With You to the End

by InfamousVenous

The stories and companionship of Hiccup and Toothless throughout their lives, and their promises to one another. Their struggles, successes and failures make who they become. When it finally comes to saying goodbye, it may not be as easy as they once thought it would be.

Hey everyone! This "short" idea came to my head a few days ago, and I could not stop thinking about it for the life of me. Every idea and advance I made in any other story was halted by this, so I just had to get it out of the way.

By the way, I'm probably going to cry like a baby when the third movie comes out in 2018. I don't want them to go!

This story is about Hiccup and Toothless' adventures over the course of the years, taken from the Night Fury's perspective. The first little bit will focus on the two movies, as well as the several TV shows, while the later parts will be about what I had created during the time, as well as what would happen to the two. I am looking forward to seeing what you think.

Now, for the hard part... I do not own How To Train Your Dragon, or any characters and ideas associated with it. All ownership of the movies and books go to Dreamworks and Cressida Cowell.Now that I won't be sued, I can take this a little further.

Also, a side note. This story takes place around the time when Vikings began to lose their grip on Western Europe. This story passes through the year 1066, where a Norwegian King, Harald Hardrada attempted to take over England. He failed, and the following failure led the English to attack the Vikings out of hate and fear.

Enjoy, and have fun.

WARNING! EXTREME SPOILERS AHEAD! I MEAN MOVIE DESTROYING PLOT LINE SHATTERING SPOILERS! IF YOU HAVE NOT SEEN EITHER OF THE MOVIES PLEASE DO NOT READ!

(Well, I warned you. Not that I ever pay attention to these warnings. Besides, who hasn't seen them now? Internet is a great place. Look them up or something.)

By the way, ~{o}~{o}~ means that there is either a time skip, or a break in the story or P.O.V. I have to thank mockstevenhfor it. I wouldn't forget about any of you! Show him some love as well!

Quick note:

"This is normal speech by Humans. Humans can not understand Dragons."

"This is Dragonese, or Dragon speech. Any dragon can understand each other, and all Dragons can understand Human Speech (any kind (magic stuff))."

'This is thought. The only character using it will be Toothless. Not audible to anyone but him (rarely used, and more so used to expand upon what he is thinking at that exact moment).'

Anything Bold is the normal stuff INTENSIFIED!

I'll see you at the end of our "little" adventure.

~{o}~{o}~

With You to the End

I was sitting inside of Hiccup's room; the dusty wet smell of the old home seemed to be suffocating me. The wooden planks creaked and groaned in protest under my weight as I shifted from side to side, agitated. My tail was flicking behind me anxiously, tail fins smacking into a wooden beam out of my line of sight as I stared down at my human, Hiccup, with more worry than I had felt in what seemed like a life time.

And it had been a life time.

Just not mine.

He was laying down in his bed, covers pulled up to his chin as he lay silently beneath the sheets. Moonlight was filtering in through the window across the room, reflecting off of the thin skin of his forehead, and the shiny silver hair. Hiccup took shallow breaths that seemed to rattle in his lungs, concerning me far more than I had any right to be.

He was a human, and I a dragon. A Night Fury, as the humans had dubbed my species. It was an all too fitting name, to be honest. It was a name that sparked panic and fear whenever it was uttered... Or it had.

That was a time when the Vikings and Dragons had been at war. Of course, not all dragons had attacked the humans. We were under control of "The Queen", the Red Death. Her mental magics had been far too powerful to resist, even for such a powerful dragon as myself. Any dragon that came within about one-hundred rôst, as the Vikings had called it, of the "Barbaric Archipelago" were forced towards the nest against their will, with no knowledge about their little choice in the matter. Humiliatingly, I had been caught in that trap as well, forced to serve that dreaded "Queen" (damn her and her ancestors straight to the deepest pits of Hel).

I was under her influence for... I couldn't recall how many seasons - Years! The Vikings called the time it took for the seasons to rotate four times a year – I had been controlled.

That all changed when I had met Hiccup.

Well... Met was a pretty vague word. It was more like: being shot down and falling incredibly fast towards a small area of land a small ways away from the Vikings we were raiding, screaming at the top of my lungs as I plummeted.

Yup. Slightly better descriptor.

But as I looked down at the pale, fragile human before me, all memories of the young boy I had met all those years ago left my mind.

I gave a gentle croon, and quietly approached the bed when he began to show signs of waking. He had been sleeping in that bed for the last three days. The last three days where I tried to take care of him to the best of my abilities. I fed him fish (I had to cook it just for him, when I found out that humans weren't too particular of raw meats), bathed him (he heavily protested, and smelled like fish afterward), and kept him company. Unfortunately, even after all these years, he still couldn't understand Dragonese.

I winced a little at my stomach rumbling. I hadn't eaten anything in days, too worried about Hiccup to eat anything other than the occasional small fish.

The entire island was quiet, other than the wind howling outside. We were the only intelligent creatures on this island, after it had been abandoned. Berk had been spared a lot of the damages that the other Viking tribes had taken from the English. The Vikings that had stayed to defend their homes were slaughtered.

There had been no chance for them. Even though the Vikings were strong, and well armed, they were easily out numbered. The English had more powerful bows, and millions of humans on their side. The English had already despised the Vikings from earlier on, after an attempted take over by some kind of "Viking King", and he had failed.

I snapped from my thoughts when Hiccup gave a shaky cough, attempting to sit upright in his bed, and struggling with the covers. I was at his side in an instant, making enough noise to ensure I wouldn't startle him, but staying relatively quiet all the same.

I looked down at his wrinkled face, fear gripping at my chest, constricting my throat and making it difficult to breathe.

Hiccup's eyes slowly opened, his pine green eyes lost that clever glint that constantly kept me on edge, wondering what he would do next. His left eye had a strange, milky white colour over it, and couldn't seem to focus on anything.

I let out a gentle rumble, pressing my snout into his frail shoulder. He stiffened at the contact for a moment, and I could hear his heart fluttering away in his chest, seeming barely able to keep beating.

"Toothless?" He asked quietly, barely more than a whisper. I immediately straightened up at the name he had given me, forcing a tooth-less grin onto my muzzle. He seemed to brighten up considerably at the look, and his own weak smile spread across his thin lips. "Hey bud."

I couldn't help the sharp pain that shot through my chest at his smile. He was so much like the younger man I had become best friends with, but he was so different at the same time.

Hiccup shuffled under the sheets of the bed, and a wrinkled hand slowly reached towards me, shaking as if it was difficult to keep it up. I immediately pressed my nose into his palm, and I looked at him, trying to expand my pupils to make him smile even wider.

It worked, to an extent. His smile widened, pulling his lips open slightly, giving me a glimpse at his tooth filled mouth. His eyes widened for a moment, before he was struck by a coughing fit, his entire body shaking with the force of it. I felt completely useless, unable to ease his pain in the slightest.

After a full minute, which had seemed much longer to me, his coughing fit subsided. I rested my head down on the bed, the wooden frame creaking under the added weight. It was scary to know that just my head was the same weight as Hiccup, maybe more.

I closed my eyes, and puffed air into his face. He made a surprised sound, followed by the shifting of fabric. I barely felt the weight of his hand against my neck, his fingers weakly scratching at the scales along the side of my jaw. I made a quiet noise deep in my throat, which seemed to strengthen the scratching just a little. Humans seemed to like soft noises, followed by gentle physical contact. Most of them, anyways.

I tried to remember back to when I had first met the human. It wasn't too hard to recall those memories, although I wasn't sure if Hiccup would ever be able to.

~{o}~{o}~

[ 60 years ago ]

I was laying on the forest floor, the bindings of the human wrapped tightly around me like some sort of snake. My wings were tied to my sides, and hurt whenever I tried to move them. I felt a dull, throbbing pain at the end of my tail, where my tail fins were. Something seemed to be missing though, although I was unable to pin point exactly what it was.

I hadn't even heard him approaching. I had listening for loud footsteps approaching, signature of Viking's approach, while I had been struggling to remove the bindings.

I had given up struggling when I realized that any movement would hurt me even more. I was sore from the crash landing, and the throbbing pain in my head didn't help at all. At that moment though, I was able to think clearly for the first time in what had seemed like forever. The pull towards the nest was much smaller now, and I was able to actually notice things.

Then He appeared.

The small, weak looking human, who seemed more scared of me than I was of him, even if I was bound. He slowly approached, keeping a very close eye on me, and the rope around me.

He didn't even appear to be armed, which was a large mistake on his part. He continued to speak things aloud to himself, not realizing that I could understand him just as well as any Vikings.

It was a law of the nest. Dragons needed to know what the Vikings were saying at all times, to predict attacks, and to relay any important information to the Queen. The spies that She had sent out were rarely captured, but when they were, the entire nest was thrown into panic. They were our best and brightest, and any loss weighed heavily on the nest.

I ignored the humans ramblings. He was just congratulating himself upon my capture.

As if.

This scrawny human capturing me? I would have laughed, had it not been so true. I lay quietly, praying to the Dragon of the Sun that he would just leave. Maybe I would be lucky, and the Queen would send a rescue group for me.

But… Why would She? We never had gone whenever some other dragon was captured. Why would She for me?

Suddenly, the human placed his one foot on my leg, declaring something about "conquering this nighty beast," which was a little more than insulting.

I shifted my leg to the best of my ability, telling the human to back off. Even if I was trapped, I wasn't going to go down like some sort of hatchling!

This surprised the human, who stumbled backwards, looking at me in both surprise and fear. Of course, I stared him down. I was stronger, faster, and smarter than he! I was…

I was trapped.

The scrawny human then did something that made my heart stop. He took the weapon I hadn't seen gripped in his hand, and pointed it at me. I realized that I was completely helpless to his advance. I tensed my muscles once more, in hopes of snapping the ropes.

They didn't break.

The human approached me, speaking aloud of how he would cut out my heart, and take it to his tribe. I was disgusted, and…

Afraid.

I had nothing, no one, to help me.

I was going to die.

