Radiation

by Gift of the Dragons

Hiccup is the kind of person that wishes to please; when offered the chance to shadow his father, he jumps at the opportunity. When he finds an odd book that tells the future and of the destruction that is to come, well, what is a boy to do? Full summary inside.

Disclaimer: I don't anything involved in this, you hear me? Nothing.

Summary: Hiccup is the kind of person that wishes to please; when offered the chance to shadow his father, he jumps at the opportunity. But when Hiccup finds an odd book that tells the future and of the destruction that is to come, what is a boy supposed to do? How can one boy stop the changes that are coming to both humans and reptiles- and stop the reawakening of an ancient enemy? A modern AU, essentially a modern retelling of the movie. Influenced by Michael Hague's 'In the Small'.

Author's Note: Perhaps my best work so far, Radiation is really a modern AU of the How To train Your Dragon universe, with some things forced to be ignored due to the circumstances. If you notice something that I did ignore, keep in mind that it was for a reason. Not everything can be fit into a modern AU. So, love it, hate it, just let me know what you think.

Beta-ed courtesy of DragonBlade152. Give thanks out to him (I think) for helping fix some stupid mistakes on my part.

Harry 'Hiccup' Haddock lifted the box of files and struggled to fit it through the doorway. A passing secretary gave him a slight glance but otherwise ignored the ailing boy. He shifted the box so it was sideways and attempted to fit the box through the threshold again. The box stuck on the wood for a moment before groaning in protest of the treatment it was receiving. With a final complaint, the box popped out of the cage the door had become and fell onto the floor, spilling its contents everywhere like a sick child on the roller coaster.

The boy groaned; it was just his luck that the box would have spilled. He quickly gathered the papers and stuffed them back into place. Hiccup hefted the box and made his way into his father's office. The secretary didn't even bother looking at him; she just continued talking on the phone. Hiccup ignored her and pushed open the door with the box. His father, Stoic, briefly glanced up at him before returning his attention to his client, a balding man in his eighties who was settling his last will and testaments.

Hiccup brought the box over to the couch and sat down, groaning softly as the weight of the box rammed onto his legs. He pushed it over to the side and began scanning the papers, sliding them into their proper folders. The old man stood up, shook Stoic's hand, and shuffled out of the room with agonizing slowness. As soon as the door swung shut Stoic ran a large hand over his face and sighed. Hiccup finished sorting the folder and picked up the folders and papers he had set aside.

"Here are the papers you wanted, Dad. Proof of the condominium, in black and white; signed on March eighth, last year." Hiccup handed the paper over to his father and gestured to the folders. "Those have the rest of the possession papers, though I doubt you'll need them."

Stoic smiled at his son's slight naïveté. Although Hiccup was undoubtedly intelligent, more so than even his father, he still had lingering traces of ultimate confidence in Stoic. He believed that nothing could ever go wrong if he set his mind to it.

"Thank you Hiccup, just leave the box in here. I'll take care of it before we leave."

Stoic returned to his work and Hiccup left the room, heading back down to the storage room. The secretary looked up as he left and noticed the change in demeanor.

"Hey, what's up?" the secretary asked, pushing her blonde hair out of her face with a pencil.

"Nothing, Astrid." Hiccup didn't bother turning around, but did stop in his tracks. "If there was anything important, you'd know it." The girl smiled as he said that; everyone knew that she could find out anything and everything. It was just a matter of time. "I'm just going to the storage room so-"

"If Stoic asks, I'll tell him, yeah," Astrid interrupted.

Astrid bent over her desk and realized she had scheduled for Stoic to have two separate appointments at the same time. She resisted the urge to swear at herself and instead focused on fixing her blatant mistake.

Hiccup was sitting at a desk absorbing the information from a textbook when it happened. The sensation, at first, was like a light wind. He could feel it passing over his skin and hair, pushing loose strands into his eyes. He looked up, expecting to see a fan nearby or a vent overhead, but there was nothing of the sort. No one else seemed to be bothered, so he ignored the oddity and returned to his book. The wind grew stronger and flipped the book's pages, making the boy lose his spot. His growl of frustration morphed into confusion as he saw what page the book had landed on. That page shouldn't have been in the book. Hiccup tugged on it slightly, but the page refused to yield.

The page depicted a city, New York City to be precise. There was a light above the skyline, a bright, near-blinding light that bathed the buildings in its glow. Some things were flying through the air, but the position the picture was taken from was too far to clearly make the objects out. Interested, Hiccup turned the page and found more of the odd sheets.

The next depiction showed what looked like a step-by-step process of evolution. First it showed a snake, with the odd light touching upon its body. With each step it became bigger and deadlier until its final stage resembled that of a dragon. A similar process was shown below, but with the original animal a salamander.

The third page showed fighting between the new creatures and humans. The humans were using crude weapons while battling the animals. The background was filled with smoking rubble, metal beams half-melted and still glowing red-hot.

Hiccup eagerly turned the page again, but was greeting with nothing. The next page was blank, and behind that was the end of the book. Frowning, Hiccup flipped back to the title page of the textbook, but was greeted again with the skyline shot of the city. The boy shut the book and was again surprised. The standard issue law book had transformed itself into a leather cover, dyed green and bound with an unknown material. Horse hair, perhaps? A sudden smack to the back of his head, making his face collide with the book, forced him back to reality.

"Pay attention!" Shawn 'Snotlout' Haddock near-yelled, enjoying the brief torment he caused his younger cousin. "I was sent down here by Mr. Honeydew to get him something. Go get it," Snotlout ordered.

"Why don't you go get it?" Hiccup demanded, anger flaring. He knew he found something important, and Snotlout may have just ruined his only chance to find out what was going on. Hiccup scrambled to pick up the book, realizing he left it on the floor. "Good," he sighed, confirming that it wasn't damaged.

"I don't care about what you're mumbling about. Just get me the stuff I need."

Resigning himself to his cousin's stubbornness, Hiccup walked further into the storage room, leaving Snotlout behind with a smug smile on his face. Hiccup had a good idea of what Mr. Honeydew needed; this wasn't the first time Snotlout had 'convinced' Hiccup to get the files for him. Hiccup pulled out a box labeled '1951-1960' and pulled out several folders. He returned to his cousin and pushed the files into his chest.

"Here," Hiccup said, dropping his hand and forcing Snotlout to grab the paperwork lest it fall out of order. "Now go find someone else to bother. Maybe Tom and Rachel can give you more advice on how to wrestle."

Snotlout didn't seem sure if he should take the comment as an insult or a compliment and settled on leaving with another smug look on his face and a parting taunt.

"You know, maybe I'll ask Astrid out. She's pretty hot, Hiccup." Hiccup was inwardly screaming, but faced Snotlout with a calm expression.

"Don't forget about the files; you know how Mr. Honeydew is when someone disappoints him."

Hiccup pulled the book off the shelf and walked over to a deserted table. He held it up, spine standing on the table, and let it fall open. The book fell onto a page depicting the city. Unlike before, it was in flames. Hiccup's eyes widened and he flipped back a few pages. It showed machines crashing and people dying. Planes fell to the earth, and fires sprang up around the city. Some were caused by the dragons fighting with each other or with humans.

The pages began to move on their own. Hiccup backed off, unsure if he wanted to see what the book wanted to show him. The paper flipped forward over several blanks before resting on the strangest picture as of yet. It showed a dragon, as black as night. Despite the dragon only being a drawing, Hiccup could tell its body was designed for flying. It was crouched in a relaxed position, with someone's hand upon its face. The person was shadowed in the darkness, both the night and the shade of a building or two covering their face. The gender was undeterminable; it was either a very scrawny male or a flat chested woman.

Hiccup tried to flip the page and received a paper cut for his efforts. He sucked on the finger to staunch the blood flow. He quickly inspected the finger and decided it would stop bleeding. Well, for now, anyways. The tap of shoes against the floor made Hiccup shoot out of the chair, its wooden legs groaning against the linoleum. He winced and shoved the book back onto a shelf as the tapping sped up. Astrid came around the corner with a smile on her face. It was cold, like she was thinking of the best way to take Hiccup down. He winced and sat back in his chair, waiting for the inevitable punishment.

"I wouldn't go back up to the offices; Ruffnut and Tuffnut clogged the bathrooms with pickled pig's feet." She was referring to two of Hiccup's classmates, blond twins that had the tendency to prank anyone who hadn't met them before, or anyone else that could be pranked without their being busted. "Now the rooms up there smell like pickles and your dad asked me to come down here until the floor is cleaned." Astrid sat down opposite of Hiccup. "So, find anything interesting down here? You've been down here more than you've been in your father's office."

Hiccup hesitated. Astrid had never been rude to him before, not in school, not even after she had picked up a job as a secretary in the office to pay for her mother's medical bills. She was the only person who had been truly kind to him and listened to him, but something still put him off. He liked her, of course, but she was too… headstrong. Too determined that what she thought was right was the only right. But something told him to share this with her; someone else had to be prepared for the threat that was coming, even if she didn't believe him.

"Yeah," he said, his voice hoarse with uncertainty. He cleared his throat and continued. "There's something I want to show you." Hiccup got back up and pulled the book back off the shelf, wondering what Astrid would say about the odd cover.

