Welcome! This is LesserWraith's chapter.
"Hmm," I say, scratching my chin in thought. "Do you know how to swim?"
"Nope," he says, baring his teeth, giving him the impression that he's actually smiling. "I'm not going to do that anytime soon, either."
"Toothless, what are you doing?" I ask, forcing myself not to laugh.
"I'm, uh, expressing anger?" he says, tilting his head in confusion. "You know, showing my teeth and stuff."
"I don't think that's how you do it," I say, grinning. "When you're angry, you usually make an annoyed face, not show your teeth."
"Why?" he asks, spreading his lips with his hands and showing his pink gums. "I thought that humans did something like this too. I saw it on your father once or twice."
"Um, most likely it's because you're not doing it properly," I explain. "And don't stretch your gums too far."
"My what?" he asks, closing his mouth abruptly in horror and covering it with his hands, fear visibly shown on his face. "D-did I rip anything?"
This Toothless, the insecure, unknowing human, makes me worry a lot. But he can also make me laugh.
"Nah," I laugh. "You'll know when you get angry. But when you show your teeth, it's usually to smile, right?"
"Smile?" he asks curiously, and I almost jump on him for not knowing such simple things. But then again, simple things are things that are often done, and often is not what you'd call Toothless's humanoid body.
"Uh…" I say, pulling off the most natural smile that I can, which isn't really natural at all, since I'm aware of doing it. "There. That's a smile."
"Oh," he says, keenly observing me intently. The stare from those fern green eyes are almost enchanting, but of course I don't say anything. He then tries to pull up his gums-
"Uh, no, stop!" I say hurriedly, and once again Toothless pulls his fingers out of his mouth in fright.
"What?" he asks, staring at me fearfully with even wider eyes. "I thought smiling meant your gums retracting so teeth showed."
"Uh, humans can't retract teeth," I explain, restraining the need to facepalm myself.
"They- uh, we, can't?" he asks, clearly shocked by this really, really, simple-for-me truth. "Humans are so underdeveloped."
I stay silent for a moment as Toothless registers the annoyance on your face.
"Oh…" he says, guilt settling into his face. "I'm sorry."
"I thought our lack of wings showed that pretty clearly," I mutter irritably. "And fire."
"No fire?!" he yells, staring at me with an appalled look. "No fire?!"
"Nope," I say simply, wondering how much he'd embarrass himself if we ever manage to get our way back to Berk.
"But- but the fire that you put on sticks!" he says, waving his hands frantically. "And the ones you make on the ground!"
"We're taught how to make it," I say, my tolerance not really being able to handle all that much anymore. "We don't have it in ourselves."
He looks at me with a really disbelieving look.
"You humans are so underdeveloped," he remarks. "Like, super uncivilized."
Toothless doesn't get my glare this time, what with being too busy looking at his body in a new light.
"Alright," I say, mentally telling myself patience makes perfect, patience makes perfect… "Let's go back to smiling. Do you know how to smile?"
"Um, no," he says with an arrogant look. "Is it necessary?"
"It is," I say, my tolerance falling to an all-time low. "Here, I'll tell you something that will make you smile."
"Sure," he says, looking at me uninterestedly. "What is it?"
"You're having fish for dinner."
Toothless tilts his head in confusion. "So?"
"Don't you feel anything?" I ask, alarmed at the fact that talking about fish does not stimulate his amygdala. "Nothing?"
"I feel happy," he says. "Like, my stomach is growling. Now what?"
"Um, how do you show it?" I ask, the annoyance from before coming back with more.
"Uhhh," he says, looking at the tree next to me in thought. "I hug you?"
"Not exactly," I say, and frankly, I would have shoved him if he tried to hug me now.
"So, what else do humans not have?" he asks, sighing in dislike of his new body.
"Toothless!" I snap, getting up and giving him a frustrated look. "Just act serious for once-"
A high-pitched whistle, unnatural of any sounds that I have ever of, strikes my attention immediately.
"Did you hear that?" I ask, looking around wildly for the source of sound.