The human raised the small weapon over his head, making it glint dangerously in the forest light. In that moment, I gave up. I looked at the human for a moment longer, looking into the eyes of my killer, before I slumped to the ground. All I could imagine was the forest around me, the brilliant greens and browns and blues of the area. I tried to not think of my impending doom. I thought of my family I had lost in the far North, trying to re imagine their faces.

What would they do?

I accidentally let out a sad moan, unable to help myself as I realized my impending demise.

I waited for the strike that would end my life.

The human took several small steps towards me.

I took a deep breath, the wait making me more anxious by the second.

I wanted to scream, "Just get it over with!" but I couldn't force myself to make any sort of noise.

I vaguely heard the human say something, but I couldn't pick it up. I was too terrified, and he to quiet.

Suddenly, I heard a strange noise. The ropes were pulled tight for a moment, before relaxing, almost as if they weren't there. This process repeated several times, making me just curious enough to open my eyes.

I could just barely see the human if I strained my eyes. He seemed to be kneeling down beside me, doing something to the things binding me. I twitched my front left leg, able to move it to some extent. The bindings loosened more.

I leaped to my feet, and immediately rounded on the human. I jumped at him, eyes narrowed, and slammed his back against a large stone.

He was terrified.

It gave me some small satisfaction knowing that I was still just as fear inducing. I was preparing myself to kill him. Rip off his limbs, vaporize him with a plasma bolt, maybe drop him from a large height and watch him fall to his death.

Yet… He spared me for some odd reason.

I was by no means a dishonorable dragon. He had shown me mercy when I was at my weakest. I tried to convince myself that "this was just another human, and things would be better with him gone."

I couldn't.

I stared into his widened green eyes, and realized that I had looked just like that to him not even a few moments ago.

I wanted this human to leave. I never wanted to see him again. He was making my head hurt, and my pride needed to recover. I gathered all of my frustrations to the front of my mind. Anger, and confusion, and pain. I readjusted my claws around his neck, feeling the skin pushing back slightly.

I shrieked, long and loud: a noise I had come to learn paralyzed the Humans, and sent them running.

I stepped off the skinny human, and turned away, making my exit swift. I took to the air, deeper into the forest. I flapped my wings harder, trying to gain a little more altitude.

I suddenly veered to the right, smashing into a large stone outcropping. I attempted to correct my odd flight by adjusting my tail fins. I could only feel the thick forest air over the one of them.

Panicking, I looked behind myself at my tail. My lower left tail fin was missing. I couldn't fly.

I gave a furious shriek of frustration as I crashed into another tree. I hit the tall wooden structure so hard it cracked, jostling pine needles down upon me. I tried to recover from the crash, flapping harder.

Maybe it wasn't as bad as I thought.

I ran into yet another tree, and lost all control, careening over the edge of a cliff, and into a deep ravine. I crashed into the bottom at a high speed, just barely expanding my wings in time to keep from getting injured on the impact.

I landed heavily on my legs, and had to run after my landing to keep from collapsing. My entire body ached, and my head was pounding even worse than before.

I was overcome by a sudden dizziness, and collapsed onto my underside, everything going fuzzy around the edges of my vision. I tried to fight it off, shaking my head to rid myself of the feeling.

It only grew.

I blacked out in the dense fog of the forest, unable to keep myself going any longer.

…

The day after I had fallen into the ravine, I had attempted to escape. I had been trying for most of the day, trying to find some way to escape. Unfortunately, the walls of the area were angled in such a way that way climbing directly out nearly impossible. Struggle as I might, I couldn't escape.

Frustrated, I launched a fire bolt at the ground in front of me, shaking my head impatiently. I attempted another flight, my wings burning, and my breathing far faster than normal.

I flapped my wings powerfully, taking three long strokes to reach a low takeoff height. I pumped my wings, trying to move forwards to catch air under my large wings. I suddenly veered to the right, unable to adjust my flight, and crashed into the ground directly next to the lake in the center of the area.

Hungry, I decided to take a break from flying to try to catch some fish that happened to be lurking around the lake directly in front of me. I silently crawled up to the edge, waiting for the perfect moment.

I lunged, snapping at the fish. Unfortunately, I was a tad too slow. They swam away quickly, leaving me frustrated, wet, exhausted, and hungry.

I pulled away from the lake, settling down in front of it to wait for more fish to foolishly float towards me.

I heard a quiet gasp from across the cove, and the clatter of a small wooden object falling. I looked across, just to see something drop from the top of the area onto the stones I may or may not have crashed into several times.

I looked up at the human I had seen yesterday. He was looking at me with a mixture of fear, and curiosity. I looked up at him with a likewise expression.

Why did he come back? Wasn't he afraid of me? He had no visible weapon on him, but I had been mistaken before. That, and humans were clever. The only reason that they had lasted this long was because of their inventions, and numbers.

He looked down at me, and cocked his head to one side curiously. I, wondering what exactly that motion meant, imitated him, my head tilted slightly to the right.

He and I watched each other for a few more moments, before I snapped myself out of the staring contest, and turned my attention back to the lake.

He, thankfully, stayed quiet, although the thin human continued to sit and watch me. I looked at him every once in a while, after every failed attempt to catch a meal for myself. Never once did he make an attempt to attack me, nor did he look afraid. He was just curious, as was I.

Eventually, the sun began to set. The clouds above turned a nice purple, orange colour. Oh, how I longed to be up there once more, in the clouds, free from everything and anyone. I quickly realized that I may never be able to fly again. I began to grow panicked, and I tried to fly away once more.

I flapped my wings as hard as I possibly could. I tried to adjust my tail to steady myself as I gained air. Even if I could fly straight for the rest of my life, I would come out of this situation lucky.

But as I tumbled to the hard floor of the ravine once again, I caught the eyes of the young human. He looked at me in a way that no other human, or dragon in recent memory had ever looked at me.

I gave a growl of frustration, and stormed to the other end of the cove. I launched myself into the miniature forest, hiding myself from the eyes of the small human.

I ran for a large distance, until the thick trees blocked out any sound outside of the forest. I came to a large stone wall, which stretched upwards to the edge of the ravine. I really was trapped.

Pressing myself against the cold, lifeless stone, I curled in upon myself, bringing my injured tail up towards my nose. I covered my face with the remaining tail fin, and closed my eyes, worry gnawing at my chest just as much as hunger was to my stomach.

…

The next day was just as long as the last. I woke up, shaking the nights effects out of my head, and got to my feet slowly. For as long of a sleep as I had, I was just as exhausted as the day before. I scowled as my stomach rumbled, louder, and I padded out of the trees.

I squinted up at the sun high in the sky, realizing that I had been asleep for far longer than I normally would. In a way, it was nice, but… I felt empty. Without a purpose.

I focused my hearing, trying to listen to anything out of the ordinary. Maybe the thin Viking had gone to his village, and had told his elders about me. I wouldn't be surprised.

With a shock, I realized that there was no buzzing sound in my ears. There was no pull towards the nest, or unending want to serve that dreaded Queen.

I was free.

...sort of.

Now, all I had to do was escape this infuriating cage. These ridiculous rock formations were no help at all. I was extremely tempted to launch a powerful Plasma Bolt at them, and send them tumbling to the ground. But if I did, the Viking's would find me.

If I didn't escape though, I would either starve, or be found anyways. I was stuck in a loop.

I paused for a moment, stretching my wings out to their full length to remove any stiffness in them. I gave a loud yawn, arching my back, and flicking my tail as I fully recovered from my sleep.

I allowed my wings to fold back to my body, and I took a few tempted steps towards the rock formation.

Suddenly, my stomach rumbled once more. Curse that horrid Queen for taking our food. I was not nearly strong enough to take on an entire island of Vikings. Pushing all other thoughts from my mind, I approached the lake, and crept towards the edge. Luckily, there was a small school of fish floating around the edge.

I crouched down, wiggling my tail a small amount, and launched my front half into the water, snapping at the fish. I managed to catch two before they knew what had happened, thankfully, and pulled out of the water just as quickly.

I tossed one of the fish onto the ground away from the lake, still flopping around, while I ate the first one. I unintentionally made a happy sound at finally being able to eat, making me lose my appetite for a quick moment, listening to the sounds of the forest for anything unusual.

…

Nothing.

With a quick shake of my head, I pounced at the other fish, ending its life quickly. In seconds, I had eaten the fish. The two combined did little to satisfy my hunger. I was stalking towards the lake once again when a sudden breeze picked up, and the smell of fish wafted towards me.

Normally, the smell of fish wouldn't concern me in the slightest, but the direction this was coming from wasn't in the same area of the lake. It was coming from a small hole in the rocks, which I had already tried to fit through.

I quickly bolted around the edge of the hole in the rocks, climbing up onto a larger rock formation and pressing myself down. I kept my head just above the rocks, able to peer down on any creatures that didn't value their life enough to walk down here.

Plop.

I flicked my gaze to the source of the noise. There was a large fish laying on the ground, just calling out for me to eat it. I lifted myself a little off the rock, lifting a paw to take a step forwards.

I suddenly shook my head, snapping myself out of it. It was obviously a trap. Why would I think otherwise?

I hunkered back down, rolling my shoulders and flexing my claws.

The same human that I had seen yesterday, and the day before, slowly walked out from the rocks. He gave the area a quick glance, before creeping forwards, kneeling down, and taking hold of the large fish.

He began to walk through the cove, holding the fish close to his chest as if it were the only thing between him and certain death. I winced slightly at the rumbling in my stomach, and a thought snapped to attention that it might as well be.

'No!' I thought to myself. This human hasn't done anything to harm me yet, so I would allow his intrusion. That, and the thought that if I did attack him, the rest of the Vikings would attack me with a vengeance.

I slowly crept forwards from the rocks, not making a noise - Vikings were prone to shouting at any loud sound. I dragged my claws across the top of the rocks, notifying him of my presence.

