How To Train Your Dragon: Perturbation
Chapter 4: Quandry
'Father killer! Dragon murderer! This is all your fault! Let him go!'
"Toothless, don-ahhh!"
Hiccup's plea was silence by a sudden increase in pressure on his neck, causing him to groan in pain. Drago's weight on his sole was so immense that he swore he could already feel the bones creaking and bending from the sheer force. Drago chuckled to himself, raising up the hand that wasn't clasping the torch and gripping onto his bullhook with it. He violently twisted the handle, causing the young chief to cry out again as a fresh spurt of blood escaped the confines of the deep wound to splash onto the ground. Just a little payback for ruining his victory above the shores of Berk. Toothless roared again, threatening to jump forward with the most savage energy he could muster. Drago was toying with him, trying to make him act and the dragon would not stand for it.
'I'll kill you! KILL YOU!'
Drago pouted mockingly without a word as he motioned his eyes down to Hiccup's neck, a silent warning that he would follow through on his threat if the Night Fury so much as took a single step to set his human free.
'Such a filthy creature... wasn't even useful when you were under my control,' the madman thought, baring his teeth as he wished he had ended both of their lives all those months ago. To do so now would be the perfect vengeance. But he knew this one's weak point and he was going to exploit it. Revenge always was best served cold. Who knew that a Night Fury would be so easily brought to its knees by a human, a species that the dragons had always seemed destined to kill?
'Hiccup...!'
Toothless whined again and blasted the ground with a fireball in anger, briefly illuminating his black scale a dim shade of purple that disappeared into nothing. He started pacing about and thrashing his head and tail towards the ground in frustration, claws smacking into the rock with nearly as much strength as Drago. He didn't know what to do. Hiccup was mere meters away from him, in pain and hurt and longing for him and yet Drago was keeping the dragon at bay with just a few simple words. It could've been an idle threat, a bluff to try and make the Night Fury comply without even trying. Maybe it was a plan to do something else, a distraction. Toothless didn't care. He couldn't risk losing Hiccup. Not now, not ever. To think he could be brought to heel in front of this monster so easily... but worth it if it saved his rider. Drago didn't seem too impressed with the outburst of fire though. A saner man would've thought nothing of it. But Drago? He wanted to use it as an excuse to really pull at the Night Fury's strings. After all, this meant he could control without raising a finger. No Bewilderbeast needed this time, not after he had learned how these two worked together.
"Is that insubordination, dragon?" Drago hissed, his eyes narrowing. "Careful. I don't take kindly to disobedience. You should know that better than anyone." Toothless bore his teeth again in another deep threatening rumble as the man continued to speak. Hiccup was still mute, save for the occasional grunt of pain, most of his airway cut off from the foot still bearing down on him. "Now, you're going to listen and listen well." Drago instructed. "You're going to bow. And you're going to take us both back to that hole you call Berk. And we're going to finish what we started."
"No! Please, Toothless, just run...!" begged Hiccup, his hands grasping at Drago's boot to push it off of him. He wasn't strong enough to manage it. Toothless kept flicking his vision between the two humans, lost in indecision about what to do. He couldn't let Hiccup die, he could't risk causing any more damage than he already had.
He couldn't let Stoick have been right.
But... how could he possibly comply? How could he betray the dragons he was responsible for and lead Drago in a second wave of attack back home? The Night Fury whined again, shaking his head in the only way knew how to say he didn't know.
'I can't! I can't do anything, what do I do?!'
Drago didn't react how Toothless expected him to. He wasn't disappointed or angry. He didn't roar or swing his weapon above his head in a rage like he used to when someone was against him. He was smiling. He seemed overjoyed at the dragon's lack of conviction to either side of the argument. Like he'd been waiting for the opportunity.
"A shame. I was hoping to kill you both at the same time later. But if you're going to force my hand now by not obeying me..."
Hiccup suddenly started spluttering, flailing his arms upwards to try and stop the advancement of Drago's boot. His eyes were starting to roll into the back of his head, strained inhales doing whatever they could to make sure his lungs got some air to breath. Toothless couldn't move. It all happened so fast and the reality of what he was seeing hit him too hard to give him chance to do anything. All he could feel was himself roaring in terror, all he could see was Drago's victorious face and all he could hear were the sounds of bone being crushed and cracking under the weight as the blood started to leak and...
