Toothless and I were flying out again, with Rupac snoozing on my shoulders.
It had been a week and a half since we'd left the Maya, and I was still thinking over me and Toothless's experience with them. How there was a king, how different Mayan cities had different rulers, and how I could use what I learned from the Maya to improve Viking society and how I hoped that the Maya took on some Viking traditions to improve their society. I already had a really long list.
And the fact that I had a new dragon buddy.
"Been six months, bud," I said, patting my best friends head. He purred happily. "Yeah," I said. "I know. I feel free."
Life out here was much happier than it was on Berk. Toothless actually cared about me, he didn't tell me that learning would poison my brain and destroy Viking society, he listened, he and I went on rides together...
Unlike Dad, who was said to have been a bit like me when he was my age. He even told me that, and then said it was the reason Mum wasn't with us anymore. Because he learned about dragons and how to train them. Because he rode one. Because he changed Vikings by bringing them in.
He told me that I shouldn't be as curious as he was, because it apparently ruined his life.
It's so weird. When I was four, Dad used to drop me off at Fishlegs' because he wanted him to teach me stuff and tell me stories. Back then, Dad encouraged me to be curious and learn about new things. He always told me to believe in myself.
That was Before. Before was when Mum was with us. After was after the Dragon War. When she wasn't there, and when Fishlegs was dead and no longer there. When Dad told me that learning isn't going to do any good, and that Viking society should never change. That was when he sent Toothless away.
Why he never told me why he sent Toothless away, I'll never know.
I remember when I first met Toothless. I was nine years old, and I was wandering the cove. As I climbed down, I slipped, and I thought I was going to die as I fell.
But a couple of hours later, I woke up.
I had landed on Toothless. He'd wrapped me with his wings, because he thought I was cold, which I kind of was. When I saw him, I was scared, but then he gave me some space, which helped me see him more clearly.
I didn't recognize him at first, even though he felt familiar. I had a fish with me, so I gave it to him, hoping it would keep him away while I was figuring out to how to get out safely.
He took the fish and ate it. I was gonna make my move there, but instead I just stayed. I was too scared to move.
When he finished eating the fish, Toothless was looking at me, and for some reason, decided to regurgitate the fish. He seemed to have wanted to me to eat it, so I did, and when I was done getting it down, Toothless came closer to me, as though he wanted me to pet him.
So that's what I did. I held my hand out and hoped he wouldn't bite it off, but instead he let me touch his snout. When he moved away from me, he was saying something like 'reeran.'
That's when I realized why he seemed so familiar to me. He was my dad's dragon, Toothless, who he'd sent away. When I realized that, I couldn't even say anything. I just stood there for two more hours.
And after that, I went home. Dad was marrying the Olson boy to the Birgisson girl, so he hadn't even noticed I was gone.
Ever since, I'd been visiting Toothless everyday, until I decided to run away with him.
That's the story of me and Toothless.