Prepare for an OC!
"We did it!" I yell, raising my fist in triumph at the newly created (and now properly functioning) taifin's success in flying. We're up in the sky again, and after a darn good time of learning names and whatnot. I don't know why Toothless decided to tell me that last one, seeing that he thinks it's really personal, but I'm glad that he did. Now he won't have to just call me Hiccup. He can call me clumsy, boy, rider (though I'm not letting him call me that), or even integrity and I would know that he means me. I like Maldrit the most, though. It's just so… me.
It is? Toothless croons, carefully positioning his wings straight ahead so we glide smoothly through the air.
"Why didn't I feel that?" I ask, rubbing my head. Usually, when Toothless looks into my thoughts, I feel the sound of a dragon breathing or snorting as his thoughts combine with mine, but this time I didn't feel anything.
Well, for one thing, you were concentrated in thought, and two, Night Furies are pretty smart, he explains.
"I found that out by myself, that you very much," I mutter, and I get a warble in response.
The propulsion of the air feels amazing when you're gliding slowly though it. I mean, when you fly, you usually have to be fast to allow the wind to carry you upwards, but with the huge wingspan that Toothless has, it's not a wonder why he can keep us afloat with barely any effort (although I wouldn't call myself "little effort") at all. We're going so slowly that it's as if the clouds are the one chasing us in this blue, blue sky, and not the vice verca. I want to know how a dragon flies. It sounds really interesting.
I can give you lessons, he calls from below me. However, you have to start by growing a pair of wings, a pair of tailfins, and an extra pair just in case you fail.
"How do you just keep on entering my thoughts like that?" I ask, my face burning with embarrassment. "I don't really like it-"
I stop abruptly. "I didn't mean that," I say, covering my mouth with my hands.
I think you did, Toothless says softly. Don't worry. I won't-
"No," I say, patting his ears. "Just keep doing what you do."
Is that an insult? he asks, warbling below me innocently. Because I don't feel offended at the moment.
"No, it's not," I say. "You're a dragon, and you have every right to look into my mind."
At your permission, of course, he grumbles. What do you think I see you as?
"A big source of fish?" I ask, rolling my eyes. "A path to survival?"
A Mikata, you idiot, he says.
I fall silent for about 3 seconds.
"And a source of fish-"
Mikata-
"-And dragon nip-"
I am seriously going to scorch you alive.
"C'mon, why are you being so humble?" I say, grinning. "You know very well that you like to make fun of me, and that's not going to change."
What if it does? he asks, narrowing his eyes. I smile.
For someone as strong as Toothless, he is kind of stubborn.
"Bring it on," I say, crossing my arms and smirking.
We fly in silence for 1 second.
We fly in silence for 2 seconds.
We fly in silence for-
Your hair kind of smells, you know that? he says, then instantly stops and whimpers. Oops.
I laugh. "See? Nothing is going to change, Toothless."
He grumbles.
There are just some times that I just wished that I could throw you off my back and let the eels eat you, he mumbles. I don't answer, wondering what he'd do if I didn't.
When I continue to not answer for, say, 3 minutes straight, he whimpers quietly. I take this opportunity to look into his thoughts. It's not that hard, really- you just have to think of that person or being a lot, and eventually you'll get access to their thoughts. Just like right now.
Oh, no. Does Hiccup hate me? he thinks, his tone worried and frightened. Will he leave me when I land? Oh no. Did he take that comment seriously? No. He's smarter than that. No no no no. I might be a little bit smarter than him- no, I can't think like that, right? He's smarter than me. I can't let my cockiness get to me. Oh no. Will Hiccup ever talk to me again? Does he like me anymore? Are we still friends? I really want to hear him talk again-
"Toothless," I say, but he doesn't hear me.
I have to apologize to him. I can't- I can't bear the thought of him never talking to me again! This is my fault! I have to take care of this. Be strong, Toothless… you can do this. Hiccup is everything to you, Toothless. You can't lose him, Toothless-
"Toothless," I say loudly, and he shakes his head gruffly and roars.
I'll get fish for you every day! he blurts out.
The air gets so quiet that you could've heard Toothless breathe.