"Toothless! Toothless, snap out of it!"
Hiccup gripped onto the sides of his dragon's head as the Night Fury was convulsing in a utter panic. The Viking grunted and struggled as Toothless was roaring and crying out loudly, almost like he was in pain at whatever had gripped his mind. His eyes were wide with fear, pupils narrow as they stared off into the distance at something on the floor. The most alien thing about it was the color. The usual emerald shine of his best friend's eyes had faded, replaced by a deep crimson that radiated inwards from the edges. The space near the pupils was much lighter in color, though still blood red, subconsciously reminding Hiccup of the terrorizing gaze of the Bewilderbeast. It was like Toothless had been possessed. He had never seen anything like it before and he had no idea where it had come from, his stomach in knots at witnessing what could be something more dangerous than any maniac in these chambers. It reminded him too much of that day on the Sanctuary's shores, how it left him powerless to help and he was determined to never see that again.
"Toothless, it's me! Come on, work with me here, bud!" Hiccup cried, his arms aching from the effort of trying to keep the dragon's head still. He had walked into this large chamber, convinced that the metal he had heard was Toothless' fin. He had felt elated to know he was right, having just seen the outline of the dragon's head after he used his flame to see. But then Toothless had ignored him. Even as he approached the Night Fury and tried to get his attention, Toothless had completely blanked him, pacing around and seemingly angry with something as the now reddish hue of his eyes shimmered against the light of his lantern. Something awful had then suddenly gripped at the dragon's form, causing him to roar and strain against Hiccup like whatever he was seeing was making him want to escape his own body. Hiccup held firm again, clutching onto Toothless' head hard enough to think he'd tear the scale free if he did so any harder. He looked right in his friend's eyes and yelled, trying to break through to him.
"Toothless! Look at me! Look at me, bud, come on! Wake UP!"
The Night Fury suddenly stopped growling with a flinch at that last accentuated word. His pupils suddenly dilated as he blinked a few times, the red color that had consumed his eyes starting to fade every time a scaled eyelid covered the surface. His mouth opened a little as he let out a croaking noise, sounding like his throat had dried up as his vision of the real world slowly came back into focus.
'...Hiccup?'
"Oh, thank the Gods..." Hiccup sighed, lowering his head with a huge exhale before he ran his hands over the spines on Toothless' head. His voice turned much calmer and soothing, coaxing the Night Fury gently out of that horrible vision, just like with a bad dream.
"It's OK, bud, I'm here, I'm right here..." Toothless warbled, the consistency of his noise threatening to break. But he'd... he'd just seen Drago. He'd seen that madman killing his human as though he were an insect under his shoe, snapping bone and muscle and nerve, but now Hiccup was here and his presence filled the dragon with relief and affection. He immediately pushed his snout forward at this revelation, nuzzling against Hiccup's chest eagerly.
'My Hiccup! I... I thought you were... I thought you'd been...'
Hiccup couldn't tell what Toothless had seen, but it would be clear to even the most uneducated of dragon trainers that it hadn't been good. It was too clear to see in the way he looked at his rider. Those eyes were full of worry and concern, concern for him and his well being. The chieftain smiled and nodded, running one of his hands under Tootless' chin while the other continued to rub between the ear plates near the back of his head.
"I'm fine, bud, I'm right here. It wasn't real, OK? Everything's fine," he cooed, briefly touching his forehead to the dragon's own as a sign of solidarity. "You really had me worried there, I was starting to think I'd never find you." Toothless' body relaxed as he sat down, almost leaning into the human's torso with a tired weight about him. He felt exhausted. Never mind the busted wing, never mind the loss of blood, it was that vision. It had filled him with such adrenaline and stress that it had taken it all out of him. His eyes closed as he lapped his tongue up against Hiccup's cheek a few times, almost like he was trying to groom him before resting his head in those hands. Hiccup lowered himself to a sitting position and held Toothless gently.
