A/N: I do not own HTTYD or any of its characters.

Special thanks to HurryPollo for editing

Review are always welcome.


Ch. 11: Test Flight

"You sure it's all fitting well? Not pinching you anywhere?" Hiccup asked, referring to full flying rig on the Nightfury. It had taken a few days, but he had managed to create a pressured pedal that could be used to control the tail fin.

I don't know. I've never worn one of these things before, Toothless said, moving about, getting a feel for wearing the leather.

"Well, make sure to tell me if it starts chaffing, or-"

Are we finally going to get up in the air today? Or are you just going to stand there?

"Well, someone's grouchy today."

I want to fly, Hiccup. Being on the ground this long makes me antsy.

"Alright, alright," Hiccup sighed, adjusting his flying harness, he climbed up into the saddle, securing himself, "let's do this, position 3," he muttered, adjusting the foot pedal.

With a great beat of his wings, Toothless took off into the air, quickly gaining altitude.

"Oh, that's a big drop," Hiccup said when he looked down, holding on tighter to the saddle grips.

Don't scare yourself, there is nothing to worry about, Toothless said, as they broke free of land, soaring kilometers above the rocky ocean, just listen to my mind, let its instincts guide you.

"Right, right," Hiccup said, "let's take this nice and slow. Position three, no four."

Let's do this. Toothless rumbled, shifting his weight.

Hiccup adjusted the tail, and the two turned into a wide sweeping turn.

Toothless' body angled steeply, forcing Hiccup to rise out of the saddle a little, checked to make sure the saddle wasn't going to shift as they came out of the turn.

He checked behind them to make sure the tail fin was holding.

You need to focus more on flying, less on worrying.

"Right, right," Hiccup said, taking a deep. He relaxed, trying to clear his mind. He focused on the dragon's thoughts below him, feeling the mind working beneath him.

"Let's go," Hiccup said, and he felt Toothless begin to go into a dive.

Hiccup adjusted the foot petal, and they dove down, right underneath a sea stack. Hiccup glanced up at the birds nesting in the rocks above as they evened out.

"Yes, it worked," Hiccup said, turning back to check the tail fin.

Hiccup! Toothless said, and he felt a wave of alarm rise through the dragon.

Hiccup turned in time to see them hit a stack, Toothless managing to push away strait into another one.

"Sorry, my bad," Hiccup winced, feeling the pain in Toothless's leg and side.

Pay attention! Toothless chided, managing to hit him in the face with his ear fin, Come on, let's regain altitude.

"Right, sorry. Position four, no three," Hiccup said, adjusting the petal, and the two began to climb.

As Toothless began to climb excitement bubbled up at being free to fly again. The feeling was contagious, and it made Hiccup smile, "Yeah!" he cheered, as they climbed past the mountain "This is amazing! The wind in my- my cheat sheet! Stop!"

Toothless immediately froze, but Hiccup, however, kept moving due to momentum.

The two began to fall.

Hiccup! Toothless yelled, and the panic and concern ruptured through Hiccup.

"Calm down!" Hiccup yelled, clutching his head, "You got to angle yourself toward me!" he yelled, reaching out toward the black dragon, who was spinning out of control.

Hiccup was flung back when the dragon's tail came bearing across his face.

Sorry! Toothless yelled as they flew apart, and used his secondary fins to bring them back closer together.

Hiccup reached out, and managed to grab hold of the saddle.

Reattaching his safety harness.

Kicked back the tail fin, and Toothless opened his wings, they skimmed the treetops at top speed.

The edges of Toothless' wings burning from the strain they were putting on them.

Hiccup there are rocks! Toothless said the same second Hiccup laid eyes on them.

Hiccup pulled his cheat sheet out of his mouth. How in Thor's name did he still have it?! He looked at it, the wind and panic making his mind sputter to remember what the symbols meant.

He looked down at the approaching rocks, reaching for Toothless' mind unconsciously for support. Their two minds came together, like two cogs in a machine.

And Hiccup could suddenly see where the dragon wanted to fly, how he needed to fly. Hiccup let go of the cheat sheet and leaned forward.

They buckled down, diving into the maze of pillars, weaving through them at break neck speed.

Together they rolled to fit through a gap between two pillars, and dived to duck beneath an overhang, then turned to the right to dodge a stack.

They broke clear of the rocks, and flew over the slate grey sea.

"YEAH!" Hiccup said, sitting up in the saddle, throwing his hands up, the adrenaline still beating through his veins.

Toothless shared the enthusiasm, shooting off a burst of fire in celebration, it hung in midair, and the two were heading directly toward it.

"Oh no," Hiccup said, lowering his arms, as they rode strait through the burst of flame.

They burst through the fire, Hiccup shielding his face with his arms.

"Ow, ow, ow," Hiccup said, putting out his smoldering sleeves, Toothless let out a throaty laugh below him, "hey, it's not funny, I'm not exactly fireproof, and neither is this equipment."

Sorry, Toothless said, but Hiccup could tell that he wasn't, shall we land and have some lunch? My wings are sore from that fall.

"Alright," Hiccup said, adjusting the tail fin, "is this what you meant by listening to your mind?" he asked, as they banked, referring to the gear-turning connection he felt between the two of them.

Yeah, it means our minds are working together.

"It's a weird feeling."

You'll get use it. Toothless said, as they leveled down to the water, flying just over the surface. Fish underneath the water started to swim away from the Nightfury. They leisurely herded them toward the shore, where Toothless easily knocked the lot out of the water with a blast.

