The sky was dark that night.
No silver moon penetrated through the leaves, the welcoming darkness sending lesser creatures than he to their nests. A chilly breeze rustled the plants, but he only felt excitement as the branches cracked ominously.
It was time to hunt.
He made no sound as he stalked in the shadows. His stomach growled and he snapped his fangs together hungrily. He needed to eat. At the thought of juicy meat his claws instinctively gripped the summer earth with bloody points, and he couldn't suppress a shiver as he imagined them tearing through warm flesh.
When he had called himself down he continued on, making sure his tail swept any trace of a print away. He prefered for his prey to be unaware of his presence.
Until it was too late.
He stopped as a small light floated into existence. Fire. And where there was fire, there was…
He gave a long sniff, and quivered. Manlings, their tender, juicy muscles not yet hardened by work. And…
Dragons. The earthy smell of Gronckle, the stench of Zippleback, the musk of Nadder, and the charred, smoky breath of a Monstrous Nightmare. He tilted his head curiously. As his nose was filled with night wind and stars. A Night Fury. He had not known that any still lived in the Archipelago.
It mattered not. Nothing would keep him from his prey.
Not even lightning and death himself.
As the group tromped closer he slunk deeper into the shadows, making sure he was hidden.
And he waited.
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Pffffttttt
Pftttttt
Pfffftttt
Pfffttt
"Guys, cut it out already!" Hiccup glared as the twins burst into laughter. "We're supposed to be quit, remember? This is enemy territory. We could get attacked at any moment."
"Yeah, and if we do, Hookfang and I will take them out before they can beg us or mercy. Right, Hookfang?" Hookfang snorted and turned away, a smoky halo circling his head.
"This is serious, Snotlout." Fishlegs chimed in. "What if someday we actually get grounded somewhere?"
"FIshlegs has a point." Astrid yawned. "And the sooner we get this over with the sooner we can get back to bed."
Hiccup nodded his thanks, but he hadn't gone three steps before Ruffnut asked," Why are we out here in the middle of the night again?"
Hiccup sighed, gripping the torch in an effort to control his frustration. "Did you listen at all to what I said this morning?"
"Yes," they said in unison.
Hiccup waited.
"What are we talking about?" Tuffnut asked.
Hiccup growled, smacking his forehead. Toothless brushed against him, warbling, and Hiccup fought to control his exasperation.
Before he could answer he felt Toothless stiffen, and the vibrations of his growl was enough to immediately put him on alert. "What is it, Toothless?" he whispered. The others, noticing Toothless's behavior, ceased their arguing to assess their own dragons. Their taunt muscles and wary eyes showed that it wasn't just Toothless who sensed something.
Someone-or something- was out there.
Despite his pounding heart, Hiccup donned a mask of calm. "Get to your dragons. Quietly."
Hiccup scanned the canopy. They were deep in the forests of Berk, where the trees grew so close together you couldn't see the sky. Their only chance was to backtrack to where the trees were thinner, and they could fly to safety.
It was getting there that concerned Hiccup the most.
"Astrid." Immediately they made eye contact, and he whispered. "Lead the others back the way we came. As soon as you see an opening, fly to the village."
Her eyes narrowed in challenge. "And what about you? I'm not leaving you here."
"I'll be right behind you," he promised. "I'll make sure nothing…"
From the corner of his eye a shadow flickered at the edge of the light. He spun toward it, examining the suffocating darkness. Nothing stirred.
Before he could even breath, a shadow pounced.
His body screamed for him to run but he couldn't remember how. The dirty-snow of its scales contrasted sharply with its menacing purple eyes. They were locked on his, overflowing with a predatory sheen. Horns curled in a circle like a rams, thick as tree trunks. A muscular neck and shoulders lead to razor sharp claws, primed and bloody at the edges.
Something pulled him away a half-second before the dragon landed where he had stood. The light was gone, the torch dropped with his brush with death, but he could still see the dragon's eyes.
And they were staring right at him.
"Run!" He screamed. With Toothless at his side he sprinted into the trees.
Branches whipped his face and undergrowth threatened to trip his feet, but he sprinted on. He felt Toothless leave his side to block the path, and his Night Fury shrieked a challenge. A quick glance over his shoulder at the battle raging behind him, and he found himself face-first on the forest floor. His ankle screamed in pain as he kicked it free from the treacherous roots. Toothless's cry of pain made him look up sharply.
Toothless crouched in a defensive stance, his outstretched wings the only indication where dragon ended and darkness began. The other dragon growled threateningly. The cool air was filled with the sound of their labored breathing, and even with only the low violet glow from the dragon's eyes as light, he could tell both dragons were bleeding.
Toothless screeched again, his cry of rage and pain bouncing through the forest. The dragon prepared to pounce but hesitated, as if in thought. Without warning it spun away and darted into the trees, giving Toothless a final swipe with its tail.
Hiccup felt Toothless's return, and used him to stand. He gingerly put his weight on his ankle. Sharp pain raced up his leg, but not enough to be a break. "Come on," he huffed to Toothless. "We need to get to where you can spread your wings. Then we'll be safe." Hiccup had always thought himself observing, a skill produced from a lifetime of being ignored. So it wasn't surprising that one major fact had immediately stood out.
Its lack of wings allowed the dragon to quickly move through areas where wings would have been cumbersome. So if they could get into the air, theoretically, they would be safe.
Or so he hoped.
