As proof that I do learn from experience, I made an outline of everything that will happen in this story, so don't worry guys, everything is planned out, I know where this is going! Enjoy the read! I hope you like!
It was not until midday that Hiccup left the house with Caillte, the boy needed quite a bit of time to get to the stairs but with his staff he was fairly quick at getting around, using it like a crutch. It became quickly evident that Caillte was very aware of dragons and their many sizes, shapes, and colors, but he could not fathom how all the dragons here on Berk were tame. It boggled his mind to see them around humans, helping, playing, and chasing small children.
"So what did the dragon look like?" Hiccup asked, curious as ever while he led Caillte from his house to Gobber's forge.
Caillte did a turn with his eyes staring up at all the dragons in amazement, "the one that chased me?" he made sure, Hiccup nodded, he shrugged, "it was dark, I couldn't really see, but it was really fast, and seemed smaller than a lot of dragons here, probably about his size," he pointed at Toothless.
Hiccup tensed, "Could it have been the mystery dragon from last night?" he said to himself.
Caillte eyed him terribly confused, "Mystery dragon?"
Hiccup smiled waving it off, "Don't worry, you're safe from it here in Berk!" he assured just to make the boy feel better.
Caillte changed the subject, "So where are we going?"
Just very cheerfully, Hiccup pointed head to the forge which looked over the sea, "To Gobber's forge, I use it to make tailfins for Toothless, and I was going to ask Gobber to make you a leg, since he made this one for me!" he pointed down at his wooden and metal prosthetic leg.
Caillte tensed uncomfortably and stopped in his tracks, silently he stared down at his foot, "I don't need a new leg…" he whispered shocking Hiccup terribly, "I can get around just fine without it," he insisted.
Seeing his unease, Hiccup quickly reverted, "Well, how about a real crutch, something you can put under your arm?" he suggested.
Caillte shook his head, "No, I don't need it" he insisted a bit harshly. Realizing how his emotions were showing through, Caillte stifled his tone, "Sorry…" he whispered and continued walking.
"No I'm sorry," Hiccup urged, "I was being too presumptuous," he assured with a big word, he was probably the only one on Berk who knew that word. Hiccup could sense a lot of pride in Caillte like he wanted to feel independent, but he didn't appear that way. Caillte was skinny but he was taller than Hiccup by a little, he was probably a lot stronger than Hiccup physically.
They walked into Gobber's forge anyway and Hiccup explained lightly, "Gobber's missing an arm and a leg, I'm sure he'll like you just fine."
Caillte looked around the forge with a worried look in his eyes, "I already told you I don't need a leg… so why can't I just get a few days' supply of food and leave?"
Hiccup remained silent, puzzling a little, "How would you leave if your family might have left without you?" he wondered, mostly to himself then he dismissed the idea, "we'll get you that supplies," he assured, "and as soon as we can, you and me can fly out on Toothless," he offered.
Caillte looked down at his foot again disheartened and very clearly he didn't want Hiccup to take him anywhere especially to meet his family. Hiccup figured there was far more to this stranger than his fine tale of escape and refuge, and Hiccup highly doubted a family would leave behind their crippled child.
Hiccup offered Caillte to sit down at the work bench, "So how did you lose it?" he asked cautiously.
Caillte eyed him a little angry that Hiccup would ask such a thing but then it occurred to him, Hiccup had been through the same thing. Caillte flinched with the foul memories, Hiccup could see the fire in Caillte's from whatever tragedy it had been, Caillte's heart rate quickened. His eyes fell to the dirt floor, saddened to remember it, "There was a fire, it was crushed…" he whispered very softly.
Hiccup sighed and gently laid a hand on Caillte's shoulder, "It was a fire for me too," he tried to comfort him, "And being this size in an island of Vikings as big as islands themselves, it made me feel really weak, but I had Toothless…" he said with a smile.
Caillte gave a weak nostalgic chuckle, "and I had my River…" he whispered with a smile.
Hiccup met eyes with him confused, "River, you lived by a river?"
Caillte shook his head, "River is… a friend of mine," he stated with a bit of hesitation.
Understanding, Hiccup gave a little nod, "Oh," he muttered but that was all he could say before Gobber's heavy footsteps of thud, whump, thud, whump, trailed into the building, complaining ever so loudly about a dragon with a toothache. "Gobber…" Hiccup called to get his attention.
Gobber stopped his ramblings and turned his attention to the boy, "oh… look-y here, about time you came to muck out the cooling buckets!" he joked, Hiccup rolled his eyes then Gobber noticed Caillte and his voice turned to a stern skeptical tone, "And who's this new face?"
Hiccup gestured to him lightly, "Gobber, this is Caillte, he was lost in the woods," he introduced the boy, "We need some supplies to fly north and catch up with Caillte's family."
