Disclaimer: I do not own HTTYD in any way. This fic is only for my own entertainment and literary practice.
AN: Enjoy, read, and review~
Cloaked
Bork was many things. Bork was a great viking and explorer; no one can doubt that fact. What people don't know about him is that he was also a bard.
Bork did not just merely write down his observations in the Book of Dragons—although, the people of Berk seem to think so. The Book of Dragons, while a fact-based encyclopedia of sorts, was written by Bork with some of his artistic license and literary flair.
If Bork were still alive, he would be surprised to see the vikings take his work so literally. He wrote it as something with properties from both prose and poetry. Why else would he have written, "Extremely dangerous. Kill on sight," on every dragon entry; it was for emphasis, effect, rhythm, and flow. If Bork were born in modern times—he could turn the Book of Dragons into a rap that is even more "fire" than a Monstrous Nightmare.
What the people of Berk lacked is Literature class. Their realm, unlike this one, doesn't mandate the children of the educational institutions to learn analysis of literature.
The Night Fury entry is of particular interest. It starts out with: "Speed: unknown; size: unknown." What might have Bork meant? The very existence of the Night Fury page in the Book of Dragons meant that Bork has encountered a Night Fury at least once. The Night Fury has an entry—yet, no image. It leads one to think how can he have known a Night Fury to exist without having seen it. It is the puzzle that Bork put in his work.
The question that should be asked is not whether Bork has ever seen a Night Fury—what should be asked is, "What Bork did see."
The truth is, Bork did sketch. The page is not blank. There was a space before his statements of "Speed: unknown; size: unknown." Other entries show that Bork did not follow a strict format—sometimes the details come before the image. Yet, there is a space in the Night Fury's page. Why?
What Bork sketched was the image that the blots and faint traces of ink on the page make. They weren't just defects of the paper: they were drawn by the dragon-man himself as an image of the Night Fury.
That's right. The Night Fury can cloak itself—it is the very meaning of the monicker, "unholy offspring of Lightning and Death itself."
Like a flash of lightning—the Night Fury disappears. Soon afterwards, clothed in black, it comes and takes away.
Hiccup found out not through analysis that Toothless could cloak; he found out by accident in another way.
Hiccup accidentally stepped on Toothless' bare tail as he woke up.
"I'm so sorry! Toothless, bud, you alright?" Hiccup looked around but no one was there.
Toothless had turned invisible.
He spun around in delight when he realized that he was able to access an ability he had lost control over ever since he had lost a tailfin.
Hiccup heard Toothless' jumping about. "Toothless?" he said while trying to get a feel of his invisible dragon.
Toothless touched Hiccup's palm with his head in response.
Hiccup patted his hand on the unseen in disbelief. "Y-you're invisible! That's amazing," he exclaimed, "It's even better than a Change Wing's camouflage."
Toothless' ear jerked when he heard someone climbing up the ladder to Hiccup's hut. He bit Hiccup's hand.
"Ow," Hiccup exclaimed in pain, "Wha-Why did you do that?"
"Hiccup?" Fishlegs asked as he entered the room.
"That's weird. Guess he's already up," said Fishlegs as he left.
Hiccup tried looking at the hand still being bitten—it wasn't there. Death taketh away. He, too, had turned invisible.
Hiccup felt his dragon forcing a mount.
"I can't see us," he said as he settled down on top of the invisible Toothless, "But you can. That's brilliant!"
"We've got to tell the others," Hiccup told Toothless.
Toothless groaned in disagreement. He wanted to mess around—he wanted to have fun first. And, that, they did.
"This is a bad idea," whispered Hiccup.
Toothless galloped to the nearby spring where they take baths, with Hiccup on him.
Toothless knew that at this time in the morning, it was Astrid's turn to use the springs.
"Toothless!" Hiccup whispered his reprimand.
Toothless grinned and quietly sounded his signature taunt as he crept closer to the springs.
He found a spot and sat down as if stalking prey (with Hiccup still on him; Hiccup's hand in his mouth).
Hiccup's self-respect and self-control were challenged as a certain girl came and undid her braid.
The miniature falls that flowed onto the spring creates mist that slightly blocks sight. This only served as an increase in Hiccup's frustration—call the mist a tease, if you will.
He knew what he was doing was so wrong; but at the same time, his hormones were claiming that it was so right.
Hiccup tried tugging Toothless' head to the direction away from the falls. Toothless resisted, not backing down.
Hiccup couldn't separate from Toothless; it was too risky. He knew he would die.
He watched, half-looking-away and half-intently-looking, as Astrid took of her gauntlets.
She liked taking them off slowly, Hiccup observed—err, unintentionally, unwillingly, but accurately observed.
Hiccup continued struggling—his ideals would not allow this behavior.
Astrid heard the rustling from near the bushes. She picked up her axe and threw it; the blade whizzed past Hiccup's face. "Snotlout!" she shouted, "I'm not kidding when I said that I would END you. Final warning."
Hiccup and Toothless froze up, looked at each other (Hiccup tried to, at least), then cautiously assumed a comfortable, static position.
Toothless whispered his taunt again. Hiccup will be forced to watch the whole thing.
Astrid continued what she was doing after finding out that she probably was just being paranoid that somebody was watching her—clearly, she assessed the situation incorrectly. Hiccup was right there.
Next, she took of her shoulder guards. She took of the right one, then the left.
Hiccup saw more of her criminally smooth skin than usual. It wasn't every day that Hiccup would see Astrid without both her shoulder guards and gauntlets. Wait, no, he wasn't getting into this.
Astrid unfastened her tassets and slid it down.
Hiccup watched in fascination as she gracefully and slowly moved her lower body in circular motions; she bent her knees and swayed her hips with elegance as she guided her tassets down her legs.
Fascination? Oh no. Not Hiccup. He wouldn't; but, it became so. This was the true meaning behind Bork's words.
"Do not engage; your only hope is that it doesn't find you." The line wasn't written in hiding and desperation. "To not engage" was meant as a warning not to be involved with a Night Fury's games. The power of invisibility is a very dangerous ability—it's addicting. The only hope not to lose your way was that this particular addiction won't find its way to you.
She proceeded to take off her boots.
It was too much for Hiccup to take. They say every sheep had an inner beast. Hiccup now gave up and was watching with the greatest passion he had ever summoned.
Astrid took of her leggings—but Hiccup couldn't see anything more through the mist except her charming legs. She felt the water with her toes—it was warm.
She stepped into the spring, back facing Hiccup, as she took off her top. She dipped her head and resurfaced, with the glistening of the rising sun as her glorious background.
Hiccup by then could only see Astrid's neck and up, as her body was submerged. He unconsciously leaned forward, as if his inner self wanted Toothless to dive in.
Toothless smiled and let go of Hiccup's hand, taking away Hiccup's cloaking. Hiccup dropped down on the rocks. "Ah!"
Astrid quickly looked back, the direction of the origin of the sound, in reflex.
There are many theories to what Bork may have gone through when he wrote the final page of the Book of Dragons. Most think he was killed by a Night Fury. Now, Hiccup knew better. There were only two possibilities: One, he kept a part of him lodged between the teeth of a Night Fury and proceeded to abuse invisibility; Two, like Hiccup, he was let go at the worst moment possible.
AN: Possibility of becoming a short multi-chap exists. R&R please~