Chapter twooo!
This chapter wouldn't have happened without Nefer-T and CuriosityRedux' wonderful proofreading and editing. It's thanks to them that it got finished and posted! Thanks you two 3
Again, please go and read Nightfall by Le'letha. It's the inspiration for this story, and for many characterizations and the speech patterns that the dragons will use in this story. I don't think I can pull it off quite as well as Le'letha so gloriously does, so please, go read it! You won't be dissapointed!
Now, onto the show!
Back at home, the two-who-are-one land with their usual lack of grace, but they do not mind, for they have no one to impress. Cheeks bright red and wind-burnt, she whipped off her mask and hood, and rolled off of her dragon-brother's neck, and flopped to the lush grass with a laugh. Flupp gave his whole body a good shake that rippled along his body from head to tailtip, before he turned his head around and pressed his nose into her midriff. The serpentine dragon began nuzzling it about and tickled a long stream of high-pitched giggles from she who was, to him, a small dragon.
Unn batted playfully at Flupp's head, eventually pushing him away enough so he would stop tickling her. She chirped out flying flying good fun yes! to him repeatedly, her eyes bright with excitement and joy, and he replied yes flying good yes, happily.
She rolled onto her belly, stretching out and groaning good sun warm flying happy good yesssss as she dug her small-claws into the grass with satisfaction. Flupp-brother gently grabbed her tail with his mouth when she was done, lifting her up and setting her back on her hind paws. Unn dusted off the dirt and grass from her fur, picking a stray bug off of it before turning back to her dragon and pressing herself against his throat.
Day sun good explore hunt maybe? She trilled out at him, and she could feel his reply against her cheek, his smooth scales warm against soft-skin. Explore hunt later maybe rest now, he grumbled, and settled himself down in the clearing by their cave. He stretched himself out to full length with content, ruffling his wings out a little to be able to soak in the sun that shone through the treetops.
Unn crawled over to his side and flops against him, propping herself up on her rear and settling her head back on Flupp's body with her face turned to the sun. A slow smile stretched over her face as she listened to his heart beating through his back, his heart-fire warming her back and the sun warming her front.
Today was a good day, as have been many days past. They wake, they say good morning to the nest, and they fly. They fly as one, around and up and down and any way imaginable, and it is good. Unn can't imagine having a life any different than this one, and she is grateful for each day that dawns.
Leaning against her dragon-brother, she hummed happy me good us together love content delight together, and Flupp hummed together together love you we us back at her. Their sounds combined into one harmonious sound, one that they liked to make to each other often.
It is how they reminded each other of their love, although they hardly needed to be reminded of such an obvious and true thing. It is who they are, and it is who they will always be.
After their song faded into the forest, they sat in comfortable silence for a while before Flupp spoke again. Storm not good not like dangerous he thrummed, gaze focused through the trees in the direction they had flown from. The storm they had met still worried him, itching at his memory like a small insect.
Unn turned her head but didn't lift it, eyes searching his concerned expression.
Wind safe nest storm no here far away nest safe, she chittered, reaching a front paw over to rub his scales soothingly. The storm was scary, but it was far away from their nest, the good winds blowing it away and keeping them safe. Its claws and teeth cannot get to them here. Flupp purred, yes nest safe good, back at her, but didn't pull his gaze from the horizon beyond the trees.
Unn sighed, dropping her paw to her lap and getting herself comfortable again.
She wasn't worried. Sometimes storms blew through their nest, but they were never strong, never have been and never will be. Their home is protected by good winds, friendly strong winds that keep them safe and fill their wings.
They hadn't sunned for much longer than a moment when a familiar squawk came from overhead. Unn opened her eyes and rose to her front paws just as Mother-of-Nest landed near them. The sea-green dragon trotted over to them with an uneasy gait, her head and wings twitching nervously.
Danger danger worried! Mother-of-Nest chirped, yellow eyes contracted into a slit, and Unn and Flupp were instantly on alert.
Threat danger where defend attack where?! They barked out in unison, and Mother-of-Nest stepped back at their ferocity.
Sea-swimmers sand-meets-water find Viking storm no good no move help! She chattered out, wings open and ready to take to the air again. At the word Viking, Unn sneered and Flupp snorted.
