All right there's not much to cover here, unlike with the first chapter where I had to confess for false advertising and all that. This chapter is mostly an introduction that loosely follows the first five minutes of the movie that were on a clip on Youtube. Please excuse Galadriel, Valka and Smeagol for their arguments at the bottom of the page. After being trapped in my fics for so long they're bound to get snappy.

Disclaimer: I don't own HTTYD2 or You Tube. Or a Night Fury. Or Galadriel or Smeagol or Gollum. If that's not clear to you by now, go get your brain checked.

The sky was as clear as it would ever be around Berk, and none were enjoying it more than the village's youth and their respective dragons. Astrid had just taken the victory (for the tenth game in a row), which led to many complaints as to why Hiccup wasn't around to beat her. Because Hiccup was never around for the dragon races. Sure, he'd been to a few, won the same few, but in recent weeks no one ever saw him in the city except in the evenings when he returned with Toothless. And even then he just went straight up to his home and slept until pre-dawn light streamed over the ocean.

And then he was gone again for the day.

Even Astrid hadn't seen him recently. She knew he had been working on some sort of project, but she had been afraid to ask what. A lot of Hiccup's "projects" were more dangerous than she liked. Astrid wasn't one to shy away from danger herself, but that didn't mean she couldn't try to keep others out of peril. Especially given she'd almost lost him on a couple of occasions. One due to the Red Death, others stemming form Hiccup's own carelessness.

And if she could see him now, thought Hiccup as he clung to the back of his dragon, soaring high over the open sea, she would hurt him in ways he didn't think were possible for nearly getting himself killed in other ways that he probably couldn't fathom. But despite his occasional lack of precaution, Hiccup had planned this outing meticulously.

The leather tucked around his clothing was flapping in the wind, and he knew that it was almost time to leap. Toothless was becoming quicker in his adjustments, preparing for the dive.

"You ready for this?" he asked the dragon, and laughed when it snapped its teeth in anticipation. Indeed, Toothless was probably more ready than him, seeing as the dragon had full confidence in its ability to fly.

Satisfied with the conditions, Hiccup made a flying leap toward the ocean. It was not a suicide jump, nor was it some outlandish test of godly he had devised for himself (as he was quite aware that he possessed no such godly strength), but simply a… trial flight, he supposed. Solo gliding.

He soared toward the waves below, adrenaline coursing through his veins. He figured there should probably be more fear mixed in, but beside him Toothless was falling, his tongue lolling out and his eyes wide with excitement. If the dragon had such confidence, then why shouldn't he?

Toothless let out a short yelp, that probably translated to, 'I would snap out of it and deploy the makeshift wings if I were you,' and that he did. He threw out his arms, and the leather flaps Hiccup had fashioned to work like dragon wings did their job.

His descent slowed, and he glided forwards next to Toothless. The wind stopped roaring, and the clouds ceased to sting his eyes.

"Wow," he breathed into the cool air. There was nothing else to be said. He knew they would only have a few hours before the nighttime chilled the air, and he would have to be back at the village, but those thoughts were in the back of his mind.

"We should find a place to land," he told the dragon gliding next to him. "A new place." They had explored most of the islands around Berk, as well as the forests and mountains behind their village. And in spite of its harsh weather, harsh environment and general harshness all around - especially in relation to its inhabitants - the bleak little Meridian of Misery they called home had turned out to be a beautiful place.

Soon Hiccup's leather wings had worn their purpose, seeing as they weren't so much leather wings as a gliding suit, and one could only glide for so long between the clouds. Toothless angled his wings to the right, turning slightly and looking beneath the cloud cover. A small island jutted out from the sea to their right, shrouded in the fog of a rainstorm that had broken and passed in recent hours.

"Down there, bud," said Hiccup with a grin beneath his helm, and the dragon swooped below him, scooping up his rider once more as they descended to the land below them.

The island itself turned out to be relatively green for a rocky isle so near Berk. They landed on a ridge overlooking a small archipelago one one side and the ocean on the other. Hiccup folded his legs beneath him and pulled out his old journal, mapping their new location.

"And Dad thinks I don't get anything important done," he muttered under his breath. Toothless attempted a knowing smirk as Hiccup grumbled about being forced into responsibility. "It's only because of us than any sort of mapping and routefinding happens around here."

At this the dragon had to agree. While Hiccup had not been adjusting particularly well to the idea of being chief someday, he had readily accepted the prospect of discovering and exploring the new lands they could reach with their dragons.

