Welcome to my latest (and probably utterly ridiculous) AU idea. Let's cover the basics first. This is a Hiccstrid story, so expect fun and fluff, heartbreak and angst.
Next, I don't know yet whether this is going to stay T-rated or might get upgraded later on. So just a fair warning that it might get upgraded.
And one other thing here: I'm testing out a different way of writing a story. It's much compacter than what I usually write, little more than what I usually write as an outline. You've been warned.
So, on to the main point: The story! This is a 'The Last Unicorn' AU, featuring Hiccup as the last dragon. But to give this all-clear right away: There won't be any bestiality in this story! (If you know the original story then you can guess what happens anyway.)
So... yeah... I hope someone will like it... ^^"
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Chapter 1 — where a dragon goes on a journey.
When the hunters left the forest, they didn't notice the shadow incredulously watching them from behind the trees, drawn in by their voices.
He was the last, the hunters had said. The last Night Fury to roam this world. The last dragon at all. But that couldn't be… could it?
No… there had to be others! Surely they were just hiding from the humans that had become so numerous over the centuries, just like he was hiding too.
Hiccup cocked his black scaly head as his eyes followed the hunters out of his forest, internally laughing at their stupidity. Silly humans, what did they know about dragons? To them, his kind only existed in legends and fairy tales anymore, told around a campfire or to keep children from roaming the woods. Just because they hadn't seen any dragons in the better part of a century? Hah! That was ridiculous.
And yet, the thought refused to fade into oblivion. For days and weeks, Hiccup roamed his forest, just like he had done for all his life, chewing on what the hunters had said.
No more dragons? Was that possible?
After two more moons had passed, Hiccup made a decision. He would leave his forest, for the first time ever, and look for the other dragons. Maybe they had retreated into a far-away hidden land, away from the humans. Maybe they were living in hiding, afraid and cornered. Or maybe they were even captured, waiting for the one that could free them.
In the darkness of night, the Night Fury flew from one village to the other, disguising his appearance as that of a black dog to look for his brothers and sisters or to maybe overhear where they might be. It occurred to him that the humans wouldn't even know if dragons lived among them. If they were hiding their appearance like he was, letting the humans see something they expected to see, then it was no wonder those hunters had thought there were no dragons anymore. Untiring, he wandered on and on, searching the eyes of every animal he saw for that certain spark of intelligence. But there was nothing. Only real dogs, barely tamer than the feral wolves of his forest, cart ponies, and oxen. Once, he met a cat, certainly the most intelligent of all animals he'd seen on his journey so far. But all she could tell him was that he was supposed to ask the Sorcerer. Hiccup laughed at her, then wished her good luck with catching mice and left.
But after another week of fruitless searching, he returned to the cat. Asking her where he could find the Sorcerer could have been embarrassing, but of course, the cat had already forgotten that she'd talked to him before.
"The Sorcerer? The Sorcerer, the Sorcerer, out in the swamps he lives. But beware, beware, you might find more than you are looking for," she purred in a light sing-song, then continued to lick her paws.
Hiccup was amused by the cat's concern, but he took her advice. It took him three days, searching the vast swampland to the east until he found the odd building, half built onto a tree and covered with moss. To its side, a campfire was burning and a funny-looking old man leant over a book on a table.
"Now, now, big boy," the funny old man said when Hiccup approached him. "What is a pretty beast like you doing out here in this no man's land?" He patted Hiccup's head, clearly seeing nothing but the dog disguise.
Hiccup was disappointed. Was this the Sorcerer he'd been looking for? The one who was supposed to be able to help him? This doddery old man wasn't even able to see him. Apparently, the cat had been stupid after all.
"Father? I'm back. I got the two rabbits you asked for, and even a deer in addition."
Hiccup and the old man turned their heads into the direction of the voice. There was another human, a girl, carrying a dead deer over her back, a bow slung over her shoulder, and a quiver from which two rabbits hung was attached to her waist.
"Oh, that'll last us a few days. Or… ah… maybe not. But look, Astrid, we have company. Would you mind getting him a bone and maybe some leftover meat from last night?"
The girl cocked her head and blinked, her long blond braid falling over her shoulder, but didn't react otherwise and did as her father had told her. Hiccup's mood fell even further. These humans were just as stupid as all the others he'd met, and certainly not able to help him. Grumbling, he tore into the roasted meat the girl had brought him. He gladly took the food, but would leave right after. The other dragons had to be somewhere!
"This tastes good, doesn't it?" the girl murmured as she watched him eat. She reached out to pat his head as well, even scratched him behind his ear flaps. That actually felt good, and with a low rumbling deep inside his body, Hiccup leaned into her touch. She chuckled, and let her hand move on, over his neck, around the ridges on his back, and-
"These are really beautiful!" she said, awe filling her voice as her hand glided along his wing.