"This is it? It's just a regular law book." 'What?' "So… what's so interesting about it?" Astrid asked, incredulity coloring her voice.

"I-it was different before," Hiccup stammered, laying a hand on the cover, hoping it would change. Luckily for him, it did. Like a stain, the green-dyed leather spread across the bindings. Astrid recoiled from the book, shock evident on her face. "This was what I wanted to show you."

He opened the book, and it landed on a new page. It was new to both the viewers and completely unexpected. It showed a painting, no, a portrait, of Astrid. She was wearing something that looked like a cross between a Hollister or Abercrombie and Finch outfit and chain mail from the Middle Ages. Her chain skirt and shirt were decorated with bones from unidentifiable creatures, possibly dragons. Her right hand rested on a dragon's flank, a creature over twice as tall as her. The great blue reptile resembled a chicken with its scrawny legs and tucked-in wings. Its head was cocked to the side, giant horn brushing against Astrid's head. A yellow eye stared out of the book, message clear: if you hurt her, you die.

Astrid let out a shaky breath. She pried her fingers from the table, cramped from how tightly she gripped the edge. She snuck a look at Hiccup, who was still gaping at the picture. He slowly shut his jaw and pointed at the picture.

"I saw something like this before. It wasn't nearly as clear, but it had something like that in it." Hiccup looked at Astrid. "You believe me, right?"

"Yeah," Astrid nodded, still recovering from her surprise. "But… what is this showing? Is it just some magic picture book?"

"No," he answered. "It shows the future." The possibility hadn't dawned on him, but as he spoke, he realized the words were true. This book, whatever it was, was showing them the future. Whatever its reasons, it was clearly showing them what would occur, whether it be tomorrow or millions of years from then. "It's showing us how the world is going to end."

"Wait, it just shows a picture. Of me standing with… a scaly chicken, I think."

"It's a dragon; it's got scales and it's bigger than you. There's no way it could be a chicken. And it doesn't show it here, but on another page."

As he spoke, the book's pages started turning slowly without either person touching them. It flipped to a previous page, tantalizing them with hints of other pages, but another page turned before the entire picture could be revealed. It eventually stopped on the picture of the city Hiccup had first seen. The light remained above the horizon, rivaling the sun in intensity. Hiccup flipped to the page showed the reptiles evolving; on the opposite page was the rubble and fighting between the humans and newly-evolved dragons. He tried to turn the page but found it glued to the back of the book. Astrid frowned but didn't say anything; she'd already learned not to ask questions when it came to the magic book.

"Maybe it'll show us more tomorrow," Astrid said. "That is, if you're willing to show me more."

He looked outside, a finger raised like he was going to interrupt someone else. He felt his voice die in his throat as the too-familiar scene became a reality. Shuffling as the other person with him turned to see what had captured his attention. The bright, blinding flash and the darkness after as his eyes slowly adjusted to the low light levels. Shrieks like banshees from everywhere and nowhere. In what felt like no time, the first dragons began to rise into the air as technology failed. A helicopter fell with its rotors chopping the air as it carved out the sky and crashed into a chicken-dragon. A plane descended soon after. It was far more graceful than the chopper and avoided any draconic deaths before it exploded in a shower of fire.

He felt his breath hitch as the death literally flew past him. He was hiding inside the building and the dying were all falling outside. The dragons were out there and he was in here. The dragons. Outside. He had to get out there. He had to see the dragons. A hand on his shoulder. It was shrugged off without thought and was little distraction from his mission.

He ran outside and looked into the sky. A dragon belched fire above him. It came out as a fireball rather than the stream of fire he expected. The dragon wasn't pretty with its knobby skin and Ankylosaurus-like appearance. Its wings were small and flapped faster than a hummingbird's as it fought to keep itself airborne. Another dragon clipped it with a wing and sent the smaller dragon into a building. The new dragon was longer and far more graceful. It spun in the air and set itself on fire before disappearing behind a corner.

He searched in vain for the black dragon. There were so many types that appeared in the sky but none were his dragon. He froze; did he just think 'his dragon'? A strong pair of arms pulled him back inside the building. His father muttered under his breath, the words chilling him to the bone: "So they returned after all; just as it was foretold."

Hiccup practically tore the book off the shelf in his haste, giving himself dozens of cuts as he tore through the pages. Small drops of blood flew through the air, and Hiccup failed to notice how none of the pages or the cover carried his blood; it was as though the red liquid was avoiding the book. Or the book could have been avoiding his blood.

Hiccup hunkered down on the ground, scanning the pictures frantically. Twenty minutes later, Astrid came down and found him in the same spot, somewhere between crouching and sitting against the shelving, eyes wide with fear and worry. She pulled him out of his position, and he limply allowed himself to be led over to a table and sat down. Astrid didn't even look at the book, instead focusing on Hiccup.

He was pale, shaking and generally looked scared. Something happened that scared him out of his wits, and he probably wouldn't tell her. Oh well. It was a good thing that Hiccup was bad at keeping secrets from her, and Astrid was so good at finding out secrets.

"Hiccup, what happened." It wasn't a question; it was a command. "If you don't tell me, then I'll be forced to tell your father about the book." Hiccup didn't appear to change, but Astrid could see his eyes stop moving, one hand frozen above the page, shaking ever so slightly as it hovered. "What happened?"

Hiccup's hand twitched in one big movement. He lowered his hand to the table and broke. The words began to tumble out: the dream, the dragons, his fear, confusion, even the slight hope he felt. He absentmindedly flipped the pages of the book, neither of them noticing how the pictures cycled through the few they knew of, occasionally interjecting the picture of the unknown dragon and human. It was only when Hiccup slapped the table in frustration did they notice the book.

It was frozen on the picture of the dragon and its human; the contrast was greater than Hiccup last remembered. The dragon could be easily seen despite its black scales. It was stout and looked somewhat awkward, but Hiccup could still feel that the dragon was a powerful creature, designed for aerial combat. It was, without a doubt in his mind, a fearless hunter. The human, on the other hand, seemed to have become darker, further shaded in darkness than before.

Astrid made an odd noise between a sigh and a squeak. Hiccup looked at her in concern, but her attention was on the picture. She raised a hand to touch the dragon but faltered. Without a word she dropped her hand and looked back at Hiccup.

"I won't tell anyone," she said simply. "But find the dragons, Hiccup. I… I have this feeling that we're going to need their help."

She walked out of Hiccup's line of sight. He looked back at the book, which had shut itself while he wasn't looking. He ran a hand down the spine and thought about the dream, the dragons, the way his father had looked up at the destruction like he'd seen it coming.

He was out of his own body. His senses were the dragon's own; right now, it was using a form of thermal sight to navigate through the carnage. Buildings were bright with the heat of the sun despite the cool air of the night. An alleyway popped out of two buildings, a cool cerulean between two wedges of scarlet. An odd smell touched its nostrils and the dragon flicked its tongue out to catch a better taste. It wasn't entirely necessary, but it sharpened the smell and allowed the dragon more time to determine the source and the location it was coming from. It turned into the alleyway, tail sweeping against the ground with the whisper of leaves.

A prone form sat in the alleyway. The body was still warm, and the dragon couldn't pick up the scent of blood or expiration of the flesh. It could see its heart, a deep crimson touched by lighter reds, which were in turn surrounded by oranges and yellows. The edges of its body, notably that which touched the ground, were clearly periwinkle. This confused the dragon; the ground was warmer than the whatever-it-was, so the heat should have been absorbed into the figure instead of the other way around. The dragon switched off its thermal vision with a quick blink and stared at the creature.

It was one of those beings that it was too quickly becoming familiar with. They were everywhere and scared many of the dragons with their technology. It wasn't that they were afraid of it, per se, but it was all so sudden that the dragons couldn't help but freak out. Granted, most if not all of it was broken when they came, but it had still scared them. So, naturally, they panicked and started destroying the tech.

The beings were clearly afraid of the dragons, based on how they ran away or cowered like vermin under the eye of a hawk. Some of them fought back, swallowing their fear or covering it. The creatures died, dragons died- it was all the same when none of it mattered. None of the other dragons meant anything to it and it was nothing to them. The creatures were less than nothing and spared little thought regarding morality. They meant even less when it became clear that the two species couldn't communicate in any way, their languages being too different to understand one another.

But now, here was one of those creatures. It seemed to be asleep; it wasn't cowering or shaking, yelling or running. Its breathing was too even for it to be awake. Following Occam's razor, he must have been asleep. The dragon nudged the creature with its nose, hoping to awaken it. It stirred and moved its head. The dragon grinned in excitement- it was, so far, the only dragon to have gotten this close to a human without either trying to kill the other- but its breathing evened out again and fell asleep. The dragon snorted in annoyance and turned away. It glanced out of the corner of its eye– and pounced.

He was looking through the book again, just as before, hoping in vain to find a trace of truth in the book but failing. Astrid watched Hiccup without speaking; her mind was elsewhere, clicking away at its own pace as different thoughts clicked into place. The book showed the city again as Astrid worked out what she wanted to say.

"Hiccup, there's something that I wanted to ask."

He looked up and rubbed his eyes before saying: "Yeah, what's up?"