Oh, wait.
A really tense silence follows, to which I finally break by breaking into a small of laughter.
"You really thought I wasn't going to speak to you anymore?" I say, trying my best to not laugh. Well, loudly, anyway.
Y-you heard all that? he says spluttering and nearly losing control of his flight. I have to hold the rope tight so the artificial tailfin can support the now faltering one.
"Didn't mean to," I say innocently, but my laughing is far more than enough evidence that I have something to blackmail him with now.
He whimpers quietly. I wonder if dragons can blush. I look down, and no, only his eyes are the things that are abnormal. He doesn't even look like he has cheeks to begin with.
I didn't mean it, he says. What I said. I'd never do anything like that to you.
"I know, Toothless. Sorry that I made you worry."
His whimpers change into growls as I say this.
Why didn't you say anything, Aho? he asks.
"Pardon me?" I ask, laughing slowly subsiding.
It means idiot, he explains. I don't really use this word, but-
"Maldrit sounds better," I offer.
He roars loudly. I can see the seagulls flying away from their nest in fright.
You're not going to get mad if I really throw you into the ocean?
"No, seriously, Aho is just-"
He flaps his wings forcefully once, sending me high into the air. The lock jams itself as Toothless glides in the air safely while I, uh, begin my slow descent into the water below.
At first, I can only think of one thing as I fall face-first downward: "Stubborn dragon."
Unfortunately, I can't hold onto that thought for long as I near the sea. The wind pounds against my ears as the air resistance fights against gravity and the speed of my fall, causing me to hear less and less but see more and more of what's below.
"Oh, no. Oh, great," I think to myself. "I'm so dead."
Then, with little distance between me and the water below, I call out for the inevitable.
"Um, Toothless?"
A roar of a Night Fury breaks the sound barrier as the shape of a draconic figure dashes through the air, wings flapping with incredible speed, the tailfin still miraculously locked into place from the aerial boost earlier.
"Toothless."
His black body swoops under me and recieves my falling body gracefully, creating ripples in the water from the closeness of the stunt and the power of the near impact.
And, with all that happened, he looks at me haughtily. I glare at him, but I'm far too worked up to actually find a retort. For this moment, I'm just glad that Toothless cares for me.
"Remind me to never challenge you to anything again," I say, heart beating loudly from the heart-stopping stunt that Toothless has once again pulled off.
You're not mad at me, right? he asks, his ears falling back somewhat anxiously.
I roll my eyes. "And I guess that I'm supposed to be mad at you or something?"
He croons. Well, you were pretty scared-
"Tell me, did you wait until the last second until I called your name to come down?"
No, he says.
"Then I'm not mad," I say, panting heavily. "Although I'm pretty shaken."
He snorts. Aho boy, thinks that he can die while being immortal.
"I'm only immortal because you were there to save me," I snap.
He croons happily, but in the silence, I know that he's feeling guilty.
So am I, Hiccup, he says. So am I.
H
"Speaking of which, where are we?" I ask, looking for any signs of possible familiarity. As you can guess, of course, there isn't.
I'm not sure, either, Toothless croons, closing his eyes and letting his inner flame feel the way.
We fly in silence for another good minute before Toothless opens his eyes again.
The tailfin's locked in place, so I can't actually change course, and since the wind is blowing towards the Polaris, that's where we're headed, he says.
"Sounds like a good place to start," I say. "Maybe Night Furies make their nest where it snows all year long."
Maybe, Toothless says. It could be on the other side of the world, for all we know.
"Have you seen the world before, then?" I ask, eyeing him curiously.
Not that I got far before the Queen found me, he says disdainfully.
"Oh," I say. "Sorry."
But maybe I have been somewhere no one ever hasn't, he says thoughtfully. Imagine that.
"You would call it Toothless Island," I say, chuckling.
He glares at me.
"Fine," I say. "Just stop being so caring of me already."
Unfortunately, as long as you care for me, and even if you don't, I will care for you, he says.
"That basically means all the time," I say. He nods.
Duh. I'm supposed to care about you, he says, sailing over a patch of land. The sun is getting lower and lower, the end of the day shown so strongly in its dying rays.
