Dear Readers,
Welcome to the second installation of the three part one-shot stories that will lead up to the story Night Blood: Fire Race. If you are coming from the FF search engine, I recommend you look for this title: The Bond Between Two on my story listing, seeing as these one-shots do line up together.
This one-shot takes place during the "Flight Test" scene in the first movie, and will have a few differences to it, but I hope you all enjoy it, nonetheless.
Disclaimer: I do not own How to Train Your Dragon, its characters, settings, events, or additional details; those belong to Cressida Cowell and DreamWorks Studios. The events portrayed here are completely done for entertainment purposes only.
Enjoy!
Where Trust Is Found:
For the last week, Hiccup had steadily changed a few things in his life. Firstly, he had used the things he'd learned about Toothless to excel in dragon training against the Zippleback; secondly, he had grown closer with the Night Fury; and thirdly, he had just finished a riding harness and saddle that would allow him to start getting Toothless off the ground and begin rehabilitating him. Today, he was in the cove again and had brought a basket full of fish, was dressed in his harness, and was carrying his saddle and a few pieces of rope. Toothless quickly bounded up to him, knocking him over and causing the saddle and rope to fall to the side, as the basket of fish was thrown to the side and scattered across the ground. Hiccup laughed as the dragon licked him twice, and then looked to him with an expectant expression.
"Did you bring me fish?"
"Of course I did! You knocked me over!" Hiccup stated with a laugh.
"Okay!" the Night Fury trotted over to the fish lying across the ground and began eating, while Hiccup went to check up on the equipment he'd brought with him.
The auburn-haired fourteen-year-old held up the saddle he'd made. It was stitched with thick thread and made from scraps of woven dark brown leather with stirrups and grips with three straps that would have gone along Toothless's throat, shoulders, and the area just before his wings to give him support that would work with his movements and keep Hiccup on him easier. As soon as the dragon was done with the fish, Hiccup looked to the dragon, who hummed as he turned his attention to him, while he held it up in front of him.
"Okay, so, this is what I came up with..." the dragon crouched a bit, looking as if he was ready to take off.
"Hiccup...I don't know about that..."
"It's the best I've got, so, come here!" Hiccup moved towards him, and Toothless took off.
Hiccup took off after him with a full-blown run, holding the saddle above his head, as Toothless turned in all directions to avoid being strapped up by the object. The Viking and the dragon, from an outside source, would appear as quite a comical duo; however, to anyone from Berk, this would be the outcast nuisance trying to kill a dragon in the strangest way any had ever seen. However, between the two, it was an attempt to help one another belong in a world that shunned them. Toothless turned, and Hiccup lunged, before missing.
"Come back here!" he shouted as Toothless continued to shift around.
"Do I look like a horse to you?" Hiccup frowned.
"No, you remind me of a cat," he stated. Toothless frowned.
"I do not want to be ridden like some kind of pack-mule!" Hiccup groaned.
"Okay, look; either you can try my idea of getting you in the air again...or you can learn to walk like a human and crawl on your belly like a snake," he stated.
Toothless gave him a look of utter discomfort before whining like a scolded dog as he inched closer and let Hiccup set up the saddle. The boy patted him gently and smiled as he placed the saddle upon the neck and shoulder area of the Night Fury and began to strap it on him. Toothless was surprised by the light weight of the leather contraption as his friend finished strapping him in and checked it over, before nodding as he grabbed the rope and began to attach it to a part of the tail with a loop at the end so that he could control the movement. Toothless frowned while the boy tested it a few times, before he looked to him.
"This is insane..." Hiccup rolled his eyes.
"No, what's insane is being able to understand you," he stated.
"Touché..." the Viking sighed.
"I know that if anyone ever found out...I'd never be able to return to life the way it is in their eyes..." Toothless crooned in distress.
"I don't know why they seem to hate you so much..." Hiccup glanced down.
"I'm a mistake...like I said...I'm not a Viking...just a failure." Toothless nudged him, and he looked to him in questioning.
"Failure? How? The way I see it, you're incredibly kind and understanding. You have a heart of gold," the Night Fury's statement had Hiccup smiling slowly.
"Well...let me give you an idea..." the dragon gave him a questioning look.