Gobber chuckled walking about through the forge to stoke up the forge, "I canae see why you need me for that. How far north are you goin'?"
Hiccup shrugged, "Just far enough to find his family."
Caillte shuddered, "No…" he whispered, "let's not, I'm sure they'll come back for me!" he assured quite nervously.
Eyeing him confused, Hiccup tried to convince him otherwise, but figured he was probably right, "Are you sure? Do you want to search the island for them or anything?"
Caillte shook his head quickly, then reverted, growing quiet for a moment, "But a flight…" he whispered glancing to Toothless and imaging the sky, "Would be nice," he admitted tenderly.
At this, Hiccup could only smile, "you here that bud?" he patted Toothless' head, "you wanna go for a flight?" to this Toothless warbled a delighted growl and licked Hiccup's face so that his hair stood up on one side.
Caillte gave a very small laugh as Hiccup climbed on Toothless and extended a hand to him again. Last time, Caillte had been unsure about who was offering him help, now he was intrigued by wondering just what it was like to ride a dragon. He climbed onto Toothless' back readily this time and braced himself just like Hiccup for the sheer speed with which they ascended.
Hiccup noticed immediately how Caillte moved with Toothless just as Hiccup did himself, Caillte was very accustomed to adjusting his weight on a moving object, something like a boat or a horse. But now, Caillte showed great aptitude for being a dragon rider himself and Hiccup began to wonder. Might Caillte want a dragon of his own?
Berk was a wonderful place from the sky and with Vikings on the backs of dragons following them through the clouds playfully, Caillte's true nature unfolded to Hiccup. Caillte was a bit of a hiccup himself, with eyes that were full of wonder and curiosity even though he was small and weak. Hiccup looked back to see Caillte's smile, it was a genuine thing, with overlapping front teeth, and sharp canines, but full of joy.
Caillte threw his head back feeling the wind in his face, and the coolness of the clouds as they touched them. He laughed when Astrid flew alongside them, and reached out to her. He felt free, just as Hiccup did. Caillte was slow, tripped a lot, and probably relied on his family a lot, and he was fighting to be independent so flying was the best feeling he had ever experienced. He was untouched by gravity, held up on the wings of a dragon, and he never wanted to come down.
Hiccup brought him to the training academy with the others trailing behind soon after and he was introduced to them as well, now in a better mood than when he had met Stoick and Gobber. He quickly adopted established opinions of Snotlout, the twins, and Fishlegs from their immediate impressions on him.
In considerately Snotlout pointed out, "Leave something at home today?" pointing at the boy's foot that wasn't there.
"Snotlout…" Hiccup groaned his cousin's lack of tactful speech.
Caillte's face flushed and he didn't respond to the snot nose comment, he took a moment and stepped over to Snotlout, acting feeble, "Could you give me a hand?" he asked, reaching out for support and bending down to adjust the knot on the end of his pants.
For some reason, Snotlout pitied the boy and took his hand but Caillte yanked his hand flipping Snotlout over him and onto the stone floor, whilst knocking him in the head with his staff. He said nothing, and walked away with a smug smile, pleased with himself while Snotlout lay on the ground dazed.
Even Astrid stood shocked at this and Hiccup winced, imagining that blow must've hurt, "Wow, I didn't think you were so strong!"
Caillte didn't take offense at this, and just smiled, "I kind of have to be, what with six mouths to feed and all!" he joked.
Hiccup laughed as well, admiring Caillte. While Hiccup couldn't seem to do anything right before, even with his disability, Caillte was strong, very independent, and responsible. Hiccup stopped himself, why did he keep comparing himself to this stranger. It occurred to him, maybe by doing so he was burying his real fear. That dragon was still out there and it could be badly injured, on the verge of death, or even surrounded by wild boars. He was stalling, he wanted to help a new friend, something tangible, but the mystery plagued him for the rest of the day and he avoided it.
By evening Hiccup had to face it, Caillte was of no consequence, he assure them his family would come back for him and in a few days he would be out of there. In the Meade Hall for a meal Astrid came to him to address this with, "Do you want to go out on another search for that dragon before sundown."
Hiccup hunched over his plate trying to avoid the question with a soft, "I think I'll stay here and help Caillte get settled for the night, you can go if you take someone with you…"
Astrid sat down next to him and slapped his back, "that's why I'm asking you," she insisted but he just glanced to Caillte who was happily talking with Fishlegs. Astrid sighed, "Hiccup, I know you just want to make sure he's safe, but with a rogue dragon out there the whole village isn't safe and everyone in it is at risk!" she urged him, pulling on his sleeve to come with her.