"If you do find your dragon, could you help me find mine?"

"What?"

"I said-"

"I heard what you said. It's just… I didn't expect you to say that, that's all." In truth, Hiccup was at a loss for words. He didn't know if this would occur in their lifetime, but Astrid was still asking for his help. And no one ever asked for his help. "I'll see what I can do," he said. "You'll probably find your dragon long before I ever do."

"Maybe… Hiccup? Hiccup, what's wrong?" He had gone stiff, eyes focused on something she can't see. Astrid grabbed Hiccup by the shoulders, afraid that he went into shock or something. How would she know? She wasn't a doctor. At best, he was simply thinking of something, but couldn't be too sure. "Gotta get Stoic," she said to herself and ran off to find her boss.

Hiccup felt like he was frozen in place, almost like a statue covered with frost. He shivered as a cold wave passed over him. Without warning, he jumped out of his chair and ran after Astrid. He slid into the elevator and startled her so badly she slapped him. Hiccup waved off her apology and looked her in the eye.

"I've got this. Trust me."

Astrid's features smoothed out in understanding. She nodded, smoothed out her shirt and strode out with confidence when the doors opened. Hiccup walked out after her. Snotlout wolf-whistled, making the twins cackle in derisement. Hiccup ignored them and walked into his father's office. It was en absence of clients, a rare occurrence considering how often Stoic was called upon to deal with the disgruntled or to close a case.

Instead, Hiccup's father had taken the rare moment to relax and sleep in his chair. If anyone else had found him like that he would likely have been blackmailed. As it was, he had been saved but was woken by the arrival of his son. Groggily, Stoic lifted his head.

"What' cha want Hiccup?" he slurred. He shook himself awake when he noticed the red mark on his face, courtesy of Astrid. "Did someone hurt you?" Stoic lifted himself to his feet, face hard and the last vestiges of sleep erased. "I'll make sure they get what's coming to them," he growled without waiting for an answer.

Hiccup lifted a finger and noticed a relatively large blue spark outside. He felt something cold in his chest, a freezing tide in his heart. It's real, he thought, watching as blue sparks flitted to life. He heard Stoic turn, the rug scuffing as his shoes moved. A bright flash formed in the sky, blinding the two, accompanied by a large ripping sound akin to that of thousands of phonebooks being ripped at the same time. Hiccup shaded his eyes against the light and heard Stoic hit something as he flinched and groped about. The light died and Hiccup blinked at the false darkness. The same shrieks he had heard before began to sound like sirens, filling the air with their cries. Hiccup saw the first of the dragons take to the air, some graceful, others… not so much. They started to fight, biting and scratching and flaming and roaring. A helicopter fell to the earth, barely missing one dragon before crashing into another, one that wasn't so lucky to dodge the screeching death trap. The copter was dwarfed by a plane, which seemed to fall to the earth in slow motion. All the dragons noticed the falling metal and flew out of the blast radius, perching on the edges of buildings to watch the plane explode in a shower of fire. Hiccup felt himself run out of Stoic's office, a hand on his shoulder that slipped off.

The next thing that he knew, Hiccup was standing outside on the street, gazing up into the sky. A thicker, ungraceful dragon flew above. Hiccup felt a cold spot in his chest as his dream played itself out in reality. It belched up a fireball, flying up and over his head as it attacked. A second dragon, graceful as a hawk, clipped the first on its tiny wing, which sent it spiraling into a skyscraper. The newer one spun like a top, set itself on fire with a roar, and raced around the corner of the building the first had been shot into.

Hiccup searched the sky with his eyes, picking out each individual dragon, searching for the one that continually appeared in the book, his dragon. Just as he knew would happen, his father's arms wrapped around his body and pulled him into the lobby of the law office.

"So they returned after all; just as it was foretold. Gods, help us."

Hiccup didn't look away, but his mind was racing; his father never prayed. Not even when his mother died. Not when his grandfather died, if what his uncle said was true. Stoic let go of his son and glared outside. Hiccup stumbled over to the wall and slid down onto the floor, somewhat shaky. He looked around and saw Snotlout, Ruff and Tuff, a kid named Fred that everyone called Fishlegs, and the adults that worked at the law firm who had run in for safety when the dragons began to fly. Snotlout was white, something Hiccup might have found funny if they weren't in such danger. The dragons were… chaotic, unused to their new bodies. They were destroying everything right now, and if they didn't get themselves under control they would kill everyone.

"All right, listen up!" Stoic bellowed, ending the terse conversations that had had been quietly taking place. "We have two choices: stay in here and find shelter, or go outside and find safety in one of the other buildings." The adults began to talk with each other when Mr. Honeydew, the oldest advisor in the firm, marched up to Stoic. He had worked there for sixty years, for Stoic, his father, and his father's father. He planned on living long enough to work for his successor, and no dragon was going to stop the old man from doing just that. Stoic raised an eyebrow as the shorter man marched up to him, polished oak cane clunking on the floor. "Do you have an opinion, Honeydew?"

"Yes," he hissed, surprising those not familiar with the querulous old man. "We fight back." Stoic nodded in agreement, but put a hand on the elder's shoulder.

"First we have to ensure our safety, and we can't to that if dragons are trying to kill us. Do you see them now?" He pointed out the glass doors. "The dragons are disorganized." As though to prove his point, a dragon face planted into the concrete before stumbling away. "This is the best chance to secure our own safety and study them; find their strengths, weaknesses, and yes, how to best kill them." Mr. Honeydew nodded, conceding the other's point.

"Then whatever decision you make, Stoic, I'll back you up on it."

That alone was enough for most of the adults to agree with Stoic. He asked the younger generation, who were not quite children but not yet adults, what they thought was best. Snotlout, being himself, tried to show off and yelled that he would kill the dragons. Ruffnut and Tuffnut heartily agreed, holding up staplers that they had confiscated from the associate's desks while they were distracted. Fishlegs said he would rather study the dragons, while Astrid said she would go with Stoic. Hiccup, not one to abandon those in need, said he would go with his father. Disappointed, the three hotheads reluctantly changed their opinions so they would stay with the group.

Unsurprised, Stoic was left with the first life-changing decision on his hands: stay where they were, or move somewhere else? Stoic had lived in the city all of his life, and was very familiar with its layout. He knew that they were in the business district of the city, where they would be left with nothing to fight with or use for food. The answer was obvious, but the only thing that held him back was the dragons. How many of these people would be killed directly or indirectly by the beasts?

What Hiccup had never been shown in the book was the destruction. He had been shown what would happen when human technology failed, yes, and the humans and dragons fighting, but it had never directly shown him the damage the dragons could do. It was quite sobering, seeing a man being bitten in half by one of the larger ones, the same kind as the one that set itself on fire. Another person had been burned to death by a fireball shot by one of the smaller dragons. Yet someone else had been impaled through the eye with a spike from one of the chicken-dragons.

But until this day, he had never been scared of his father. Yes, he would admit it: he was absolutely terrified of his father. Why? Because every dragon that killed one of their own was killed by his father. The flame-setter was killed with a car muffler, swung like a baseball bat; the boulder-like dragon had been killed with a well-aimed bicycle, the metal wrapping itself around its throat; the chicken dragon had been killed the same was as its victim, except Stoic had forced its entire tail down into its throat. So yes, Hiccup was terrified of his father. But he was, to some extent, terrified of the dragons. He knew that they could and would kill him, if given the chance. But after the chicken-dragon had been killed, word seemed to spread that Stoic was killing every one of the great reptiles that attacked them. This was further proved when a red and green two headed dragon crash landed in front of Hiccup, nearly killing him. He stopped, still as a statue. The dragon shook its heads and saw Stoic. It ran away as fast as possible, apparently forgetting that it could fly.

After about an hour, Stoic stopped. They were out of the business district and were now in the residential areas. He knew that many of the buildings here were being renovated, and, with a cursory glance, saw that very few of the dragons had come to this district.

"Get what you can," he ordered. "Food, weapons, clothing, anything you think that might help."

Everyone went running in different directions, even Stoic. Everyone that could would help. Honeydew was excused due to his advanced age, but that didn't stop Stoic from asking him to look for medical textbooks in the public library. Someone had the idea of bringing suitcases and the like out into the street, leaving the zippers and compartments open so that non-perishable items could be put inside. At least three of those bags were filled with canned foods and a couple of water purifiers; three more were stuffed with clothes; and one bag each went to books and miscellaneous tools. Anything that could be used as a weapon was directly carried. Stoic led everyone to the edge of the residential district, the hike taking almost another hour. There everyone unpacked what they had and stored it in the empty houses.

By the time this was all said and done, the sun had nearly set and everyone was tired and sweaty. Knowing that the people would need their strength for tomorrow, he let them claim houses to use as their own. Most of the families stayed together, not that there were many to begin with. Stoic chose the home closest to the business district, the intention clear. He didn't want anyone else to be hurt, and if the dragons followed them, then his house would be hit first.

Hiccup sat in his bed, three months after the escape from the city, sketching in the journal he found. Back when they had been getting supplies, he had found the book and a HUGE pack of pencils sitting on a table. Both were untouched, covered by the plastic wrapping usually found on newly-bought anything. With some rummaging around, Hiccup soon found a pack of sharpeners, leading him to believe that whoever lived there was starting school. There was nothing else of value inside, so he left and started searching elsewhere.