"What are you going to do?" the boy cleared his throat.
"Barmaid! I'm afraid you've brought me the wrong offspring! I ordered an extra-large boy with beefy arms, extra guts and glory on the side! This here? This is a talking fishbone!" Hiccup stated in a thick Scottish accent. Toothless whined as he heard the words.
"Who would say those things to you?" the boy glanced down as he double checked the buckles.
"My dad...he doesn't feel much for me...I think the only reason I'm still even his heir is because my mom is dead..." Toothless nuzzled him as he stood back up.
"He's not your sire...he's just a fool who doesn't see your worth. You're better than the others in the village, and you have a good heart and a pure soul..." Hiccup smiled as he finished checking the saddle over.
"Thanks, but...none of those people will stand up for me...not even the person who I consider more of a father than my actual one..." Toothless looked down.
"When we get to where we can fly...let's leave...come away with me, and we can travel the worlds!" Hiccup smiled.
"Yea...I'll give it some thought; but first, we have to get this right..." Hiccup put his foot in the stirrup and climbed on.
Admittedly, Toothless felt weird carrying Hiccup like he was; however, he also felt surprisingly happy with this. Hiccup expanded the tailfin and Toothless took up off the ground, and the duo managed to stay in the air for a bit before crashing down into the water, causing the boy to be dislodged. The thin fourteen-year-old popped up out of the water with a deep breath, and Toothless snorted as he shook out and then looked to the saddle. They hadn't stayed up in the air more than what he knew had to be five minutes before they were down again – the saddle worked well, but the rigging for his tailfin was another story all together. Snorting, the Night Fury walked onto the bank and looked at a pile of rocks and wood that had been laid to the side a few days ago and shot a fireball at it, which caused it to light up, while the boy waded out of the water.
"Okay, so I need to try again and do something different...maybe..." Toothless frowned.
"If we are going to continue to try this...may I suggest...a pull system?" Hiccup gave him a triumphant expression.
"That's it! It needs a lever system, so that when I move the stirrup, it's more like a pedal or a winding system like on a mill and will allow me to maneuver the tailfin so that you can make turns at the right time and stay in the air!" the boy shot to his feet, and Toothless gave him a questioning look.
"What is taking place in that mind of yours, Hiccup?" the boy's forest-green eyes looked him over while a bright smile came to his features.
"No worries! You'll love this! I need to go soon, but once I do, I'm going straight back to the forge!" Toothless couldn't help but give him the same lopsided smile.
"Then I can't wait to see what you come up with."
If one thing was certain, it was that Hiccup had a tenacious spirit and a warm heart, something Toothless hoped never went away, no matter how much pain those in the village gave him.
It happens in a blink, it happens in a flash...
{Two Days Later...}
Hiccup trudged into the cove with a pale expression, holding onto what looked like a new lever system and saddle. Toothless came to him when the boy laid down a basket of fish and set to fixing up the equipment so they could try flying again. It had rained for nearly three days and had finally let up, which was why Hiccup was missing until this afternoon. The Night Fury often worried about his little friend when the boy would go missing for a few days or didn't have a smile upon his face when he walked into the cove; however, he knew what he went through and that he was unhappy with his life; however, the day when he and Hiccup would vanish from this harsh existence was close, and that alone made Toothless do nothing more than allow him to try his changes out, and hope that, once they got used to flying together, Hiccup's misery would be over.
"Alright, let's see how this goes..." Toothless nodded and let the boy climb on.
The lever clicked and the tailfin opened in a faint flurry of dull brown before the boy patted him, before he opened his wings and took off. Almost instantly, they were airborne and gliding along the currents.
The dragon and the boy flew around the cove a few times, and then as they turned, a hook holding the tail open and connected to the lever of the stirrup came undone and they landed in a patch of tall grass. The second Toothless touched it, he began rolling around in joy as Hiccup watched in questioning as the dragon behaved like a feline around cat-nip. Taking a few strands of the tall grass in his hand, he sniffed it and found the scent sweet instead of sharp and bitter.