Viking no good no, Unn spat out, flopping back onto her haunches. She had sworn long ago tat she'd never lift a paw to help one of those dragon-killer-trappers. With their sharp long-claws and their wing-snaggers and their hand-stones, she's had to fight off and rescue many of her dragon-kin, nest-mates or not.
Mother-of-Nest wasn't dissuaded however. She hopped forward and nipped near Unn's hind paws, making to grab the small dragon anxiously. Unn withdrew her paws, grumbling irritably towards the bigger dragon.
Yes Sea-swimmers find Viking Sea-cousins ask help help! She insisted, obviously on the fence about the sea-cousins' request, but anxious to assist. There was a reason she was called Mother-of-Nest despite not having laid her own brood yet – due to her intense motherly instinct for nearly all creatures. Even Vikings - which has proved to be both a good thing and a bad thing in the past.
Flupp growled towards Mother-of-Nest. No help Viking no good kill danger nest No!, He snapped, snorting out the last sound with finality. He settled back into the grass with an exaggerated air, turning his head away to make a point. At his side, Unn mimicked him, her nose turned to the sky.
Mother-of-Nest looked between the two stubborn dragons, shifting on her feet anxiously. Coming to a decision, she darted forward, and managed to snatch one of Unn's hind paws in her mouth. Hooking the paw in her mouth between her teeth, the dragon picked the shrieking small dragon up and started waddling away as fast as she dared, not wanting to jostle Unn too much but still determined to carry her off.
Flupp roared indignantly as Mother-of-Nest took off between the trees towards the direction of the beach. He leaped to his multiple feet and dashed off after her, his screeches echoing through the forest.
Mine no you mine mine comeback!
The Viking didn't look good.
Unn and the other dragons hovered over him, casting thick shadows against his body in the mid-day sun.
Unn proded him again with a stick she found on the beach, and the Viking didn't even flinch.
Where find where how? She asked again, using the stick to lift up one of the Viking's limp front paws, and the Sea-cousins hovering behind them sigh.
Find storm strong bite storm fight Viking fall no swim, Water Spout growled out, and Deep Swimmer nodded beside him.
Unn laughed disbelievingly, a sound somewhere between a human's laugh and a dragon's chuff. She imagined the stupid Viking had probably just fallen out of those wooden ships that they build to try and cross the sea. It happened often.
Truth no lie Viking fall sky fall water no breath we help, Deep Swimmer thrummed out, puffing his chest before looking down at the sodden Viking worriedly.
One of the things mentioned by Deep Swimmer caught Unn's attention. Sky fall sky how? She questioned, squinting up at the long-necked dragons. Vikings don't fly. They don't even have wings!
Viking fly Night-Flier flying-with! Deep Swimmer burst out excitedly before Water Spout could even open his mouth. Unn's eyes bugged out as Water Spout shoved the other dragon and growled at him in annoyance, having wanted to be the one to tell of the discovery.
A Viking? On a Night-Flier with a Flying-with? She and Flupp looked at each other simultaneously, then over at the rough harness she made to make it easier for them to fly together as one, still strapped to his back.
After many bad attempts at learning to fly together, way back when Unn was still a hatchling and she had just met Flupp, she had made their flying-with by using things she could easily get her paws onto. A bit of straw, some leather straps stolen from Viking homes on raids, some Viking metal as well. She had even stolen something that looked like their flying-with, but it was meant for the large hoofed creatures that some Viking nests had.
She had first tried putting that one on Flupp, but the straps couldn't be pulled tight enough, and it had rubbed against his scales painfully. So she made her own. It wasn't very strong, and needed to be fixed and replaced often, but it was good.
Unn leaned close over the Viking and squinted hard at him. She gave him a good look over - he seemed to be fairly tall, and young, she gathered from the fact that his face wasn't as bristly with the fur that most Viking males seemed to be extremely proud over. The fur atop his head was a sort of rich brown that she hadn't seen before, much more red and full of color than her own head-fur was. He wore very many layers of different colors of leather, many straps and strips and patterns. She traced the leather that covered his abdomen with her stick, noting the dragon-like scales that were sewn into the surface and leaving grains of sand across it.
Her eyes traveled further down, following the straps of leather that seem to have no other use than to be excessive on his legs, when she whistled in shock. One of his hind legs - he was missing a paw!