But now, Hiccup was sketching in the journal. The pages were a crisp white, perfect for drawing on. The pencils had good erasers, and were not the cheap kind that only smudged the graphite. He was thankful that he had found them so he could get what he saw down on paper. Most of the pictures were that of the dragon… and the weird dreams he'd been having, all of which involved the dragon at some point. Right now, he was detailing an older sketch, one of the first he had drawn. Some shading here, darken the outline there…

A loud thump jarred his concentration, and the pencil skidded across the sheet. Inspecting the damage, Hiccup sighed. The pencil hadn't torn up the paper or pressed down very hard, but it would take some time to remove the jagged z that marred the picture. Moving the pile aside, Hiccup got out of bed and walked out onto the balcony. The balcony sat inside the house and overlooked the interior, making it an unusual feature in most homes. The den, kitchen and dining room all stood as one, with what was once a fireplace in the center of the room. Instead, there was now a fire pit, prepared by Hiccup since his father was busy organizing the 'village', instructing who to do what, finding homes, supplies and work for stragglers, and breaking up or comprising the arguments that cropped up in the months since they had first set up here. The only rooms that couldn't be seen while he stood up here were the bathrooms, the basement and his father's room. Not that he minded, really. He preferred to spend his time drawing or working with Gobber.

Gobber was… unusual. He was an old family friend, according to Stoic. Hiccup didn't know what the man did for a living, but it was clear that he had a colorful history. He could do almost anything that was set to him. He even made himself the braces, peg leg, and hammer hand he sported, both of which he said were eaten by dragons while he was looking for Stoic. The leg was entirely wood, the brace made of iron. The brace itself was little more than a ring of iron that stuck itself to Gobber's right stump through unknown means; the leg was attached to the stump and held itself in place with small claw-like ridges that curved outwards on the edge of the stump. The hammer hand was just as unique; the hammer itself was just a rectangular prism, curved on the edges. A hole was bored through the center and attached to a metal pole in the same fashion that the peg leg was attached to the brace. On Gobber's left wrist was a brace similar to the one on his leg, but different in that the prosthetic could be removed. So far Gobber had created for himself the hammer, an axe, a pair of tongs (for unknown reasons that he wouldn't share), a tankard, and an oar. He also had a simple metal pole, sharpened at one end, that he used as a cooking spit, but rarely used it since he nearly stabbed someone in the eye. The strange man was currently working on a project for Stoic and wouldn't tell anyone else what he was doing.

When he wasn't busy, Gobber would show Hiccup how things worked; pulleys, wedges, and other simple machines that were infinitely useful. He claimed he had a degree in physics and quantum physics, but refused to elaborate on their origins. Despite his teacher's reluctance to talk, he had inspired Hiccup to begin designing machines that could make everyone's lives infinitely easier. Most of these never made it past the designing stage, since Hiccup had no way of actually making the projects into a reality. Those that he did make usually failed, often because of slight miscalculations on his part, other people's bad luck, or things beyond his control, like the spring he had used breaking. After a half hour of apologizing to the person the catapult had flipped itself onto (a sight that would have been funny if he wasn't so afraid the person was killed), he found that the metal was warped, breaking under the strain it had been put under. So not all of his failures were his fault, but they were his failures nonetheless.

One thing that both excited and terrified Hiccup was Dragon Training. In order to teach people how to fight against dragons, Stoic had led a group of volunteers back into the business district to capture some dragons. About half the people died or were injured, but they returned with twenty incapacitated dragons, none without some injury but none fatal. During the excursion, Gobber had been set to rework the small police station into a suitable cage to house the dragons. What he had done was greater; he turned the station and the neighboring buildings into a network of cages, as well as an arena for people to fight against the dragons. Everything was reinforced with steel, most of it having previously existed as it was. The doors, for example, were untouched, already being lined with steel. The dragons now awaited their fight in the arena.

"Hiccup!" Stoic shouted, reminding the boy where he was. He ran down the stairs and skidded to a stop next to the fire pit. "There's something I want to show you," his father grumbled in his low voice.

Hiccup followed his father outside and through the district, now fairly reminiscent of a Viking village. It made sense, considering that most of the people here were of Nordic descent and could claim ancestry right down to the lesser-known warriors. Not everyone was, but few minded the oddity. They were happy enough being safe from the dragons. Stoic stopped outside one of the buildings closer to the middle of the district and turned to face his son.

"Now, Hiccup, I know three things about you with absolute confidence: first, I know that you are my son; two, that you are smarter than just about anyone here; and three, that you cannot fight the dragons."

"Wait, what?" he started. He didn't want to fight the dragons, per se, but he did want to find the black one that had been haunting his mind for months. "But Dad, I have to-"

"But there is something I need you to do for me," Stoic insisted. "Since everything made after the eighteen hundreds doesn't work, we need to rely on… older methods. I asked Gobber for a solution, and this was what he came up with." Father and son entered the building, which had been entirely redone by Gobber. It was now something of a square, with a hollow center. In the center was a forge, where Gobber was hard at work, hammering an ingot into shape. "I want you to learn how to blacksmith. It will allow you to continue learning how to create, and help everyone at the same time, hmm?"

Hiccup was not delighted. Nor was he appalled. No, neither of those were the right words. Excited, horrified, elated, disgusted… No, none of those could describe how he was feeling. He was determined. Determined to master this craft; determined to show his father that he could do what needed to be done.

"I'll do it."

The 'village' had gone from a mockery, a district in a fallen city, into a true home in a span of two months from their coming here. Nor was it the only safe haven in this new, more dangerous world. Others had the same idea as Stoic and began forming their own homes, leading to alliances and rivalries between the different villages. But regardless of their differences, they still had one goal in mind: to defeat the dragons.

Dragon Training had proven to be a success, with Stoic now considering allowing the younger generations participate. It was something he did not wish to happen, but the future was bleak and he knew that warriors were needed. But that was not enough to keep him from postponing the date. Hiccup became used to his own job, working for Gobber as a smith. He did try to help people, having the chance to actually create some of his designs, but as before, Lady Luck proved to be against him. Machines failed, ropes snapped, wood broke; every material he used seemed to conspire against him. If he made anything normal, well, normal around here, there were no problems. Swords would cut, axes could be thrown, and the odd bola still caught its target. Hiccup had no idea why his machines didn't work, but it definitely didn't stop him from trying.

But he had his own secrets to keep, just as anyone else did. He knew his father was postponing Dragon Training because he was afraid Hiccup might be killed; he knew that Snotlout was actually terrified of dragons, and put on a show purely to impress Astrid; Astrid was distancing herself away from Hiccup because she wanted to become the best dragon slayer possible, forgetting about the book; Fishlegs didn't have any interest in fighting. He'd rather study the dragons. The twins held no secrets at all, being nearly-open books. All they ever kept secret were the pranks they'd pulled and how much mead they'd snuck out of the Hall.

Hiccup's own secret was much darker. While he'd be the first to admit that he was no fighter, he did take risks at night. He would leave after the moon rose and his father believed him to be sleeping and went into the city. While still overrun with dragons, and still a dangerous place to be, it was much calmer since the reptiles had orientated themselves with their new bodies and surroundings. And like his father, Hiccup knew the city like the back of his hand. He wasn't afraid of getting lost; instead, he was afraid of making it back home too late. Even now, he was planning going out later. While it was dark out, Stoic was preparing for an expected raid. Hiccup heard noises outside the front door and opened it, expecting someone asking for Stoic. Instead, he saw a large red dragon, maw spilling green gas. He shut the door just as the dragon blasted it with fire.

Hiccup swallowed, waited a moment, and then flung the door open. Finding that the dragon had disappeared, Hiccup ran out into the dark. He bit his lip in indecision then ran back inside, grabbed the supplies he'd packed, and snuck out the back door, running into the city.

In what felt like no time, Hiccup was standing in an abandoned alleyway, breathing heavily from all the running. He leaned against a wall, putting his weight into his shoulders, but soon found himself slipping down to the ground, vision darkening. Something warned him against falling asleep here, but he couldn't help it. He was just so tired…

Something landed on his chest and dragged him down to the ground. The weight was crushing him, restricting his ability to breathe. Hiccup looked up, and with the light of the moon, saw what he had been looking for. A black dragon peered down into his face, breath steaming in the air. With a huff, it bent its face closer, sniffing at the boy's pockets. Hiccup felt himself reach out to touch its scales, but the dragon noticed. Its eyes slitted, the black pupils narrowing into thin lines; the dragon bared its teeth at him and ran away, claws eerily clicking away at the pavement below. It stopped at the corner, eyes glowing in the dark. Hiccup took the hint and backed away, waiting until he was out of sight before running back home.

Hiccup growled in frustration as he furiously dragged the eraser over the paper. He had run back home as fast as he could, shot up the stairs and barely remembered to close his door quietly. He leaped onto his bed, snatched his journal up and started drawing as fast as he could before his memory began to botch up the details. He wanted to draw the dragon as he saw it when he first woke up, silhouetted against the night sky, the moon softly glowing over its shoulder. But he couldn't seem to get the image just right. Something about it was off, just wrong. There was a feeling he couldn't capture, an aura that refused to be expressed with paper and pen. Well, pencil, but it doesn't sound as good as 'paper and pen.'