Personally, the scent of fresh air, rainfall, and autumn leaves always soothed the Viking boy, and while Toothless seemed very happy in the bunch of tall grass, Hiccup couldn't help but wonder why this grass seemed to have a calming effect upon the dragon. Sighing, Hiccup took a handful of it and put it in his pocket with an idea in mind as he fixed the latch and got back to the cove, while Toothless crooned at his happiness as Hiccup looked at the lever system and frowned. While they flew longer than they had in the past few days, it still needed some work done to it. Therefore, he would give it one more go, and then he would promptly come back after dragon training and try once more. Toothless looked him over and the dragon warbled as he nudged Hiccup, and the boy set to scratching him down, while it gave him a happy croon and allowed the boy to continue up until he touched a spot on him just under his jaw, which caused him to drop to the ground with a content whine.
"What? Is that your kill switch?" he asked.
"Hmmm...me sleepy..." Hiccup sat down next to the dragon as he hummed, and couldn't help but smile.
"Alright, how about I stay with you for now and head back in a bit? I know what I need to fix on the lever, and once I do, I'll be back, and we can try one more time," Hiccup stated as he steadily pet the dragon, who continued to purr.
"Good...I like that idea...goodnight..." Hiccup rolled his eyes.
"Crazy reptile..."
The Viking and the dragon stayed there in the cove for hours on end while they enjoyed the peace that surrounded them, and Hiccup watched the sunset paint the sky in the colors of a fire. It wasn't like the bloody, smoke-filled red of a raid, but the beautiful colors that reminded him of the colors and festivities of Lithasbolt, Mabon, and Fallfest. All of those wonderful moments where none of the people cared about anything he did, because – believe it or not – he actually managed to be helpful during the harvest times and during the days that lead up to Snoggletog, by which point, no one scolded him or was cruel to him, only for fear of what Odin would say to them if they treated someone so poorly during the festive months. Hiccup sighed, taking a stick from nearby as he began drawing the symbolic runes his village used to define the holidays upon their wheel of dates.
"Stupid...why are you thinking about that?"
"Something wrong?" forest-green looked to peridot, and the boy sighed.
"Nothing...I was just back tracking towards a thought that crossed my mind...I was thinking about our celebrations...the festive months are coming up..." Toothless chattered a bit.
"Oh, I've seen a few celebrations in other worlds..." Hiccup perked up slightly at that.
"Other worlds?" he asked. The dragon nodded.
"Yes, many other worlds. I've only heard stories of most, but I have seen a few..." the young Viking looked to him and smiled.
"I'll get you flying soon, Toothless, and once we're up in the air...once we're free...we should explore every world out there!" he stated excitedly.
"Yes, we should...and make a map of every single one!" the boy gave him a happy look, and then nodded with a glow in his green eyes.
"Yea! Now, I need to go fix that one thing on the lever system, and then we should be set!" Toothless nodded and nuzzled the boy.
"I know you can do it!"
It happens in the time it took to look back
{Three Days Later...}
Hiccup had finally done it; he had perfected the pulley system for Toothless's tailfin. Now, it was time to give it a real test before they left Berk. Today, they were going to be flying near the western sea stacks, where they were unlikely to be spotted by the Berkians and were even more likely to have a softer landing, thanks to the thick grass and foliage around the area. Toothless hummed happily as Hiccup clicked the tailfin in place and it opened in a flurry, while the boy did a quick check over, and then proceeded to clip his sheet of flight patterns in place. Hiccup had made the sheet so that he could try certain positions with the tail and assist in learning how to properly maneuver with the Night Fury. As Hiccup did a last-minute check-over, Toothless gave a warbling noise to catch his partial attention.
"Are you ready for today?"
"Yea, this is the last trial before we leave...I just need to make sure the calibrations are right so that we don't hit a snag...like with the hook snapping shut when we took that tumble two days ago..." the dragon hummed.
"Yea, that blonde-haired female is not someone I like being around you..." Hiccup sighed.
"I know...and I do like her, but I know she's just like everyone else here...she'll never see how amazing all of you are," he stated as he patted the dragon's head gently.
"I do apologize...but one day, I think you'll find a mate that's just right for you." Toothless's words were comforting and made him smile.
"Thanks; now, let's go bud!"