They repeated this twice, until there was a pile of fish lying on the sand stone stacks.

"Well, that's probably the quickest catch I've ever gotten," Hiccup said, dismounting, "do you want me to take the saddle off, or are you good?"

I'm good, it isn't pinching me anywhere, Toothless said picking up a fish, and swallowing it whole.

"Yeah, I guess I would feel that," Hiccup said, "I'm going to go find some kindling, be right back."

You can eat them raw.

"Just because I can, doesn't mean I will," Hiccup called over his shoulder, "leave me at least two?"

Then you better hurry back.

Hiccup rolled his eyes, and walked off, he found some drift wood along the beach's edge, and picked it up, bringing an armload back, he put them into a pile.

Toothless set the sticks on fire, and Hiccup skewered one fish and started to cook it.

So I think that besides nearly dropping to death, we did pretty well. Toothless said as Hiccup sat down and leaned against his side.

"Yeah," Hiccup said, conflicted. On one hand he was happy that all his hard work was paying off, on the other he was afraid of what that meant.

He and Toothless weren't anchored to the ground anymore.

That meant that they would be leaving soon.

Training had been going well enough; none of the other dragons seemed to take up the 'chase Hiccup' game the Zippleback had started. Astrid hadn't been giving him too much trouble, she hadn't told anyone about their conversation, though they had talked about it a few times. Snotlout had been furious about this latest development. Hiccup had been waiting for the shoe to drop in that area. Betty and he had actually started sparring freely, but it was still basic training.

It was ironic; his life here on Berk was finally starting to look up in the few moments before he had to leave it.

I just hope Astrid won't be pissed about the dragons being released, Hiccup thought, staring off into the fire. He and Toothless had decided on springing the dragons loose the same night they left Berk. He had talked to them about it, and they all were exited at the opportunity to be free again, and the Monstrous Nightmare had been elated to be relieved of his impending death.

You're brooding again, Toothless hummed, looking at him sideways, what is it now?

"I'm thinking," Hiccup said, feeling excited, but nauseous, at the same time, "that tonight is the night."

Tonight? Toothless blinked, but then nodded, YeahI guess there isn't anything keeping us from going.

"Training ends in three days," Hiccup said, pulling his fish off the fire and bringing it closer to himself, "it's now or never. I guess."

A cluster of roars and small hisses came from off in the distance, and both of them looked up to see four Terrible Terrors approaching the beach. Toothless placed a hand around his fish and growled.

Scavengers, He said, growling low, as they approached.

Food? one of the Terrors said, approaching the pile. Hiccup could feel that the four dragons were really young compared to the Terror from the ring, practically babies in comparison. But for some reason they felt strange to him, as if there was a wall keeping them from his thoughts.

Food, gimme, the yellow one said, going straight for the pile.

Go away! Toothless snapped, making a yellowish one get away from the pile. A green one succeeded in dragging a regurgitated head away from the pile. The yellow one tried to get to the head, but the two ended up in a fight. Hiccup watched the two fight, and a third Terror take off with the head.

Hey that's mine! The green one yelled, and they all started fighting.

Oh no you don't, Toothless said, and Hiccup turned to see him pull a fish away from another green dragon. The thing fell comically to the ground and Toothless laughed at it.

Gimme, the dragon growled, scrapping its feet as if to charge, then reared back, about to breathe fire.

Toothless stopped it cold though, shooting a small flame into the Terror's mouth making the attack backfire, It's what you deserve, Toothless rumbled, as the dragon tottered away.

"I didn't feel that," Hiccup said, looking at the tiny dragon, confused.

What do you mean?

"Every dragon I've met so far," Hiccup frowned, "I've been able to feel their pain, and listen to them. But I'm not feeling anything from these guys, I'm getting the feeling that something is… I don't know, shielding them."

That would be the dragon queen, Toothless said, these four are part of her nest.

"Huh," Hiccup said, watching the four fight over the fish head. "now that you mention it, they do have this… feel to them, like a flavor?"

That's the queen's mark, Toothless said, and hissed when the yellow Terror tried to get at his pile again.

Gimme! It whined, much like a spoiled child.

Go catch your own.

No, the yellow Terror said, stomping its foot angrily.

All of the Terrors suddenly paused, looking up in the direction where they had come from, and Hiccup felt another dragon's presence from that direction, Mommy! The baby dragons called, scrambling over each other to leave in that direction, and just as quickly as they had come, they left.

"Was that their mother calling them?" Hiccup asked

Yes, and I say good riddance, Toothless snorted, eating another fish, finish eating, Hiccup. We have work to do, and I think those things will be back to 'play' once their mom had fed the lot of them.

"You don't like other dragons?"

I don't like children.

"Good to know," Hiccup said, starting to eat his cooked fish.

The two finished up quickly, and then began their flight back to Berk.

"Oh dear," Hiccup said, as they came around the mountain peak, to the side of the island where the town was located.

What? The ship? Toothless said, narrowing his eyes at the ship limping its way into the harbor, Who is that?

"My Dad's back," Hiccup said, "he's been on a hunt for the dragon's nest. I was hoping I would leave before he got back, you know, to avoid the awkward conversation."

Well, it looks like that's not going to happen.

"Yeah, I can see that," Hiccup said, as they took a sharp right to land in the woods, Hiccup dismounted quickly, "go, I'll meet you at the cove once I've freed the dragons in the ring."

Be safe Hiccup, Toothless said, nudging him before taking off quickly into the woods.