Clearing his mind of distractions, Hiccup forced himself to relax, taking in deep breaths and let them out slowly. He closed his eyes and recalled the scene exactly, preserved like ice in the dead center of Antarctica. He flipped the page and let his hand sweep across the paper, filling it in with the image he saw. When he stopped, he looked down at the page. There was the dragon, the moon peeking over its shoulder, the scales lightly shaded in, gray colored eyes almost glinting. Then he saw it, what was missing. The dragon was smiling. In the previous picture, he tried to draw it with a neutral expression, but in truth, the dragon was smiling at him. The lips were raised, showing toothless gums.

Toothless.

Hiccup raced into the alley way and skidded to a stop. He made himself relax again and sat down against the wall, this time alert. He waited for the dragon to come, sure that it would. This time around, he'd brought food with him. He snuck it out of the Hall and the storage house, but Hiccup was certain no one would notice. Besides, the dragons probably had some difficulty finding themselves food, considering how they'd raid the villages. And they had enough food to last months. Unless there was a sudden rot, like wildfire or blight, then the village would be in no danger.

Hiccup was startled by a sudden noise, a click and clack of claws. The rhythmic sound stayed in tandem, moving like a pendulum; click, clack, like a clock. Click, clack. Tick, tock. The noises stop and Hiccup found himself craning his neck upwards to see the figure that loomed over him. The dragon stared right back, gaze unflinching. Hiccup refused to break eye-contact, and dragged his bag over with his foot. He opened it and pulled out a small basket, one that previously held incense and still smelled of the earthy substance. He pulled out a fish, dangling it by the tail fin. The dragon snapped its gaze onto the fish, following the sway of its limp body. Hiccup tried to give the fish to the dragon, but it hissed and backed away. With a small sigh, he dropped the fish back into the basket and lightly kicked it over to the dragon, who flinched as the woven container skidded over to it. After a moment's pause it sniffed the basket and pulled a fish out with its teeth. Hesitantly, it slurped the fish into its mouth.

As he had hoped, Hiccup saw that the dragon deemed the fish worthy and began polishing off the meager supply the boy had been able to bring. The dragon licked its lips contentedly and lay down opposite the human, paws crossed like a dog would before sleeping. The dragon stared at him expectantly, clearly hoping he would produce another basket of those delicious marine vertebrae. Hiccup held his hands up, prompting the dragon to leave. It was far calmer than it had been the night before; that was undeniable. Just before the dragon left his sight, Hiccup saw the dragon look back at him and flick its tail in a dismissive manner, either telling the boy to leave, or to return the next night and bring food while he was at it. Hiccup decided it was the latter; he wanted the chance to meet the dragon again.

Stoic watched from above as his son trained with those of his age group with the captured dragons. As of yet, none of the trainees were having luck in downing the beast. Astrid had the best chance, seeing as how she was better adapted to the situation. Snotlout was having a hard time keeping himself together, but was still undeniably doing better than the others. Ruffnut and Tuffnut were arguing with each other, managing to keep a fight going while dodging the dragon's fireballs. Fishlegs was spewing information like a broken faucet. Hiccup was just… Hiccup. Stoic's son couldn't keep a weapon and his shield up at the same time, barely being strong enough to lift his shield. A weapon heavier than a dagger was out of the question, but those could only hurt the weakest of dragon species, which still possessed a deadly venomous bite.

The Gronkle, as it had been unceremoniously christened by the humans, was currently flying through the arena, trying to spot another target. Most of the trainees were hiding behind their shields. Hiccup, who had dropped his, was running to catch it. The dragon narrowed its eyes at the boy and warmed up for another fireball, releasing volatile gas into its mouth. It spit the substance out, its saliva lighting the vapor and turning it into its signature fireball. The flaming wad of fiery spit and gas exploded against the wall, coming so close to Hiccup that he could feel the vacuum created by the oxygen-burning flames. The dragon dropped to the ground, landing in front of the startled trainee. It bared its fangs at him, and went for another fireball…

…and was taken by surprise when it found itself on the ground, axe at its throat. The boy was clearly fine, but more pressing was the girl holding the blade to the dragon's jugular. Its skin was thick, but even the hardest of dragon scales wouldn't hold long against a blade to the neck. Stoic called Astrid off the dragon, pleased with her progress. Astrid stepped off the reptile, pointing her axe over to the cage doors. The dragon glared and snorted, instead sitting at the doors out of spite towards its captors.

Gobber came into the arena then, and with promises to take care of the Gronkle let the teenagers take the rest of the day off. Familiar with the scarcity of such relaxation, they rushed out, screaming and whooping in joy. Only Hiccup lagged behind, though he was more tired than disappointed. Despite that setback, he still planned on going back to the city tonight. He would see his dragon.

It was an accident, he swore it was. He didn't know, there was no way that he could have known. If he did, then he wouldn't have done it. He never meant to scare him so badly, to lose the progress made between the two of them. If there was a way he could take it back, he would. Even so, it may have already been too late.

Hiccup held his head in his hands, silently cursing the existence of eels. The food he'd brought for the dragon had an eel in there. The dragon had freaked out, blasting fire at the walls and causing quite the ruckus. Now he was back in the shadows, shooting daggers at the boy and the slimy creature. If Hiccup tried to get close, the dragon threatened to burn him to a crisp, the hiss of gas the equivalent of a rattler's rattle.

Well, it seemed that Hiccup had learned something new. Dragons did not like eels. But the price, it seemed, may have been too steep. Hiccup left the basket behind, its fishy contents spilling out onto the ground, knocked over in the dragon's haste to escape the eel.

Today was a new day… well, night, but Hiccup hoped that the dragon had forgiven him. He had sifted through the baskets contents this time around, sorting through every slimy or dry fish, pulling out the long, thin bodies of the perpetrating eels that had been put into the basket among the other scaly creatures. He dumped the eels into other barrels, careful to remember which ones the eels had been moved to. Too many eels in a single basket would alert the others that someone was going through the food storage. Then again, no one may have minded. His father may have even preferred the fish to be sorted, so that people would know what was where… Focus on the task at hand. Fish. Dragon. No eels.

When Hiccup stopped at the alleyway, he instinctively knew the dragon wasn't there. It wasn't some sort of strange power, he just knew. Like when the birds flew south or when a deer senses the wolf. It was just a matter of knowing. Hiccup felt his shoulders slump and the barrel slid off his shoulder. It hit the ground, the clasp keeping the top shut breaking. Fish spilled out onto the ground, but Hiccup couldn't care less. He lost the trust of the dragon he'd almost befriended. He was a failure. Hiccup fell against the wall and slid down onto thee ground, knees pulled up against his chest and arms wrapped around his legs. He rested his head on his knees and closed his eyes, missing the appearance of a small dragon.

The little creature was as big as a housecat, from head to spiny little tail. It watched Hiccup with slightly bulbous eyes, deemed him to not be a threat, and dug into the fish pouring from the basket. It was so engrossed in the delicious meat that it failed to notice the larger dragon who had padded up from behind. The larger dragon, who didn't like scavengers stealing what rightfully belonged to it, lowered its face behind the small dragon's head and growled, low and soft. The smaller dragon dropped the fish it was holding, regurgitated what it ate for good measure, and ran away in fear for its life. With a satisfied 'harrumph' the larger dragon started slurping up the fish, even what the smaller one ate. Food was food, after all, and was not meant to be wasted in a world such as theirs.

Hearing the larger dragon's complaint, Hiccup opened his eyes. To his surprise, the dragon had returned; his face broke into a smile when he realized the dragon didn't hate him. The dragon regarded him lazily before returning to the food. Hiccup slid over to pick up the basket and dump out the rest of the fish. The dragon stiffened slightly when Hiccup neared it, but relaxed again when he only dumped out more fish, which the dragon ate with gusto.

When the last of the fish had been devoured, the dragon sat down in front of Hiccup. Bewildered, he looked up into the dragon's face. It gave him an odd look and started making hacking noise, like a smoker who's had one too many or a cat coughing up a hairball. With a wet plop, the tail end of a fish shot out of the dragon's mouth and into Hiccup's lap. He held it up by the fin, slimy with the dragon's saliva. Just a look at the offending dragon told Hiccup what it wanted him to do.

"Do I really have to eat this?" The dragon lifted its lips, showing him light pink gums. Hiccup sighed and, with a grimace, downed the fish, gagging and coughing soon afterwards. "I think it went down the wrong way," he wheezed. The dragon only watched him curiously as the boy flailed around.

He didn't remember when he first came up with the idea, but it was amazing nonetheless. A month of spending time with Toothless, as he had come to call the dragon, had really paid off. The dragon somewhat trusted him, and allowed Hiccup to touch him occasionally. He had learned several things; the dragon was undoubtedly male (not going to get into explaining that), he enjoyed being scratched under the jaw, which seemed to be true for all dragons, and that sweet grass was some sort of aphrodisiac to dragons. They would roll around in it like a playful dog, far calmer than they were before. Hiccup decided he would take a look at the grass later, but this was far more important.

