Chapter 11:

Now for the test that will prove that Mortem is a good dragon! And please don't be too mad at Stoick, he is overprotective after all. Mortem being a Red Death means danger and evil to him. But he'll be proven wrong after this, I promise!

As much as Mortem wanted to prove that he was a good dragon, there were still many things that he didn't know about. Sometimes, he couldn't even tell the difference between right and wrong. Plus, it didn't help that Stoick said he'd kill Mortem if something went wrong.

Hiccup stayed at the academy overnight to talk with Mortem, and train him some more. Mortem didn't like being alone, and it was nice to have some company for the night.

"We'll start with weapons," Hiccup said, "And why you should avoid them." He picked up a heavy barrel full of axes, maces and swords. The weight of the barrel nearly made him fall to the ground. He somehow managed to dump the contents on the ground, in front of Mortem. Mortem curiously looked at the weapons. He grabbed a mace in his claws and stuck it in his mouth.

"Mortem, no!" Hiccup said, reaching into the dragon's mouth and pulling out the mace. "Don't eat that," he told the dragonet, "That's bad. You'll hurt yourself." Toothless walked up to Mortem, and whacked him with his tail. Hiccup let out a frustrated sigh. "Toothless, stop picking on Mortem," he said, "How would you feel if he was shoving you?" Toothless looked down at the ground, feeling guilty.

Hiccup sighed again and walked over to his friend. "I know that you're trying to help," he said to Toothless, "But punishing Mortem isn't going to teach him anything. We have to be gentle with him, okay?" Toothless looked at Hiccup and nodded.

Soon Mortem was recognizing the weapons by name, and he learned each weapon's purpose. All three could be thrown, swung, or used for slashing or crushing. They all did their own amount of damage. Mortem cringed at the thought of a mace being clubbed down on his feet, or an axe or sword slashing as his heart. He knew all too well to avoid these dangerous objects.

Next, he learned about all the different dragons living on the island. There was Toothless, the Night Fury, who he already had gotten to know a bit. He recognized Stormfly as Astrid's Deadly Nadder.

When he heard Hiccup mention the name 'Hookfang,' it made him shiver with fright. He later figured out that was the name of Snotlout's Monstrous Nightmare. The name of the dragon species made him even more frightened. He knew right away that Hookfang wasn't a dragon that you'd want to make angry. You wouldn't like him when he was angry.

That left Meatlug and Barf and Belch. It was easy to tell that the Gronckle was Meatlug, but Mortem had a hard time figuring out which one of the Zippleback heads was Barf, and the other was Belch. Oh well, he'd figure it out eventually.

Later, Mortem rested in a corner of the academy as he watched Hiccup write notes in his notebook. Maybe someday he'd be able to write and draw like his 'father.' He decided that would be another thing he'd train himself to do. He noticed Toothless walking up to him, a guilty look on his face.

"What is it, Uncle Toothless?" Mortem asked.

Toothless wanted to roll his eyes, but he stopped himself. "I want to apologize for hitting you earlier," he said. "When I was working for the Queen, it was either do what you're told, or be punished. I'm sorry, Mortem."

Mortem listened carefully, and suddenly realized something. "You called me by my name," he said softly.

"Of course I did," Toothless said, "Do you want me to call you something else?"

"No, thank you, 'Mortem' is fine," Mortem said, "They've called me worse things all day."

Hiccup stopped writing notes and watched the two dragons talk. Although he couldn't understand what they were saying, he could tell by their reactions that they were really starting to get along. He smiled. He was about to continue writing notes when he heard Astrid's voice. "Hey, Hiccup."

Hiccup hadn't been more startled in his whole life. He screamed and clutched his notebook to his chest. He sighed when he realized who it was. "Astrid, please stop doing that!" he said.

Astrid laughed as she sat next to him. "Sorry," she apologized. "I didn't think that I would scare you that much."

"Well, guess what? You did." Hiccup said, with a hint of sarcasm in his voice.

That got Astrid laughing again. Hiccup smiled at her, setting his notebook on the ground next to him. "So, what are you doing here?"

"I wanted to check on you before I went home," Astrid said. "It makes me feel better knowing that you're okay. And Mortem, for that matter."

Hiccup moved his hand so that it rested on hers. "Good to know," he said simply.

The two of them sat there, smiling at one another. The moon slowly rose into the sky, lighting up their faces. Hiccup was amazed. By herself, Astrid was very beautiful, but in the moonlight, she was even more so. Her eyes lit up in the moonlight, making her more beautiful than ever. Hiccup didn't notice, but the moonlight was also having an effect on his own appearance. His eyes had lit up just as much as Astrid's did, and the moonlight shining on his face made Astrid want to be there with him the entire night.

Hiccup sighed. "You look beautiful," he said.

"Thanks," Astrid said, "You look pretty nice yourself."

Hiccup's eyes went wide. "D-did I say that out loud?" he asked nervously.

Chuckling at his anxiety, Astrid kissed his cheek before she stood up. "I should go," she said, "My parents will be wondering where I am."

Hiccup watched as she made her way to the exit. Part of him wanted to run after her, maybe give her a kiss goodnight. But he wasn't quite that bold yet.

Mortem had learned a lot about what to do and what not to do, and yet he felt like there was still more to learn. The island was full of dragons, but Toothless was the only Night Fury. Did that mean that Toothless was the last of his kind? Mortem didn't want Toothless to be left alone while all the other dragons found their mates, it seemed unfair. He promised himself that one day, he would find his friend another Night Fury to mate with.

He realized then that finding his friend a mate was a good thing to do. Compassion. Somehow, that word came into his head, and he realized that he was doing that. He was treating his family the way that he wanted to be treated. They had helped him, and he hoped that he would one day be able to repay them for their kindness. Nothing seemed more important to him than being a part of a family, and doing what he could to return their affection.

He was indeed, a very good dragon.

Mortem learned a lot in this chapter. But is it enough? Stay tuned, because the next chapter will have an unexpected twist. Guess what group is back! Hint: They've come for Mortem. Review, follow, or favorite!