"Shh, it's OK, bud, I'm here," he repeated, keeping aware of his surroundings as the lantern was set down to the side.
The pair of them sat in silence for a few moments, only the gentle drips of moisture from the cave roof to really accompany them. Hiccup held his dragon tenderly, taking a look at the broken wing with a scowl. The injury had certainly been quite severe, being hit with that rock, almost enough to make him wince to himself. It was a good thing that Toothless had thought to use the saddle as a sling, the parts of frayed scale and muscle looking like they were just barely containing the jagged edges of broken bone. They had to escape as soon as possible, a much easier feat now that they were together. But the questions of what Hiccup had witnessed played over and over in his head. Toothless' eyes... they had been consumed by something, something unnatural. They had been wide with terror with that sickening red color and acting like he was seeing a nightmare play itself out in front of him as though it was real as day. He knew that certain substances and creatures could change a dragon's behavior immensely, years of experience told him that. He would be inclined to think the same thing here, that something in this prison was enough to manipulate dragons, if it weren't for one crucial detail.
Hiccup knew it had happened to him too. He had witnessed a frightening impossibility manifest before him as well, one of his deepest and most personal fears of losing his best friend coming to life in the most horrific way. Maybe his eyes had been that same shade of red too. Maybe whatever had possessed the Night Fury had laid claim to his mind as well. But what could have done that? No plant, no dragon species, nothing he could think of could come close to causing it. And it wasn't just dragon specific like some things had been in the past. Whatever was down here was powerful enough to change the way that both human and dragon saw the world. It was powerful enough to draw out their guilt and fear into something that they would never hope to see in reality.
'The caves... the man said they knew him,' Hiccup pondered, squeezing at Toothless' head as he bit his lower lip. 'After Toothless was taken by Drago, after I forced him away, I... I became afraid. I was scared that I'd lose him. I'm scared Toothless could... die because of something I do. I never told anyone that. But this place knew about it. It knew my fear, it knew that secret.'
What if it had shown Toothless his fears too? What if it was trying to drive him mad with what it made him see, drive them both mad? And the next idea made a chill shiver down Hiccup's back from the base of his neck. The masked figures, speaking in their whispers and hushed voices about draining something from people. Draining enough of some substance to sate... 'it'.
What if 'it' had done this? And if if it did, why?
Valka was not happy. Far from it. She felt like her very soul was being enveloped by an overwhelming worry the more that she felt the brisk wind blow through her hair and hood. A sensation that would usually make her feel as free as the birds and dragons that claimed the sky was only seeming to harden the negativity in her heart. As she stood here, on a cold crisp morning atop Cloudjumper's back to oversee the island, she knew she shouldn't be doing this. It was the job of their chieftain, the one who was supposed to look over the entire island at the very beginning of the day to watch the domain of Berk and provide aid for those who needed it. But that wasn't possible right now. An entire day had passed since Hiccup had been seen, since Valka had even spoken to him. And now, Astrid and Stormfly had vanished too. Two of the best dragon riders on Berk, the chief and her potential daughter-in-law, gone without a trace. Something didn't sit right with it.
Despite having only known him properly for a relatively short amount of time, Valka knew that Hiccup would never abandon Berk to do what he liked. The events with Drago, with his father... it had set off a new kind of resolve him in, a determination to do what was expected without the burden of aspiration to be like the leaders before him. And she also knew that Astrid would have chastised him and told him off for being so irresponsible if he ever did. Valka couldn't bring herself to smile at the imagined event as much as she wanted to. If Hiccup and Toothless had disappeared, Astrid would've gone out after them. That was just how it worked with them and it would be an easy affair on the back of a Tracker like the Deadly Nadder. But now Astrid had not returned either, which meant that something out among those distant shores was enough to snare them both and keep them away from Berk.
Cloudjumper easily felt his rider's worry. He had been easily able to pick up on the signs after spending over twenty years with her. The way her skin creased in the small space between her eyebrows, the way her nostrils seemed to flare every time she took in a breath. Even the way he felt her feet shift on his back to keep her level while they flew didn't feel normal. The mighty Stormcutter turned his head towards her, the large fins on his head twitching and angling themselves to keep him streamlined despite the movement. A sympathetic rumble made his way through Valka's feet, something that snapped her out of her daze.
