This story is done by me and my friend Littlewolfartist and belongs to the both of us.

PROLOGUE

Bonding

The floorboards creaked noisily as Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III paced back and forth, running his hands through his mussy brown hair and muttering nervously. His wife, Astrid, heavy with his child, had gone into labor not too long ago. She was in his room with several midwives, and though they promised to take the greatest care of her, they would not allow Hiccup to come in. Many times he had poked his head inside worriedly to see how Astrid was doing, but each time he was ushered out like a naughty child. He was left standing in front of the door with an indignified expression. "It's my child," he grumbled. "My wife. My home. I shouldn't have to wait out here." He went outside and sat on the step in front of his house. With a deep sigh he turned his head to the glittering stars above him. His foot tapped impatiently on the ground. What was taking so long? After a few minutes Hiccup stood and turned to go back inside when the door opened. The midwife who had shooed him now gave him a small nod, grinning.

"It's a boy," she told him. Hiccup rushed inside and was at Astrid's bedside in an instant. In her arms she held a beautiful baby boy that slept with his head nestled against her chest. Hiccup smiled warmly at the little bundle and gave Astrid a small kiss on the cheek. They sat in silence for a while, staring contentedly at the sleeping form. The chief's thoughts began to drift elsewhere. He grew worried, for his dragon and best friend, Toothless, had been acting very strange of late. A while ago he had disappeared suddenly. Hiccup had searched far and wide for him, but Toothless was not found. The young man cursed himself for designing the tail fin that allowed his dragon to come and go as he pleased; Toothless had refused to use it at first, but one day he took off without warning and didn't come back for three weeks. He stayed in the grotto where Hiccup had first gained the Night Fury's trust and wouldn't let anyone near, not even Hiccup himself. Whenever someone approached the dragon would roar viciously and open his mouth, threatening to blast whoever dared to set foot in the area. The first time Hiccup had tried greet his old friend, he had gotten too close, and his warm hello had been returned with a warning plasma blast that burst in the air above his head.

The chief bit his lip. He couldn't bring himself to hurt his dragon, but as it stood Toothless had become too aggressive. Something had to be done about that.

"I know that look," Astrid murmured. "What's worrying you, Hiccup?"

He sighed. "It's Toothless," he answered. "He's been so… so…" A loud scratch at the door to the shack interrupted his thoughts. Getting to his feet, Hiccup made his way to the door and opened it to see Toothless sitting there with an apologetic yet joyful look. Tightly yet carefully the large black dragon held in his mouth a tiny black figure. Hiccup's first reaction to seeing the Night Fury that had been acting so very aggressive was to drive the beast away before he could bring any harm to Astrid or his newborn son. As if sensing this, Toothless backed away a few steps, making a pleading sound in the back of his throat. When he moved, the creature in his mouth squeaked and began to wriggle. Hiccup's eyes widened and he realized with a gasp that his old friend had brought to him what he had never expected to see- an infant Night Fury!

Toothless took a hesitant step forward. Hiccup held out his hand. For a long moment, Toothless stared at it, as if he thought that the chief would still send him away. Then he moved forward until the hand touched his face. The two stayed like that for a few minutes, until the sudden cry of the baby dragon in Toothless's jaws made Hiccup remember his own son. He held the door open for the large dragon to enter then, with a flick of his hand, signaled his friend to follow him. Hiccup stuck his head in the room. The baby was still fast asleep in his mother's arms. Astrid herself had been about to fall asleep until she heard the door creak open. When she saw that it was only Hiccup, she smiled. He smiled back and stepped inside, gesturing for someone just outside the room to wait.

"It seems as though…" Hiccup cleared his throat. "Well, I would consider it safe to say that tonight we have gained two new family members." His wife threw him a confused look, which he ignored and gave a soft whistle. Toothless was in the room at his side in an instant, and when the dragon saw the baby in Astrid's arms he gave a loud purr and gently sat the little scrap of a dragon he had been carrying in her lap. Astrid threw Hiccup an astounded look, seeking an explanation, but she merely got a shrug in reply. She looked back down at the tiny dragon in her lap and saw that unlike the dragon that had apparently fathered it, it was not completely black; instead, the little thing had pale blue spots along her the sides of her belly and tail, as well as symmetrical splashes of the same blue over her eyes. It crawled around on the bed. As it came close to the edge, it was nudged back into the middle by Toothless. Around the second or third time this happened, the infant dragon bumped into the baby Astrid held. At once the boy started to squirm. The tiny Night Fury was thumped on the side of its head by the baby's foot. It gave a squeal, but before Toothless could react both the baby and the little dragon's eyes opened and they peered curiously at one another. With a laugh Hiccup noticed that both infants had the same eye color- they each had deep emerald green eyes, much like Hiccup and Toothless themselves. At the same time the little dragon stretched forward to sniff at the odd creature staring back at it, the boy reached out his hand and placed it on the dragonlet's snout. For a long moment, neither man nor dragon uttered a sound. Then, as if on impulse, the little Night Fury pressed its snout against the infant's hand and purred.

Hiccup and Toothless glanced at each other. They both knew what this meant, for they both had shared a similar moment when they first realized how strong their bond had become. How fitting it seemed to them, that their children should be each other's companion. Perhaps the young ones' bond would grow even stronger than their own.

Let us know what you think. Also check out my friend on her deviantart account. She is a very good artist.