It was a good thing that he'd been working with Gobber lately, otherwise this would never work. Hiccup had been designing a saddle for Toothless, something the dragon would likely object to. Hiccup didn't want to lose his trust, but he also felt that this was the only way. They would either make it or break it.

The saddle was largely molded off the mold of a horse saddle, but was much larger and flatter to allow for flexibility in the air. The chest and stomach straps were long to allow for future growth, if Toothless wasn't done growing. The stirrups were also lengthy for the same purpose, with straps to tighten against Hiccup's feet and legs so he wouldn't be thrown off if Toothless tried to perform an aerial trick. Or just straight-out tried to throw him off his back.

Gobber didn't ask any questions when he saw Hiccup working on the saddle. He felt it was better to leave the boy to his own devices, at least when there wasn't work to be done. All he ever said to him about it was, "Use whatever you like, just don't burn the place down."

"Relax buddy, it's not going to hurt you." Deciding that forcing the saddle on the dragon would not be the best idea, Hiccup instead tried to encourage Toothless into wearing it. It was clearly a fruitless endeavor, but it didn't stop the boy from trying. "Just think about it: if we can prove that we can get along, humans and dragons, then maybe we can all stop fighting each other. I'm pretty sure you don't like that either."

The full moon made it easy to see Toothless' expression. The dragon made a disgusted face at the word 'fighting' and looked up into the air. With what seemed like a conceding sigh, Toothless lay himself on the ground, allowing Hiccup to step forward and begin setting up the saddle. He tightened the straps, but not so tight it would make the dragon uncomfortable, and not so loose as it would slip off mid-flight. Hiccup sat down in the saddle and tightened the leg straps.

"Are you ready Toothless?" he asked.

The dragon whipped his head so his ear-flaps would smack the rider. Hiccup grumbled something and the dragon took off, wings catching the still air underneath and forcing himself up into the air. It was like nothing Hiccup had ever experienced. The joy of flight, the weightlessness… He knew immediately that nothing could ever match up to this. At least until another dragon decided it wanted to pick a fight with Toothless.

A large, red dragon roared a challenge at the black-scaled dragon, who bared his teeth in response. The Monstrous Nightmare, as they were known, blew a stream of fire at Hiccup, who was forced to lie against Toothless. Toothless barked a laugh at the dragon and followed it up with a fireball, whizzing through the air like a fastball. The Nightmare was too slow to dodge it and ended up taking the shot with its body. It was mostly unhurt, but did glare and growl apprehensively at the duo.

The Nightmare flew above Toothless, who began flying in lazy circles, looking above to see where the Nightmare would strike. It flew through a cloud, then suddenly reappeared, shooting down like a missile. Its body burst into flames, claws spread. Toothless panicked and tried to fly out of the way, but physics was not in his favor. The dragon was heavy enough that it could fall at a speed Toothless could not match, not on takeoff. Luck was on the Nightmare's side, allowing it to catch Toothless by the shoulders. Hiccup, alarmed, did something stupid. He jerked himself out of the saddle, landing in the Nightmare's face.

The Nightmare shut off its flames and thrashed around in the air, trying to dislodge its unwanted passenger. Hiccup held onto the base of the dragon's horns, fingers curled so tightly he lost all feeling in his hand. Toothless, meanwhile, re-orientated himself and landed on the dragon's back, picked up Hiccup by his shirt, and leaped off the Nightmare, sending it down below. A moment passed before a sickening crunch floated up to them, sending both dragon and rider a vivid image of the Nightmare's fate.

Toothless awkwardly landed on the roof of an apartment building, a tower that rose up into the air a story higher than its neighboring skyscrapers. Hiccup stumbled slightly and sat down, stomach churning. Although he hadn't seen the dragon, he did hear the noise the Nightmare made when it had hit the ground. If Toothless hadn't saved him…

"Thanks Toothless… You saved my life," Hiccup said, slightly breathless from shock. It sounded so cliché and dull, but the dragon purred and slid his head underneath Hiccup's hand. He absently scratched the dragon's scales, eliciting another purr. "Does this mean we're a team now?"

Toothless looked into Hiccup's eyes, his warm, neon-green eyes calming Hiccup. He could see the answer there, which was an undisputed yes. They had already proven their worth to the other; each would risk their life for the other. Hiccup and Toothless stayed up there until dawn broke, gazing at the stars that bathed in the blackness of space.

Hiccup stood outside the forge, the summer air cool compared to the heat of the forge. Gobber let him take a few minutes' break, since there wasn't much the boy could do at the moment. All that needed to be done was refitting the axes, and since Hiccup couldn't lift the blades, well, Gobber let him sit this one out. So now he was standing outside, letting the cooler air wash over him. He didn't notice Astrid, who had walked up to him while he was daydreaming.

"Hiccup." The voice startled him and sent him reeling away until he noticed who had spoken. "What's been going on?" Hiccup blinked; since the dragons appeared, Astrid hadn't been this friendly. She'd been more focused on becoming a warrior than a friend, and had drifted off after it became apparent Hiccup wasn't much of a warrior. "How have you become so good at fighting the dragons?"

Ah, that explained it. Hiccup hadn't been fighting the dragons, per say, but had been using what he learned with Toothless to… incapacitate them. A scratch here, a handful of sweet grass there, and an eel for one occasion, when one of the dragons escaped the Arena. Of course, he couldn't tell Astrid that…

"I've just been lucky so far," he answered, shrugging his shoulders. He didn't expect Astrid to accept that, but Snotlout would agree that it had only been luck so far. "It won't last forever, obviously, and I don't want it to. Having everyone pay attention to me is weird."

Ignoring the last sentence, Astrid demanded, "So it's all been luck? That you've managed to down every dragon you've come across? So, what'll happen when you find a Night Fury?"

The Night Fury, the most feared dragon of all. Believed to be the offspring of lightning and death itself, Night Furies were the fastest known species of dragons, and had an unlimited charge shot, which refers to how often or how long a dragon can use its fire. They also blend in with the dark because of their black scales, making spotting one at night nigh impossible. It just so happened that Toothless was a Night Fury. But Hiccup wasn't about to tell Astrid that.

"Then I guess I'd be eaten," Hiccup mused. "Or be burned to death, or something of the sort."

"Or you'd know what to do since you've been secretly training," Astrid ground out.

"I told you, it's just luck," Hiccup chastised. "And no one's ever fought a Night Fury before. Even if I was training, I wouldn't know how to beat it."

Unsatisfied with the answer, the girl opened her mouth to say something, no doubt rude or snarky, but was cut short by Gobber.

"All right, Hiccup, we've got to load these axes up and redistribute them," the blacksmith said, walking out of the forge with a sooty cloth in his hands. "Ah, Astrid. We can just give you you're axe now, hmm? The blade just needed sharpening…"

Hiccup drowned out the rest of Gobber's words, instead choosing to focus on Astrid. It was clear she knew something was up, so that should have Hiccup on edge. It did, but he knew he had to see Toothless. He was relying on Hiccup for food, after all. With all of those dragons fighting each other, it wasn't easy to find food. Well, that was what he surmised, anyways.

The entire time he was going into the city, Hiccup felt like he was being followed. Not many people who lived in the village could sneak around very well. Hiccup, when he wasn't being clumsy, could do so to a degree. Not well enough to fool Toothless or his peers, if he had any. By the time he reached the outskirts he was agitated. Hiccup knew not to look back; that would only tell whoever was following him that he knew they were there. No, no, the best option would be to lose them while in the city. They would get lost in there, but if they could follow him in, then they should be able to get out.

Forcing himself to appear relaxed, Hiccup calmly walked down the streets, then quickly took to the alleys. Being on the road would make him an easy target for any dragons flying overhead. He heard the pounding of footsteps behind him, which suddenly stopped; the person probably reached the entrance. This wasn't the alleyway, where he met Toothless every night. So Hiccup continued through, backtracking and going around in circles to ensure his stalker would be lost in the maze. In all, it took him about an hour to finally reach Toothless, who was impatiently waiting for his friend.

The Night Fury pounced on Hiccup, not even waiting for him to drop the basket and open it. The container broke between the ground and Hiccup's back, leaving him in an uncomfortable position. Toothless insisted on smelling Hiccup from head to toe, and licking his face for good measure, before settling down to eat. The boy told his dragon about his suspicions about Astrid and the feeling that he was being followed. The dragon seemed to listen patiently, finishing at the same time that Hiccup did.

"Ready to fly?" Hiccup asked. Toothless shook himself out and smiled his trademark smile at his friend when the unexpected happened.

"Ha! Got you!" Astrid yelled at the mouth of the ally. "I knew something was up, but this? I don't believe it, and I'm here to see it!" Hiccup felt like he was freeze-dried, warm and cold all over. He didn't even want to begin thinking about what would happen if Astrid made it back. "Just wait until your father hears about this," the girl called, running back to the village.