"Then don't show it in every single comment you make, then!" I say, rolling my eyes. "I know that you care about me. I love you too, but am I supposed to hug you all the time?"
Yes, I say, laughing. And scratch my back, too.
I roll my eyes. There really is no arguing with this dragon-
"Toothless, stop looking into my thoughts."
A groan comes from him below.
Dammit, he mutters. Can't I just look into your thoughts for, like, 5 seconds?
"No. And you should land too. That tailfin must be getting to you."
Perfectly said, he says, crooning.
T
As we land onto the mainland of the island, I can hear the sound of rustling leaves in the wind. And those aren't my wings flapping.
Someone else is here, I tell Hiccup quietly, even though my voice isn't even verbal.
"Really?" he whispers back. "What do you say?"
Can you communicate by thoughts? I say, narrowing my eyes and darting around for any other signs of life. The wind dies down and the leaves fall silent again, and all is silent.
"I'll try," he thinks. "Like this?"
Hiccup's thoughts feel more dreamy and bursting with thoughts, rather than the sarcastic and dry humanish voice that inhabits the vocal chords of his. I can feel his happiness inside, his own inner flame that he got from me (and to which he doesn't know exist), his care and passion, his inner feelings toward Astrid, his mate, and me.
I don't understand why Hiccup would use this sarcastic behavior as a mask to hide his real identity. He's a really caring boy, and will go to any lengths to save someone from the smallest of pains, and yet he never acts like he cares, even though deep down, he cares for every minute of his single life, and it burns his soul to a crisp when he knows that he cannot help someone in need.
I wish he'd show out this good side of him more often. I certainly have no problem in expressing my feelings. If I'm protective of him, then I will be freaking protective of him, not waiting in the wings and dashing out only when there is danger.
Although I wonder if he's fine with that. I never really asked, unfortunately.
"Do you mind if you stop looking into my thoughts already?" he asks sarcastically. Inside, however, I can feel his kindness-
"No. Seriously, Toothless."
Fine, I whine. But this place isn't safe.
He gets off my back and inspects the tailfin.
"This thing isn't going to close anytime soon," he says firmly. "I need to hammer this damn thing out again, and until then, we can't go anywhere."
I can feel my inner flame boiling in panic. You mean we're stuck? Here? I ask, scanning the perimeter cautiously.
"Yes."
No campfire today. Too risky , I warble. Then I remember that I'm supposed to be quiet.
"Don't worry," he thinks. "I'll manage."
He begins climbing a tree and looking for a suitable spot to sleep.
That is, of course, until I snatch him back with my Toothless mouth.
"Hey! Put me down!" he thinks. I admire how he still has the sense to mentally send his thoughts instead of yelling out loud.
You are not going anywhere out of my sight, I growl.
"You can still see me from there, right?" he asks, but I can hear the mental sigh of resignation in his head. "There really is no arguing with him."
My ears fall back for a moment, but I realize that his needs are, once again, more important than his wants.
You can sleep next to the tree, I point out, gesturing towards its sturdy trunk.
"Yeah, I think I'll do that," he says, pulling out a blanket and walking over to the tree.
A lie in wait not far away, eyes alert for any signs of trespassers. If this place is a mountain, then we must be at its foot, where the water below and the rocks above can easily get to us. We're in the most delicate place of places, with only the trees above that Hiccup cannot climb (thanks to his artificial leg) as shelter, and that isn't even halfway decent shelter.
Finally, Hiccup comes back over to me, shivering.
"Alright, Noxon," he thinks quietly, "I believe that you are warm and I'm not."
I warble softly, watching as he rests on my side, blanket covering the majority of his body. His head lies perfectly on my warm scales, giving him the feeling of lukewarm and care together.
Noxon? I ask. As if Nox wasn't bad enough?
"I was under the impression that son meant someone of higher status."
I stare at him in awe. Where did he learn these linguistic facts from?
"Well, you are a lot bigger and smarter!" he thinks loudly.
Allow me to scorch you alive the next time you say that, I growl. I'm not smarter than you.
