we managed. There was a death penalty of twenty-one Vikings which under the circumstances wasn't too bad," Hiccup said, moving his arm a little to stop the pins and needles from striking at Stoick's weight.
"And the Night Furies?" the little child asked curiously, his eyes not as wide as before as fatigue started to creep in as the night wore on.
"You're mother said that I may have to let Plasma go, but of course that would have broken Toothless' heart. So, I decided to let him go,"
"Hey, bud! I've been looking for you everywhere! W-where's Plasma?" Hiccup asked, upon seeing his dragon alone. The Alpha looked over at him with rounded, depressed eyes, answering his question.
"O-oh. I'm sorry, someone must have scared her off," the chief apologized, his hands shifting their grip on his gift for Toothless. He swallowed, walking up to the dragon's side. He had taken up residence in a little beach just to the left of the docks, which had a little waterfall falling through a crack in the rock roof from one of Berks rivers. It was like a little cavern, however instead of walls had little rock pinnacles holding up the edge of Berk's island, and looked out into the sea.
"Thank you, Toothless. I am eternally grateful and in your debt," Hiccup said after some time, looking at his dragon and giving a small smile.
His dragon returned it, trying to show his trademark gummy smile, however only succeeding halfway. His eyes flickered back to the ocean and stormy sky, a normal state of weather for Berk. The Chief sighed, rubbing his temple. He knew he was going to have to speak sooner or later, and he wanted to do it as soon as he could.
"H-hey bud? Could you, look at me? I need to ask tell you something," Hiccup spoke softly, Toothless' eyes sliding back to his rider.
"I know how hard it has been, knowing there's another Night Fury out there. And, I know that this is your last chance to revive your species. Before when we first met Plasma, I was convinced we would be able to train her, and be able to convince her to come join us on Berk. But after today, after the way she has been treated, I now know she will never trust humans again. And, she needs you now, bud. So, I've brought you something, from the old times," Hiccup slid his arm out from behind his back, and placed the gift in front of Toothless' snout where the dragon had a clear view.
It was a tail.
Not just any tail, but the tail that Hiccup had made long ago the first Snoggletog that they had together.
The one that enabled Toothless to fly without Hiccup.
The dragon crooned softly, overcome by emotion as he remembered those old days. They seemed so out of reach now, but then again, so did their younger selves. Toothless tenderly sniffed the item, which had once sent him into a frenzy of anger at having a new tail on him, now only giving him hope. Hiccup gulped at Toothless' gentle gaze reached his face, and sadness engulfed the pair, sending Hiccup's arms shaking.
Tears started down the chief's face as he walked down to Toothless' tail and unclicked the old tail. He then slipped the new one on, his fingers shaking as he buckled the strap into its place. Hiccup walked up to the saddle, where Toothless cooed dismally, and unbuckled that too, sliding it off the Night Fury's back.
A shuddering breath entered Hiccup's mouth, as the tears fell freely now, his throat restricting any possibility of a straight breath. His dragon nudged him gently, and the old saddle fell to the ground, along with all the memories. All the memories of the friendship seemed to be attached to that saddle, and the Chief and Alpha didn't want to forget them. Hiccup embraced Toothless' neck, as a sob escaped his mouth. He clutched onto his dragon, trying to savour the last few moments he had with him, for he didn't know when, or if, he would ever see him again.
"I'm gonna miss you, you useless reptile," every heartbeat hurt his chest, and Toothless sad moan only hurt it more.
They stayed like that for five minutes, Hiccup's sobbing body shaking as Toothless bowed his head over his friend's shoulder, bringing him closer. The chief didn't want to let go, he wanted to hold on forever, but he knew he couldn't. Toothless needed to be with his own kind. So, reluctantly he stepped back, his cheeks smothered in tears. Toothless turned towards Astrid, who had been standing there silently watching, and gave her a nod, warbling, as if asking her to look after his Hiccup.
"I-I will. I promise," she gulped, tears almost spilling from her own eyes.
"Look after yourself, bud. Don't go near Eel Island, you know they don't a-agree with you," Hiccup laughed through his sobs, stroking Toothless behind the ears. The dragon licked Hiccup's cheek lightly, nuzzling his snout on to Hiccup's nose. They stayed like that for a minute, the chief's sobs dying down.
"Goodbye, Toothless. I'll never forget you. You will forever be my first and best friend. Thank you, for saving me, for helping me, all these years. In my heart of hearts, I'll never forget you. Take care," Hiccup whispered, with Toothless' eyes reflecting the same message that had just been shared. With one last coo, the dragon took off to the skies, flying in the direction Plasma had left.
"Thanks buddy, see you in Valhalla,"
"Wow. He was a great dragon," Stoick whispered, making Hiccup blink through his newfound tears.
"That he was," the chief's words shook as he gulped down any possible sobs, cradling his son in his arms.