Toothless nudged his shoulder, as if to say, 'we should go back now.'

"Not yet," whined Hiccup quietly. "If I get back before my dad goes to bed then I'll get another lecture about the duties of being chief and being present for the dragon races and all that."

He reached into his satchel and pulled out a tin of old fish that he generally kept to appease Toothless. A little persuasion from time to time had never done him harm.

Toothless eyed his rider suspiciously, as if he could sense he was being bribed. But after a moment of hesitation, he tore into the fish and gulped it down, hacking up a piece and offering it to Hiccup, who politely declined, having brought some fruit for himself.

Summer had finally reached them, and the trees were blossoming again. Fruit was hard to find in such parts as Berk, but if one knew where to look they could get it in generous quantities. And through all of his exploring, Hiccup knew exactly where to look.

"It worked," said Hiccup through a mouthful of fruit, his tone bearing hints of 'I told you so,' as he brought up the flight suit. The dragon had been quite skeptical at first, and just eager to prove Hiccup wrong when they tested it out as they both were to see the gliding suit in action.

Toothless narrowed his eyes, letting out a reluctant huff of defeat. He did have faith in Hiccup's dexterity; he had placed his life on it many times in the past, but this particular project had seemed a stretch. Nonetheless, the suit had pulled through after quite a bit of work and a few close calls. But Hiccup was a Viking. What most would call peril, he called an occupational hazard.

"Is that an apology?" asked Hiccup teasingly.

Toothless just flicked his ears.

"You just admitted I was right," the Viking concluded with a cocky grin.

Toothless shoved him with a hind leg.

"All right, all right," and he gave in quickly, not wanting to lose his fruit in a squabble. He gripped it tightly, as if it were precious. But he hadn't brought much food, since he'd planned to be back for the dragon races. In fact, he planned every outing so that he was able to return for the dragon races, but he had a habit of tossing his plans out the window and simply going where he pleased for the day.

Toothless laughed deep in his throat; a sound that came out more like a low gargle that the dragon trainer had become accustomed to over the past five years.

With one final glare at his Night Fury, Hiccup threw the pit of his fruit over the cliff and mounted Toothless.

"Time to go home," he said, although it seemed far more appealing to him to just keep on going. He wanted to see what was out there. Were there others who had learned to train dragons? Five years ago he might have looked over the islands and wondered what was down there that would kill him if it got the chance. Now he watched it longingly, wondering what new plants and beasts he could find down there. Toothless's wide green eyes followed his gaze.

"I know bud," Hiccup reached down and patted his scaly neck. "How about we come back tomorrow? Or we could explore the mountains near Berk. It doesn't seem like a storm will hit like the last time we tried."

Toothless snorted his discontent.

"No, we didn't nearly freeze to death. It was just a little cold and wet. And windy. Just be happy my dad didn't find out about that little escapade."

His father never worried too much anymore. He knew Hiccup could handle himself, having defeated the Red Death only five years before. But there was always that inkling of fear in Stoick's mind that his son's curiosity would be his undoing.

"Okay, we've procrastinated going back for long enough. Let's go home, bud." And without another word, Toothless launched himself into the sky, and rider and dragon set out for Berk in the light of the setting sun.

All right, that was mostly an introduction. I've tried not to use the dialogue from the trailer, because while I want this to follow the plot of HTTYD2, I also want it to be original.

Smeagol: We likeses this chapter, precious!

Me: You always like it.

Galadriel: Personally I find it rather dull.

Me: You always find it dull.

Valka: If anyone cares to ask my opinion, I think for a first chapter you've done pretty well. Far better than your last first chapter. I never really like it when fanfics begin in medias res.When that happens you usually have a disordered plotline on your hands.

Me: You know the nearly all the ancient epics began in medias res, right?

Valka: That's an entirely different entity than fanfiction.

Me: When did you guys become so darn scholarly?

Smeagol: We wants fishes, now, precious!

Galadriel: That's entirely irrelevant to the conversation.

Me: I'm the author. I'll decide what's relevant.

Galadriel: I am the most powerful being here right now.

Valka: I could have my dragons off you.

Me: You know you two are sort of the same person?

Galadriel: I'd prefer if these A/N's didn't break the fourth wall. This is all just low brow entertainment for me. Passing the hours. I have far too much time on my hands, what with being immortal and all that.

Me: SHUT UP ALL OF YOU! *goes to take some asprin*

Smeagol: Reviewses, precious!