"Of course," he says, rolling his eyes. "You're a Night Fury. You're a frooking genuis."
I'm actually about to throw some fire onto him (his immortality has also granted him the immunity to Night Fury fire, so I'm in no real danger of actually hurting him), when I hear the rustling again, this time close enough for my eyes to slit aggressively.
It's right behind me.
I wheel my head around, sneering loudly at the source of the footsteps.
"Huh? Toothless?" Hiccup asks, getting up and walking up to my side, not bothering to use his thoughts anymore- there is no point in hiding again when you are in full view of your target.
I get up and slowly walk towards the noise, growling loudly. "Who's there?" Hiccup asks.
"I'm sorry!" a male voice yells in fright. "I didn't mean to-"
"You've been here for a while," he says. "What do you want?"
"I..." the voice recoils in pain. "Ow..."
Huh? I ask, lowering my wings but not my guard. I can see the man in the dim light of the moon now. His body is scarred in places, his clothes ripped, and a gash in his leg means that he's been limping for a while. My eyes instantly widen. I may not trust this being yet, but Hiccup does, and I trust Hiccup.
Hiccup walks slowly towards the man- no, boy, who is too hurt to move. He's about to fall to the ground when Hiccup rushes up to him and holds him up. He slings the boy by the shoulder, grunting slightly under the weight. He can't be older than Hiccup, and he certainly doesn't look any taller, either.
"You alright?" Hiccup asks the other boy. He nods, but I can see right away that that's a lie.
His leg is in only a little bit better shape than yours, I tell Hiccup. You better get that fixed before he loses it completely.
"Oh, great..." he says, hauling the boy over to rest by my side. He may have made an indication to flee from me, but with Hiccup's gentleness and his own pain mixing together like honey in water, slowly sweetening the mixture but not yet blending in means that he can't really do anything about it.
"Me," Hiccup corrects. "Stop using it as a pronoun for yourself."
Yes, Mikata, I say. He smiles.
The other boy looks at Hiccup confusedly. "Are you talking to the dragon?" he asks.
"I'd usually ask you to guess, but at this rate, I think I'll tell you right away," he says, smiling. The boy slowly turns to face me, and I give him the Toothless smile, hoping that I look at least halfway friendly.
"This is Toothless," Hiccup says, patting my side. "How about you?"
"I'm… Sena," he says. My ears perk up at the word.
Sena? As in, different land? I ask, then remembering that I can't exactly speak the human tongue.
The way he pronounces it is actually translatable into ancient Dragonese, meaning that he lines in a place where dragons also have once thrived. This boy may hold the answer to the Isle of Night's whereabouts.
"Did… he ask me something?" he asks nervously, looking at me. Somehow, I feel more calmness than fear in him now than fear.
Hiccup repeats the question as he tends to his wounds, trying not to show his curiosity.
"I come from the lands of the North," he says, wincing every now and then whenever Hiccup dried some blood off him and his clothes. "I was separated from my family a few days ago when I was out looking for land."
Guess you did find land, I think, but Hiccup shoots me a disapproving look.
"H-how do you- ow- talk to h-him?" he asks Hiccup. The Berkian boy chuckles and points to his heart.
"We have our own personal language," he says proudly. I croon in confirmation.
"...Neat," Sena says. "And I can't ask you if it's safe to be next to a dragon, right?"
"You may, but you already know the answer," Hiccup says. I warble.
"That's so cool," he says, looking at me and Hiccup. "How did you… train…?"
Hiccup glares at me… for not showing any reaction towards this animalistic statement.
"I didn't train him," Hiccup says as he looks for a new cloth to dry Sena's wounds. "I accidentally shot him down, and… he didn't kill me for that. So we kinda bonded after that." I warble happily.
"So he's your p-" I glare at Sena this time. "Friend, then."
Hiccup smiles in relief. "Yes. And don't call him anything but that," he says. "We're not a pair to be looked down upon."
Except by each other, I snort.
Hiccup suppresses an urge to throw the cloth at me.