'I am sure Son and Alpha are well.'
Valka seemed to know what Cloudjumper was trying to say, offering her old friend a smile as she knelt against the space between his wings.
"I know, I know. I'm probably just an old woman who's worrying too much. He's his own man now. But this isn't like him, dear. I know Hiccup wouldn't just abandon us."
'I know he wouldn't. They'll come back.'
Valka closed her eyes and exhaled, trying to let the cool air do its usual job of soothing her restless soul as one with the dragons. Cloudjumper tried to do the same, letting them fall into a gentle glide back down to the village to allow his rider the time to clear her head. It did the trick, if only just, the next few minutes consisting of her just her and her dragon slowly falling towards Berk's shores. It was only a fleeting moment of reprieve at best in the ocean of concern Valka found herself adrift in, but it was enough. For now.
Valka's boots landed quietly and gracefully on the floor, holding her staff next to her left foot with the hand on that side as she and Cloudjumper walked through to the village center. The scene from above seemed normal and on the ground it was equally similar and generally dull. Well, as dull as things could get for a island of Vikings and dragons together. At least nothing was on fire. The residents of Berk never did seem to be worried when Hiccup was missing in action. It was almost like it was a cultural thing that had developed, a mindset from the times when Hiccup not being around was actually a good thing. Perhaps it had just persisted despite the passing of five years. Valka couldn't imagine it for herself, not after witnessing what he had managed to do with dragonkind. She almost felt tempted to shake Berk from its habit of complacency. But she had never been the best at trying to exact change in the first place, so she thought little of it.
Cloudjumper's second set of wings suddenly passed in front of Valka, the large claw tip on the end of one blocking her path near her foot as if to halt her progress. His eyes were looking upwards, peering at a tiny shape shakily making its way towards them. Valka could tell from the general movements of the shape that it was the silhouette of a Terrible Terror, probably the reason why her dragon had stopped. The tiny reptile bobbed in front of Cloudjumper's face for a moment, almost seeming to question how such a creature had gotten so big. The Stormcutter snorted, sending the Terror's flight path into a minitature spiral away from him with a surprised squeak. Valka's lips curled into a slight smile as she held out her arm to catch the smaller one, tracing her hand along the length of her bracer as it landed. The Terror followed her wiggling fingers like a snake, worming its way around her appendage to then rest on her shoulder.
"Well, hello there, little one," she spoke softly, the Terror peering at her with its oddly positioned eyes. It briefly licked one with a brief snap of its tongue from the side of its mouth before its back leg twitched as if to draw attention to it. Valka's smile faded as she realized that the tiny dragon had a message, wrapped in parchment and fastened to the leg.
A message for her? Ever since she had moved back to Berk, Valka had never had any sort of correspondence. Both from a mixture of not really needing or having anyone to correspond with in letter form and the fact that she found personally delivering messages on the backs of dragons to be much more fulfilling than simple Terrible Terror delivery. The fact that this message had arrived now troubled her, especially since it was clearly intended for her to read. Addressed to her alone just after the chief and his lover had gone missing? It reeked of something fishy and not in the dragon feed kind of way. Valka flicked her arm upwards after pulling away the message from the Terror's leg, allowing the little beast to scamper away with a flutter of its tiny wings. She turned her attention towards Cloudjumper for a moment with a raised eyebrow, as if to say she wasn't sure what this was about. Cloudjumper in turn leaned forward to better peer at what his rider had received.
'Perhaps it is something from Son?'
Valka hands fumbled with the parchment as she laid it down in her palms. Her eyes ran over the surface like a dragon keeping track of prey. Cloudjumper didn't like the look she gave next. Valka was gritting her teeth behind her lips, her hands scrunching up the corners of the message as she then looked up at her dragon. The Stormcutter tilted his head, visibly puzzled by her reaction.