I tried to suppress the giddy feeling I got when I saw him tense up, and slowly turn towards me. I ensured to crawl towards him at a minimal pace, trying not to send the human fleeing for his village. I climbed down the rocks, eyes locked on him at all times, watching for any sort of trickery.

A brief though of killing him passed through my mind, but I quickly cast it away.

I approached him slowly, trying to make myself seem smaller by lowering myself to the ground. I took small steps towards him, eyes flicking up at his face to see where he was looking, before lowering back to the fish.

He extended his arm cautiously, holding the fish as far out as possible. This, however, managed to move his vest just enough to see the hilt of the small weapon he had beneath it.

I growled at him, and drew back a small amount. Humans seemed to move around a lot when they spoke, so body language seemed to be a key way to communicate back.

I tensed when he reached for his weapon a little too fast, although I allowed him to draw it. I wasn't taking any chances though, and began to filter gas into my mouth to create a Plasma Bolt.

The scrawny human held his knife out at arms reach, and dropped it on the ground. I looked him dead in the eyes, ensuring to get the point across, and looked back down at the weapon. I made a motion towards the lake while looking at his knife. Thankfully, he understood; a brief flash of shock and curiosity crossed his features. He used his foot, and kicked the knife into the lake with a splash.

I immediately calmed, relaxing once I knew that he was defenseless. He didn't seem to be worried either, now that I wasn't making myself seem fearsome. I stood up a little straighter, allowing my teeth to slide into my gums.

I slowly approached him once more, attempting to make myself look smaller. I gave a quiet rumble, which made a small smirk cross the human's features.

I reached towards the fish. The large, delicious smelling creature was just in front of my mouth. I slowly opened my jaws, my tongue poking out a little.

'Just give it to me, and no one has to get hurt.' I thought, my eyes flickering up to his face. His own gaze seemed to be glued to my (handsome) face, taking in my features. I was becoming unnerved at his staring, and no closer at all to having the fish.

"Toothless…" He murmured. "I could have sworn you had-"

My instincts suddenly took over. I couldn't handle having food sitting in front of my muzzle, no closer to eating it than before. My teeth pierced through the small holes in my gums, filling my mouth with deadly razors. I lunged forwards, snapping my teeth around the fish. I could briefly feel his fingers at the edges of my face, before I drew back, tossing my head back and snapping up the fish.

"Teeth…." The Human whimpered as I finished the snack. Well, he had seen them.

I sniffed the air once more, the small Viking taking a nervous step backwards. This made me step towards him, rumbling quietly to try to comfort him.

Why was I trying to comfort him? Maybe it was the thought of him bringing me more fish, or of him not telling his entire -Nest? Herd?- about me. Regardless, I had no reason to eat him at this moment.

The Human smelled a lot like the other Viking's, but… He didn't seem at all like them. He was too thin. I looked into his face, realizing that this human was young. Too young. Most likely still a hatchling by human standards.

Elders of the dragon community were difficult to change. Convincing them that ages of tradition were wrong was… Less than ideal, for both physical and mental health. I remembered back to a time when I had asked my parents why the humans attacked us. They had just told me that was the way it was. When I asked why, they could never give me a straight answer.

This hatchling was still impressionable. I, by no means, was an old dragon. To my parents, I could still very well be considered a hatchling. But, this human…

He hadn't attacked me when I was weak. Maybe not all humans attacked dragons. What if there were some that lived far out across the large expanse of water, where our two species lived together in peace! Maybe there was a way to end the age old war! Maybe-

I snapped myself from my thoughts. I was a dragon! A fearsome creature that demanded respect and worship. I killed and ate anything weaker than me, as was normal. It was safe.

Then why wasn't I able to convince myself to attack this human!? He would grow to be just like the others. There would be no end to the war, until one of us were driven to extinction. Only then would we live in relative peace.

Yet, even as I looked into the Human's green eyes (so much like my own, I may add), I found nothing but a scared hatchling. Even if I had killed humans before, I had never attacked a young human. There was something dishonorable in killing something's young. I held in a shudder as I though about humans running rampant through nests, destroying any and all hatchlings and eggs they came across.

They wouldn't do that, would they? A thought of killing this Human once again strayed into my mind.

But fish! It was too good of an opportunity to pass up. I was stuck in here for the foreseeable future, and unless this small Human could somehow use magic to restore my lost tailfin… Why would he? I was his enemy! Killer of his ancestors! Murderer of his descendants!

'The human is so tiny.' I thought to myself. I had nothing to give in exchange for the fish he had brought. Usually, a Dragon repaid a debt through hunting trips, or caring for ones young until both had deemed the payment fulfilled. However, Humans were a mystery. They ate, hunted, were loud and noisy, such as certain spike-tailed dragon during a celebration of a new rotation, or mating season.

Were we really so different?

My head began aching at that thought. I decided to keep it simple for now; there was no use in thinking of the future, if I may or may not have a future depending on this interaction.

I brought my attention back to the human, mentally scolding myself for losing focus and exposing myself to potential attack. He was pressed up against a large rock (to him), breathing quickly as he looked me in the eyes.

"I-I don't have any more!" The thin human told me, almost as if he were apologizing.

'No more?' I thought. 'But… He only had the one, and he gave it to me. But he is nothing like the others. So small, and weak.' Was he malnourished? I could remember several of my nest mates not eating something after a tragedy, and had become incredibly thin. Were this one's parents not taking care of him? Why could I only smell a Father on him? Where was his Mother? Had she left them? Did Humans even do that?

Why did I care!?

He had given me his food, when he obviously had little of his own. I mentally sighed, before flexing the muscles in my throat and gullet. I felt part of the fish he had brought me moving back up through my throat. I closed my eyes, and leaned over him, giving back a portion of the fish he had brought.

I opened my eyes, and sat back, slightly confused at the shocked, and partially disgusted face he was giving me.

"Eat it." I rumbled at him. 'UGH! Body language! Humans are a slow race, and don't understand us.' I mentally smacked myself, before gesturing towards the fish in his lap.

He looked down at the fish in his lap, before looking back at him. His expression all but said, "Are you serious?"

Could Humans not eat raw fish? Maybe they had to throw it into the fire like they did with their other meat. Humans had strange rituals. Regardless, I would feel bad (for some odd reason) if this hatchling didn't consume something.

'WHY DO I CARE!?' I mentally screamed again. I couldn't bring myself to be mad at the human though. He was curious, as was I. I was willing to see where this interaction would go, and when he finally bit into the fish I had gestured to, I knew he would as well.

I forced him to swallow the bite of fish he had, and for a moment I believed he would regurgitate the fish as well, though if he was sharing was yet to be determined. He ate it, and smiled weakly.

I found the gesture curious. Was this his way of showing gratitude? If I was going to attempt to survive a little longer, I may as well try to imitate his strange ways.

I retracted my teeth back into my gums, and opened my mouth slightly. I stretched my facial muscles in odd ways I never realized I could before, feeling a slight part in my muzzle move further backwards, and I returned the odd look.

I felt my smile falter as the human set his portion of the fish on the grass next to him, and begin to stand up. He reached his hand out towards me, almost as if he wanted to…

Touch me!?

Physical contact is a strong part of dragon culture and interaction! To have him try to lay a hand on me so soon-insulting. (I did share a portion of my meal with him though… Dragons only did that with those they trusted though, and who were considered friends. It didn't matter! Even if splitting a meal came after physical contact… It was my move, so it was fine!)

I snorted drew back as he continued to advance. He seemed to notice how uncomfortable I was, and slowed his advance. He didn't remove his hand though. I growled at him, telling him that it was not alright to do that, and proceeded to take off to the other side of the lake.

I, feeling a little upset at the Humans actions, heated up the ground with my fire. Once it had been warmed to an acceptable degree, I lay down on the bed of coals, closing my eyes, wanting to sleep off any confusion in my mind.

'Humans are dangerous and not trust worthy.' I tried to tell myself. I couldn't believe it though. Would a dangerous, and untrustworthy creature spare ones life?

A loud chirping noise sounded directly above me. I snapped my eyes open, gazing at the small red bird with longing. I watched it take flight, feeling a pang of fear in my chest. Would I ever fly again?

Speak of the Human…

He had quietly approached me while I had been fighting with myself. Did he have no personal boundaries? He sat down near me, although far enough so I couldn't snap at him directly. I would have to put actual effort into it.

Smart.

With a huff, I brought my tail over my face, and opened the tailfin, hiding my face from his curious green eyes.

"Go away." I sighed aloud to him, knowing full well that he wouldn't understand me. I could dream though.

…

He was being too quiet. I could hear the Human try to keep his breathing shallow and small.

I dropped my tailfin, shooting an accusing glare at the hatchling. I noticed his hand near my tail. He noticed too.

With a sheepish grin, he yanked his hand back, and stood up, walking briskly to the other end of the cove. I stood up as well, not wanting to be touched by the Human.

I padded over to a tree, and jumped, hooking my back claws into a branch a fair ways off the ground. I moved my tail, and draped it over the branch to balance myself out a little.

I yawned, and hung upside down from the branch, using my wings to shield me from the Humans gaze. Exhausted, I fell asleep, but not after taking one last look at the Human Hatchling. I could help but wonder as to why he was different.

…

I snapped my eyes open, waking immediately from the -rather pleasant- nap I had. I began worrying about what I had done before I had fallen asleep. The human was probably upset with me. He was going to tell his Elders of me. I was going to-

...The Human was still here. He was sitting on a rock at the far end of the cove, and I realized that he had been there the entire time I had been asleep.

The sun was just beginning to set. Instead of making the sky burst into beautiful fires, it just became darker. Maybe three hours? It was hard to keep track of time down here.

I approached the human quickly, wondering why he was still here. His family would surely send someone out to look for him… Right? I walked this time, taking the longer way around the lake. He was facing one of the walls of the area, an object of sort in his hand.

I stopped directly beside him, sitting down with a loud thump. He seemed to register I was there for the first time. I saw his eyes flicker towards me, before moving back to what he was doing on the ground.

