Dragon Claims and Human Change
By: Selim
Disclaimer: I do not own How to Train Your Dragon. This is a piece of fiction and all persons and events are fictional. There is no profit being made from this work.
Rating: M
Summary: Hiccup didn't know it, but he's been chosen as a Dragon Mate. The world as he knows it changes, leaving him to decide – does he stay with humans or move on with dragons?
Pairing: Toothless x Hiccup (Anthro-Toothless)
Thank You: Alrye, Loti-Miko, Nuriko Kurosaki, Horser01, Jozs001, Fullmoonwolf950, twistedsister-emogirl, Heinz246, Spidermaster, Brightsidetolife, YoshisSupport, Too Lazy to Log in, The Dragon Knight, Angel Shinigami, Grim1989, Whitebengal14, LillyLovesRuby, Lightbeauty, Darkblue91, Jessica499499, Every1sBeta, and Sabaku_Lotus
The first snows came late that year. Clouds hung low and the mist from below rose up, encasing the floating lands in a blanket of white as far as the eye could see. Hiccup had to be extra careful when he left the palace grounds because of how hard it was to tell where the sky started and the land ended.
He was greeted the first morning of snow with a slight burn from Toothless. Hissing awake, Hiccup swatted the arm wrapped around his middle, never once cracking his own eyes open. With the change in temperature this wasn't the first time he'd woken up to being overheated and he doubted it would be the last. Toothless as a concerned mate, always ensuring that Hiccup was warm at all times. The fire inside the dragon burned strong and from a good distance, the human could still feel it radiating and accepted the warmth.
Today, however, he couldn't. "Are you trying to roast our baby?" He finally asked, switching sides so he could stare at his snoozing mate. Thick eyelids moved, a sign of the Night Fury regaining consciousness slowly. Exhaling loudly, Hiccup tossed his legs over the side of his bed, stretching his limbs. His back popped, a sigh of pleasure escaping his lips.
A breeze entered the window, blowing his first attempt at curtains hazardously. Hiccup shivered, wrapping his arms around himself. It wasn't even near the end of the year but it was so cold. Grabbing his skinned coat, the human tugged it on before climbing out of bed, making his way towards the chamber pot in the corner of the room.
"Wake up," murmured the boy after he finished his business, prodding the dragon's wing. "I'm hungry and you promised fish today." He pinched the soft bone in the dragon's wing, enjoying the strange texture under his palm. "Too-oothless…" He hummed against the humanoid's ear flap, blowing warmly along the scales. "Come on, the baby's hungry too."
Toothless groaned, tossing on his side, cracking his eye open. Hiccup's smile softened. He had heard from Y'Von during his studies that some dragons in Hadak slept all winter. A few were able to stay awake the entire season (a resilience of their past human heritage) but those that had closer roots to the dragons of the North needed their sleep. Toothless, he had grown to realize, had closer roots to the dragons from the North than from Old Berk.
Lately his mate had seemed so lethargic.
"You don't have to get up if you can't." Hiccup amended his request, petting his lover's rough hand. The grip tightened around his wrist and Toothless pushed himself up on one arm.
"If I said fish," He growled lowly, words that surrounded Hiccup with warmth, "Then my mate gets fish."
Hiccup's wide smile returned as Toothless went about his morning routine at a much slower pace.
Dragonese was an interesting language. While he couldn't make all the sounds himself, he could at least pick up the change in hum resonating from his mate…when the words were simple. His private dictionary was already becoming full with words and soon to need more pages as he entered the birthing words. A baby, in the dragon language, consisted of a couple hundred words. Luckily, most referred to the process in one word for him but he was soaking in their language faster than in tunic in a pond.
The chest from the lower world was now permanently situated in their private chambers. Hiccup kept his things in it, including the saddle he had first made what felt like years ago. Pulling the worn cloth out, he checked the bindings for any structural faults. "Gronky said that you'll start getting busy this week," he mentioned offhandedly. He was sure the leader had prepared if Toothless was unable to perform his duties but he had to ask. "The Terrors really start laying eggs now?" He couldn't have been pregnant more than four months himself.
