Greetings all

Back with another short update.

Not else to say except thanks so much to the guys who keep leaving messages and asking questions. It really does keep me going.

Should have one more update around Christmas as the holidays are really starting to pile on the pressure.

Enjoy.

The Return of The Nightfuries

Chapter 21 – Downs and Ups

(The School of Dragons – Part IV)

Last time, Hiccup went spent an enlightening day with Twilight

before Midnight began to torment him when he was alone in the cave.

Hurt by Midnight's words Hiccup fell asleep waiting for Toothless.

What will happen when Toothless returns?

Read on and find out.

Toothless P.O.V.

Toothless trotted wearily back to his cave, his long sinuous tail dragging slightly on the ground. The combat with his brother though tiring, had been exhilarating and refreshing, re-awakening senses and abilities he had long forgotten. He was grateful to the armour-plated Nightbreaker, who walked unevenly just behind. They both meandered between the trees to the sound of rustling bushes and the soft clicking of their dragon scaled hides, each captive to their own thoughts. While Nightbreaker thought deeply on what he had learned about his brother and his small human, Toothless himself pondered how Nightbreaker would address his father regarding Hiccup.

He already knew his younger brother would be re-telling their conversation to Deathwing and Toothless suspected that Twilight, with her gift, would have already extracted quite a lot of information from Hiccup without the boy even realising.

Toothless hoped his father would not be as unreasonable as he had been in the past and that Hiccup indeed would be accepted here. It was the least he could do for the one that had made his home-coming possible.

Toothless was broken from his thoughts as he exited the tree-line near his cave. The sun was resting just above the horizon and the air was starting to fill with the restless energy of a nest of nocturnal creatures coming to life. However the atmosphere seemed quite tense as he approached his and Hiccup's cave and Toothless' brow furrowed at the sight that greeted him.

Outside his cave were a group of about six Nightfuries, quietly shifting and jostling with each other as they whispered amongst themselves. Their gazes were fixed firmly into his cave, so at first Toothless put it down to harmless curiosity for it had been a long time since a human had been this close outside of combat. But as Toothless came up behind the group he heard the whispers were more aggressive then he would have liked.

One Nightfury in particular hissed and grumbled as if urging his companions on and with Hiccup's scent heavy in the air, it meant the Viking teen was most definitely in the cave, alone for some reason. Stopping behind them, Toothless let out a low growl to signal his presence and take the attention off of his human.

"Greetings brothers and sisters!" Toothless intoned quietly, gaining everyone's attention and stilling the group to silence.

The leader of the group pushed his fellows aside and walked right up to Toothless, bowing deeply as he spoke, "Hail Shadow, firstborn of Deathwing!"

"Greetings Blacklight" Toothless replied evenly as his cousin raised his head up again, "And what has you all so upset that you flock around my cave like a gaggle of unsettled Terrors?"

"Your human pet has challenged me!" Blacklight growled, the dying red sunlight glinting off of his deeply purple eyes. Toothless' green eyes widened in confusion at the accusation as he glanced over the crowd of reptilian interlopers, to spot the boy curled up, asleep on the floor of the cave.

"The child is asleep cousin, how could he possibly challenge you?" Toothless replied his eyes narrowing in suspicion, "And more importantly, why do you need five of your friends to answer said challenge?"

"He….claimed…..an area in the forest that is marked as mine!" Blacklight hissed, his voice getting louder earning agreeing growls from his cohorts, "His behaviour is completely unacceptable! I would have him answer for his trespass!"

Toothless lifted his nostrils to the air and coupled with his knowledge of the boy's habits on their journey, immediately realised what Blacklight was getting at.

"The boy means no harm Blacklight" Toothless crooned trying to soothe his cousin's ire, "he simply needs a place to mark as his own, he didn't know that was one of your trees!"

"Perhaps I should educate him then!" Backlight growled in response, his talons clawing at the stony ground, his tail swaying side to side in dark excitement "We didn't get to teach him properly last night, I would be happy to resume his 'lesson'!"

"That would be a mistake Blacklight!" Toothless angrily barked in response, baring his teeth and letting the bones and muscles in his spine audibly pop as he flexed them, readying to pounce on the malicious dragon.

"Perhaps I should teach you a lesson instead, for bringing dangerous creatures into our home!" Blacklight retorted, rolling his shoulders and tensing his legs to match Toothless' aggressive posture.

"I wouldn't if I were you Blacklight!" Nightbreaker warbled deeply, limping forward to break up the confrontation, standing right beside Toothless. "My brother has already broken scales and spilt blood this day! I would prefer it not to happen again."

Blacklight took a moment to in inspect the severity of Nightbreaker's wounds and his eyes widened in surprise as he looked back to a smiling Toothless who had now fanned out his wings slightly, "You….you did that?" the purple-eyed Nightfury gasped.

Toothless simply nodded while Nightbreaker took another limped step forward, drawing Blacklight's gaze once more.

"Verily he did Blacklight" Nightbreaker crooned, "And I doubt your armour is as thick as mine! My brother could very well cut you open in one swipe if you insist on provoking him by threatening his human, who does not know any better!"

Blacklight looked Nightbreaker over one more time, analysing his condition before snorting derisively and looking at Toothless.

"I go to take back what is mine! If I catch your pet leaving his mark in one of my territories again, I will answer his challenge and no-one will be able to stop me, not even the sons and daughters of the Alpha's line!"