He held a stick in his left hand, and was dragging it across the dirt. I stared in awe. He was making images in the dirt!

Inspired, and excited, I walked towards the nearest sapling in a daze on my hind legs. I grabbed the poor thing in my mouth, and gave it a large tug. The roots of the tree put up little resistance as I pulled it out, now being held up by only me.

I approached the Human once more, and began dragging the sapling around. It was much more difficult than it looked. I had to stand on my back legs for some parts, and for others I had to run to make deeper trenches in the ground.

I moved and flowed around as elegantly as one could with a tree in his mouth (which was very). I was too excited to even focus on making one! I made several different shapes, each inter lapping and moving over each other.

I tossed the sapling off to the side, its purpose now served. I looked down at the shapes I had created with a nod, indicating to the hatchling that I was finished.

He seemed to be in awe of the things I had made. Who wouldn't be? He stood up and looked all around himself at what I created. I felt a sense of pride welling inside of me as he gaze in wonder.

The human took a step to the side, watching the ground with interest. And another. And ano-

HE STEPPED ON MY DRAWING!

"Get off!" I snarled at him, hunching towards the ground and baring my teeth.

The human, realizing his mistake, lifted his foot from the drawing. I purred happily, trying to convey that I wasn't too upset with him. It had been an accident after-

HE PLACED HIS DIRTY BOOT ON MY HARD WORK!

"OFF!" I growled, lowering further to the ground. He lifted his foot, looking at me curiously.

He was walking a fine line. I swear to Draco if he-

COME ON!

"Knock it off!" I snapped. One more time. Please, just once more! Let me teach him a lesson!

He lifted his leg, and placed his foot on the other side of the line. Wasn't so hard, was it? The Human gave me a look, and smirked slightly. I purred at this loudly, ensuring that he understood I wanted him to go over the lines, not through them.

I watched the hatchling with curiosity. He was moving around and over the lines gracefully (as gracefully as an awkward Viking could get), and taking in all of the shapes at once.

I was mesmerized by the small Human. He was just so different. Not threatening, or dangerous, or evil. He was just… Curious. Awkward. Understanding.

I didn't even realize he was approaching me backwards, too caught up in my thoughts to notice.

Suddenly, he was there. I snapped from my thoughts with a huff, looking down at the human in front of me with large eyes. He slowly turned, and faced me, no fear present on his face. He looked… desperate. Worried, but not fearful.

He reached towards me once more, eyes gazing into my own.

'What is he doing?' I asked myself. I felt my muzzle pull back involuntarily, and I began to turn my head away from his outstretched hand.

Suddenly, he took a deep breath, and turned from me, stretching his hand out once more.

What was he doing!? I could easily take his arm off in a moment. He wouldn't have time to scream before I was upon him! He was…

Trusting me…

I didn't know what to do. I was stuck in a situation I knew nothing of. What should I do?

I gazed at his outstretched hand, and realized what he wanted.

A truce. No more fighting. Some kind of alliance, perhaps. Or was it something more?

Almost as if in a daze, I slowly pushed my nose towards his outstretched palm. I half-closed my eyes, pausing for a moment.

'Should I do this?' I asked myself.

I threw caution to the wind. I shut my eyes, and pressed my muzzle into his (soft, and really warm) palm. I don't know what had happened in that moment, but it was something life changing. I heard his intake of breath, and I felt the muscles in his arm tense.

He turned towards me. I could hear his skins shifting, and I felt his body jump with the sharp breath.

I drew backwards, and opened my eyes, my gaze focused solely on his own. We shared a look between us, something I wouldn't understand until weeks later.

I snorted, snapping myself out of the trance, and flicked my gaze to the Human's palm. I looked back at him once, before turning around sharply, and taking off.

~{o}~{o}~

The weeks that followed that encounter were probably – no, definitely – the best few weeks of my life. We became closer, and closer. Even though every instinct I had screamed it was wrong, would I be happy if it was?

Even though there were multiple times when I tried to make it seem as if I couldn't care less about him, I really couldn't force myself to hate him. He showed up every day, bringing me fish, and just keeping me company. He was, for lack of a better word, my friend.

But that was ridiculous! Humans and Dragons couldn't be friends! I tried focusing on that thought, to keep myself from caring about the small Human hatchling named Hiccup. Caring would only lead to pain, and heartbreak. Like my parents, Humans would take him, and I would be left alone again.

But, how could I not like the boy? He was the sweetest, most caring individual I had come to know in recent years. He always tried his hardest to make everyone happy as well.

And then there was the issue of my flight. Of course, he felt bad about accidentally taking my tailfin off with the "Bola," but I had already forgiven him. It just gave him another excuse to come see me. But, being Hiccup, he couldn't stop telling me about it, and how he would make it right. I didn't understand at the time.

I think I actually scared Hiccup with how excited I was at the prospect of flying again. The first time had actually been a surprise to both of us. I was just eating a basket of fish, minding my own business, when I felt him sit on my tail. I didn't mind, of course; I trusted him to not do anything too stupid.

How wrong I was. He had been talking about making me able to fly again, but I had long forgotten about it. It was just a nice fantasy that came to mind, and kept Hiccup busy while he was at the village. Fortunately, he made it a reality.

After our first few test flights, and our first actual flight over the ocean, any thoughts about leaving the Human should I escape vanished. That, and I couldn't fly without him (but that didn't really matter. I would have swam, or something along those lines.)

He was too kind and caring for his own good.

Oh, poor Hiccup.

~{o}~{o}~

I remembered once specific day he came back to the cove, smelling… salty. Bitter, and sad, and alone. He had difficulty walking that day, almost like a limp. He stumbled into the cove, without any fish like he normally had, and dropped to the ground.

I immediately raced towards him, ecstatic to see my friend once more! I had no idea what we were going to do today. Maybe we would race through the trees, or play "hide-and-seek," or maybe he would show me drawings of ideas he had. I was always incredibly excited about whatever we were going to do, even if there was no food. Flying was also an acceptable activity.

I skid to a stop beside him, kicking up a fair amount of dust and dirt as I slid. I crooned happily at him, nudging him gently with my head.

But… He didn't get up. His body was visibly trembling, and his breaths came in ragged gasps. He was hugging himself tightly, and when I lowered myself further to the ground, I noticed a wetness leaking from his eyes, running down his face. There was a large red welt on his cheek, as well as… Blood!?

I had no idea what to do! The red fluid was supposed to stay inside of his body, that much I was sure of. It was flowing freely from his nose, dripping with a patter onto his shirt and the grass.

I was furious! Who ever had hurt him would suffer horribly. I wondered briefly if it was the other Viking hatchlings. He had spoken of their hurtful behaviors in the past, and I knew that they wouldn't be above physical attacks. He was much smaller than them, and stood no chance in an actual fight. He was just a small, weak boy, without any proper defense other than his words. I had learned early on that sarcasm was his fall back (saying words but meaning the opposite).

"Please… Please kill me." Hiccup whimpered, curling further into himself. His green shirt and vest were dirtied, and his brown pants had a few cuts in the knee. "I don't deserve to live."

"Why would you think that!?" I rumbled at him, too angry at whatever made him feel this way. Who or what would go out of their way to make (sweet, kind, caring) Hiccup to feel like this? What was there to gain? Hiccup had once told me that Humans only did kind things to get something in return, and very few did it without reason. But Hiccup…?

Why did he want me to kill him!? Why would I? Sure, I was hungry, but even quelling my hunger wasn't worth what he was to me. Nothing was. I would sooner throw myself on the Viking's doorstep, pleading for my life than let Hiccup get hurt.

"Hiccup the Useless, that's me." His voice broke at the end, and he gave a watery laugh. "The screw up… The… The failure. The one-no-body-wants! That's… That's me..." Hiccup was beginning to sound hysterical.

How do I fix this? I don't know how to fix human emotions! They're so… Complicated, yet primitive. Why couldn't they just kill whatever was making them feel bad, and move on with their life? It was so easy.

The worst part of all this was… He seemed to believe it.

"I-I'm so s-sorry, T-Toothless!" He suddenly gasped, recoiling from my touch. I winced back a little, startled by his outburst and movement.

"Why?" I crooned softly. I forced my muzzle into his arms, looking up at his face. I felt my throat tighten as I peered into his heart broken gaze. "Tell me what's wrong." I rumbled softly into his chest, pressing my nose into his shirt.

He smelled different. I caught the smell of dirt and grass on his clothing, and the scent of two other Vikings. It had been the others!

Hiccup moved his arms, and scrambled back a small distance, trying to avoid contact with me. I felt a sharp pain in my chest as he moved away. Didn't he enjoy my company? Did I do something wrong? Was… Was this somehow my fault?

I approached him once more, carefully crawling towards him. I made gentle noises, trying to calm him enough to tell me what had happened.

"N-no!" Hiccup tucked his head in between his knees, and wrapped his arms around his legs. "Don't come n-near me! I… I break everything I-I touch..." He whispered the last part, as if admitting it to himself.

"Curse this language barrier!" I let out a sigh, flopping down onto the ground next to him. Hiccup didn't even look up, he just continued to sob quietly.

Sometimes I forgot he was still a hatchling. With all of the amazing things he had done, such as restoring my flight, or going against his entire culture's view with their most hated enemy, it was difficult to remember that he was still young.

"Dad was right..." Hiccup breathed quietly, "I'm… I'm nothing like them. I'm too different..."

"Different is a good thing!" I rumbled quietly, extending one of my wings and wrapping it around him snugly. He tensed up for a moment, before sighing, taking a shaky breath. "Where would we be if you acted like them? I would be dead, and you..." I stopped, realizing something. "Your life would be perfect… You… You gave up your happiness for me."

I stood back up, and moved behind Hiccup. He didn't move at all as I lay down behind him, and curled around the thin boy. I used my front legs to pull him back into me. He resisted at first, but I overpowered him, forcing his thin small frame to rest against my side.