Their progress through the forest was painfully slow. Low hanging branches made it impossible for him to sit astrid Toothless and not lose an eye, so he was reduced to hobbling, clutching Toothless for support. Once in awhile he would stop to rest briefly, but he was always on the lookout for glowing purple eyes in the surrounding darkness.
Hiccup pondered as they continued on. He had never seen a dragon like this before. Maybe it was a new species, for it resembled none of the dragons he had encountered. The fact that it had never been spotted by anyone was surprising. There was not enough wild game on Berk to sustain a dragon of its size, and the farmers hadn't reported any missing livestock. Hiccup felt his blood freeze.
The dragon wasn't interested in game or livestock. It wanted humans. It attacked them with the intent of feasting, and had gone after him because he was smaller and skinnier than the other teens. If it had lived on Berk for years, it would have been too tempted by the village to remain hidden for long. So how had it got here?
He guessed that if he had a chance to look at its claws he would find webbed skin between the talons and fins along its body to help it maneuver through the water.
What did it eat when humans were scarce?
Hiccup shuddered and glanced to the sky. He still couldn't see, but the cool breeze had turned into a steady gale, bringing him the smell of fish and salt.
They had to be close to the edge.
Without warning rec-speckled jaws clamped down on his arm. He screamed as teeth shredded tissue and muscle, separating it from bone. Toothless launched himself and pummeled the dragon furiously. The pressure on his arm disappeared and he sank to his knees.
The sounds of battle echoed in his head as he fought to remain conscious. He tore off a piece of dirty tunic and pressed it to the wound, but it was soaked in seconds.
Hiccup was worried about how much blood he was losing. He felt light-headed, the world slightly dark at the edges. Fighting against it he pulled himself to his feet. The battle had moved further on, but the trail looked easy enough to follow. He wasn't going to sit here and do nothing. Toothless needed his help.
He removed a cylinder canister from an inside pocket of his vest. It was only a prototype but it was Hiccup's only chance of putting up a fight. He flicked a small switch and suddenly he could see, the heat from his flaming sword chasing away some of his fear. A dragon such as his attacker had all the assets to hunt in sheer darkness. Maybe the light would be enough to chase it away.
Hiccup's life depended on it being so.
His hands shaking, Hiccup followed the path of destruction. Broken branches, trampled plants, and dark footprints lead the way. Dark spots of what could only be blood dripped from the leaves, and Hiccup prayed to any god that was listening that it wasn't all from Toothless.
A sudden sense of forbidding took hold. He pushed past a twiggy bush and froze.
A weak beam of moonlight fell gracefully through a tiny break in the thinning net of branches. Toothless lay haphazardly, the grass around him crimson. Hiccup hobbled over and knelt by his friends head. Gingerly he reached out and touched his nose.
Toothless's angry eyes snapped open and Hiccup jumped.
"Hey buddy. You scared me." Hiccup whispered. Toothless warbled softly, eyes glazed with pain.
Hiccup looked him over. Blood seeped from numerous claw and bite marks, but one on his stomach worried him. "Can you stand, bud? We have to get-" Claws raked down his back and he was jerked backward into the dark trees, Toothless's screech dying slowly into silence. The trees sped by. Hiccup struggled to reach his weapon, which had been returned to his pocket, but the constant jerking made it impossible to get a grip without dropping it.
Eventually the trees faded and he was out in the open. The dragon dropped him unceremoniously and he hit the ground hard. When his breath returned he scrambled to his feet and pulled out his sword. The dragon gazed at him calmly as he fillip the switch.
Hiccup felt a rush of satisfaction at the dragon flinched away from the light, but it died when what looked like another eyelid lowered over the intimidating eyes. The dragon gave him an amused look and stalked toward him, taking his time. Hiccup gulped. He had no doubts that he was about to die. He lowered his sword and closed his eyes. Though everything in him screamed to run, to fight, he forced himself to relax. He waited for the pain, the darkness, the tearing of his muscles and the stopping of his heart.
Instead he heard footsteps and the chomp of teeth against muscle.
He opened his eyes. Toothless hung from the dragon's throat, teeth digging into the tender flesh. The dragon gurgled and collapsed and with its last breath tore open Toothless's chest with its claws. "Toothless!" Hiccup screamed, racing as fast as he could toward his best friend. Toothless only let go when he was sure that the other dragon was dead, then buckled to the ground.
Hiccup wasted no time, tearing off his tunic and vest and pressed it to his friends chest. The night air blew against his bare torso, but he couldn't feel the cold. He despaired as his tunic and vest became soaked with blood. "No, no, this can't be happening." Hiccup felt a rising panic, a fear sharper than anything he had every know. "Astrid! Snotlout! Dad! Anyone, help!" He screamed at the sky, but no one came.
Toothless gurgled wetly. Hiccup sobbed. "I'm so sorry, Toothless. I don't know what to do." Toothless's eyes met his, and in them was everything he couldn't say. How this was not Hiccup's fault, how he was sorry he couldn't protect him better. But most of all there was love for the boy who had shot him from the sky, and how grateful he was that he was his friend.
"Toothless, no! DON"T LEAVE ME! PLEASE, NO!" Hiccup wailed as the light in his best friend's eyes faded and he breathed no more.
Hiccup bawled, clutching at his friend's warm body, heart shattered into a million tiny, sharp, pieces. He remained in that position until dawn and a rescue party found him, and his new, darkened life began.