Hiccup sighed, "Not now, Astrid," he grumbled trying to come up with an excuse, "I'll come on a search with you tomorrow morning," he assured and left it at that. She gave up after a while and left him alone for the time being. The sun set anyway, and Hiccup asked his father to set up a cot for Caillte to sleep him, to which he obliged. The evening went smoothly, and Hiccup didn't think Astrid took it too hard.
However, some hours into the night Hiccup was awaken abruptly by the dull roar of a dragon some ways away from his house and Toothless perked up when he heard the familiar scream of, "Dragon Attack!" outside from a Viking. Hiccup threw off his covers and ran down the stairs to make sure Caillte was alright before he went out to help but to his shock, the boy was gone.
It might have been just the dull firelight and Hiccup searched the house, wondering if he might find the boy huddled on the floor in fear of the sounds outside. Hiccup guessed this because years ago, that had been him who hid in the corner, holding his ears to hide from the sounds. But he found no sight of the boy.
Hurriedly, Hiccup mounted Toothless and they sprang out of the front door, bursting into the air. Hiccup fretted, "I hope he's okay!" as he and Toothless flew upward into a plume of smoke rising from a burning home. It was happening all over again but he gathered a little hope, if the dragon was attacking them, it was not grounded after all, but still, it might have hurt someone in that fire and it was Hiccup's fault for not searching for it when it was shot down.
The whoosh of a huge wing passed in front of Hiccup and Toothless and they stopped in midair to see the dark wings of the drawing zipping past them, "that way, Toothless!" Hiccup shriek and they raced after it.
The dragon took passes over the village, they couldn't quite see it with all the smoke but they could hear it as it dove and breathed fire over the buildings almost like it was searching for something. Hiccup saw chaos beneath them and landed in the group of teens as they rushed to put out the fires.
"Astrid!" Hiccup called to his girlfriend.
Astrid tensed seeing him land from Stormfly's back, "Hiccup!" and she too landed.
Hiccup looked around at the madness and panicked, "I'm so sorry, you were right!" he admitted, "I can't find Caillte, and I think this mystery dragon is looking for something in the village!"
"About that…" Fishlegs' voice came nervously, "I noticed something strange following the dragon, they were little dragons in fact, the chief noticed them too last night. I think this dragon might be an angry mother!" he shrieked terrified at his own proposal.
Hiccup's eyes widened hearing the idea, "what makes you think that?" he wondered.
Fishlegs bit his lip, "well… look!" he shrieked, pointing to the twins.
Hiccup looked and tensed seeing Tuffnut fondling over a little dragon in his arms on the front porch of the Thortson's house, and Ruffnut gently stroking it's scales. Hiccup ran over to them, "Uh… where did you get that dragon?" he wondered but noticed instantly it was dark blue and had a trident tail, he gasped, "it's the same species as the mystery dragon, Tuffnut we need to get that baby dragon back to its mother!" he realized.
Tuffnut stared at him stupidly, "What? No! We've had this dragon for like three days now, trust me its mother hasn't come looking for it!"
Hiccup growled raising a fist, "Tuffnut! That's its mother!" he shouted pointing at the raining fire. He gave up and rushed at Tuffnut, "Give me that dragon!" he demanded, snatching it out of Tuffnut's arms.
The dragon growled, angry to leave it's caretakers as Hiccup shoved it up to the sky shouting, "Here! Here's your baby, just take it home with you and leave us alone!" he pleaded.
Astrid ran over to the twins and smacked Tuffnut upside the face, "You idiot, you found that dragon three days ago and it's mother came looking for it only a day later! This is Torch all over again!" she shrieked, confusing Tuffnut a good deal.
The little blue dragon squirmed until it got free enough from Hiccup's hands to bit him in the arm, and as Hiccup cried out in mild pain it ran right back to Tuffnut. The blonde merely smiled and picked up the dragon again crying happily, "You're back! I knew you couldn't stay away little BlueEyes!"
"You named it!" Astrid shrieked, overreacting terrible, "We need to get rid of it not get attached to it before its mother destroys the village!"
Hiccup frowned and jumped back onto Toothless, "Alright new plan!" he instated, "You guys hide that dragon, I'll go chase off the mother!" he explained quickly.
Astrid tensed, "Hiccup, you can't!"
Hiccup spread his hands, "it worked before, Toothless and I chased it off and it didn't come back until now, that'll give us a day to find it and return its baby!" with this he took to the air and searched for the devil in the sky. However as soon as he got high enough to see the whole village, the dragon was nowhere in sight!
In case you haven't noticed the mystery dragon is not a Stormcutter *hint hint*
BlueEyes is a dragon OC of mine I sorta threw in there, his name was originally Súile-Ciel but that was too intelligent for Tuffnut to come up with. Disclaimer to any amputees out there. I'm am sorry for that horrible comment Snotlout makes in this chapter, I just wanted to make Caillte mad enough to get violent.