"How did you get all these wounds, Sena?" Hiccup asks, pointing to the huge gash in the leg. It's stopped bleeding now, but it looks like it's getting worse from the inside. It's turning green, and will probably spread up to the rest of his leg pretty soon. If this guy has any chance of surviving, it's going to be by a powerful medicine of sorts.
Not even Night Fury saliva can heal this thing. I certainly couldn't heal Hiccup's.
"I was attacked by something," he says. "It came out from nowhere, turned me into this," he gestures to his shabbed up body, "And went off almost instantly. It also burned my calf."
"Must be a Terrible Terror," Hiccup says, handing him a set of spare clothes to change into.
Must be an Ennui, I say, before realizing that Hiccup just said the same thing.
"You name the dragons too?" Sena asks. "How do you even get close to them?"
Hiccup smiles at this one. "How would you get close to another human, then?"
"Earn their trust?" Sena asks.
"Exactly," Hiccup says.
H
In a matter of no time, Sena is my new friend. He's talkative and likes to joke a lot, but he can be serious too.
His jet black hair, green tunic, and black boots seriously reminds me of myself. However, he looks like he's stronger than me, but then again, who isn't?
I decide to know more about this Northern boy. He doesn't look harmful, and we are helping him. It's human nature to repay what has been given to us.
"Toothless, do you mind if…" I ask him nervously. I'm afraid that he might feel annoyed that I'm not talking to him, but he only shakes his head and nudges me towards Sena's body, who is now laid down by Toothless's scaly side, the warmth coming to us both. Toothless then goes to sleep, thinking something about Stormfly. I roll my eyes.
"Seriously? You're going to dream of her?" I ask him. Sena looks at me confusedly.
Can I not pursue my desires as a young Pax Sinistre, then? he shoots back.
I roll my eyes as he goes to sleep peacefully, knowing very well that any troubles that may arise will be triggered when I tell him mentally.
"He has a girlfriend?" Sena asks as Toothless snores softly. Usually, he'd sleep on my lap, but I sort of need his heat, especially after I gave up my blanket up to Sena and all.
"He has a crush," I correct. "And he fantasizes about her all the time."
"I wish I had a girlfriend," he mutters, wincing at the pain of his leg.
Trying to veer away from the subject, I point to his leg. "That thing's not going to heal," I say. "I don't want you to end up like me."
He nods, having seen the prosthetic (and talked about it) from earlier. "I'll need to find a place to… well, you know what," Sena says quietly.
I glare at him. "No way," I say. "You're not going to die. I absolutely forbid it."
"And what can you do about it?" he asks sadly. "No offense, but be it cutting off my leg or leaving me here, I'll die either way."
"No," I say. "You're going to see your family and friends again. We'll find a way."
He grins sadly, tears threatening to fall from his eyes.
"I appreciate the offer," he says, wiping his eyes with one of his hands- the other is too ragged to do anything at the moment. "But I don't really want to get you into trouble."
I stare at him. What kind of person throws life away as if it was a piece of cloth? And who the hel thinks that life isn't worth getting into trouble for?
"Do we really need a reason to help you?" I ask, opening my bag and handing him some bread.
"Huh?" he asks, looking at the bread, not understanding my offer.
"Eat," I say. "You're coming with us."
He looks at me like I'm crazy.
"But, Hiccup… I'm in this state… how am I supposed to help you at all?"
"Start by eating this bread. Seriously, I'm not hungry," I say, though my stomach is protesting.
He gingerly accepts the small loaf of bread.
"Thanks," he says. "But aren't you going to be hungry in the morning?"
"We all will," I say, smiling. "But right now, you need to eat."
After a short silence, Sena looks at his arms. They're in good shape enough to move around now, enough for him to put his hands behind his head for more comfort.
"I don't get it," he says.
"Don't get what?" I ask.
"Why you're being so kind to me," he says, staring into the sky above.
I frown. "Kind?"
He gives me a blank look.
"The blanket," he says, nodding towards the soft cloth, "The warmth," he nods towards Toothless, "The food," he nods at the bag, "and the trust. Why do you trust me so easily? What if I was a bandit, ready to attack you at a moment's glance?"
"You may be a bandit for all I care," I say, "But you're still hurt. And you're my friend."
