Chapter One

Dragons were amazing, mysterious creatures that humans knew little about. They hunted the lands of the archipelago and even beyond that. Many humans had tried conquering the beasts to the point of extinction. Very few were brave enough to befriend the dragons and live among them. One human was different than the rest. Her name, was Aniu.

At the age of six she had fled her village. The people on her island constantly tormented her just because of the way she looked. They thought she was some kind of freak, destined to bring destruction upon the island. Little did they suspect that she would thrive among wild dragons. Aniu had stumbled upon a family of dragons, and their first instinct was to rush in and attack. But they noticed the bruises and cuts covering her arms, and took her in. Around the same time, another dragon had hatched from its egg. Most dragons were born into families, but this one was alone. It's parents had been killed days before it hatched. Aniu had befriended the dragon who she learned was a Night Fury.

The two of them had become best friends almost instantly. Aniu never left the cave without her Night Fury, whether it was in her arms or following her on foot. Through the next ten years they grew up together and became inseparable. Aniu had named the Night Fury Cybele, and the two of them shared a bond like no other.

It wasn't long before the humans of Aniu's village discovered their nest. The dragons raided the village every few weeks, and it was only a matter of time before they were discovered. In the end, they were forced to leave their secluded cave and find a new island they could call home. Aniu had fled with Cybele, but not without taking a few trinkets of her own. She had mastered the art of archery, and took a set of bow and arrows from the forge when the people were holding a meeting in the Mess Hall.

Once Aniu had taken all of her belongings, they were off to find a new nest. Over the years Aniu had learned how to survive on her own. Cybele had helped her, of course, but that didn't stop Aniu from trying out new and dangerous things. One of them happened to be exploring different islands. On her free time, Aniu loved to see what different islands held with their secrets. Some had new dragons she had never seen before, while others were filled with caves and deep forests. The best though were the ones who were inhabited by other humans. Aniu found them fascinating, as she hadn't seen a human for ten years since leaving the island of Burgus.

"You shouldn't venture so close to the human village," growled a dark purple Deadly Nadder. She was unusual for a Deadly Nadder, as most of them had different shades of colors and patterns. Her name was Nina, and she took great pride in her appearance. She also treated Aniu like the girl was her hatchling, and cared deeply for both Aniu and Cybele. "All you ever do is put your life at risk, silly hatchling," she added.

"But those humans are so strange," Aniu admitted guiltily. "They live just beyond that volcano… and I could have sworn I heard another dragon calling me from within. Even Cybele heard it, and she was acting real strange." Cybele warbled in agreement and wrapped her tail protectively around Aniu.

Aniu had learned to communicate with dragons by speaking Dragonese. Nina took great care in ensuring that she fit in among the dragons. But even the wild dragons on this island were aware of how different Aniu was compared to them. She couldn't fly, and relied on Cybele to get her where she wanted. She even forged her own weapons such as the bow and arrow, and had learned how to hit the bulls-eye without hesitation.

"It's true," Cybele added. "The dragon sounded strange… almost as if she was clouding my thoughts… I can't remember what happened after that."

Nina looked at the pair in alarm after that. She had heard rumors of other dragons disappearing. Just a few days ago, one of their Zippleback friends had vanished without a trace. A few Gronckles had also vanished days before that. Knowing they had disappeared, and what was happening with Cybele, left her feeling more anxious than before.

"I think for now it is best to ban dragons from leaving the island," she decided out loud. "It appears as though what you have said is connected to the disappearances of our friends."

Aniu looked down at her feet shamefully as she remembered Ray, a Gronckle she had befriended a year ago. Ray was a dull brown and white Gronckle who had always been friendly with them. The three of them were always causing trouble among the others, by either pulling pranks or doing something foolish.

"Why should we be grounded for something that isn't hurting us?" Cybele demanded angrily. "There's nothing wrong with exploring a new island, especially if that island has dragons living on it."

She fumed at the idea of being restricted to one island. Like Aniu, she was always eager to seek out new lands and make new friends. One dragon in particular had caught her attention. She had seen him once or twice flying into the volcano, and assumed that it was his nest. But she was interested, nonetheless.

"This dragon… if she is who I think she is, will cause more harm to us than good," Nina concluded. She looked down at Cybele and Aniu sternly. "Stay away from that island, and the human village. If you know what's good for you."

Aniu and Cybele exchanged knowing looks. Nina's words would fall on depth ears.

"Okay, I guess we can stay away, for now," Aniu muttered crossly. Luckily, Nina was satisfied with that and left them alone. Aniu glanced at Cybele slyly. "You ready to break some rules?" she asked.

"I thought you would never ask," Cybele crooned with laughter.

They flew off without hesitation, back to a volcanic island shrouded in mystery. Aniu had seen this island several times before. Only once or twice had she heard the song of a dragon enticing her. Even Aniu couldn't shake off the feeling that there was more to this island than even Nina knew.

"She's not lying," Aniu said with a shudder as they reached the volcano in question. "It does make me feel uneasy."

"Perhaps that is because you are different from other dragons," Cybele suggested. "You haven't really been the same since Ray disappeared," she added warily.

Ray really was our best friend, Aniu thought sadly. They chose to avoid the island as they reached one of their favorite spots. It was another island just a few miles from the volcano, covered in thick pine forests. Cybele practiced her speed by flying between the trees, and target rings were hanging from the branches they flew past.

Aniu fired each arrow with ease, all of them hitting a target covered in more arrows. She had learned by watching the humans how to make the weapons into a formidable tool. It helped her catch fish when the dragons were busy, or keep away enemies as well. She let out a cry of delight after the last target was hit, and Cybele flew past until reaching a waterfall and flying straight through it.