Dropping the stick, she grabbed the Viking's leg to see how serious the wound is, but then she let out an unintentional whuff of relief. It was an old wound. The hind leg had long since neatly healed over, his limb ending in a neat cap where the skin had been pulled over to protect and heal. The only physical injuries that she found on him were what looked like claw marks gouged along the calf, still slowly bleeding but not seriously.
Scratch bite you you? she quirked to the Sea-cousins, and they shook their heads.
No us scratch bite no whistled Deep Swimmer, while Water Spout grumbled us no Night Flier maybe? under his breath.
Leaning back down over the Viking, she stilled for a moment and watched his chest – it didn't move. He isn't breathing. Unn knew that if something stopped breathing for too long, they wouldn't wake up again.
Viking dead no breath dead, she said with finality, poking the unconscious body again with her stick that she had picked back up. Good riddance, in her opinion.
No dead heart beat alive help! Deep Swimmer roared out, stomping a webbed claw in the sand. Unn scowled at him as Mother-of-Nest leand over the Viking and sniffed him.
True no lie alive heartsound small alive, she chuffed out quietly, and Unn glared at the unconscious Viking as if her gaze could set him ablaze. With another sharp prod from her stick, she scuffled back from him a few cautious steps.
No help, she ground out, and to her surprise, the dragons turned and scowled at her. Flupp growled back at them in response, pressing up behind Unn defensively.
Confused why help Viking no good Viking why?! Unn whined out at the opposing dragons, backing up into Flupp's comforting side. She was completely baffled – after all the bad that Vikings have done to their kin, why are they so adamant on this one?
Water Spout looked down at the Viking thoughtfully for a moment.
...Different, he finally said, and Deep Swimmer nodded in agreement again.
Different how different? Flupp asked questioningly, and if dragons could shrug both dragons would have.
Viking different Unn different flying-with? Deep Swimmer ventured, and flinched at the a vicious hiss that broke from the smallest dragon.
Unn no Viking Unn dragon! She spat, baring her fangs furiously at the Sea-cousin and raising her hackles. How dare he even suggest that a Viking be similar to Unn! Unn is the one and only special small dragon, with the clever paws and the smart ideas and the biggest dreams. No other creature is like her, Viking or dragon or anything in between. She felt a twinge of hurt echo in her chest at the Sea-cousin's comparison.
Deep Swimmer shied back immediately. No no Unn dragon Unn dragon yes yes! He burbled, hiding halfway behind his brother. He did not mean to upset his nest-mate, nor suggest such a thing.
Viking flying-with Night-Flier Viking dragon? He tried again, attempting to get his thoughts across cleanly.
Unn allowed herself to calm, accepting the Sea-cousin's apology and stewing over his suggestion. If this Viking flies with dragons the same way Unn does, perhaps he is actually a special but different small dragon as well, confused and lost from where he belongs. No Viking could ever fly with a dragon.
She looked down at the Viking in a new light. Perhaps... as crazy as that sounded, for she was the only small clever dragon she's ever known of. She leaned down close over the Viking's face, noticing that his lips were turning blue. She guessed that wasn't a good sign.
Thinking for a second, she leaned back on her haunches – and brought her fist down sharply on the Viking's chest. His frame rocked a little, but the leather breastplate he wore absorbed most of the pressure.
Frowning, she brought another fist down on his chest, a bit stronger this time. He winced slightly, but nothing else.
Growling angrily, Unn clasped both hands together, lifted them up high, and slammed them down on the Viking's chest as hard as she could.
The Viking jolted, before spraying a mouthful of seawater into Unn's face. She shrieked, leaping back and wiping her face off indignantly as the Viking choked and gurgled feebly. Unn scowled and skipped closer, quickly digging her front paws under the sand and flipping him onto his side, where the Viking promptly began emptying his chest all over the beach.
Satisfied, she danced back a few paces again, the other dragons doing the same but keeping an eye on the prone Viking. He was gasping for air, but at least was fighting for his breath. She whistled a warning sharply at Mother-of-Nest, whom was inching closer to the heaving Viking. No matter what strange things the Sea-cousins might suggest, she wasn't going to take any chances yet.
Eventually the Viking's breathing began leveling out, and he feebly propped himself up on his forearms.
Unn set her jaw and pulled her hood up, flipping her mask over her face protectively. Behind her, Flupp sniffed at her anxiously, making sure the Viking hadn't been hiding anything in his mouth.