"We need to gather the other riders. Quickly," she said, her voice low and stern. "Come on." Though Cloudjumper obeyed without question, he wished he could voice such a thing. Whatever Valka had seen was enough to make her seem like she had done many years ago. A vigilante on a mission to save something she cared about. As the pair of them took to the skies once again, Valka's thoughts were on nothing else but what she had received meant.
It was a fragment of Hiccup's map. She'd recognize the writing, the hasty but detailed sketch work and the rushed additions based on what she'd told him anywhere. Specifically, it was a piece that highlighted a certain area of the oceans that she'd purposely tried to not talk about. The Syfon Rocks, outlined in red with a hastily drawn circle in what Valka hoped wasn't blood. The formation itself wasn't the thing that she had tried to disguise when teaching Hiccup about the Archipelago. It was what sat just near them, that gigantic mass of land that was home to something much more sinister than volcanic rock. She'd said it was just a small island, saying nothing worth looking at. Because she knew it was where they had lived, where they still lived now beneath the surface and where they now lay in wait in the hopes of luring in unsuspecting travelers in to take part in their damned rituals. This map was one such lure, probably obtained after they had managed to down Hiccup and Toothless by chance. They probably had gotten Astrid and Stormfly too if she had followed them there.
Valka cursed at herself as she hurried Cloudjumper's pace to find the other riders. She had purposely tried to hide the island to keep anyone else away from what it held inside. But she also should've known that even trying to pass off something as nothing wouldn't be enough to stop Hiccup's adventurous spirit from finding out for himself. The residents of that island had gotten lucky in their catch of her son and Toothless and this map fragment was meant to get more than that prize. She knew it was a trap, a piece of bait designed to make sure she and other dragon riders would arrive to save their lost friends and be struck down as well. Well, Valka would take that bait. But she wouldn't do so quietly. She'd be bringing a lot of firepower.
She just hoped she wouldn't be too late. It was never said to be a patient entity.
"Ugh, held back by my own dragon..."
Astrid was frustrated to say the least, her face contorted into a scowl as she walked. No matter what she had tried, Stormfly had refused to let her into that cave surrounded by the lost possessions of equally lost travelers. Distraction, reasoning, outright force, nothing had worked. She wasn't angry at the Nadder though, just the situation. Stormfly would never hold Astrid back from something without good reason. Mostly because the Viking would be too hard headed to take no for an answer most times. But if the dragon was trying this hard to get her to stop, then it was clear to Astrid that something much worse than she could imagine lay down there. She reluctantly complied and set off elsewhere to try and find another way in that wouldn't cause Stormfly to be as stubborn as any boar-headed Viking could be.
It took a little while to find anything else at all. Despite the size of the island, it looked like no one had said foot on it for years, maybe decades. Nothing but plains of grass-covered rock, the occasional dead husk of a tree base adding what little variety in the scenery there was. If anything, the abandoned nature of the island's top side kept making Astrid think that something wasn't right. If people had arrived here before, what could possibly have driven them underground? Or worse, taken them? It was a question she wasn't sure she was going to get the answer to, the minutes passing by to no avail. How would she find Hiccup without getting underground? Stubborn dragon.
And that was when they found the ruins.
Astrid nearly didn't spot them at first. She'd been walking automatically at this point, her brain tuned out to her surroundings as she imagined alternate ways to get into the caves if this didn't work. It was only when she felt a sudden rush of air from Stormfly bolting past her that she snapped back to reality. She stumbled for a moment, scrunching her face up in reaction before she hurried as well.
"Stormfly, wait!" she called ahead, the Nadder pausing for a moment and letting out a crackly noise to alert her rider to what she'd seen. As the Viking girl came to her dragon's right side, her brows raised up in surprise that the island actually hosted something other than seemingly endless plains of vegetation. It was hard to realize what they were at first, but any Viking worth their salt would know a village that wasn't theirs when they saw it. It did help with the old habits of invading other territories, after all.