"But, without their leader, what happened to the dragons?"
"Well, Cloudjumper took over the leadership on Berk, since he had always seemed to be second in command. But slowly, all the dragon's left, following Toothless to wherever he disappeared to. Probably to somewhere secluded, where there aren't any humans to bother them," Hiccup thought out loud, his tearful gaze looking over his dragon's statue.
"So that's why there aren't many dragon's left?" Stoick asked, looking over to Toothless' statue.
"Yes,"
With that confirmation, Stoick hopped off Hiccup's lap, and toddled up to the statue. He lay his head on Toothless' great paw, the highest place he could reach, and whispered.
"Thank you for saving my father. Without you I wouldn't be here, so thank you Toothless," the little boy whispered, his arm with his own stuffed Night Fury dangling, brushing the floor. Hiccup's heart beated achingly at this sight, and he called out to his son to save himself from any more tears.
"Come on, Stoick, it's really late. Your mother is going to kill me,"
"Coming! Goodbye, Toothless! Thanks again!" little Stoick cried racing over to his father.
"Oh, she is. But on second thought, I'll let you live this one time," the two started as Astrid finally stepped out of the shadows, walking over to her family with a fond smile on her face. One or two tear tracks glistened on her cheeks, but other than that she gave no sign or crying. With a cry of "Mummy!" Stoick jumped into Astrid's arms, with her eagerly heaving her son into her arms.
"You're getting heavy, Stoick!" she teased, resting her forehead on her son's.
"Yes he is," Hiccup laughed, hugging his wife and son close, kissing Astrid's cheek as he went. Stoick gave a little yawn, snuggling into Astrid's shoulder, his eyelids fluttering shut. The blonde shook her head, adjusting her grip on her son and turning back to her husband.
"Shall we go?"
"Yes. You can go on ahead, I'll catch up," the chief nodded, receiving an understanding smile from his wife. She started for the exit of the cove, the darkness engulfing her at the entrance of the shimmering bay.
"Thank you, Toothless. For everything you've done for me, for us," Hiccup returned to the statue, stepping forward to pat his dragon's proud head. The chief sighed longingly, his story still fresh after telling it to his son. It really was an amazing one.
He threw a glance over his shoulder, and then stepped forward to hug the statue tight, as if it was the actual dragon. Hiccup stepped back, one last tear sliding down and dropping at the stone dragon's feet. He sighed, satisfied as the weight that had burdened his shoulders finally drifted up a little, giving him some real breathing space. The moon blinked fondly down at the chief and his memorial, the stars twinkling their sympathy, and a wind stirring the leaves to rustle their understanding. It was as if the whole Cove had come alive just to comfort Hiccup.
With one last look Hiccup started towards the exit, after his departing family. As he reached the exit, he turned back one last time to scan Toothless' statue.
Before he could speak, a shriek split through the air, and he just caught sight of a black silhouette leave the edge of the Cove, outlined by the stars. Hiccup let a wonder filled breath out, his eyes following the departing Night Fury.
"Thanks buddy, see you in Valhalla,"
Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaand I'm dead. Just. Dead. I did NOT mean for this to be this long, buuuuuuut, I couldn't kill those plot bunnies. Too cute and tempting. I was debating whether to put it into a couple of chapters as a story, but you know I was like naaaaaaaaah.
Let's just throw it all on to them.
I'm so sorry, I just had to do this, I have been meaning to write a one-shot on my idea of how the books can be integrated into HTTYD 3, aaaaand it was fun. Especially considering Dean released details on it, and said it was about the two coming of age and looking after their 'respective tribes'.
Here is the link to the quotes that inspired this one-shot, since I can't possibly write the all up.
/how-to-train-your-dragon-3-plot-dean-deblois/
Also there's a disclaimer below saying how I didn't come up with that theory of Drago, and the Night Fury's climate, and merely adjusted it to fit my story. The true person was a person on YouTube who posted the theory, and here is their link.
watch?v=TLeA5Cu1xZI
An yes, there were a couple of plot holes, like where Drago's dead body went and such. Rest assured, Eret buried him although didn't use the proper Viking funeral. I was just trying to focus more on Hiccup and Toothless' relationship, or else this wouldn't have really felt like a reflection of Hiccup's POV.
So sorry about that. I may also write more of Stoick!Child/Hiccup!Fatherly some more, since it's just SO DARN CUTE!
So until next time,
Floof Out!
P.S This was named after the soundtrack of HTTYD 3 (I think) that is on YouTube. Search it up, it's quite fitting for this one-shot!
*Disclaimer: This isn't completely my own theory, I have just added bits of it. I was inspired by a theory on YouTube concerning where the Night Furies disappeared to, and where their natural climate was.
**Again, this wasn't my idea of how Snotlout died. I borrowed it from the books, but modified it to fit the movie.