Hiccup leaped up on Toothless' back, the saddle left there from yesterday. Without pause, Toothless took to the skies, both searching the ground for the blonde. Spotting her, Hiccup pointed down. Toothless silently descended, staying high enough where they wouldn't be seen. Hiccup had a quick flashback to when he was eleven, reading his comics about how Batman would descend on criminals in an alleyway in Gotham City. The moment passed, and Toothless latched onto Astrid's back, swiftly ascending with his prize. Astrid went up, kicking and screaming for the dragon to drop her until she looked down; then she starting pleading for Toothless to keep a tight hold.

Amused by the change in behavior, Hiccup reached around Toothless and said, "Do you want a hand up?" The girl glared at him before tentatively accepting. With some difficulty, Hiccup hauled Astrid up onto Toothless' back, where she began to tightly grip Hiccup.

"Put me down, now," Astrid demanded.

"Just close your eyes. Trust me," Hiccup said, looking at the horizon. Astrid tightened her grip before closing her eyes. He felt her relax as she became familiar with the weightlessness that comes with being airborne and accepted the amazement that was flying. Astrid's arms fell and Hiccup apologized. "I'm sorry Astrid. This just… it just means so much to me, being with Toothless. He's my only friend, and I couldn't stand the thought of losing him."

Astrid looked down in shame; not only did she really jump to a conclusion, she almost deprived Hiccup of his only friend. It occurred to her that she also abandoned him, which manifested itself as a guilty flinch. Hiccup pretended not to notice, which wasn't very difficult as Toothless stated to twitch. It wasn't unusual for the dragon to do so, but most often it was his tail rather than his entire body. He started shaking his head like there was a fly buzzing around it. Toothless raised his body into the air, as though he had hit an invisible wall, and the three of them started to lose altitude.

"Toothless!" Hiccup yelled, hoping to get through to his dragon. Astrid was clinging to him again so she wouldn't fall off. "Toothless, wake up!"

The dragon seemed to pull himself out of whatever was afflicting him and shifted into a slow glide. Hiccup patted Toothless' head, murmuring words of comfort. He was clearly shaken up by whatever had made him freak out like that. Hiccup looked out over the city; there was nothing he could discern that could cause Toothless to act like that. Then again, there was a lot he didn't know about dragons, so maybe there was something. What he did see was a huge number of dragons congregating near the edge of the city, where the harbor was. Bemused, Hiccup directed Toothless over there, despite the dragon's hesitation. They just had to be close enough to see what was going on…

Toothless alighted on the edge of a low-rise building and crouched down behind the stone railing. Hiccup and Astrid slid off of his back and mimicked his position, watching the dragons with interest. All of the dragons seemed to have food with them, ranging from full out horses and cows to little squirrels or pigeons. Blood was spilt on the docks, dripping into the water and staining it a purple in the night. A few minutes passed as the dragons below calmly waited, more landing and settling themselves in with the others. Toothless was still as stone, unblinkingly staring at his fellow species down below.

If he hadn't been looking at the water, Hiccup would have missed it. Small ripples were spreading out on the surface of the ocean, growing larger as the giant below began to surface. An enormous, gigantic dragon broke the surface of the water, opening it mouth to the fullest extent possible. It dwarfed everything else in sight, looking too huge to be possible. Hiccup felt himself shrink down in an instinctive fear, feeling Toothless do the same to his right. The Night Fury hissed at the newcomer, but made no move to attack. The dragons congregated below began to throw the animals they carried into the creature's mouth. One dragon, which did not seem to please their master, was eaten along with the offerings. The other dragons flinched away, but didn't flee. The dragon stared down at its servants with a near-ubiquitous gaze before sliding back underwater, the disturbances the last hint that the creature had been there.

As though a spell had been broken, the dragons fled the area en masse. Toothless nearly took off without his rider, ready to leap into the air. He held back and allowed the two to return to the saddle before escaping the harbor. The flight back was silent except for the beat of wings and the rush of the passing air.

Hiccup whispered fervently to Astrid, informing her of the plan he had come up with the night before. She didn't look happy with it, but it was too late to change now. It was going to be today, and it was impossible to stop now. There were a few things that could go wrong, but anything Astrid could try would only make the situation worse. Instead she just sighed and accepted it, not being so headstrong that would deny the truth or the logic behind Hiccup's plan. The wheel was set in motion, but she didn't know where it would lead.

It had to happen today, because today was an important day. Stoic, after being persuaded by Gobber, was convinced to allow the warriors-to-be to have the chance to kill a dragon and officially complete their training. Each of the students would have to face a dragon, alone. And, in a stroke of fate that showed just how much the universe hated him, Hiccup was to go first, against a captured Monstrous Nightmare. He was to be ready just after noon, but Hiccup had something else in mind.

What he didn't expect was for his father to call him into the house, roughly an hour before the match was to start. Hiccup found his father in his room, sitting in the desk chair. Hiccup noticed that there were lines on his face that weren't there before… all of this. He looked so much older, so tired. Then Stoic looked up and saw his son, a sad smile spreading across his face.

"Eh, Hiccup. I just wanted to tell you good luck, and give you this." He held out a piece of paper to his son, which he took. "It's a photo of your mother. There's not much left of her around here, but I know she would've wanted you to have it."

Stoic stood up, clasped a hand on his son's shoulder and walked out of the room. Hiccup was looking down at the picture, the last remnant he had of the mother he didn't remember. He safely tucked the photo away in his journal, with the ominous feeling that danger was lurking just around the corner.

Hiccup stood in the middle of the arena, sword in one hand and a shield in the other. He looked at peace with the world, weapon held loosely in his grip. Inside, he was nervous. So nervous, in fact, that he felt he could power an entire city if his nervousness was electricity. His hand tightened against the sword's leather grip as the gate creaked open, releasing the Nightmare. Its red scales glinted dully in the afternoon light, teeth bared at its opponent. Hiccup, much to everyone's surprise, slowly lowered his sword and shield to the ground. The Nightmare hissed in confusion, taking a step back from the boy. Hiccup looked up at his father and took a deep breath.

Stoic couldn't help but look on with incredulity. Here, his son was talking about the dragons being victims. That they were being controlled. That they were victims just as they were. Without thinking, Stoic stood up, yelled something about the dragons, and threw his axe down into the arena. His mind felt so slow just then, moving slower than a fish in Jell-O. He snapped out of the funk when the Nightmare started to corner Hiccup, but before he could act a dragon burst through the arena doors. Not just any dragon, but a Night Fury. He ordered for several warriors to enter the arena, but to await his signal before acting.

The black dragon snarled at the Monstrous Nightmare, who growled back. The two began to circle each other, like predators fighting over the kill. The smaller dragon leaped atop the larger one's back and stepped onto its neck. The Nightmare was forced down, lest it risk killing itself due to its brittle neck bones. The Night Fury dropped off the Nightmare's back, glaring at it so it would retreat. It backed away, but only turned tail when the black dragon spat a fireball at it.

Stoic gave the signal and the four men tackled the dragon. It hissed and tried to turn its head so it could bit its assailants, but Hiccup yelled for at them to stop. The dragon did so, despite the fact Hiccup wasn't speaking to it. He pleaded with his father to allow for the dragon to go, that it was protecting him, but the older man would hear nothing of it. In a last ditch attempt to save his dragon's life, he his father something he'd never expected to say.

"He can lead you to the dragons."

"What?" Stoic halted in his steps to turn back to his son, plan already formulating in his mind. "What did you say?"

"He can lead you to the dragons, where they congregate after they go around stealing." Anything to keep Toothless alive. Stoic nodded thoughtfully before addressing his men.

"Tie him up and load him onto a cart. We're going after the dragons!"

While Stoic walked away to prepare for the expedition and all the older people left to aid him in his fight, they missed the fear on Hiccup's face. He was one of the only people to know what exactly they would be facing, and how hopeless of an endeavor it would be. And it would be his fault alone when they died. The other teens came into the arena minutes later, only to find the boy in the same position.

"Hiccup." It was quietly spoken, yet still managed to startle the addressed. "What are you going to do now?" Astrid was concerned for her friend, but didn't know what to do.

"What are all of you doing here?" he asked instead, putting off the question.

"We weren't allowed to go out," Snotlout answered with a roll of his eyes. "So, what 'cha going to do now?" Hiccup looked at the group before letting his gaze drift over to the cage doors. An uncharacteristic smile spread across his face and he pulled his cousin with him.

"I've got an idea."

"Wait, wait, wait, hold up. What's going on?" Fishlegs asked. "What are you doing? Those are the dragon's cages."

"I know," Hiccup replied. "Everyone that's going out to fight the dragons… They're going to be killed because of their leader. It's huge and it's going to kill everyone. I mean that it's bigger than anything I've ever seen before." Snotlout snorted and was going to make a smart-mouthed comment but was interrupted by a punch to the shoulder from Astrid.

"I've seen it myself, and I don't' think that anything can kill that thing. What are you planning, Hiccup?" she asked again.

"Sometimes, the only way to fight fire is with fire." Hiccup pulled down a lever that would release all the dragons from their cages. Suspicious, the creatures came out into the arena only to be greeted by the teens. Hiccup said, "Relax, I'll show you what to do."

He grabbed his cousin's wrist and slowly but surely dragged him over to the Monstrous Nightmare, which shied away slightly but allowed the boy to place Snotlout's palm on its muzzle. Snotlout's face broke into a relieved smile once he realized the dragon wasn't going to eat him, or worse, burn him into a crisp. The relief was covered by a mask of neutrality as he failed to save face in front of his peers. Hiccup couldn't help but smile again with the success.