This particular settlement wasn't what one would usually expect to see. Nearly every building, every husk that used to be a building, was empty. Few had been left standing and the ones that were weren't in good condition. Their wooden frames were singed and burnt, some pillars having even turned a grey color from where parts of them had been turned to ash. The worn paths where people once walked were an equally dusty gray, the rest of the ground having been overrun by the grass that covered this entire land mass. No sign of civilization or technology remained. It was obvious to Astrid that some sort of cataclysm had occurred here, something volatile and fiery in nature. Perhaps it had something to do with the Syfon Rocks? They had been caused by a volcano from what Hiccup had told her after all... this kind of devastation was consistent with such a thing. She frowned, reaffirming the grip on her battle axe as she walked into what she assumed used to be the center of town.
"Hello? Is anyone here?" Astrid called, Stormfly approaching from behind to keep an eye out over their surroundings with her enhanced peripheral vision. Unsurprisingly, no one responded. Astrid rolled his shoulders, relaxing from her battle ready stance as she turned towards her dragon.
"Figures. Don't think anyone's going to be here to greet us," she commented, almost like she was just finding a way to fill the silence of this island. It felt wrong. Better to be cautious. "Keep an eye out, girl, just in case. I'm going to do some snooping." Stormfly bobbed her head down in acknowledgement, spinning her bulky frame around and keeping her tail raised upwards ready for anything that may need a spike based welcome. Astrid swung her axe into her other hand to give her arm a break, heading into one of the more intact buildings that may have contained more than just a hint at human life.
Though the walls were crumbling and the roof had long since collapsed, there were at least a few signs of previous life. The odd metal pot here, the charred pieces of wood for a fire here. Even an old shield, primitive in its design compared to the Gronkcle Iron creations back home. All the more unsettling to see it abandoned like this after seeing that cave back there.
"Oh, Hiccup, you sure pick some strange places to get lost..." Astrid mumbled to herself. She got down onto one of her knees, using a free hand to shift through the dirt and ash and debris of destruction. She paused when her bracer moved a particular piece to the side, being caught in one of the straps. Her eyes narrowed as she peered at it, tugging at the bulk of it with a grunt of effort. The surface was coated in mess. Astrid placed her axe down to hold the object properly, dusting it off with the back of her hand. It appeared to be a book of some kind. She flicked through the pages, trying to find anything of note that could explain what happened. Most of them were illegible, too smeared or hastily written to make out. Thankfully, at least a fraction of one page had survived. It took a while to make sense of it and there wasn't much to go on, but Astrid did have a good try regardless.
...e always knew this day would come. It h_s awoke beneath out fee_
We must get the others t_ safety. It will hung_r for us if we don't move fast.
We w_ _ ll told the legend of the F_rsyfo_ and now it's here. Underground is the best bet.
"Something forced them underground?" Astrid finally said aloud. "It sounds like a dragon or something. Like with Mala's Eruptodon, maybe. But turning on people?" The situation didn't make sense. Even the mightiest of dragons could be tamed and if the fragment said the people were aware of this thing for so long, even as a legend, it would hardly make sense to attack them. Both she and Hiccup knew that plenty from their personal experiences with Mala and even the Bewilderbeast. No, this thing couldn't be a dragon.
So perhaps it wasn't a dragon.
Astrid couldn't think on what it could be though. What kind of creature could destroy an entire settlement like this and drive their people underground or off the island unless it wasn't some kind of dragon? No other animal or creature could come close to matching the village destroying power of a Singetail or a Monstrous Nightmare or even a Red Death. If it wasn't any of those things, then what?
The message at least confirmed to her that there were still people on the island, beneath them if it was being correct. All the more reason to find another way in.
"Stormfly!" Astrid called, hurrying out of the destroyed building. Her dragon was there in a heartbeat, peering down at her. "Hiccup and Toothless are here! The people of this village fled underground when it was destroyed, they're probably holding them hostage or something!" Stormfly tilted her head in a twitching motion, almost like she didn't understand how her rider had come to this conclusion. Astrid growled in a bit of annoyance before exhaling to calm herself. She came close to her dragon and rested a hand on her snout. Her voice was quiet, gentler than usual.
"Please, Stormfly. I know that he's down there and I can't leave him. Please help me. I'll keep us both safe, I promise."