"I can't keep lying to them." Hiccup said quietly, raising one hand to wipe at his tear stained face. "I-I want to make everyone happy, but I can't tell them the truth. They'll…" Finally, he looked at me, his pine green eyes gazing into my own. "They'll kill you."

I raised one of my front legs, and placed a paw directly next to the welt on his face. It was actually funny seeing my paw next to his face like that. I could cover his head with one paw. He was so small.

"Oh, this…?" Hiccup leaned away from my paw, holding a hand to his face and wincing slightly. "It's nothing."

I stared at him intensely, hoping I could somehow force the words out of him.

'You want to tell me what happened.' I thought, staring deeper into his eyes. I didn't have any sort of hypnosis like other dragons, but I could try.

"Well, it's just that-"

'Yes!'

"-the others are a little… More excited to see me, and treat me like one of them. They punch each other for fun, so..." Hiccup paused, and shrugged, a slight smirk coming to his features. "I can't believe I'm the only one crazy enough to befriend a dragon. They must have enough brain damage now." He let out a half-laugh.

I laughed in response. It was a strange feeling, but it brought a smile to Hiccup's face anyways.

Anything that made him smile was worth it.

"Toothless..." Hiccup trailed off, looking at the ground in front of him. He reached down, and picked at a small blade of grass, playing with it in his fingers. "I just..." He sighed once more, looking slightly downcast.

"Go on. What is it?" I despised not having a proper way to communicate with him.

"Thank you. For… For being there for me. You treat me like an actual person, and not some mistake. I..." Hiccup turned towards me, kneeling down, preferring his left side, and hugged me tightly around my neck. "Thank you. You're my best friend, and… I love you, bud."

I was shocked at his words. Wasn't the point of a village to protect and teach their own? To support each other and help one another grow? Humans were an odd species. Maybe they should learn by Dragon example.

I leaned into his grasp, crooning loudly. Nothing could replace my Hiccup. My best friend. I curled further around him, using one leg to hold him against me. Nothing would harm him while I was around.

We held each other for what felt like forever (not that I was complaining). I watched the cove around me as his heart rate steadied, and his breathing returned to normal.

I glanced over to my left at the lush miniature forest growing off to the side, able to hide me perfectly, as well as Hiccup, as I had learned from one of our games. To my right, a large stone cliff, with multiple hand holds for Hiccup to climb up (my claws shattered the smaller rocks, or slipped off all together).

In front of me was the large lake, now devoid of fish (I was hungry!). We played in the water occasionally, splashing each other until Hiccup became too cold. After that, we could huddle around a small fire I had started, and he would tell me stories. I would try to as well, but I wasn't sure how much of it actually got through to him. He understood what I wanted or meant in most cases, but sometimes… Ugh…

Across the lake was the field of rocks, and a large log. Rolling the log around was fun. Hiccup would clamber across the top, balancing on it, trying to move faster every time. He would draw almost anything in the dirt over there, from trees, to some kind of monster. One time he had drawn an image of me soaring through the clouds. When he had gone, I had carefully traced a smaller Human on my back, arms raised in the air with joy.

"Hey, Toothless?" Hiccup finally asked, pulling out of our hug. I cocked my head to the side, in what he could understand as curiosity. "Uh… Would you, um, mind me staying here? At least for a bit! I-I don't want to impose on your, uh, 'territory' or anything."

I shook my head in response, giving him a gentle nudge in the side. He stumbled back a bit, relying heavily on one leg, making me immediately feel guilty. I was beginning to get up to see if he was alright, before a grin made itself visible on his lips. That mischievous and calculating look became apparent in his eyes. He suddenly ran towards me, tackling me while I was balanced on one leg.

Hiccup knocked me off balance (with a little acting on my part), and the two of us tumbled to the grass. I immediately wrapped my front legs around him, preventing him from hitting the ground, and escaping my cuddly grasp. I rolled over, depositing him on the green grass, and jumped backwards.

I took mental note of his bloody nose, which had stopped gushing, and his eyes, which were sparkling with renewed vigor. This was my Hiccup.

I felt my tail slapping the ground excitedly as I wiggled uncontrollably. My muzzle parted in a tooth-less grin, and I bolted towards him, only to veer away at the last second. I moved my tail upwards, allowing it to smack him in the stomach (gently, of course), before I ran several paces, turning back towards him, full of excited energy.

"Hey!" Hiccup exclaimed, laughing happily. "Get back here, you overgrown lizard!"

I laughed at him, putting on an extra burst of speed, just to turn and wait for him, feeling my tail slapping the ground excitedly.

"Don't tell me you're afraid of all this!" Hiccup laughed, gesturing to himself as he slowed down for a moment. I opened my muzzle in a strange smile, before lunging at him again, veering off to the side at the last moment.

He laughed as I bowled past him, and I could hear him giving chase.

This was my Hiccup. This was the person that became my best friend.

~{o}~{o}~

She was enormous. The Red Death, the Queen, the holy-mother-of-Draco-why-is-she-so-big. I stood in fear, strapped down to the large wooden boat, wings and tail tied down painfully tight. I struggled against the bindings for a moment, trying to break free of this idiotic Viking trap. It's not as if they were even clever enough to build it. It had probably been one of Hiccup's inventions before he had found me.

I stared in fear at Her, no longer feeling her mental powers trying to over take my mind. I could still feel her though.

She was furious.

The Viking's around me attacked her with no effect, their large stones being thrown from the wooden arm bouncing off of her tough body. She let out a loud roar, making the boat beneath me shudder, and the sails inflate with the rush of air.

I felt a cut on my side burn painfully against the ropes holding me down. Vikings sure weren't delicate when it came to what they wanted. I stopped struggling, realizing that I would only cause more harm to myself if I did. I dropped my head, and my ear flaps flopped down beside my muzzle.

I heard the faint hissing noise of flammable gas filtering into a mouth. I tensed up, only knowing of one other dragon in the immediate area.

"Get to the ships!" One Viking cried, calling a retreat.

"NO!" I heard Hiccup's Father roar. I disliked the man more than I cared to admit. I had heard his little outburst with Hiccup in the building while I had been loaded onto the ship. Hiccup's own parent had disowned him. Couldn't he see what was right in front of him? We were friends! There was no danger! Humans are more dangerous than Dragons, yet he refuses to see it!

A powerful burst of flame launched from the land onto the fleet of Viking boats. I ducked down as far as I could, the waves of heat washing over me. It was uncomfortable, even for me. The boat I was on burst into flame, the large white cloth above me catching fire.

I struggled once again, ignoring the painful stinging of my wings and side. I had to get free. Hiccup was the only chance at ending the war once and for all, and who would protect him if I was gone? Certainly not his "Father!" He couldn't even protect his own sheep from being stolen! How could he care for another Human life? Hiccup needed me.

I strained with all of my might, feeling my wings bones flexing under the pressure. I pulled back my muzzle, trying to remove the restraints. If I could just remove the covering, this wooden contraption wouldn't stand a chance against my Plasma Bolts.

But… I was stuck. I was just as helpless and useless and… And scared as I was the day Hiccup found me!

I twitched my ears, realizing that the battle had become quiet. There were two voices shouting, and the Que- Tryant growling dangerously. She didn't even attempt to say anything, just running on instincts. Hiccup's "Father," and his mentor -Gobber?- were trying to distract Her while the other Vikings…

I twisted my head to the side, fixing my gaze on the retreating forms of the once fear inducing Humans. When faced with an actual challenge, they ran away. Typical.

The boat I was chained on was slowly lowering into the water. That, or the sea was rising. But that was ridiculous! The sea couldn't rise! The water was already pouring into the bottom of the boat, and it was beginning to lean towards one side.

I heard the sound of the Tyrant allowing gas into her mouth, the beginnings of another powerful fire blast. I tensed, waiting for the powerful breath to come ripping towards me.

BOOM!

I jumped, shooting my gaze back up at the enormous dragon. A large plume of smoke was drifting upwards from the back of her head, and she stumbled forwards a small amount.

What dragon was crazy enough to-

Oh.

Of course it was him.

"Hiccup! Leave now! Run!" I screeched into the air, although the muzzle was keeping me quiet. I was trying to force my way out of the bindings once more. I tugged extremely hard on one of the ropes tied around my front leg.

Snap!

It broke away with a loud sound, leaving my front leg a little more than sore, and I began clawing at the wooden structure surrounding me. I was blocked from reaching my muzzle, but I still attempted to destroy the wood.

I hadn't even seen Hiccup appear. I was too concerned about escaping my confinements to notice. He jumped off the back of a "Deadly Nadder," and dropped to the front of the ship. Immediately, dread filled my chest.

"Leave me! Run!" I snarled at him. Of all the times for him to become brave, and willing to come out of his shell… Gah! Humans!

I forced myself to sit still, watching his back intently as he busied himself with my bindings. He was saying something to me, but I couldn't hear him. I was paying attention to the large foot near the front of the ship, slowly raising itself upwards.

The muzzle dropped off, and landed on the deck of the ship with a loud thump. I tilted my head to the one side, hearing a strange groaning of wood coming from the side. I turned my head to face the direction of the noise, only to watch the mast of the ship come crashing down, absolutely covered with flames.

The heavy wooden beam crashed to the deck, shaking the entire boat. I looked at the spot that Hiccup had been standing not moments ago, fear coursing through my body. I looked at him closely, checking for any injuries while he looked worriedly fallen log. He then gripped the wooden enclosure chained around my neck, trying to force it open. When that didn't work, he grabbed a large piece of wood, and began trying to pry the chains out of the wooden structure.

A brief shadow flickered over the deck as the Red Death screeched in pain. I snapped my gaze upwards, my blood running cold.

"Hiccup, look o-" I was cut off by the large foot slamming into the front of the ship, launching it to the left. The boat shattered, sending Hiccup and I crashing to the ocean amidst flaming debris.

I was disoriented for a moment, all noises sounding muffled, yet louder. I blinked my eyes several times, adapting to the water all around us. I looked around in the dark water, immediately spotting Hiccup. He, thankfully, appeared to be fine. I watched him look around in the water for a moment, a realization creeping into my mind.