Unn chirped reassuringly at her dragon-brother, and scampered a fair distance away to some sea-rocks, crawling up on the nearest one and crouching on her haunches. Flupp crawled up behind her and took a menacing stance towards the wakening stranger.
Now to see if the Viking - if it was a Viking - posed a threat.
Hiccup was NOT having a good day.
The first thing he recalled was a pounding on his chest. That was just barely before his body realized it couldn't breathe, and his next few lucid moments involved him choking to death. Someone or something flipped him over, and he began gratefully emptying his lungs and his stomach of seawater, barely registering the hot sand under his hands.
After a short struggle he was finally able to take a clear breath, which he gulped down like fresh water. He crouched on what he assumed was a beach, urging his pounding head to calm and his thoughts to realign themselves.
He vaguely remembered the color gray, and echoes of Toothless' terrified roars bounced around his head before his memories finally got themselves in order.
A storm. A horrible storm, that he had flown right into like a moron. The wind, the cold, the pain as Toothless clawed at him desperately... Toothless!
"TOOTHLESS!" He cried out. Or, he tried to, but what came out of his stripped throat sounded more like the singing of a squashed frog.
Hiccup croaked a few more times, his wobbling arms nearly giving out on him as he turned himself over. Flopping onto the sand, he winced as the bright sun shone through his eyelids.
Suddenly, he felt a shadow dip across him, and he blearily blinked his eyes open.
It took him a moment to focus on who – or what – was standing over him. A few more hazy blinks, and it registered in his oxygen-deprived mind that it was the shape of a dragon – two, actually. Scauldrons, judging by the long necks and bulbous eyes at the front of their snouts.
He groaned and screwed his eyes shut, for the sun was glaring at him again. Hiccup lifted himself up on trembling arms, slowly, until he was in a sitting position. The sun – it was bright. Mid-day at least, judging by how harsh the glare was. He squinted upwards and saw that the two Scauldrons that had been inspecting him had stepped back warily, one of them letting a low growl that shuddered through its jowls.
"H-hey..." Hiccup said quietly, his voice coming out scratchy. He lifted a hand to rub at his face, noticing just in time that it was coated in sand - his entire body was. He groaned again, this time in aggravation, and he dusted his hands together to dislodge the sand grains.
The dragons were still in a defensive position. In order to approach them, Hiccup raised his palms to them in a submissive gesture. "Hey - hey, it's ok... I'm not a threat. I won't hurt you." He murmured in the low, soothing tone he uses to calm down new dragons at the Academy.
The growling dragons stopped abruptly, both looking surprised at his unthreatening body language, and low tone of voice. A still moment passed, and both dragons took a step forward, eyes wide and curious.
But before they could take another step, a sharp whistle pierced the air. Shocked, Hiccup whirled his head around to look in the direction it came from, ignoring the ache that throbbed at the base of his skull at the quick movement.
He expected another dragon, and that's what he got - and more. A long, winding dragon posed intimidatingly on the beach a few paces from where he sat, and perched upon a large boulder in front of it was... a human?
At least he assumed it to be a human, from its long slim limbs and vaguely bipedal form. It was a bit hard to tell under the enormous mantle of fur it was wearing though, which cloaked its form and broke up its silhouette. The furs were draped over the figure's head in a hood and cloak and, sprouting from the white, dappled fur, were horns. Deer horns, Hiccup's mind supplied, though he'd never seen many deer in his life. They weren't native on Berk, and only in recent years in his adventuring had he found the animal in droves on farther islands.
Some bright Nadder spikes bristled on the sides of the hood, and the figure's face was covered in a mask - a bright blue, intimidating mask with the face of a dragon.
The figure was crouched back on its feet in an animal-like manner, and Hiccup was instantly reminded of his first encounter with his mother. This was eerily familiar.
"H-hey! Hi there! Uh - I hope I'm not... imposing or anything but... I don't know how I got here or anything so sorry if this is, YOUR island... hey, you haven't happened to see a Night Fury have you? About yea high - black, big green eyes and a friendly, gummy smile?" Hiccup spouted out nervously, gesturing wildly with his hands before wincing as his sore muscles complained at him.