Wait, what?
Hiccup practically jumped away from her, staring in a bit of a shock, but the girl only chuckled.
"Did you think I couldn't see what you are?" she asked, mirth gleaming in her eyes. They were blue, he noticed now, like the sky.
[You can see me?] He hadn't meant for his thoughts to project into her mind, but she nodded in response anyway.
"Yeah, I'm not easily tricked by any magic," she said, sounding as if there was more behind those words than just a simple statement. "Unlike my father over there. His magic is woven so deeply into his being that he hardly ever can tell reality and magic apart. What does he think you are?"
Bemused, Hiccup projected the picture of a large dog into her mind, making her chuckle again.
"I see. No wonder he instantly wanted to feed you. He adores dogs."
[Aren't you afraid of me?] he asked, a little hesitantly. He might not be the biggest of dragons, but he was still big enough to eat her in one meal if he had to. And from what he remembered of his long life in his forest, humans didn't tend to react well when they saw his true form.
"Should I?" she asked, laughing at her own words and shook her head. "No, I'm not afraid of you. You haven't eaten us when you had the chance, so I guess you won't do it now either after we fed you."
Making a strange snorting sound, Hiccup had to agree with her logic.
"Anyway... I assume there's a reason you came out here? If you need Father's magic or advice for whatever reason, then I suggest you wait until he finished his calibrations. He won't listen to or look at anything else until he's done. How about you tell me what brought you here instead? I'm curious, you know?" She settled against his side, expectantly looking up.
Hiccup was reluctant at first, not exactly used to talk to anyone. But he had to admit that he was a little fascinated by this courageous girl. Astrid. So, in lack of anything else to do and with renewed hope that these humans might be able to help him after all, he spent the better part of an hour answering her questions. It felt strange to do so but also oddly soothing, sharing his concerns.
Once he was done explaining that he was looking for the other dragons and hoped the Sorcerer could help him, Astrid nodded.
"Yes, I think you did right in coming here. We haven't seen any dragons in ages either, but somehow, I feel like Father might know something after all."
Making the old man understand was amusing. It took Astrid quite a while to convince her father that the occasional image of the night-black dragon was actually the truth and not just his wishful thinking. But once the Sorcerer had understood, there was no further delay.
"Oh, for all the lost chicken tows!" he muttered, awe filling his eyes as he finally accepted the truth. "I can hardly believe it. I hadn't thought to ever see a living dragon again in my life. I thought he had them all."
At that, Hiccup perked up. [Who has them all?] he asked eagerly, projecting his question for all around him to hear. [Do you know where the other dragons are? Tell me, old man, I need to know!]
So the Sorcerer told him. He told him of Grimmel the Grisly, a dark magician, how he'd, long ago, made it his goal in life to capture and own all dragons. "I and the others of our order tried to stop him, of course," the Sorcerer said. "But by the time we were ready to face him, he already had quite a number of them captured. You see, he draws power from them. They are all in a cave beneath his castle, bound by a magical crystal that feeds on their strength. Lucky for us, he is content with enjoying his collection and has no desire to conquer the world with his powers."
[So they really are captured? And nobody ever tried to free them?] There was a spark of anger in Hiccup, confusing him. He wasn't used to such strong emotions.
"Of course we tried!" the Sorcerer defended himself. "But Grimmel had grown too strong, and we were unable to stand against him. He killed us, one after the other, and by now, I am the last of my order. Just like you are the last of the dragons."
That silenced Hiccup. [Forgive me. I am sorry you had to pay such a high price for a fight that shouldn't have been yours.]
The Sorcerer accepted his words, but the girl, Astrid, didn't seem to be appeased.
"So that's it?" she exclaimed. "We're just going to leave it like that, with the dragons captured and that man holding nigh-on-infinite power? What if he learns that there is a dragon missing from his collection? Or what if he decides that he wants to be the only living Magician?"
Her concerns were valid, of course, but then Hiccup hadn't intended to just let the matter drop anyway. In short order, they decided that they had to try and free the dragons. They didn't have much of a plan yet, but the Sorcerer was confident that, with the help of a dragon himself, a Night Fury no less, they at least had a chance. Because Night Furies, as every child knew from the old stories, were the strongest and deadliest of all dragons, their princes and kings. He still would probably only be able to hold against Grimmel for a little while. But maybe, 'a little while' would be all they needed.
. o O o .
So, that was that. I'm really curious about what you might think about this. So... yeah... Feedback is highly welcome! :D