((Quite the side note: the cover photo for this story was my inspiration, and the looks of both characters. Yay.))
Could it have been a dream? Beard of Thor, it had to have been a dream. But the birds and trees were still loud and drowning out his own thoughts. He was in the dirt again, but his skin couldn't feel it as much as it ought to. It was like he was encased in thick leather.
From then on, his thoughts were basically a stream of No no no no no no, accompanied by panicked twisting and writhing of his tiny scaly body. He was a dragon. Tiny, green, fire-breathing and cold blooded; the whole shebang. He tried formulating a plan to get out of such an insane predicament, but again the words in his mind just would not form as they always used to. He felt reduced as a being, boiled down to his panic and a heart that beat much too loudly. It was instinct for Hiccup to figure out what to do, but it was instinct for dragon to simply act without thinking. And there, he looped in his struggle, surely to tire himself out if he were never interrupted.
Toothless was astounded. It wasn't one of awe or curiosity, nothing so aloof. No, the little dragon he was watching writhe on the floor in utter frustration gave him a chill of pity. He felt so sorrowful for his Hik-cup, that Sprite of Flight that always smiled during trouble no matter his odds. To see that very soul in such despair brought Toothless to the same emotion.
So he came closer and hummed the words he had been practicing. "Hik-cup. I get us out." He cleared his throat, again alarmed by the strangeness of it. It was deeper than Hik-cup's ever was, but raspy in an unused way. He supposed it was a product of his usual throaty growls. "I get us back, Hik-cup." Toothless could see the tiny thing squirm into facing him, giant green eyes staring into his with such surprise. It was strange, Toothless agreed, that this had happened to them. He also knew how frantic his human got when things suddenly went wrong; sometimes the human would panic for a short time, but he always composed himself and pulled through in the end. Toothless knew this time would show the same strong Hik-cup that he knew.
Toothless closed his eyes and tried to make a gurgle deep in his throat as he always used to do, though it only came out as a deep hum. He then leaned forward and down, pressing his forehead against the small dragon's. He stayed in this position for as long as it took for the tiny head to return the sentiment and press against his own soft and non-scaley forehead. The sensation was strange, yet he suddenly realized that this was exactly how it usually was for Hik-cup. That was right! Toothless was now a human, and Hik-cup a dragon. When had it happened, and more urgently how? He wished he was used to this brain so he could figure the answer as Hik-cup always did.
Opening his eyes again, Toothless felt the corners of his mouth turn up as he saw the familiar eyes of Hik-cup staring back at him. The smile was something his did subconsciously, and he didn't take note of it. All he could think was what to do next. What ought he do, now that they were confused yet together?
Together. If that nasty woman had meant to immobilize them completely and render them helpless, she had missed the only thing that might have done so. Separating them would have been devastating for sure, and her lack of doing so would prove to be a stupid mistake. Toothless would see to it.
After they were safe, that is; the thought quickly dawned on Toothless as he noticed the sky dimming to a lavender hue. To be in the forest, each practically helpless and at night to boot, was absolutely not what Toothless wanted to happen. They had to get back to the village.
Toothless cleared his throat and reached down to his Hik-cup, setting his hands on either side of the small frame. "Town... where the town, Hik-cup?" He glared in slight frustration as he grappled for the right words with his new tongue and mind. "Where... what way the town?" Another shudder of frustration. What if he wasn't giving enough emotion to his words? Could Hik-cup's new brain even recognize the human words he was using? Surely Toothless would take his revenge on that horrible woman once they got out of this.
Just as he was losing his patience, Toothless saw Hik-cup strain to look around in the small clearing they were in. He wriggled out of Toothless' grasp, possibly because of his skittishness, and started uphill slowly.
"Way?" Toothless smiled again unknowingly as he stood and caught up to the small dragon. "I carry, Hik-cup. Don' worry." He quickly brought the green thing to his chest, cradling him protectively as he began to struggle toward the incline. As soon as it got steep, Toothless found himself staring at his feet in frustration. This was much harder than it looked. Finally, and only after tripping for the third time and nearly dropping Hik-cup, Toothless got to his knees and twisted around to set the tiny dragon his back. "Ready f'r a ride?" He mimicked what his human used to ask him in the mornings with the same happy tone as Hik-cup would use on him.
He felt the sharp prickle of claws dig through his new clothing, and the weight on his back shifted toward the center as Hik-cup returned to his normal place between Toothless' shoulder blades. Again, an incredibly warm feeling surged up into Toothless' chest and his lips quirked upward. He wondered if Hik-cup felt such vivid joy like this all the time.
Toothless touched his palms to the ground and started his way up the hill. It was a decent way to travel for the majority of the hill, but as soon as they reached the top and the ground leveled out, Toothless quickly realized more differences in his transformation. Crouching in such a way was incredibly uncomfortable on his back, as his legs were now too long to compare to his arms. The tilt of his body caused Hik-cup to slide forward and rest on the back of his head and neck. Once he felt this, knowing that without a saddle or even hands Hik-cup would soon fall, Toothless crouched again and reached around to hold onto Hik-cup's thin front limbs. "Up. Sit."
He guided the dragon to his left shoulder, encouraging him to sit. Immediately, Hik-cup stared down at the small perch and instinctively gripped with his claws. Toothless winced, again irritated with the vulnerability of his thin skin. Soon he would be bleeding.
But that didn't matter. All that mattered was that he get the two to the village before the sky went completely dark, and that time was approaching quickly. Toothless reached to one side, finding purchase on a nearby tree with his new fingers to stabilize his new legs. He lowered his head and watched with his new (and noticeably inferior) eyes as he maneuvered his new feet through the darkening underbrush. Toothless would bring them home, surely. They would get help somehow. And then, once they were cured of whatever horrible disease they had contracted, he would have his revenge on that wicked woman.