The persistent wind thrashed snow from the icy peaks, scattering its particles all over the mountainous landscape. The hardy forests pushed back against the breeze, funnelled it through their ranks, surviving but providing little cover. Hiccup and Toothless landed roughly, quickly heading for shelter to reassemble and hear themselves think, they needed to plan their next step. A darkened blur in the hillside appeared through the pelting snow and they led each other towards it. Treading and wading the thick slush, Hiccup felt his leg stiffen against the cold. He looked towards his dragon and for a second hoped to skip this uncomfortable part of the journey, jumping on his pal's back and meeting the mouth of the cave in the blink of an eye. His rationality slowly crept up on him. Landing was problematic enough but taking off? No, Toothless needed to rest his wings before combatting that down draft again. He sighed as he continued towards their potential resting spot.
He should have known better. Traveling to this island was always on his to do list; the rocky landscape had previously been surveyed by generations before, and stated to carry numerous ores that would no doubt be useful to Fishleg's innovations and further their advantages in metalwork. No one before had been able to survive the extreme weather conditions for long periods of time, and transporting the materials down to the makeshift docks was no mean feat, but now with dragons at their disposal, well, they couldn't let this opportunity go to waste any longer. This, at least, was why Hiccup had justified this visit. He would fly over, map out any existing mine shafts and possibly collect some rock samples to take back for analysis. It had absolutely nothing to do with how much he needed a breather. Ever since his father had died everyone was all over him. It was amazing being able to spend time with his mother, learning who she is but figuring out how they would fit into each other's lives was an awkward and delicate undertaking. And Astrid, well, she'd been his rock. She was there every step, there supporting him as chief, managing the Edge and the natter migration with few resources. She was always meant to be in a position of leadership but he felt bad relying on her so much. Fishleg's and Gobber were keeping him in check with his new chiefly duties which, though they meant well, normally translated as an early awakening and a never-ending list of responsibilities he didn't always see the point in.
He just needed a break. Not working on his own projects had left him feeling sullen and empty. He was questioning his future, fully excepting that he would never leave this path. Too many people needed him to do this, he couldn't disrespect his father's wishes. He just had to figure out HIS way of living the life his father had bestowed upon him. He's done it before; how hard could it be this time?
He entered the cave and felt a brief reprieve from the thrashing winds.
"Ok, Toothless, looks like this is the most recon we'll get done today. Let's just have a look and fly home." His dragon nodded weakly in agreement. Hiccup found a log out of the way of any snow and motioned for Toothless to light it. They wandered slowly into the darkness, the white noise of the storm fading from their eardrums. They passed rough wooden posts and off shoots that had since caved in. After coming across some piles of rubble, Hiccup sifted through looking for anything of interest.
"Not seeing anything special, Toothless. Seems pretty similar to the Edges' variety." A growl sounded for a moment, starting low and rising up your spine slowly before stopping. A couple rocks were dislodged from the ceiling and scattered gently around them. "Toothless, what is it?" Hiccup looked up, while his pal continued staring into the darkness. The growl rumbled through the tunnel again but Hiccup continued watching Toothless. There was no recognisable vibration in his throat and he wasn't grimacing or showing his teeth. He wasn't growling. They edged closer, Hiccup holding his makeshift torch ahead whilst reaching for his sword slowly.
Coming into view was a dragon.
It was no species he'd ever seen before. First a slow rustle of a wing entered the light. Its scales were thin and many, almost furry in appearance. A tail flicked protectively around it. It stayed its place, not attacking but not welcoming, curved up filling the cave from floor to ceiling, blocking their path. A head finally can into view. Hiccup hiccupped. The eyes were smaller but it was unmistaken; this breed was a close relation to a Nightfury. Hiccup flicked his head between the two dragons comparing them in each detail. They were similar builds and their facial features could have classed them as cousins. The scaling was drastically different and the wings resembled more of a Skrill. He catalogued these features in his mind to classify later, though on a second look to Toothless, he realised he was no longer looking at the other dragon. Toothless understood now, and it took Hiccup a few seconds longer to see it too. The reason the dragon had allowed them this close, why he had acted calmly but protectively.
The dragon had nestled itself around a human body.