The Deadly Nadder blinked once before closing her eyes, pushing forward a little to solidify their contact. She crooned as she nodded once, nuzzling against Astrid's hand. Maybe she had been a bit too cautious before. They were on a rescue mission after all. Astrid smiled and scratched under Stormfly's chin, slinging her axe into the bag on the Nadder's side before jumping upwards to sit in the saddle.
"Alright girl, back to that entrance. We're going to drag those two out whether they like it or not!"
"That's it, bud, you're doing great. Won't be much further now."
Hiccup and Toothless were making slow but steady progress, backtracking through the tunnels. Using the Night Fury's keen sense of smell, the dragon was leading ahead on the heels of the smell of those masked figures. Hiccup had guessed that if they could find where they had come from, maybe they could find a way out of this place as well. He was trying to be as encouraging as possible, keeping his hand on Toothless' side and giving out whatever cheery words he could muster despite the situation. After all, the pair of them were still bloody and a little bit worse for wear given what they had seen down here. But some would even say that Hiccup was trying a little too hard.
"That's it, Toothless, keep going, I'm right behind you," he cooed, his hand not leaving the dragon's scale for more than second except for when he had to avoid another growth of the odd mushrooms obscuring the path of his feet. Toothless could tell it was artificial, at least partially. The way that Hiccup spoke these encouragements a little too often, the way that his hand was constantly trembling as though he were afraid to let go... something had rattled his human more than he would like to let on and the dragon hated the idea.
"Good boy, Toothless, we'll find 'em in no time."
What had happened to him before they had reunited? Toothless forced them to stop for a moment, keeping his head low to the ground and pretending like he had lost the scent. Hiccup became just as quiet and focused, his lantern held up in front of him so that they could have some reminder they were moving. Toothless turned his head, staring back at his rider. His eyes said all they needed to.
'Something's bothering you.'
Hiccup blinked a few times at Toothless' accusing stare, shrugging his shoulders with a bit of a nervous chuckle.
"Come on, bud, don't stare at me like that. What, do I have somethin' on my face?" The Night Fury wasn't impressed, his eyes half-lidding as he snorted. Hiccup retorted with a similar expression. "Don't give that look, Toothless, I was just trying to lighten up the mood. I mean, what else can you do when you're potentially stuck miles underground with a possible concussion and broken wing? Good times all around." Hiccup's attempt at dry humor did not sit well with the dragon, causing him to nudge his human's body with his tail to get him to drop the act. The Viking got the message pretty quickly, letting out a sigh and allowing his shoulders to relax. The lantern was held down by his side for a moment, obscuring his face partially in the darkness as he spoke.
"Look, bud, I... I know you saw something pretty bad things down here before and I'm sorry I couldn't do anything to prevent it. And... let's just say I saw some things too. I don't want us to be here anymore."
Hiccup refused to say anything more, his head having tilted downwards as if he were staring at his own shoes. Toothless wouldn't pry further, as much as he seemed concerned by it. He could understand. This dungeon was something he figured the both of them would be keen to forget. He was glad his rider would at least still be honest with him as he always was. A nice reminder that the Hiccup he had seen earlier wasn't real. That the Stoick wasn't real. He never wanted it to be real.
'I'll get us home together. I promise, Hiccup. Though I didn't say stop the compliments.'
Although Toothless' response only came out as a whine and a gentle push rather than the joke he wished he could've said, Hiccup's shoulders twitched as though he had smirked a bit, like he'd read the dragon's mind. Baby boo, same as ever. He raised the lantern again and nodded, prompting Toothless to carry on.
"Lead the way, bud."
The Night Fury hesitated in looking down at the ground to reacquire the trail of his task. He lingered on Hiccup's face for a moment longer before he set off again, his pace slow and in sync with his rider the more they walked. He was being sincere in what he believed. They would both get out of here alive and fight those who would dare to jeopardize their chances. Toothless swore it. But the question of how easy it would be still remained, lingering in the back of his mind like a phantom. When Hiccup had raised the lantern back up from his side again, Toothless had stared into his human's eyes. Those loving and green-tinted eyes who reflected his own. What he saw there both confused and worried him all at once.
The irises had started to turn red.