A quiet silence follows as Sena looks at his wounds again.
"I guess I am going with you, then," he says. I can tell that he feels guilty, but on the other hand, he also feels hopeful, like he might be able to see his parents again.
"Welcome aboard, then," I say, smiling.
S
I can't believe it.
Two days ago, I was lost from my parents when the trading ships ran astray. I got off and looked for any source of land, but as soon as I got off, a huge gust of wind carried the ships away. I found a shore after several hours of swimming and even more of just floating aimlessly, and I fell asleep there on the coast.
One day ago, I was looking for food and desperately finding a way to survive in these treacherous lands. I was attacked by a hungry Terrible Terror, and I barely made it out alive.
And exactly three hours ago, I was found by a boy just older than me along with a huge dragon. And not just any ordinary dragon.
A toothless dragon.
I mean, well, he does have fangs and everything, but he's harmless- towards the boy named Hiccup, anyway. And me.
And… he's just so kind, you know. I mean, yeah, I'm younger than him at all, but he treats me like we're equal. He's giving me all this stuff, and how I'm going to repay all this back would be wondrous. I don't have money, I don't have any real possessions, since my family is horribly poor, but…
"Say, Sena, have you ever heard of the Isle of Night?"
The Niison, as my village calls males of older status, asks me another question. I've been asking back in equal measure, wanting to know more of his life, and it turns out that we're different in some ways and the same in some as well.
I guess that the best way that I can repay him at the moment is information.
"The Isle of Night? Yes," I say. "Isn't that a paradise where Night Furies live?"
"Yeah, it is," he says, looking up into the stars above. He looks a lot like a dreamer, you know. One who could stare at the sky for days and think so much about life. I possibly couldn't do that; I have a terrible attention span when it comes to my own mind. I'm hyperactive, and I like to run around.
"I think that it lies on a large landmass," I say, trying to recall the legends of my village, Nord. "Its top is covered permanently with snow, so it should be somewhere with snow."
"That's a lot of places," Hiccup says, shrugging and making a note into his notebook. I've never really liked writing, but the way he writes, how he gives his all when it comes to inscribing those little symbols onto parchment, is quite intriguing. I can read and write a little bit, but I swear that I'm going to learn more from now on.
"That sounds interesting," Hiccup says, closing his notebook shut. The night sky is so bright…
"Can you teach me how to read?" I suddenly blurt out.
Hiccup, Niison, looks at me curiously. There is no contempt or condescension in his voice nor face at all. "You can't read?"
"Well, not a lot," I say embarrassedly. "I only know the basics."
"Gee, my mother taught me how to write when I was young," he says, looking at a star in the sky. I see it as Sirius, the brightest star in the sky.
"I see," I say. "Can you teach me, then?"
He nods. "First thing in the morning. Then, when Toothless wakes up, I'll fix his tailfin and we'll fly up north to find your family- and a cure to your leg."
He smiles at me and leans backwards. "G'night."
I nod. Hiccup lies his head back down on the dragon, Toothless's back, and closes his eyes. I watch him as he does so, his arms by his side, bare from the blanket that I now had instead.
"Hiccup?" I ask, watching him slowly doze off into the night.
"Yes?" he asks, his voice slurry and sleepy.
"Good night," I say, and after he's asleep, "Thank you."
A/N: I lied! I had several periods off today, so I got the time to write all this down. But I won't update tomorrow, though, sadly.
Glossary:
Aho - Crazy, Japanese.
Polaris- the North Star.
Sirius- the brightest star in the sky.
Noxon- Nox + son. "Mr. Nox" or "Respected Nox". See last chapter's glossary for more details.
Sena- 世那, if your computer supports it. 世 (Se) in Japanese means "world", "land", and 那 (Na) in Chinese means "that". I combined them and derived their meanings a bit to get "Different land." (Alright, I admit. This is a tribute to one of my childhood classmates all the way from Grade 3.)
Niison- Nii (brother, Japanese) + son (san). Similar to Noxon, Niison means "Mr. brother" or "Respected brother."
Nord- North, French.
If I missed any (or, if screwed up anything), be sure to let me know!