He was going to try to save me.

I could hold my breath much longer than any human could. I shook my head at him, trying to keep him away. I couldn't move very far though, the weight of both the water, and the restraints taking a toll on me.

I watched bubbles escape through Hiccup's nose as he slowly swam towards me. Too slowly. He wouldn't have time to get back up once he reached me. I knew from our games in the lake that he could only hold his breath for a measly forty seconds, a far shorter time than I could.

I saw the look on his face, and my heart plummeted. He was going to get me out, with or without him. I saw the determination in his eyes. The look that would deter any trying to persuade him.

Hiccup grabbed onto the clamp that was latched around my neck, and began running his fingers over and under it, trying to spot any sort of latch to open it, or some sort of release mechanism.

I could tell by the worried look on his face that there wasn't one.

He was trying not to panic, gripping hold of the thick wood and trying to pull it apart. I, however, was panicking fully. I squirmed, trying to force him to let go. Make him save himself. I watched as his seconds counted down, becoming weaker and weaker as the time passed.

A full minute had passed.

Hiccup was clutching onto the clasp around my neck, his movements become slow and uncoordinated; his eyelids began to flutter, and I struggled further.

He was going to drown!

A large splash sounded directly above us. I tried to crane my neck to look at the cause of the noise, but the wooden device wouldn't allow me to move my head upwards.

A large pair of hands grabbed Hiccup out of the dark water, and dragged his limp body back towards the surface. I began struggling twice as hard. On one paw, he would he able to breathe again. On the other, someone could be taking him away from me!

I watched the shadow that was Hiccup vanish from my sight, leaving me alone down in the dark waters. A piece of charred wood floated up past me, and for a moment I wondered if he would leave me down here. Surely he would try to get someone, right? I knew he cared about me. I just had to wait a little longer.

Another loud splash echoed throughout the waters, hurting my sensitive ears. I strained to look up at where it had come from once again, but found myself still restricted by the clamp.

And then, he appeared.

Hiccup's "Father." His supposed care-taker, provider, supporter, role model, elder, and friend. With what Hiccup had told me of him, he was none of those things. The only reason I hadn't killed him in the ring when I had saved Hiccup from the large Flame Wing was because he asked me not to. Hiccup wanted me to spare him. Why, I would have no idea. However, Hiccup wasn't a normal Human.

The large Viking stared at me in the water for a moment, as if trying to decide whether to slay me himself, or leave me to drown.

After what had felt an eternity, he seemed to have made his decision. The Human swam towards me with powerful strokes, his eyes staring into my own.

I braced myself for the incoming pain. A grasp that would force me to choke on water, or a quick sword through my skull. In one last attempt, I struggled in the bindings. Unfortunately, they were as firm as they had been two minutes ago.

A large hand grasped at the frame holding me to the device by my neck, and the other one went to the wooden bar directly below it.

Crushing me. Not something I would have thought of, but Humans were all kinds of creative. Look at their buildings, and weapons, and all of the other things they created! The only reason they existed was because they were clever with their hands, and their stupid "opposable thumbs." Thumbs weren't that great. Could they spit fire, or fly with wings? No, they couldn't. Ha!

The hands holding the wooden beams strained, and the entire Humans upper body rippled with strength. I waited for that one moment of crushing agony.

Crack!

I suddenly felt a weight being lifted off my body. I opened my eyes, feeling the slackening of rope around my wings and tail. I watched as the two wooden pieces that had been around my neck floated away through the water, smaller splinters and fractures running through the wood.

I looked at the- Hiccup's father, feeling unsure of myself now. Why would he spare me as well? Was it because of Hiccup, or did he do this of his own accord?

I found that in the moment, it didn't really matter. He had saved my life, so I decided to return the gesture.

I forced my way out of the rest of the wooden contraption, and swam towards him as quickly as I could. I saw a spark of fear in his eyes, which made me feel slightly better about myself. He was in his right mind to be scared of me, and what I could do. Of course, he meant a lot to Hiccup, so I wouldn't actually harm him. I just wouldn't let his father know that.

I grasped onto the large Human's wide shoulders, and pushed myself through the water, using my wings to propel myself forwards as well. We rocketed out of the water, bursting upwards and throwing a large spray of liquid onto the stone beach before us. I flared my wings, and set the Viking down gently (not too gently, of course), spotting Hiccup sitting on the rocky beach, soaking wet.

Still in the air, I quickly glided down onto a rock outcropping that served as the perfect launching point. I set my gaze on Hiccup, giving him a little growl to get his butt moving, before nodding towards the Red Death.

"You got it bud." I heard him say, just as I turned my gaze towards the enormous Tyrant once more.

We had one shot at peace, which was an idea frequently brought up by Hiccup. Once chance to take out the Red Death once and for all. If we didn't do it now, she would only grow stronger, and take more Dragons for her own army.

We would never have a chance like this again.

In an extraordinary action, Hiccup ran towards me, and leaped into the saddle on my back, much more graceful than his usual motions.

I crouched down to take off, and Hiccup leaned forwards in the saddle, moving his foot to change the position of my prosthetic tail fin. Over the weeks, we had grown so well at flying. I could predict his every move, as he could predict mine.

I felt Hiccup's weight shift to one side as he tied himself to the saddle, as well as the heavy footsteps of his father.

"Hiccup!" He called in his gruff voice. I glanced over my shoulder to see Hiccup's arm being held by his father's. "I'm sorry." He paused for a moment, as if searching for the right words. "For… for everything."

Well, that was a rather simple way to put it.

"Yeah, me too." Hiccup told him.

"You don't have to go up there."

"We're Vikings." I noticed a sly grin make its way onto Hiccup's face. "It's an occupational hazard."

'I'm not.' I sighed mentally. I realized with a start that this may be the last time they may see each other again. They seemed to know it too, but refused to acknowledge it. Of course, I would keep Hiccup safe, and his Father was built like a wall. They would both be fine. Hopefully.

I watched Hiccup's father grip his son's arm hand with both of his giant ones, and held tightly onto him.

It was as if holding on tighter would keep him from going, or keep him safe.

"I'm proud to call you my son." He finally said. I watched as shock, as well as another emotion crossed Hiccup's features. Hope? Acceptance? Pride? Maybe an odd mixture of the three.

"Thanks, Dad." Hiccup said quietly as his father released him.

I felt a rush of adrenaline inside of me as Hiccup leaned forwards in the saddle once more. I tensed up the muscles in my body as I crouched low, flaring my wings out. I sprang upwards, feeling the subtle shift of the tailfin as I pumped my wings, climbing high into the air.

"Let's take her down!" I roared to the other dragons within hearing range. There were others that were currently hiding in the rocks and on the other side of the island who could most likely hear me, but without a Human to keep them from straying into Her control again, I wasn't too worried about receiving help from them. Taking Her down, and keeping them safe was the priority. Well… Just behind keeping Hiccup safe…

Other cries and growls of, "You got it!" "Take the lead!" and, "Let's do this!" were called out by the other winged ones with Human riders. I couldn't really believe how quickly they had accepted the young humans, but then again, we were young. Well, compared to an Elder of our species we were young. I was bordering on the age of leaving the nest forever, as was Hiccup, apparently.

Hiccup and I circled far above Her, trying to see the best areas to shoot at, which would cause the most damage.

I was cut from my thoughts as the "Zippleback" swooped down in front of Her muzzle, pulling up bust before they were able to be swallowed whole. I watched as a small shape leaped off of the top of her head, and landed at the base of the body where the two heads met.

I winced as I watched that. That was a sensitive area to that type, and having a large Viking youth land there was not something I wanted to imagine.

I glanced over to my left side, at the large stone pillars that surrounded the nest far below us. Perhaps we could get her to chase us, and have her become injured or trapped in the stone.

Before I even knew what was happening, I felt Hiccup change the tailfin to a position that would put us into a dive. I followed his lead, tucking my wings in towards my body, keeping them out just far enough to stay balanced on the way down.

"Help!" I heard a draconian cry from below.

My gaze snapped downwards, landing on the "Deadly Nadder" in front of Her open muzzle. I wanted to shout for them to get out of there, instead of flying in front of Her face, when I realized that they were trapped. She was inhaling at such a rate as to draw them backwards into her maw.

I began filtering gas into my mouth, feeling the spark ignite it. I continued to fuel it, allowing it to grow in power as a loud screech build up from the pressure.

I looked directly at her open maw, knowing where to launch the plasma bolt. I knew this wouldn't tickle Her, that was for sure.

"Night Fury!"

"Get down!"

I couldn't help the joyous feeling I felt at hearing those words: I still had it.

I launched the Plasma Bolt at her jaw, an explosion erupting the instant it connected to her massive skull, sending the smaller Dragon and the "blonde-haired-sometimes-tolerable-human" plummeting towards the rocky shore. I pulled out of the dive and began to angle us up and out of the way again. I heard the thunderous footstep as she stumbled back a small amount, shaking her head.

I felt Hiccup angle the prosthetic tail fin backward at the moment I pulled up, allowing the two of us to spin around. I flared out my own tailfin, and spread out my wings a large amount, allowing the air to push against them and slow us enough to loop around.

As soon as we had righted our course, I narrowed my eyes at the female Viking currently plummeting towards the shore, giving a few powerful pumps with my wings before tucking them in against my side.

Hiccup was nearly hugging himself to my neck as we raced towards the falling (and screaming) Viking. I flexed my paws, trying to ensure I wouldn't miss.

The ground was approaching fast. I had one chance at this.

I shot my paws out, claws snagging on fabric as I clutched at her leg, pulling out of the dive. I flew farther away from the Red Death, making sure to get a safe distance before setting her down.

"Did'ja get her?" Hiccup asked, sounding a little nervous.

I looked down beneath me at the blonde Viking, who was no longer screaming. She looked down at the ground passing by beneath her, before looking up at me and smiling.

