DISCLAIMER: I OWN NOTHING
Author's note:
I know, I know. Two chapters in one day is a bit overkill. But I really wanted to post this one.
And unfortunately, writing longer chapters is becoming a bit of a habit, since this one is almost as long as the last. Sorry?
But if the chapter label is any indication, someone will be gets a name in this one. I won't spoil it for you, though. ;)
I also took some artistic license with this one by extending the scene a bit. I know some of the stuff I wrote didn't technically happen in the movie, but I thought it filled in some plot and character development holes.
Like always, I hope you enjoy! And please, tell me what I need to improve on! It would help me a lot!
After the moment had passed, the Viking boy decided to return to his little village, possibly feeling dejected by The Dragon, whom had inconsiderately ran away from him. A part of The Dragon realized that the child had been there far too long-hours, even. If they spent any more time together, his people would probably come looking, discovering The Dragon in the process.
Initially, The Dragon was grateful for his alone time, believing that it would give him a chance to sort out his thoughts. But when a mere hour had passed, his emotional state only worsened. Loneliness crashed down on him like a thousand-pound weight, making his stomach feel hollow again-and that wasn't because he hadn't been fed.
The situation was funny, he supposed. The Dragon hadn't recognized the absence of loneliness until it had returned. Maybe that was the feeling's nature all along-and The Dragon, who had long since believed himself an expert on the subject, realized that he had a lot to learn.
He tried to pass the time, but it was difficult. Sleep wasn't really an option for him, given the dreams that plagued him. His main focus was wondering what the child would bring next-something fun, he hoped. Like drawing, which had been the only activity able to take his mind off flying.
As time passed, The Dragon began to worry that the boy was not coming back at all. His anger increased with each moment, suspecting the worst. He even started throwing random fireballs with agitation.
Fine! He didn't need that stupid Viking boy. So what if the kid had brought him a fish, or showed him how to draw? That didn't mean anything. The Viking probably just wanted to brag that he had pet a dragon with all limbs intact.
He was soon proven wrong, though, when he smelled the child strolling into the ravine, a basket of fish on his back. The Dragon tried not to seem excited, so he remained facing the walls of the gorge with a stoic expression plastered to his face.
"Hey Toothless," the boy said in those unfamiliar Viking words. He had heard the first one enough to know that it was some sort of greeting. But the second one-the child had now addressed The Dragon with it twice. It was a strange noise, sounding like a tongue click, "uh," hiss, "eh," and another hiss. It wasn't too different from some dragon noises he had heard, and he took a liking to it.
"I brought breakfast. I hope you're hungry," the child went on.
The Dragon continued his pretense and turned around, facing the human and the appetizing basket of fish unemotionally. The load must have been too much for the boy's skinny arms, especially since he dropped it with great relief, and then kicked it over with considerable difficulty. A large variety of fish scattered forth from the basket, and The Dragon was eager to dig in. However, he sensed something...wrong with the pile, but he had yet to identify what.
Soon enough, he realized the boy had brought something else in his arms, but The Dragon didn't pry about what it was. He knew it wasn't a weapon. The boy wouldn't do that to him. Instead, The Dragon was more concerned with that problematic fish pile.
Suspicious, The Dragon advanced toward the pile as the Viking boy rambled on in his strange language. He didn't really understand what he was saying, but The Dragon deduced that it was something about the fish. When he gave the pile a sniff, he realized the problem-and it was a very big problem indeed.
Hiding among his beloved fish was the foulest of creatures-an eel. Dead, yes, but that did not make it any less loathsome. Not only were they vicious and slimy, but all dragons knew the horrible effects of eel consumption: sporadic fire-breathing, hallucinations, etc. It was a lesson that The Dragon remembered experiencing for himself at a young age-just another benefit of the orphaned dragon learning curve.
Backing away, he hissed and growled tremulously at the eel, terror and disgust fierce in his eyes. There was little on the planet that he hated more than those horrendous eels-and yet it sat there, contaminating his meal...mocking him. The Dragon wanted desperately for it to be removed, but he was far too scared to approach. In truth, he knew his fear was completely irrational. The eel was dead, after all. But his animal instincts demanded that he stay away from that abomination at all costs.
Seeing The Dragon's distress, the Viking boy immediately picked up the eel and flung it away. The human then outstretched his hands in calming gestures, saying words that expressed empathy of some sort. Once again, gratitude toward the child burned at the pit of The Dragon's stomach, along with another type of burning-his hunger.