The figure's head cocked to the side in curiosity, and the dragon behind it growled menacingly. Hiccup took a closer look at the dragon - it was a species he had never seen nor heard of before. Its body was impossibly thin and long, like a snake that had sprouted legs. It had six – six! – legs, each adorned with long fins that sprouted from the feet and arched upwards.
Its slitted eyes were a bright, light blue, and upon its head was what looked like a large flat crest, arching from between its eyes to far past its skull. It had fins that lined its jaws, and along its spine was a long continuous crest of wavy ridges. Its scales were a dazzling sky blue, and its wing tips faded to a dark, night blue dappled with star-like spots. It looked as if the Gods had painted the very sky on its scales.
But the most incredible thing about the dragon was the harness it sported – a basic saddle woven out of thatch, settled between its first set of shoulder blades, and a sort of handled-reign that was tied to its neck.
The human hadn't replied to Hiccup though, and he cleared his throat to try again.
"Uh - hello? Can you understand me? I hope you can, otherwise I'm in real trouble here..." Hiccup chuckled nervously, moving to lurch to his feet. He froze mid-movement however, when he went to place his left foot down - only to find it wasn't there. He grabbed for his leg frantically, his hands flying to cover his exposed stump, fingers investigating the wounds scraped into his leg.
His mind supplied flashes of what had happened - the storm had ripped him from Toothless' saddle, and in desperation to get Hiccup into his paws Toothless had shredded his leg's harness. In his mind's eye he replayed his fall, watching his dragon being swept away in the gale.
"Oh, Toothless..." Hiccup moaned, dropping his head in his hands. He didn't know if his Night Fury had survived - he didn't even know where he himself was! And on top of all that, he couldn't even walk!
Hiccup suddenly heard another sharp whistle from his right, but before he could look up, he felt a gentle nudge against his shoulder. Turning around, he looked right into the nostrils of a brightly colored Nadder, who eyed him concernedly. Hiccup jerked his head back at the close proximity, and the Nadder warbled at him.
He dared to raise a hand up to the Nadder's muzzle, and while it jolted at the movement, it sniffed at his hand before hesitantly nuzzling its nose into his palm.
"Hey there! I didn't even see you... hey..." he mumbled softly, the Nadder chirruping happily as he began scratching under its chin. Hiccup heard yet another noise, this time a sort of biting shriek, before he felt more breath brushing his hair.
He looked up, and both of the Scauldrons had stepped up close and were sniffing him curiously, certainly having realized the human was friendly. Hiccup raised his other hand, and one of the Scauldrons eagerly pressed its nose into his palm, the other grumbling that it was beaten to the punch.
Hiccup laughed. "Hey, hey! Don't worry, there's plenty of rubbing to go around." He said as he did double-time scratching chins, the Nadder warbling with an absolutely blissed expression on its snout.
Suddenly, he felt a spray of sand, and flinched to see a stick protruding straight out of the sand close to his side.
He looked over a dragon's snout, and saw the hooded figure crouched in an angry, aggressive posture, the serpentine dragon mirroring their emotion. The figure's hand was outstretched, as it was obviously the one who had thrown the offending stick. It cried out in an angry, animalistic sound, like a dragon whose tail had been trod on.
The dragons surrounding Hiccup just snorted in reply, blowing hot air around his face and causing him to laugh at the sensation.
The Nadder looked up and trilled out a complicated sequence of sounds towards the figure, whom amazingly replied in a similar, albeit much angrier manner. The serpentine dragon behind it punctuated the sounds with a grunt.
The Nadder simply rolled its eyes and leaned back down to Hiccup, rubbing its chin against the crown of his head almost mockingly. The stranger let out a very offended noise and leapt off the rock, landing on all fours and making as if it was going to storm at Hiccup. Before it got very far though, the serpentine dragon leapt in front of it and snapped as if it were scolding the person, blocking them from view.
Hiccup could only see the person's limbs under the dragon, and he watched as their arms gestured angrily before they disappeared, reappearing over the dragon's back and crouching back on the rock.
The winding dragon turned to Hiccup and the others, and let out a loud roar. The Scauldrons flinched and reluctantly retreated from Hiccup, pulling back and scowling at the offending dragon and the mysterious person before making to head back to the sea.
"W-wait! Wait, please!" Hiccup cried out, flailing his hands and halfway getting up on his right knee. The Scauldrons stopped and turned back to him with curious eyes.