"Hello!" I smiled back at her, giving her one of my toothless grins. She was someone I could stand. Yesterday, during our flight, I hadn't realized how Viking's parents conditioned them to hate dragons. We weren't some kind of cold-blooded killer! (We can be warm-blooded too!) I realized that Humans and Dragons weren't so different after all. Besides, she was good for Hiccup.

I swooped down towards the stone beach, adjusting "Astrid" with my front and back legs so that she would be on her feet when I set her down. We slowed down to a lazy glide, and I placed her onto the rocks gently.

"Go." I heard the girl say breathlessly as we took off again.

Hiccup and I passed over the Red Death once more, ignoring her cries of death and rage upon us. I felt Hiccup shift to the side a slight amount as we began our climb into the air, adjusting the tailfin accordingly.

My wings were beginning to tingle from all of the flying. Having them restrained, and then working them like this was not something I was used to. Although I had grown stronger carrying Hiccup around, my wings were a little more frail. I ignored the feeling, reminding myself of the large distances I had flown while being under Her control.

"That thing has wings." Hiccup announced.

I looked back at Her, and sure enough, there they were, folded against her back like some sort of bony cloak. Of course, most dragons did have wings. That was what we were known for. That, and our fire, our powerful jaws, our beautiful and regal looks-

"Alright, let's see if it can use them!" Hiccup said, as if formulating a plan. I had no idea what he was up to, but I trusted him.

I folded my wings into my side, and rotated myself around using my tailfin. We flipped to face the ground, and I opened my wings a small amount to angle us towards the enormous dragon. I began to filter gas into my mouth, and ignited it quickly. I continued to grow the charging blast in my maw, a growing shriek emanating from it as we shot towards Her faster. I could feel my wings slicing through the air currents as we plummeted faster.

My wings shot open, and we went from falling to gliding incredibly fast. We shot towards her, the powerful ball in my muzzle becoming nearly uncomfortable.

I narrowed my eyes at the tyrant, a growl forcing its way out of my throat.

"This is for all the Dragons you captured. For all the lives you ruined. For forcing us to do your bidding!"

I launched the Plasma Bolt at her, the screaming force of energy impacting the side of Her skull. I was surprised by the force of the explosion as I passed over Her, knocked around a little from the shock wave.

I looked behind myself at Her being knocked to the ground from my attack. I couldn't help the grin that came to my face when I watched the rocky beach rumble under her large form.

I heard several murmurs from Viking's, all of which quieted quickly. I watched in part worry, part excitement as the large wings peeled themselves from Her sides, shedding years of dust and rock caked onto them from misuse.

Hiccup began angling us towards the rocky maze that surrounded the island. The fog around us was becoming thicker with every minute, making it a little more difficult to see. These rocks were dangerous even in clear conditions; navigating it in the fog would be deadly with even one mistake.

"You think that did it?" Hiccup asked, a little too loudly.

My ear flaps began pounding in time with a large amount of air being displaced. I looked behind myself to see the enormous form of the Red Death, wings beating powerfully as she chased after us.

Dear Draco she was fast!

I was faster though. I heard Her furious shriek as she followed us, shouting for our death.

"Well, it can fly." Hiccup stated.

"No kidding!" I huffed, tucking in my wings and diving just as She snapped at us. I could smell her putrid breath, even from ahead of her.

I pushed myself to go faster, swooping in between rocks, sometimes missing them by less than a wings length.

'Ha!' I thought to myself. 'I want to see her-'

My thoughts were cut off by a loud explosion from behind us. I glanced back, and rolled to the right as a large chunk of rock went flying past us. I began to panic, and flew even faster, unable to slow Her down for even a moment as I ducked under rocks outcroppings, and swerved around them.

We had made an entire loop around the island. I glanced to my left at the Vikings lining the shore, watching us intently. Many of the eyes were on us, but more were on the Red Death behind us.

I flew a little lower as another large piece of rock flew overhead, nearly smacking into Hiccup.

"Ah! This isn't working!" I announced with a snarl, looking around for any form of protection, or some kind of advantage over Her.

"Okay, Toothless, time to disappear." Hiccup said to me, leaning closer to me. I looked up at the dark, almost black clouds above us, and giving a shake of my head to clear the ringing noise from my ears.

"Got it." I responded, pulling myself upwards as Hiccup changed the position of the tailfin. I began pushing myself harder, wincing at the tugging sensation in my wings. If this wasn't over soon, I would tire out. Thinking of Hiccup falling towards the Red Death gave me a burst of energy, and I shot upwards faster than before. Hiccup was hugging himself to my neck as we went vertical, trying not to lose his grip on me or the saddle.

I dodged to the right as She opened her large maw, and snapped at us, biting down on the area we had been just moments prior.

I heard the sound of flammable gas filling her mouth once again.

"Here it comes!" Hiccup exclaimed, alerting me to the already obvious. Not that I didn't appreciate his effort.

I tucked in my wings and rolled to the left, out of the way just as a powerful burst of fire shot past us. Even if I was fire-proof, Hiccup wasn't. I had seen what had happened to Vikings that had been hit head on with any kind of fire. The smell of sizzling flesh, and the charred look as their outer skins, or clothes melted to their bodies. I wasn't going to let Hiccup end up like that.

'Almost there!' I thought, gritting my teeth as I pushed myself a little harder.

Darkness.

We were surrounded on all sides by clouds, filled with ash and smoke. I realized that Hiccup couldn't see at all, and She wasn't used to the dark nights like I was. I could still see well though, and kept an eye on Her large body as I circled around her.

She let out a loud growl of frustration, casting her head all around, trying to get some sort of visual on us. Thankfully Hiccup was keeping quiet, adjusting the tailfin and following my lead as we went.

"COWARDS!" She growled, finally saying something understandable. "SHOW YOURSELVES!"

"Open your eyes!" I taunted from the shadows, causing her to turn her head to the left. I flew behind her, shooting away a fair distance, before flying higher, looping myself over and approaching Her once again. I began charging up a Plasma Bolt in my maw, filtering gas through the chamber. I wanted this to pierce, not explode.

Hiccup adjusted the tailfin slightly, pulling us into a dive towards Her. I launched the shot from above and behind her, striking her large wings with a small explosion. I instantly smelled cooking flesh, and blood.

We pulled up, quickly escaping her gaze as She turned around to locate us. We were behind her again in an instant.

Hiccup changed the position once more, just as I tucked in my wings, and we rolled towards Her. I launched another small shot at her, striking her wings once again. We then whipped past her, shooting upwards before pulling into another dive.

We struck Her again and again, each time I shot at her wings. I could see the holes being ripped into the thin membrane, and could hear her labored breathing as each stroke of her wings sent pain shooting through her, tearing larger holes into the membrane.

She gave a furious shriek, and began filling her maw with gas quickly. She roared loudly, launching burning flames in all directions to hit us. I dove under one burst, only having to roll around another.

"Watch out!" Hiccup cried.

I glanced over to my right, only to see a large wall of flame approaching us at an unavoidable angle. I couldn't roll out of the way, or move under or over it.

I rolled my body to the side, placing Hiccup on the opposite side of the flame. The searing heat struck my underside, leaving a painful tingling sensation across my body. I felt an uncomfortable heat down near my tail as I even myself out.

The artificial tailfin was on fire. I could see the metal rods glowing red due to the heat of the blast, and the leather that made up the "skin" of the fin was currently burning up.

"Okay, time's up!" Hiccup announced, his eyes also on the prosthetic. "Let's see if this works."

Hiccup and I pulled into a dive, plummeting towards the large dragon. I aimed at the large, hole filled wings, tucking in my own wings and angling myself. I swept through one of the large holes in Her wings, extending my own just enough to graze the sensitive insides of the membrane. She roared in pain, and snapped her gaze towards us.

"Come on! Is that the best you can do!?" Hiccup shouted at Her.

"You're weak, and a pathetic excuse for a Queen!" I added, swooping in front of her face to ensure she was following us. "The Nest never cared for you! Damn you to Hel, you tyrant!"

That got her attention. She snapped at us once, only to have us go just beyond her range. Hiccup adjusted the now burning tailfin, pulling us into a dive. I glanced behind us, watching the huge behemoth of a dragon follow us, diving as well. I glanced at the tears in her wings with a grin.

"GET BACK HERE!" She roared, only a wings length behind us.

I could feel her breath on my tail as we dropped, causing me to tuck my wings in closer to my body. That caused us to drop ahead a little, giving us just enough distance away from Her.

Hiccup said something to me, although I didn't really pay attention; I couldn't hear anything other than my heart beating loudly. I tried to look for any sort of escape route that wouldn't have us swallowed whole by Her. There was next to nothing we could do but keep dropping towards the ground.

I felt my blood run cold when I heard the familiar sound of gas filling Her maw. We had no where to turn to, and there was no escape. I couldn't think. I was having a difficult time seeing. My breathing became faster as I realized that this might actually be the end for us. Either we would crash into the ground, being crushed by Her enormous body, or She would roast Hiccup, and catch me before I could get out of range. I couldn't-

"Hold, Toothless." Hiccup said calmly.

Everything seemed to slow down. I could feel his small, warm hands against the side of my head, and his calming words soothed any fear. I narrowed my eyes, trying to focus.

"Now!" Hiccup exclaimed. He moved his body to the right, turning me slightly as well. I had no idea what he was going on about, but I listened, extending one wing to flip us around.

Then I saw it: Her mouth, wide open, highly flammable gas just seeping out of her like some sort of deadly waterfall.

'Not so fire-proof on the inside.' I thought, echoing Hiccup's words from a week ago.

I realized Hiccup's plan, and quickly charged a small Plasma Bolt, using some of the last remaining gas I had. I launched it at Her, just as she extended her head to ignite her own gas.

She widened her eyes as the bolt flew into Her maw, violently igniting the gas that had been building inside her. Flames oozed from her mouth as she snapped it shut, choking on the fire.

I struggled to turn myself around, having difficulty as the prosthetic became nearly useless. I glanced behind myself, the rocky shores approaching fast.