To my shock, the sound comes from right next to me. I spin around and see Toothless whistling, all the while giving me a curious look.
"Yes?" he asks, striking another note that makes the area around the river stop momentarily.
"For an annoying little brother, you seem to have a fine taste in music," I mutter, sitting back down to Toothless's (still) curious looks.
"Music?" he asks, causing me to really facepalm. "Like, singing?"
"Yeah, singing," I say. "That would be music, I guess."
"Hey, I've heard of a song before!" he says, clapping his hands excitedly. And that's when I see him smile, his remarkably white teeth showing all their, well, whiteness.
"Where?" I ask, hoping that he'd understand what a smile is in time to come.
"You sang one to me!" he says, balling up his hands agitatedly. "It went like…"
I search for you, but I can't get through
Do you know where you are?
As he sings the songs perfectly in key, I join him in for the rest of the chorus.
Don't want to hear, never need at all
The truth, knowing through the fall
The requiem of the flightless birds
Flying in the endless sky
Once again they cry
In the heart of Shangri La
"Whew," Toothless says, sticking out his tongue as he pants. I don't have the heart to tell him that that's not the right way, the moment just not worth ruining.
"I didn't think you'd even remember," I say, heaving large breaths as the ballad takes away most of my air. "It was those Cove days, right, that I sang this?"
"I think so," he says, eagerly experimenting with a few more whistles. "Wow! I didn't know humans were so cool."
I deftly roll my eyes.
"What was the song all about, anyway?" he asks, scratching his head confusedly. "It didn't make a lot of sense at all."
"I'm not really sure, either," I say, biting my lip in thought. "I guess it's about a place called Shangri La, I guess, where birds can't fly."
"You mean…" Toothless says, mimicking my actions of musing. "Flightless birds…" Then he quickly glances at me, and I can notice his fear right away. Immediately his expression clears up and he gives me a warm smile. "Nothing. It was just a depressing song- not really my type. Is there anything else you want to teach me?"
"Yeah," I say, glad to have a change of emotions. "You still need to learn how to swim-"
"No!" he says, jumping away from me in fear. "No more water!"
"Oh yes you are," I say, getting up and jumping on him as he tries to get away.
"Grrmph!" he grunts, the wind knocking out of him as he falls to the ground. "No way am I swimming!"
"Yeaaaah," I say sarcastically. "An arrogant little brother who's afraid of swimming. Yeaaah."
"Never!" he says, staring up at me and my standing up and slightly annoyed form.
"Fine," I say, turning around and walking away. "No fish for you tonight."
I begin to walk away defiantly, making sure to make my footsteps loud and clear as I trudge through the forest (but still along the river, to prevent getting lost).
After half a minute of so, I turn around to see Toothless comes running after me, a scowl on his face.
"Fine!" he says, putting up an irritated face. "I'll do it."
"You'll learn how to swim?" I ask, my eyebrows raised at his agreement.
"NomaybeIguessyes," he strings all at once, looking at me nervously. "Just give me the fish once all of this is done."
"You sure?" I ask, laughing at his expense. "Surely a Night Fury would be more afraid of water than he likes fish?"
"Don't say that," he snaps. "Or I might tease you about the song's meaning."
"What?" I ask, scratching my head in thought.
"It's about liking Astrid, isn't it?" he asks, rubbing his hands mischievously. "You like her."
"Do not," I say defiantly, but the redness that appears on my cheeks give it all away. Was it that obvious? Really?
"Do too," he says. "You know, the heart of Shangri La?"
"Shut up," I snap.
"Give me fish first," he says with an evil grin.
I glare at him, wondering what I'd give to shut this boy up. And then it hits me.
"Astrid~" he says in a sing-song tone.
"Stormfly."
He widens his eyes in shock, not believing that I'd know. To be honest, I didn't.
"W-what?" he asks, trying really hard to look innocent. "What are you looking at?"
"I'll teach you how to swim first. Then we'll have fish and we can shut up," I offer.
Toothless is the one who glares at me this time. I try hard not to laugh at his annoyed face, which he so effortlessly manages to make.
"Fine. Deal."