"You're the ones who saved me, weren't you? You brought me here when I was drowning," He said, knowing that the dragons wouldn't completely understand him but, hopefully, they would at least understand his tone of voice.
Both Scauldrons merely blinked at him, so Hiccup continued. "Thank you. Really. I'd be fish bait if it wasn't for you." He said in earnest gratitude. The dragons seemed startled at his smile, but they dipped their heads in unison in an almost "you're welcome" gesture before turning and stepping into the tide.
Hiccup watched them disappear under the surf, and let out a deep sigh. "Well, there goes two ways for me to get home." he said, gesturing out after them. The Nadder was still at his side, however; it purred and nudged him gently.
"You wouldn't happen to be willing to give me a ride home, would you?" He said to it, rubbing its chin gently. The dragon didn't reply. It merely pressed harder into Hiccup's hand, as if asking for more attention, which Hiccup supplied almost absent-mindedly.
He heard a snort from his right again, and turned to frown at the person.
"What is your deal? I mean, sure, I'm an intruder and I nearly died on your beach, but come on! I'm not a threat! I can't even walk!" He shouted out irritably, lifting his stump and gesturing at it. Normally Hiccup would be trying to be much calmer – but after nearly drowning, and losing his dragon, his way, and his leg – his patience had worn out thin.
"I don't even know if you understand me! This could be like talking to a log house for all I know!"
The person bristled, and spat out a few particularly nasty sounding growls in his direction before turning and chirping at the serpentine dragon. It returned the vocalization, walking closer to the person and turning its back to them. The person jumped off the rock and into the saddle with ease, wrapping their legs around the dragon to keep their seat.
They both squawked loudly at the Nadder, whom in reply just turned its back to them and sat down beside Hiccup with finality.
The other dragon snorted at the same time as the person grumbled, before it lifted its second set of legs off the ground, and opened the fins that had been tightly folded against them.
Hiccup gasped. Those were wings! From the way the wings unfurled, Hiccup guessed that the fins on the other sets of legs the dragon had were also wings, just smaller ones, and excellently disguised and tucked away. Six limbs that doubled as wings! He could only guess what sort of complicated coordination that would be necessary to control all of them, especially during flight.
The dragon scanned Hiccup with one last withering look, one that he was sure the person mirrored beneath the mask. Then, with a derisive harrumph, the dragon took off, leaping up and rising into the air easily with a single flap, flying off over the cliffs surrounding the beach and into the trees.
Hiccup looked in the direction they had taken off before heaving a great sigh, propping himself up against the helpful Nadder. The dragon chirruped with concern and leaned down, beginning to preen Hiccup ever so gently, realigning his hair with the sharp tip of its muzzle.
"Thanks... I know you're just trying to cheer me up." He said, reaching up and patting the dragon's horn.
He looked out desolately at the horizon, watching the water lap onto the beach.
He lifted his right arm, flipping the little latch that closed the lid on the compass that was tied to his leather bracer. He looked down at the compass, only to groan disbelievingly. He turned his arm, and a trickle of seawater poured from under the glass of the compass. It would be useless until it dried.
Well, he would be useless until the rest of him dried out. Hiccup looked down at his precious flight suit, still half-sodden, sand caked to nearly every Thor-damned inch of himself. He could feel the Nadder behind him dislodging sand particles from his hair as it – she, he guessed from the muzzle's shape – continued to gently preen him.
"... Well. No use sitting around." He sighed, setting his jaw. Putting weight on his right leg and with one hand against the Nadder's flank for stability, he shakily stood up on one leg.
Leaning heavily on the dragon, he glared down at his nonexistant foot.
"This was a great idea! Until this part." He grumbled to himself. The Nadder had pulled back from his hair when Hiccup stood, and was looking at him with bright, curious eyes.
"Hey... I know I already asked you this, but can you give me a ride, girl? Please?" He asked carefully, placing a hand on the Nadder's back. The dragon didn't move, and Hiccup took that as an okay.
But when he leaned into the dragon and lifted his left leg as if to hoist himself onto the Nadder's back, the dragon let out a frightened shriek and stood up, knocking Hiccup off balance and causing him to fall back into the sand on his rear.