I looked up at Her once more, watching panic fill her eyes. She spread out her wings, realizing our plan, but the speed that she was falling, and the mass of her body made it impossible. The rips in her wings expanded, the sound of ripping flesh echoing around us.

With one last push, and Hiccup leaning with me, I turned my body around and shot out my wings, catching the air and zipping past her large skull.

I pulled upwards to the best of my abilities, the half-destroyed tailfin becoming more unreliable by the second.

A powerful explosion erupted behind us as She hit the rocky shore, a powerful shock wave hitting me and sending the two of us off course. We were pushed into a path along Her body, dodging between large spines as I tried my best to avoid being pierced by the spikes.

Just when we seemed to have made it out, I felt a tugging sensation at the end of my tail, and a sudden sense of unbalance.

We had lost the prosthetic fin.

"No!" Hiccup cried out, almost as if he were in shock.

I glanced upwards, in time to see a large club-tail swing into our view. I tried to change our angle, or to push myself off of it to a higher elevation.

"No!" Hiccup exclaimed.

We were moving much too fast. I slammed into the club, taking the brunt of the impact; I felt Hiccup's head snap forwards, colliding with my shoulders from the sudden stop. I heard a quiet snap that made my heart stop.

The safety harness!

I forced my body to turn mid-air, unable to feel Hiccup's weight on me. My blood ran cold as I watched Hiccup's limp form plummet towards the rising wall of flames, his eyes shut.

"Hiccup!" I slammed my wings backwards as hard as I could, throwing myself after him. I went numb as I reached out for him, watching the flames beginning to wrap around his small body.

I snatched onto his left ankle as tightly as I could, feeling a sickening snap as I grabbed him. I pulled his body in towards my chest, wrapping my arms and legs around his form, securing him to myself. I wrapped my fire-proof wings around him, shielding his weak human body from the inferno. I tucked my head in towards him, trying to cover every side of Hiccup as another wave of heat struck me, throwing the two of us.

My vision went dark soon after, the weightless feeling of falling filling my being. I shut out all other noises as the darkness took me, listening to only the gentle beating of Hiccup's heart, wondering if I would ever hear that sound again.

~{o}~{o}~

My head was pounding. I had no idea where I was. My body ached as if I had flown for days, and then crash-landed into the side of a mountain (not the first time that had happened.) I felt something small and thin in my grip, hugged tightly to my chest. It was completely still as I gently moved my legs around the small form.

'Hiccup!' I thought, immediately breaking from my daze. I opened my wings a small amount, allowing me room to tuck my head in and look at him myself.

His face had several cuts across it, none of which were bleeding too badly. His hair was slightly singed, and smelled awful: nothing new. I checked lower, unable to see all of him, by using my paws. Arms: check. Legs: check.

I went silent for a moment, listening to his shallow breathing.

He was safe.

I laid back on the stone ground, all the tension leaving my body. My headache came back, twice as bad, and my eyes began to go blurry. I felt darkness slowly taking over my vision again, as the pain in my body returned. I wrapped myself tighter around my friend, snuggling up close to him, expecting a long sleep after this.

I closed my eyes, hoping to fall asleep quickly.

I wasn't expecting to hear footsteps approaching me, or the sound of Hiccup's Father's voice. I couldn't understand a word he was saying though. Either he was too quiet, or I had knocked my head a little too hard on the landing. The intense ringing in my ears only added to my pain.

I opened my eyes, noticing the large Viking kneeling in front of me, his face cast towards the ground. There was a large crowd of Viking's standing behind him, and I picked out Astrid quickly. She looked to be on the verge of tears as well. The Dragons standing behind the Vikings were all watching silently, misery clearly evident by their expressions, and the way they held themselves.

"I'm so sorry." I heard his Father say, barely above a whisper.

In a daze, I gazed at him with half-lidded eyes. He probably thought his son was dead. His only child, gone. From the scents I had picked up on Hiccup a while ago, I had reasoned that his Mother had gone, or died a long time ago, leaving him with only his Father. His Father probably thought that both his child and wife were dead.

He thought he was alone, like I was. The only difference between the two of us was that he still had a child, while I had lost both my parents and siblings a long time ago (that, and he was a human. A big hairy human… that smelled…)

I slowly unfurled my wings, rolling backwards a small amount to show Hiccup to his dad. I watched as his expression changed from despair, to confusion, to hopefulness as his eyes rested upon the still form of his child. I smiled a little (a very Hiccup-y thing to do) as I watched him scramble towards his son, taking him out of my grasp and into his (rather large) arms. He removed his helmet, casting it to the side as he placed his ear on Hiccup's chest.

"He's alive!" He exclaimed, his eyes beginning to water. "You brought him back alive!" His voice caught in his throat, his words fading off.

The Viking's behind the large man began cheering, and the Dragon's crooned their happiness. I wasn't sure why the others would be so interested in his safety now, but maybe this would lead to a better future. Seeing the Vikings celebration with the Dragons made me smile, just a little bit.

I laid my head back on the ground as he rested a large palm on my head, just above my eye ridge. I detected no malice in his actions, not that I could have stopped him in the condition I was in anyways.

"Thank you. For saving my son." He said, directly towards me.

Another, large Viking walked up to the three of us: he was the one that taught Hiccup at the "forge." Hiccup spoke very fondly of this (even worse smelling) Viking, who went by the name "Gobber."

"Well… Ya know..." Gobber began, glancing down at Hiccup's left leg. "Most of him."

At those words, I shot up, forcing myself to my feet. Hiccup's father seemed slightly concerned, and hugged Hiccup a little closer to his chest. Gobber took a step backwards, eying me as I slowly approached Hiccup.

"Let'em be, Stoic." Gobber told Hiccup's father as I gently nuzzled Hiccup's head, pushing him closer towards his dad.

Stoic only watched as I limped towards Hiccup's legs, the scent of raw flesh coming the most strongly from there. I noticed the large tear in the pants at Hiccup's left ankle, the-

The same one I had grabbed…

I pushed my muzzle near where his foot should have been, only finding cloth limply hanging over a missing appendage. Guilt immediately flooded my body, closing my throat, making it difficult to breathe.

"I did this..." I crooned quietly, nudging Hiccup's left leg gently. I tried to tell myself that it wasn't entirely my fault, and that I had to in order for him to survive. It eased the pain a small bit, but didn't exactly help my mind. 'What's done is done.' I told myself, giving a small shake of my head.

I stood up slightly taller, forcing the pain to the back of my mind as Stoic stood up, holding Hiccup gently in his arms. I rolled my shoulders, and shrugged off as much of the saddle as I could. Metal bits were sticking out and stabbing into my side, and the leather of the saddle was frayed and burnt.

Eventually, I managed to knock it off, unfortunately having to cut one of the leather straps around my chest to allow it off. It fell to the ground with a loud smack, and it lay there for only a moment before I picked it back up in my mouth, teeth hidden in my gums.

I glanced at Gobber, who was watching me with interest. He had been Hiccup's "mentor" and had taught him everything he knew about creating these. I padded over to him with a limp, wincing in pain as a cut flared heavily on my side. Gobber only watched as I approached him, never taking his eyes off of me, or taking a step back.

I set the saddle down in front of the Viking, looking up at him, and then nudging it towards him with my muzzle. I took several steps back, watching as he slowly took his eyes off of me to pick up the saddle. He held it in his hand, turning it over, gazing at it with what seemed like pride.

I turned back to Stoic, who was slowly making his way back to the Viking ships that were floating in the waters. A large number of them had been sunk, but there still seemed like there were enough to carry all of the Vikings back to the island.

I fell into step beside Hiccup's father, looking up at the two with a slight grin. Stoic only glanced at me for a moment, a confused look crossing his features, before he lowered Hiccup slightly, bringing him into my line of sight. I gave a happy croon, attempting to give Stoic a toothless smile. I made it about halfway before something twinged in my jaw, forcing me to stop.

While we were walking, I noticed a small, familiar looking object laying on the ground, smoking a small amount. Curiosity getting the better of me, I broke from the group, making Stoic stop in place, watching me curiously. As I approached the object, I couldn't help the guilt that crashed into me once again.

It was Hiccup's left boot, empty on the ground with one large hole in the side where my smallest claw had caught it. I sniffed it, smelling no flesh or anything otherwise disturbing in it, and picked it up gingerly in my muzzle. As I approached Hiccup and Stoic once more, I made sure to keep it out of his view.

I followed Hiccup and Stoic onto a large ship (one that had been behind the larger rocks and one of the last still floating), climbing up a piece of wood, and onto the deck. As we walked, I and Hiccup received many praises from the recently freed Dragons, and from some Vikings. I held my head high as we walked, showing no pain at my wounds, other than the unavoidable limp.

Stoic carried Hiccup to a deeper part of the boat, walking through a strange moving panel in the floor of the boat, and moving down a set of stairs. I followed him down, ignoring the feeling of being trapped, and kept my eyes on my friend.

Hiccup was set into a small bed, next to many others. Stoic covered him in the cloths, before sitting down on an adjacent bed, earning a squeak of protest from the frame. He gave me a look, before sighing and shaking his head, murmuring something softly.

I sat down beside Hiccup's unconscious form, setting down the boot next to his bed, looking down at him with worry.

'What if he falls into Forever Sleep?' I thought to myself, beginning to panic once again. I let out an accidental whine, earning an odd glance from Stoic.

"Don't… Don't worry." He spoke softly, not taking his eyes from his son. "A few days sleep, and he'll be up and about in no time. Nothing's going to keep him down for long. He's too stubborn. Believe me, I know."

"Please be alright." I crooned, resting my head on the edge of the bedding. It gave a creak as I set my head down, making more noise than it did when Hiccup was set on it. "I promise I'll always be here for you. I'll be with you to the end."

Authors Note:

So… Maybe? Would you like me to work on this along side my other stories? Maybe just save this idea for later? It's up to you all.

Tell me what you think.

Thanks!

InfamousVenous