The Night Fury's wings opened and Hiccup leaned down against Toothless's back before the dragon took off into the wind. The boy cheered as they flew a few circles and then proceeded to attempt several positions. Toothless could sense the boy's anxiety at these maneuvers failing, but he knew that his rider could do it – the thought made the dragon pause in his thought. Since when had he thought of Hiccup as his rider? Toothless warbled in faint realization that Hiccup was part of him now: they were Soulmates. The two outcasts, the misfits, the two that none understood, and they were kindred spirits, but there was still something missing in their connection: complete, unwavering, unconditional trust. Hiccup put his faith in Toothless, but there was still a faint quiver in their trust with one another; however, the Night Fury swore he would fix that soon. The two of them flew around a few sea stacks, and then Hiccup fumbled.
"Position three...no...four."
The two of them did fairly well on their transition point, but as they moved, Hiccup accidentally steered them into a stack of rough rocks, to which the boy apologized. Toothless groaned at the boy and then proceeded to growl as Hiccup ran them into another sea-stack again, and he once more apologized. Becoming a bit frustrated with him, he promptly smacked the boy with his earflap, causing a shout of surprise and faint pain to come from the boy, who rolled his eyes.
"Yea, yea, I'm on it. Position four, uh, three." Toothless moved to the third position with a frown.
"Can we not become a permanent addition to the scenery?"
"Sorry, I'm trying to memorize these so we can fly easier," Hiccup stated.
"Well, I'd like to not need a prosthetic wing as well..." the auburn-haired teen sighed.
"Fine, let's try this one more time!"
Toothless nodded, and the two of them moved through the positions, and the two of them soon got the hang of it for the most part; however, it was as they started going upwards, enjoying the climb into the air and the feeling of the clouds around them. Hiccup cheered, amazed by the sensation – it felt as if he was the freest he'd ever been since he was born. Nothing held him back – no hateful sneers, no ignorance of his father, no malice from his peers, no jokes, jeering, mistreatment - nothing could touch him when he was in the air, surrounded by the clouds and the blue sky, above everything with his best friend.
"This is amazing! The wind in my..." suddenly, the sheet he'd clipped onto the saddle flew away.
"CHEAT SHEET! STOP!" Toothless panicked.
"Hiccup? Is something..."
The Viking tried to grab the sheet and failed as it floated away, and the boy heard an unsettling clink as he suddenly became weightless. Toothless gave a startled roar, waving his limbs frantically, as Hiccup did the same. The boy screamed in shock, and his panic was evident as he tried to reach for Toothless and continued to fail as Toothless began to spiral, hoping he could find a way to catch his rider. The boy moved, trying in vain to grab the grips upon the saddle.
"Alright! You gotta kind of angle yourself! Okay, no, no, no...come back down towards me! Come back...OW!" Toothless's tailfin smacked him, sending him veering slightly away.
The Night Fury roared and dove downwards as Hiccup reached up, and the two of them managed to come back together as Hiccup settled into the stirrups, grabbed the holders, took the sheet in his teeth, and then looked to it as they began to try and buff their fall. The clouds left streaks behind Toothless's wings as the dragon gave a frightened expression as Hiccup looked at the positions and then to the dragon and the seat stacks. Glaring, the Viking boy threw the sheet away and leaned downwards before clicking the tail position into place. Toothless almost wanted to close his eyes as they neared the sea stacks, and then, something remarkable happened. The movements became less stiff and more free. Hiccup maneuvered his tail where it needed to go, and they flew at near top speed through the stacks, weaving in and out like they were one being, and Toothless could only feel the connection grow stronger as the two of them continued weaving in and out, going faster and faster, until everything was a blur and they were sailing across the water, causing it to burst out beside them, giving them both a gentle spray of ocean waters before they spun upwards, the water behaving almost like a burst of stardust as they rose high into the sky, and Toothless opened his wings in a breathtaking move before diving back down. Hiccup moved with him, motioning him to do what he needed to, helping him as if he was part of him. The boy's actions were clear and precise, no longer needing to look at the sheet or question what he was going to do because the boy relied on his own instincts and he became one with the wind and sky.
"YEA!" they righted themselves, and Hiccup laughed victoriously as Toothless shot out a burst of plasma. The boy groaned.
"Ah! Come on!"