Subconsciously his arms wrapped around his belly where he could only imagine a baby inside. With his knowledge so far of children, he doubted he'd ever actually feel a child. Apparently all dragons laid eggs and the few stillbirths they did have were because the protective shell had never developed. No one knew how his baby was going to come to the world but he had been reassured it was very much alive inside of him.
"Ready?" Toothless asked, holding up another coat Hiccup hadn't seen before. Grumbling, Hiccup allowed the dragon to put the heavy fur material over his shoulders. The human snuggled into the material with a quiet nod. Toothless lead the way through the warm palace and into the cold air outside. Hiccup walked carefully, brushing snow away with his feet to find concealed ground and not air.
Under his hand, Toothless transformed with a sound of bones snapping. His long wings spread out when he was in dragon form, his tail extended. Securing the harness around his mate, Hiccup stumbled his way on his mate's back. "Ready." He tightened his grip on the harness. The initial flight usually threw him off kilter. Toothless shook the last bit of tiredness from his head before soaring into the white clouds, disappearing into the daylight.
East from Hadak, snow was still falling, promising to move into the village within the next hour. Hiccup lowered his body into Toothless' more solid form, where heat radiated. The wind's chill made his eyes water and his lips chap but it was comforting at the same time. He needed this flight – this escape with his mate. If those Terrors did begin to lay eggs that day, Toothless was going to be busy. That was only if the need to sleep didn't become overpowering.
They broke the cloud barrier around the time Hiccup couldn't feel his ears. Pressing the appendage into his dragon's back, the human made a soft noise. Toothless growled in return. It was a deep call, a promise that they were almost to the fishing grounds.
Apparently Hadak also had food rations during the winter. These kinds of trips were so rare since it was time consuming and near impossible to bring back enough food to feed a village. Toothless shifted seamlessly through altitudes, cooing softly in warning as they dropped. The warm sun hit Hiccup's back as ice cased seas became yellow and brown. Toothless soared low, just over the blue ocean until he came upon a coast.
Climbing off his mate's back, Hiccup crossed his arms to supply a little warmth to his chilled body. It wasn't summer but at least it wasn't snowing. "I'm going to find a branch."
Transforming back into his humanoid form, Toothless pulled off his harness before starting a fire near the beach.
Humming in delight, Hiccup stumbled across the flattened grass nearing tree lines. He found a perfect branch halfway up the hill, which he swung around absently. "Toothless!" He twisted around. His lazy dragon glanced up from his spot by the fire. "Just like when we met!" He swung the branch around absently. Dropping next to his mate, Hiccup pulled out a small knife from his belt, whetting the tip. Toothless snuggled into his side.
"When Little One hit me, yes." He growled.
So that's what I hit. "It was an accident," Hiccup pushed playfully on the sturdy arm next to him. "You still wanted to mate with me soon after anyway." Absently he touched the mark under his coat and tunic, the reddened symbol of his mating that seemed ever present since he came to Hadak.
It was reflex that had his head tilting when Toothless' flat mouth pressed against the warm skin there. "A bad on my youth…"
The knife dropped out of Hiccup's hand. "Y, you-!" He pushed on Toothless' sturdy arm again. "'Bad on my youth.' Yeah right! You just wanted this piece of this warrior – the first to hit a Night Fury and live to tell about it." He playfully stuck his nose up, his grin stretching far.
This time it was Toothless that playfully knocked into him but, unlike the dragon, Hiccup fell over. He was pushing himself back up when Toothless playfully climbed on him, mindful of his now-showing belly. Sharp nails danced along his sides, playfully as the flat mouth pressed against his ears. "Warrior huh? This does not sound like a warrior." His assault didn't quit as his sharp nails brushed along sensitive sides that caused Hiccup to erupt with laughter as it had once done a long time ago.
Shaking like a leaf, Hiccup trying to crawl out from under the dragon, breathing hard. Flipping onto his back, he screeched in delight as his coat and tunic was raised, the cold air going unnoticed as claws continued to tickle at his sides without barrier. After what felt like forever, Toothless' hands came to a still on the boy's belly, where there was a definite bulge, a bit of hardened flesh. An egg, Hiccup had figured when he touched the skin for the last week. Barely noticeable except for those familiar with Hiccup's stomach.