Flying on dragons, Hiccup learned, drastically reduces the time needed to travel. Snotlout was with the Monstrous Nightmare, the very same one that Toothless had subdued just ten minutes ago. Fishlegs was paired with the Gronkle, a strange match that made sense: both of them were of a deceiving appearance, neither very harmful in terms of personality. Ruffnut and Tuffnut were riding on each of the Hideous Zippleback's heads. Two heads, two riders, four very mischievous entities. Astrid and Hiccup were on the Nadder's back; Astrid and the Nadder went along well because both were concerned with their appearance. The Nadder wanted to look beautiful and deadly, while Astrid wanted hr reputation to say she was beautiful and deadly, which of she was, of course. In about five minutes the four dragons had landed on the roof of a low-rise building overlooking the harbor. Hiccup jumped off the Nadder's back and scanned the area for Toothless. He found the Night Fury, chained by the edge of the water and straining against the chains that bound him.

"Toothless!" Hiccup yelled, relieved and scared at the same time. If Toothless fell into the water, he would drown. The Night Fury snapped his head up and crooned at his rider before returning to his task with renewed vigor. "Where is it?" Hiccup murmured, realizing the giant dragon was nowhere to be seen. A sudden shockwave, not unlike an earthquake, roiled through the ground, upsetting everyone's balance.

"Ruff, Tuff, and Fishlegs," Hiccup said quickly, "find the dragon's ears and make noise, and lots of it. Snotlout, Astrid, hit its eyes. If it can't see, it can't aim."

Just as he finished speaking the monstrous dragon shot out of the water, baring its enormous fangs which rivaled the size of booster rockets. He heard the gasps of the other teens, save Astrid, as they beheld the gigantic creature. Hiccup looked around for Toothless and saw him fall into the bay, unable to catch himself because of the restraints. Hiccup felt his breath catch in his throat and the world slowed down. Without a thought as to what he was doing, Hiccup felt himself vault over the edge of the building and land on the concrete with a roll. He ignored the stabs of pain that came from his ankle- probably broken or sprained –and ran to the water, diving in after his dragon. He didn't hear the yells of alarm from the other teens or from his father.

Hiccup forced himself to the bottom of the bay, where Toothless struggled to break his restraints as fast as possible. The dragon saw his rider attempt to pick the locks in vain, and soon enough, he passed out. Alarmed, the dragon began to thrash against the bonds, fearful for Hiccup, hateful at the bonds the older humans had put him in. Didn't they see that this was their fault!? If they hadn't taken him, then the boy wouldn't have to try and rescue him and die!

The dragon had nearly given up hope when he spotted a shape in the murky water. It was too small to be a dragon that could be of help, but was just large enough to be one of the humans. It was the boy's father, in fact. He stopped by Toothless and looked into the dragon's eyes. Something passed between the two, an agreement that Hiccup was more important than either of them. He came first, before anything else.

Stoic grabbed his son by the waist and paddled back up to the surface. He lay Hiccup down on the concrete, away from the fighting, and pressed down on his chest. The boy started to cough and sputter, water leaking from his lungs.

"Toothless," he gasped. Stoic shook his head.

Of course the dragon would be first on his mind, Stoic thought with a wry smile. He took one last look at this son, who had sat up and was looking around for his dragon in alarm. Stoic dove back underneath the water and saw that the dragon had slowed down in its struggles. He tried to loosen the chains, and when that failed, ended up breaking the steel that chained the dragon to the platform. He grabbed the dragon by its midriff and pushed himself above the surface of the water. Gobber was there and wordlessly pulled the dragon on shore before grabbing Stoic's hand and lifted him up as well. The dragon, groggy with a lack of oxygen, was stumbling around, trying to find Hiccup through its daze. Stoic saw the dragon cough up little puddles of water onto the concrete, which sizzled from the dragon's internal heat.

Toothless shook his head to clear it and found his rider. He bounded over, nearly falling on his face from dizziness, but he could care less. Stoic watched the two greet each other foggily before turning his attention to the grotesque dragon.

"Dad," Hiccup called out. Stoic turned back to his son, who was now on the dragon's back, saddle in place. "Thanks," he said, face hovering between 'unsure' and 'upset'. Stoic smiled one last time at his son and charged into battle, Gobber at his side.

Hiccup asked Toothless to fly up to the sky; he had a plan. If they damaged the dragon's wings, Hiccup quickly explained, the dragon wouldn't be able to catch itself and would hopefully die as it hit the ground or the water. And the dragon tried to use its fire, if they were lucky, then it would also explode from the gases in its body. Toothless saw the small, well, small compared to its body, tears in the giant's wings. On command, Toothless blasted several shots into the dragon's wings. With a baleful glare, the dragon extended its wings, which were easily as long as it was. With a great wave of air, the dragon lifted itself into the air and flew after the rider and dragon. Toothless flew up, up into the storm clouds, where the fluffy things were turning grey and flashed from internal lightning. The dragon rose into the patch of sky like a shark after its prey. Toothless sharply turned and blasted its wings, tearing open new holes, before diving down to the ground.

The older dragon, now quite angry at the Night Fury, started filling its maw with gas and dove after its prey. Hiccup said something Toothless didn't catch, but he turned in mid-dive, back to the ground, and shot a fireball into the dragon's throat. Its eyes bulged and it coughed as its insides took the explosion from the combustible gases. The Night Fury flipped and soared back into the air as the other dragon crashed into the water, sending a spray high into the air. The dragon's tail came out of nowhere and hit both dragon and rider, both caught by surprise. Toothless panicked and dove back into the ball of explosions that was now the dragon, where Hiccup was falling.

The fire heated the water into smoke and Toothless panicked when he didn't see Hiccup. Something dark fell just a few feet in front of his face, and Toothless dove after it, faster than he had ever moved before. He caught it with his teeth, and crooned in relief when he saw it was his rider. The croon turned into a strangled whine when he saw the damage done to his rider. The fire from the now-surely-dead dragon leaped up, and in one last act on its part began to burn at the dragon's tail. He yelped in pain but refused to drop his rider. Instead, Toothless painfully glided down to the ground and landed with a painful jolt before lying on his side. He wrapped his wings around himself, protecting his rider from the world. The dragon shut his eyes and slapped his tender tail against the ground in a half-hearted attempt to put out the last of the embers that adorned his mangled flesh.

He heard the words of the boy's father, the one that he recognized to be his rider's name. There was the sound of crying, apologizing, and the scent of tears. Toothless slid his eyelids open and found the man with pain-filled eyes. Toothless whined, trying to warn the man, to tell him that he failed to protect his rider, the man's son. The man spoke again, his son's name, and Toothless carefully slid his wings open so the man could see what was left of his son. The dragon whined as he saw the damage again, pulling his wings tighter to himself, very careful to keep the boy from discomfort. The man spoke again, words garbled. The world turned dark as Toothless passed out.

Hiccup felt something warm lying by his feet, something too warm to be a blanket. He forced his eyes open and a wave of exhaustion hit him, threatening to put him under again. Instead, he managed to stay awake and found a great black mass curled up on the end of his bed. Hiccup rubbed his eyes; he was sure that he was seeing things.

"Toothless?" he said, sure that the dragon was a hallucination. The dragon perked his head up, ears lying flat against his head. Toothless' eyes focused on Hiccup and the dragon leaped up, jumping off the bed. He pushed his head into Hiccup's chest and the boy hugged him. "Why are you here, Toothless? You should be back in the city."

Hiccup swung his legs out from under the blanket and was startled to hear a thunk when his feet hit the floor. He lifted up the blankets, which had caught on his feet and had been pulled over. He swallowed when he saw the prosthetic foot, made of metal and wood, strapped to what remained of his left leg. It worked on a spring lever, and curved to make a blunt hook at the end. Why it was made like that, Hiccup had no idea, but he did find that walking with a prosthetic was much more difficult than it seemed. The spring pushed downward with every step he took, giving the boy the unsettling feeling he was sinking in the ground a little bit more as he walked.

Toothless was running around him like an excited puppy, and Hiccup found himself disheartened to see the dragon's missing tailfin. It seems that neither of us has made it out unscathed, Hiccup thought. The dragon helped him down the stairs and opened the door for him, and Hiccup found his father and Gobber standing outside, watching something. Hiccup stood next to his father, who gave him a pained smile. Astrid came running up to him and Hiccup felt himself flinch as she punched his arm.

"That was for scaring me," she explained.

Then she kissed him, and Hiccup felt the world disappear. The moment was short, and he was caught by surprise, so it wasn't as good as it should have been if he had been expecting it. But it didn't keep him from smiling like an idiot at her. Astrid rolled her eyes and pointed out at the other houses. Hiccup directed his gaze to what she was pointing at and he heard himself gasp. There were dragons everywhere. Flying in the air, basking in the sun on top of the houses, playing with each other and with the people; it was the one thing Hiccup never believed could happen. He turned to Toothless and grinned, and the dragon returned it with a toothless smile.

"I think we'd better get working on your tail, buddy."