Relieved, he tore into the fish pile. Now this was a meal fit for a dragon-a whole pile of fish, just for him. With each bite, The Dragon could feel the last pangs of his hunger fading away. He vaguely noticed the boy walking behind him, but The Dragon didn't give it much thought. Trust had replaced his suspicions by now, so he no longer became nervous when the boy got too close. Plus, the fish were the only real focus of his attention at the moment.
A few seconds later, he felt the Viking touching his tail. He wasn't afraid of the boy's touch anymore, but the feeling was a bit annoying, so he moved his tail out the way. It still felt like the child was grabbing for his tail, though, and The Dragon decided to let him. It was the least he could do after the meal the child had brought, and it wasn't like the tail had a purpose anymore, anyway.
The Dragon finished off the rest of the fish. However, a part of him still wanted more, so he stuck his nose into the basket, hoping to find any food that was hiding from him. Meanwhile, he could feel the boy wrapping something around his tail, but The Dragon didn't worry. Like he pointed out-the tail couldn't get much worse.
All of a sudden, he felt something on his tail tighten, and it was like the world had righted itself for the first time in days. He hadn't realized it before, but until this moment, his body had been unbalanced, awkward, and unnatural. But now...now the balance had returned. He let the basket drop and shook his tail, trying to figure out the reason behind the change.
The boy tightened the thing further, and The Dragon's eyes widened. It was then that he realized that his tail had miraculously healed-the left tailfin returned.
He didn't care how it happened, or why. Maybe the injury was not as severe as perceived, and the boy had corrected the issue with his human hands. Whatever the case, the world was not as cruel as it initially seemed. There was some luck to be found.
Finally, he could return to his greatest joy in life: flying!
With his heart beating faster than ever before, The Dragon unfolded his dark wings, ready to depart into the open air. And he did so, unaware that the boy was still clinging onto his tail. But The Dragon simply couldn't notice-not when he was so distracted by his renewed ability! Even the boy's yells did not reach him.
But his rejoicing was cut short as he tried to turn, but failed miserably. His body began plummeting downward, his tail useless-just like it had been before. However, at the last second, he was able to pull up again. Maybe it was a fluke?
The Dragon shot up toward the sky like a bullet, gliding like the master-flier he once was. Then, he allowed himself to dive down, skimming the water of the tiny pond in the ravine. It was then that he felt the pressure of the boy's presence on his tail.
The Dragon looked at the Viking with incredulity-humans were not supposed to fly. It just wasn't natural. So he flung the child off into the water, hoping that the boy avoided injury.
But as soon as he was free of the Viking's grasp, he began to fall again. Before he hit the ground, The Dragon got a good look at his newly healed tail.
The fin wasn't healed, after all. Instead, there was some sort of Viking-made contraption in its place, flapping limply in the air. It was a poor substitute.
The Dragon hit the pond with astounding force, water splashing in all directions. He moaned, flapping his wings with irritation.
So...his impediment remained-lessened slightly, perhaps. Nevertheless, it was good to fly again, even for a short time.
As The Dragon pulled himself out of the icy water, he saw the Viking boy stumbling onto the sand. He had a pensive expression on his face, as if considering a way to improve the tail.
The Dragon still couldn't believe that The Viking had made the tail prosthetic, whether it had worked or not. Okay, the boy's drawings were still inferior, but The Dragon couldn't deny the child's ingenuity.
Overwhelmed with even more gratitude, The Dragon bounded over to the boy. The latter looked a bit panicked at first, unaccustomed to being approached in such a way, but he did not run. The most he did was wince at the splashing water.
Unsure of how he should express his feelings, The Dragon stood helpless for a while, wondering what to do. Then, he decided to do a natural thing-something that he had seen other dragons do to one another.
He nuzzled the boy with his nose. The child's confused stare implied that he had not expected such an affectionate gesture, but he showed no sign of it being unwelcome.
A few seconds later, though, he replied with his strange Viking words. "Thanks...Toothless."
The first word sounded like it also expressed gratitude...but the second-the second word was now very familiar. Maybe The Dragon didn't know what it meant, exactly, but he had now been called that for the third time. He was intelligent enough to realize that it was a description of some sort. In truth, he didn't understand the concept of a name yet, but his sense of self could comprehend that he was something, or even multiple things: a Dragon, a Night Fury, a flying beast. He could mentally categorize himself as all of those things.
But to this boy-this strange, Viking boy with even stranger words-he was "Toothless." And by knowing that he was that word, it became a part of him. That's what a name is, after all. A word with a meaning; A word that's a part of you. In time, "Toothless" will understand that.
With yet another bonding moment passed, the boy began to make his way out of the ravine. Before he left, though, Toothless could have sworn that he saw the child fish the eel out of the pond, slipping it under his furs.