Hiccup brought his hands down, closing them on Toothless' with a pleased sound. "That's our baby," he whispers.
Toothless' tongue brushes over the flesh, leaving a comforting burn in its wake. A kiss for a daughter to continue linage, Hiccup realizes. Warm eggs meant girls and cold eggs meant boys, Y'Von had once told him. Hiccup brushed his fingers over Toothless' chin, bringing the dragon up to kiss his flat lip-less mouth. I don't care what it is, I just want it to be able to fly and be healthy.No more honorable deaths – not for his hatchlings.
He was going to take the kiss to the next level, to have his mate there where the whole world could see their union when his belly growled and a smile stole his expression.
Toothless pulled back, as if burnt. "I forgot first meal." He climbed to his feet, kicking aside Hiccup's makeshift spear in favor of fishing himself.
Hiccup snorted, sitting up. He rubbed his belly absently before climbing to his feet. "I'm going to find some kindle." He shouted over his shoulder as he made his way back to the treeline, picking up sticks and a few handfuls of dried grass he was on his way back to their site when he felt a stab in his gut.
Wincing, Hiccup paused and took a deep breath. Not feeling the pain again, Hiccup continued on, dropping the material into their fire as Toothless came back with two large fish at hand. Hiccup speared both on his stick and held them over the flame. The sturdy arm around his belly was comforting as he considered his belly, looking for something that could be off. I must be hungry, he reasoned pleasantly as he leaned against Toothless' side.
They were playing a game of chase when a Terror flew in with the message that the first female was laying her eggs. Dousing the fire, Hiccup cleaned up the camp site as Toothless tied the harness around his broad chest before transforming so Hiccup could fix the straps. Hadak was a distance from their campsite and Hiccup spent it reliving the moment of playing games with his mate while enjoying the other's company.
When they arrived back in Hadak, Toothless gave him an absent kiss before going to the clinic while Hiccup made his way to the kitchens with the fish he had brought back from their trip. He offered the fish to the dragons, a present of jerky for other dragons, before returning outside to play in the snow while it was still manageable.
Since he had left earlier that day, the snow had piled to his ankles, barely a threat but enough to make him shiver in his boots as he began rolling a ball of it. As his ball of snow grew in size, he was aided by a few of the children who had come out in curiosity for the weather and him. A few were sluggish in their movement, probably aching from the cold but overpowered by the call of youth to play.
Many of these young, by next spring, would take their first full flight to Berk. All but a handful would return. It was just a matter of where home was for them and Toothless had said he took the same flight when he was a boy but he returned home, to the North. Something had broken in him much later and made him stay in Hadak, with those of completely a different ideology than his own. Almost the same thing that had made Toothless want to mate a human.
Clumping a smaller ball of snow in his arms, Hiccup waved a set of twin Chickenpoxers that liked to fight in the northern towers like little humans with fake swords. They bent down next to him, looking around the ball of white towards the guards on either side of the main entrance. Hiccup offered the twins his snow ball and made a throwing motion while covering his lips. The two bounced around in excitement, tossing the ball with force that made it crumble mid-flight until powder hit the dragons at the door.
Hiccup bit back his own laugh but the two Gronckle-Nightmare hybrids weren't as lucky. They chortled with laughter, falling on their plump stomachs unaware that the guards were approaching them. Hiccup noticed first, inhaling sharply before darting away. On the ground, one of the twins opened his eye and inhaled sharply before rushing in Hiccup's direction, leaving his brother on the ground.
Not sure what else to do, Hiccup bundled up more snow and tossed it, knocking into one of the two guards and catching the little one's attention. With both dragon's at his side, he tossed another snow ball and laughed and the confusion written over the two guard's face – until he was hit by a snow ball. This time it was the guard's turn to laugh, bending on his companion. Sputtering, Hiccup declared war, throwing snowballs as fast as he could make them with the aid of his two Chickenpoxers who weren't fairing as well.