This was their secret spot. They had discovered it five years ago when the dragons first moved to their nest. Aniu and Cybele loved to hang out here when there was nothing better to do. None of the other dragons were brave enough to go here, even Ray avoided it when she could.

"Sometimes I wish life was always this easy," Aniu sighed as she leaned against a rock. She pulled out her carving knife from her boot and started carving into her bow. Cybele sniffed it curiously before shaking her head. "No humans to bother me, and nothing to worry about. This is what life should always be about." Cybele just rolled her eyes.

"Oh, yes, life would be perfectly boring," she muttered. "Nina did have a good point about us avoiding that dragon. I have a bad feeling she is no good."

Aniu looked at her best friend in surprise. "You hate humans as much as I do," she pointed out. Cybele just stuck out her tongue.

"Yes, and there is a reason behind that. I saw what they did to you, what Nina told me they did to you," she growled. Aniu winced at that, remembering not too fondly what the humans had done to her before meeting the dragons.

The people in her village had always been cruel. Of all the people on Burgus, Karn Learson was the worst. He was a bully unto himself, always trying to find someone to pick on during his free-time. Aniu was usually the target in question. She would often return home with fresh cuts and bruises, and her parents were not much better. To make matters worse, her sister, Zena, had always been the center of attention. She was the best at training, and had earned the title of Fearless Zena. Meanwhile, Aniu was always called Worthless. Just another reason not to trust anyone from that village. They wanted nothing to do with her, especially when the dragons had taken her in.

"I'm never going back to that place again," she said determinedly. Cybele looked at her warily, afraid she might do something stupid, again.

"Aniu, I did not ask you to go back," she reassured her friend. "But I am asking why you are so interested in those humans beyond this island? What makes them so special?"

She bit the bottom of her lip thoughtfully as she tried putting two-and-two together. Truthfully, it was because of that boy she had seen upon their first visit. Like her, he was small and seemed to be the target of bullies. One rough looking Viking in particular seemed to enjoy taking out his frustration on the poor kid. She couldn't shake off the auburn-haired boy she had seen. Finally Cybele noticed the look in Aniu's eyes, and smirked knowingly.

"Well, it seems as if you have someone new in mind," she hummed in amusement, earning a glare from Aniu. Aniu shrugged and tried to hide the blush that followed.

It doesn't seem likely that I have feelings for him, she reminded herself. Aniu was shaken from her thoughts when she heard the familiar roar of a Night Fury. She looked at Cybele, only to see her friend resting her head on her paws. Cybele looked up with interest now as night began to fall upon them.

"What was that?" Aniu asked curiously.

"That was the Night Fury I heard earlier," Cybele replied, her eyes brimming with excitement. "Another Night Fury! I didn't think it was possible!"

"Oh, does someone have a crush?" Aniu teased her. Cybele just rolled her eyes.

"No, I just think it's great that there's another Night Fury out there," she retorted. "Even Nina thought I was the last one in existence. Imagine what she'll look like when I prove her wrong."

Aniu smirked at the possibility. She nudged Cybele and hopped onto her back, eager to see who this mysterious Night Fury was. To find another one in this world was strange, especially given how rare they were. Cybele's own parents had been killed by humans. Aniu had learned from Nina that her parents were killed during a raid when the humans spotted them. It was a tragic loss that the dragons would never forget.

By the time they had tracked the other Night Fury down, it was dark. They should have turned around at that point. Nina would get worried and send reinforcements to track them down. But curiosity had gotten the better of both of them. The Night Fury was approaching the island where Aniu had seen that boy.

It wasn't long before they saw the light of fire in the distance. Aniu shuddered at the possibility of what might be happening there. The distant roars of dragons fighting told her all she needed to know. This was not a raid. This was a battle.

"Cybele, we should go," Aniu whispered, feeling uneasy. Cybele only shook her head as she flew faster towards the island where the Night Fury had gone.

"No, I've picked up his scent. He's near!" Aniu held back a sigh of frustration as Cybele kept pushing herself, until a cry stopped them in their tracks.

"Leave my friends alone!" Both of them perked up at the sound of a deep male's voice.

They hid themselves in the blackness of night as the male Night Fury flew past them. He fired several plasma blasts at the nearest watch tower, knocking it over in the process. Aniu watched in amazement as a Monstrous Nightmare lit himself on fire and climbed up the cliff.

"Such a silly human boy, trying to capture and kill a Night Fury," the Nightmare roared.

It was funny, watching the Monstrous Nightmare chase after whatever poor soul had angered him. That was until Aniu noticed who the Monstrous Nightmare was chasing. Her eyes widened in alarm as the auburn-haired boy ran from the dragon, screaming in terror.

"We're leaving, now," Cybele growled as she flew away.

"What about the other Night Fury?" Aniu asked anxiously, glancing over her shoulder.

"If he is a Night Fury, than he'll be fine," Cybele replied.

Relief washed over Aniu's shoulders once they were far enough away. War between man and dragon had taken place for countless generations. Aniu remembered hearing stories from her own people about what had happened during their terrible raids. So many lives, lost because they didn't understand what dragons were capable of.

I wish there was a way to end these fights, she thought. Then she reminded herself of how horrible the humans were to her. Then again, maybe it's better this way. She shook her head at the thought, deciding it was better to forget such uneasy feelings.

AN: Okay, I've been debating whether or not I should post this story, but I'm already like, fifteen chapters into it. So I've decided to give it a shot and see where it goes. I have no idea how readers are going to respond to it, but hopefully, it's good enough ^^ Either way, here's the first chapter... which obviously leads to the first movie of HTTYD. Also, free cookies to anyone who gets the title reference ;)