{Western Cove: Sunset...}
Toothless and Hiccup were settled on the ground, a fire going as Hiccup roasted two fish over the flame and Toothless dug into his pile of raw fish. The dragon convulsed, gagging, and then spat up the head of a Cod before looking to his rider, who made a disgusted expression. Hiccup questioned why Toothless thought he had to do that for him when he was capable of hunting, despite what everyone thought about his Viking skills.
"Want some?" another shudder.
"Uh...no, thanks. I'm good," he said as he held up his stick that had a fish on it.
"Suit yourself..." forest-green eyes looked the black dragon over.
"Hey, Toothless? When do you want to leave?" he questioned. The Night Fury gave him a happy smile.
"Hmm...I haven't given that much thought...in a few days...to keep down suspicion."
"Sounds like a good idea; I wouldn't want anything coming after us, either; and what is that?"
Toothless and Hiccup's eyes landed on several Terrible Terrors that landed, almost like seagulls, around them. They were varying in colors, nipping and hissing at one another, but none of that mattered, because one thing was clear about them: they were hungry. Hiccup tensed a bit and then took a deep breath as a green Terror came towards Toothless's pile of fish and grabbed the regurgitated fish head before dragging it away with a smack of its lips. Hiccup merely watched while Toothless curled his arms and paws around his pile of fish as some of the Terrors continued to come closer to him and his rider. Hiccup watched, amused, as one of Toothless's fish leaving the pile, almost as if it had returned to life. The Night Fury knew better, and soon revealed it to be an orange Terrible Terror that ended up in a tug of war with the fish against Toothless, who ultimately won and swallowed the fish before chortling tauntingly.
Clearly irritated, the little dragon pawed at the ground and prepared to blast Toothless with a fireball, but as he opened his mouth, Toothless fired a tiny blue-purple-white flame straight into its mouth, causing the gas to backfire into the little creature. It jumped and then landed in a heap on the ground, before coughing up smoke and staggering away, looking drunken and ill. Hiccup laughed a bit and grabbed one of the still raw fish from his pile before looking to it.
"Not so fireproof on the inside, are you?" he tossed the hapless Terror the fish, and the dragon sniffed it.
"Here you go..." the little dragon took it and gulped down the meal before approaching Hiccup cautiously. The young Viking watched as it nudged his arm and hand before it snuggled up next to him and slowly fell asleep. Toothless smiled in a gummy manner as Hiccup felt amazement come across him.
"It's not just you, Toothless...all of you...everything we know about you guys is wrong!" Toothless warbled.
"And everything we know about all humans is wrong, as well. You are a fine example of that, Hiccup." Forest-green eyes looked into reptilian peridot.
"If there was some way to show Vikings that dragons and humans can co-exist...it would end the war..." Toothless whined.
"I wish it could be that way...but none of them will listen to you, Hiccup...but...just know that, no matter what, I'm always going to be here for you." The boy smiled and pulled the Night Fury into a warm embrace.
"Thanks, bud, I'm glad you're here. And I'm also glad that everything's worked out..." Toothless nudged him gently, and Hiccup smiled again.
"I just want you to know that I trust you...with my life, Hiccup..." Forest-green eyes looked him over in shock and then joy.
"Thank you, Toothless...I trust you with my life, as well...and I always will," he said. Toothless returned to his fish, and Hiccup leaned back against the dragon and closed his eyes.
There was no need to thank one another, and no words were needed to be clear that, on this day, when they flew as one being, when they became one with the sky and the wind – that this was where trust was found between them.
{…...}
I try to hold on tight, but there's no stopping time...
{…...}
Author's Note: Well, that's the second one in the trilogy. The final story is the Red Death battle and Aftermath – I hope you all enjoy the one-shots and will continue to read on. Hiccup and Toothless's trust was formed when Hiccup decided to throw aside the logical basis of the flight trial and chose to work together as one entity in order to maneuver through the sea-stacks. Hiccup and Toothless had already formed a bond, but this was where their trust united them. Also, a Soulmate isn't only a lover, it's someone who you connect with on an emotional/spiritual level, and if you watch the movies and the series (which I do recommend, because it is quite good.), you can see the connection, the bond they share. Well, see you in the next story! And look for the last title in the one-shot trilogy:
United As One
Where Trust Was Found...and two worlds were...