They finally called it quits when Hiccup's clothes were soaked and the two Chickenpoxers were called in for dinner. One of the guards laced his arm with Hiccup's, smiling pleasantly as he lead the human inside while using his own body heat to keep the boy warm. They were halfway down the corridor when the sharp pain in his belly had him leaning completely on the dragon, hissing. The guard's red eyes, filled with fear, turned to him and Hiccup smiled reassuringly as the pain ebbed away into nothing.
"I'm just being too active." He hummed softly. "I should lay down a bit."
With the dragon's help, he undressed and climbed into his and Toothless' bed. He didn't expect the dragon to take his word on it but when he wasn't greeted with his overprotective mate, he found the urge to close his eyes and nap. He was woken from his nap by the side of his bed sinking and Toothless' tail lying over his still form. Grumbling, Hiccup snuggled deep into his blankets, mindful of the dull ache in his belly. Maybe it's that fish I ate.
"All the eggs birthed?" Hiccup inquired, curling on his side to hold his mate's thick tail.
"Yes." Toothless rubbed the scales on his head. "This groups. Is Little One cold?" The dragon reached for the blanket, ensuring that it was snug around Hiccup's bare shoulders. His eyes narrowed in thought, his larger head brushing next to Hiccup's neck. "You're really hot." He stated calmly.
Brushing his hands over his warm cheeks, Hiccup frowned. He was, wasn't he? He actually felt really cold and his lower stomach was aching. His hands tightened around the tail, ducking his head. "I think it's the fish. I've never had those kinds before." His finger curled and uncurled absently, scratching the scales until a purr finally sounded from the dragon. "I'll be fine, don't coddle." Stretching his back, the human pushed himself up, reaching for his clothes that had been hung up to dry.
"I have to leave. Tomorrow." Toothless finally growled, staring off in the distance.
Hiccup frowned, tugging on the ties to his trousers. "Are you sure you should? That storm that is coming in will probably make it colder than today." In other words, there wasn't a guarantee that if Toothless did make it, he'd be able to return. He could tell the dragon was really trying to stay awake for his human this season. If he went any further north, he'd probably go into a slumber until spring and then…
Hands on his belly, Hiccup grumbled, "I don't want you leaving me."
Toothless smiled sadly. "The Queen calls for me. Many births this season." Toothless helped Hiccup with his shirt, a shamed look on his face. He knew to it might mean he won't be back for the season, when Hiccup really needed his mate. "I have to – to…" The last part is a growl that Hiccup's not familiar with but he knows whatever it is would be important. Winter in this area would be harsh this year and with him pregnant this season, he had a need for his mate. He trusted his life in Gronky's claws but it wasn't the same as having Toothless next to him.
"Can't anyone else go?"
"Little One…"
Hiccup dropped his gaze. He wasn't going to win this. "You can't go to sleep up there." He put his foot down. "As soon as those births are done, I want you to come back." He swallowed hard, crossing his arms across his chest. This was not making the pain in his stomach go away. "And you can't stay gone for too long."
Toothless pulled him into his chest with a throaty laugh. Tilting his head back, Hiccup accepted the kiss.
"Let's get you some food."
Hiccup twisted around, wrapping his arms around the dragon's thicker neck. "I'm not hungry."
He had to stand on his toes to really reach the dragon but it felt right to do so. This height differences didn't matter when they were laying down and that was exactly what Hiccup was going to do, hold his mate for the remainder of the day. Like a trained dog, Toothless allowed himself to be led over to the straw mattress and pushed down with his smaller human above him. He only purred as Hiccup's teeth nipped at his neck, tilting his head back in an act of submission.
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There was something so naughty about this act, like Toothless was throwing everything away to give the human a sense of entitlement. You'll always be fighting for him, his mind chimed. Everyone wants his attention and you have to fight to make sure he sees you.
Toothless was his. Not those birthing dragons' or the Queen's. He belonged in this room, with his pregnant mate, to have and to hold.
Early the next morning, Hiccup ignored his mate when the dragon left their room to start the journey. He only moved to watch the cluster of dragons fly off to the North from his window, feeling nervous about the next few months as his belly ached dully.