"Pfgh-what?! Hey!" Hiccup sputtered, propping himself up on his arms only to watch the Nadder back away from him a few paces. She stopped not too far from him however, pinning him with a suspicious, somewhat frightened gaze.
"Oh, come on! I just need a ride home! That's all I'm asking for! Auuugh!" Hiccup yelled, his patience finally snapping. After weeks of barely any privacy and tense Chiefing duties, of basically sleepless nights and uninterrupted reconstruction works – and, just now, very nearly drowning – he finally allowed himself a small tantrum.
With nobody but a Nadder to watch, he tensely pounded his fists into the sandand flailed about angrily, cursing at his bad luck and bad situation to just about every god from here to Asgard, roaring and yelling until his voice felt coarse yet again. The Nadder merely watched, perhaps somewhat amused, as the boy let off steam.
Only after a while did Hiccup finally calm down. He flopped back upon the sand, defeated, his chest heaving as he glared at the clear white clouds that dared to float cheerfully overhead.
"Stupid storm. Stupid village. Stupid wild dragons and their stupid, crazy, wild person-thing that hates me for no stupid reason," he groaned, rolling himself upright once again. He grimaced at the sand thatcoated his leather suit, brushing off a few of the drier grains. "Stupid sand."
He heaved a long sigh and looked around – the Nadder was now nowhere in sight. "Oh, GREAT! My last chance of getting home quickly just walked off on me while I made a fool of myself. Just. great." He grated, slumping down once again and letting his head drop between his hands.
His throat was sore and dry, and he swore he could feel tears starting to burn at his eyes – though he blamed those on the seawater – when he heard something being dropped in the sand near him.
Hiccup looked up, startled, to see a fairly long and sturdy stick that had been dropped right in front of him. With a happy squawk, the Nadder softly landed nearby, sticking her chest out proudly.
Hiccup drooped his head, relieved that the unhelpful dragon had, at least, not gone away. It was company, if nothing else. "No. No, I don't want to play fetch with you. I'm not in the mood." He moaned out dejectedly, lifting a hand and waving it dismissively at the dragon.
Unperturbed, the Nadder leaned down and nudged the stick insistently toward Hiccup, pushing through the sand until it touched his right foot.
Anger flared in Hiccup's chest. "Look, you stubborn dragon! I do NOT want to play fetch right now! Maybenot ever again, if I even survive long enough to get home somehow!" He roared, reaching over and picking the stick up. He lifted it and pressed one end into the sand, leaning heavily on it and standing upright without thinking.
"It's too stinking big to play fetch with anyways! It's nearly as long as I am! What, do you think I'm suddenly gonna get super-strength and be able to toss this - this..." Hiccup's rant slowed as he looked down at himself.
He was now somewhat standing, leaning on the stick as if it was a staff. It was just long and thick enough to withstand his weight easily without being cumbersome, and he took a few experimental, hobbling steps with it.
He looked up with wonderment at the Nadder, who tilted her head and seemed to smirk ever-so smugly at him. Hiccup let out an incredulous laugh, shaking his head.
"Okay, look. I'm... really sorry," he sighed, shrugging his shoulders regretfully. "I've just... I've been really stressed lately, and then this whole me-nearly-drowning thing really doesn't help, and I just – " Hiccup rambled apologetically, and the Nadder stepped forward and cut him off, nudging him gently and affectionately.
The dragon took a few steps back and chirruped, flapping her wings and dipping her head. She turned and took a few more steps forward, turning and squawking insistently at him. She was beckoning him to follow her.
Hiccup smiled his crooked smile and chuckled, relieved. "You got it, girl."
AN: So, to try and explain a little, Unn and Flupp's relationship is one similar to Toothless and Hiccup's, but not quite as intense. (Nothing can match Toothless and Hiccup's relationship). Theirs is very close, but more of a sibling relationship, bordering on pure soulmates. Not romantic or sexual, but deeper than that, using the embodiment "two who are one". They need constant physical reassurance that the other is near them, so lots of cuddling and nuzzling and touching.
Unn cannot imagine living without Flupp, as the same with Flupp. They cannot bear to be separated for longer than absolutely necessary, and even then they will not part.
So I hope I might have cleared a thing or two up, thouuuuuuuuugh I probably didn't. It's hard to explain, but I hope I can portray it well enough in future chapters. I ever do so enjoy feedback, so don't be afraid to leave reviews! Thanks!