Thanks for reading! ^^

...You're sure you don't want any? I asked Hiccup with a keen look down at the regurgitated fish and then back up at him.

"Uh, no thanks! I'm good," he replied. More for me, I suppose! I thought, peeking down affectionately at the pile of fish we'd procured from the ocean on the way. What can I say; I'm a natural borne fisher-Dragon.

And Hiccup wasn't a bad fisher-Viking! I mean, he was a little shocked when I dunked the first time to dive for a fish ("Toothless are you insane?") but once he figured out what was going on he wasn't half bad at helping guide us through the water towards our prey.

With an armful of fish to sustain us, we'd settled down on a rocky outcropping to the East of our home-base valley. Hiccup gathered a few sticks and arranged them to make a fire. I let his frustration at trying to get two rocks to spark mount for a few minutes before I motioned for him to stand back and ignited it with a whisper of blue flame. "Show off," Hiccup muttered as we settled down to cook our… well, his fish. I prefer mine raw.

Not a bad spot, I mused, looking out over the open ocean. The sun was just leaning in to kiss the horizon goodnight; its last rays of warmth drizzled across the sky in pale orange and purple, with a few black speckles… Wait, what? Speckles… with wings. Typical. The Terrible Terrors. One sniff of a fresh catch and the most irritating members of the Dragon world will descend out of nowhere to mooch.

Honestly, the 'Terrible Terrors' as Hiccup calls them are like… like… Mosquitos? Both in the size factor and the irritation factor. And the brain size factor, can't forget that one. Hard to believe they're in the same species family me; frankly there are times that's worried me a bit. And now a little pack of them were buzzing on over uninvited, looking for food to pilfer.

Not from my Viking and I! With a deep growl whose meaning could not possibly have been misunderstood, I wrapped my arms around our pile of fish protectively. In trademark Terror fashion, they ignored my warning and closed in. I snapped at the first red one that got close enough, sending him fleeing with his tail between his legs. Am I not being clear here? Apparently I wasn't, because when I looked over one of the little green buggers had gotten a hold of one of my fish. Once he'd fled to a safe distance, he sat up tall with his 'kill', treating me to a victorious taunt. The nerve!

He was so busy with his little jeer he almost let the red one grab it from right under his nose. Pawing at the ground like a bull ready to charge, Greeny exhaled a short burst of flame, enough to send the red one scurrying for the second time in so many minutes. I heard a stifled giggle from Hiccup beside me.

Distracted by their scene, I nearly missed the fish walking out of the pile, something that normal fish just don't do all that often. Before he could make his getaway, I chomped down on the fish, halting the diminutive dragon in his tracks. A tug of war between a Night Fury and a Terrible Terror is a remarkably short one. I yanked the morsel out of his mouth, sending him flying onto his backside. Before his bewildered eyes, I swallowed it whole and snickered obnoxiously.

Cue the macho display. He stomped on the ground, sending minute plumes of dust into the air and a glib smirk across my snout. He drew a deep breath, ready to unleash a white hot and, to me, thoroughly harmless bout of flames. Oh, nonono! Just as he opened his mouth to exhale, I whistled a tiny ball of flame down his throat, sending his tiny body careening into the air only to land squarely on his face. I hope you learned your lesson.

Dazed, he wandered over to Hiccup. "Not so fireproof on the inside, are you?" Hiccup noted. "Here you go," Hiccup said kindly, throwing a fish down in front of him. Unbelievable. What a con. I shook my head at Hiccup's naivety. The little dragon eagerly snapped up the fish and swallowed it in one bite (sort of an impressive feat for a dragon that size!). Regarding Hiccup as if he were his long lost friend, the Terror scuttled over to my Viking and curled up underneath his arm, purring loudly. What an actor, I grumbled internally; for Hiccup's sake I pretended I didn't know it was merely a ploy for further treats.

Hesitantly, Hiccup reached down to pet the pocket-sized Dragon. "Everything we know about you guys… is wrong!" he realized out loud.

A bit dramatic, I thought to myself as I returned my attention to the pressing matter of the tasty pile of fish in front of me. But… true nonetheless. And if one Viking could realize that… perhaps the rest of them could get it through their stone-thick heads as well. Otherwise… I glanced over at Hiccup. Otherwise, our forbidden friendship might be short lived.

Again, thanks for reading! Review mean the world to me, as always. If you didn't, I wrote an original called Warmth in the Snow; if you liked this stuff you should enjoy that also! Stay well! ^^