And with that Blacklight shoved his way between Toothless and Nightbreaker while the other Nightfuries scattered in different directions leaving the two brothers to think on what had happened.

"Train your pet Shadow!….." Blacklight called back over his shoulder "…and train him quickly! If you don't, not only will he bring himself down….but he will bring you down as well!"

As the disgruntled Nightfury slipped out of sight into shadows of the forest, Toothless and Nightbreaker looked at each other awkwardly and realised that the sleeping boy was dominating both of their thoughts.

"This is what I mean by the boy being a problem! He shouldn't be here" Nightbreaker warned, "Already he has your cousin set against you!"

"It will not be a problem brother," Toothless replied firmly, "Hiccup will not make that mistake again."

"I hope so! Now if you will excuse me, I have wounds to heal!" the heavy-set Nightfury warbled, "Until tomorrow brother!" And so Nightbreaker launched into the sky and flew off, his body silhouetted against the dying rays of the sun.

Finally alone, Toothless retracted his wings and stepped lightly into the cave to inspect the new layout. The freshly carved holes with Hiccup's belongings caught his attention first and the Nightfury gently poked his snout into each one, sniffing and analysing their contents. His spare clothes gave off an unpleasant odour, like stale food and were in need of repair. But that was a problem easily solved. There were many sweet smelling jars with some leather pouches holding herbs and plants the dragon remembered Hiccup consuming to treat himself. There were small tools and items he did not recognize and as always with his boy, there were several books. Toothless looked forward to learning what everything did and admired the methodical way Hiccup had organised his things. It reminded him of the strange forge building he had snuck into that night back on Berk, when he was attached to his boy and they only barely escaped being caught by that small blonde Viking she-devil.

Seeing the child's possessions laid out somehow made the cave feel more like 'home' to him. That it was more than just a dragon's lair. Smirking Toothless finally walked around the fire pit and turned his attention to Hiccup lying at an awkward angle on the floor, journal and pencil strewn beside him.

Leaning in, Toothless ruffled the boy's hair with his snout and chuffed a gentle greeting. "Time to wake up my boy!" the Nightfury crooned warmly, causing the Viking boy to immediately stir and sit up.

"ugh…agh..uh…Toothless…hey buddy, long time no see!" Hiccup muttered groggily.

The greeting wasn't as warm as the dragon had been expecting and Hiccup's aura was a strangely neutral green so Toothless nuzzled his head into Hiccup's chest, purring deeply to reassure his human. Unfortunately he didn't notice the pained look in Hiccup's eyes as he wrapped his arms around the dragon's wide head whispering "I missed you so much!"

Hiccup P.O.V. A few minutes ago

He had been dozing on and off since sitting down with his book. The sudden onset of sleep had taken the boy by blissful surprise and he welcomed escaping the confusing world he had landed himself in, at least for a short while. Hiccup's mind rather than floating in that comforting empty blackness of deep sleep raced through the many interactions he had experienced in the past day or so. It was a truly bewildering and unnerving sensation that made him consciously shiver.

As he heard faint repetitions of his conversations with Twilight, Midnight's threats and Deathwing's lectures, Hiccup felt a tingling sensation around his legs caused by a faint breeze, created by what he could have sworn was the rustling of scales and the clicking of many claws on the ground. It was as if he had drifted into a nest of Terrible Terrors that writhed and chittered at his intrusion.

Then as quickly as the sound appeared to stir him from unconsciousness, it subsided, to be replaced by more distinct voices.

Hiccup couldn't tell who the voices belonged to, but he could tell that they were all angry. He didn't hear everything but was able to make out some of the words as the dragons spoke in highly threatening tones. Even with his eyes closed and his body curled up on the floor, Hiccup's face dropped in a frown as he picked out phrases like, "His behaviour is completely unacceptable!...teach you a lesson instead, for bringing dangerous creatures into our home….."

Hiccup immediately realised there were unhappy Nightfuries outside his cave and they were arguing with someone. His body remained still and Hiccup tried desperately to figure out who the voice was talking to and what he could possibly have done to provoke these dragons, besides showing up here. There was some quiet growling, barking and hissing that drowned out the rest of the conversation but when it died down Hiccup heard a clear threatening voice ring out in the distance, "…Train your pet Shadow!….he will bring you down…..!"

So they were talking about him and Toothless / Shadow had been defending him. Hiccup wanted to get up and thank his friend, but a new voice stopped him and he was able to make out, "This is what I mean by the boy being a problem! He shouldn't be here!"Hiccup heard the worried bass voice croon, "Already he has your cousin set against you!"

Hiccup's heart clenched in fear and self-loathing as his earlier thoughts came back to haunt him. His presence was jeopardizing Toothless' place and stirring up trouble on the Isle of night. Midnight had been correct after all. And he had only been here one day. Things were not going well and Hiccup, despite Twilight's reassurances felt horrible for bringing this conflict to his best friends' front door (even though the cave had no front door per say, something Hiccup wished to remedy if he could find the materials).

"Hiccup will not make that mistake again!"

The words that Toothless spoke hit Hiccup hard. It sounded like the dragon was annoyed with him. It had only been a day on this new island and already he was causing problems, upsetting the locals and needing to be constantly kept under guard. It seemed things here were no different than on Berk. The thought made Hiccup shudder slightly as Midnight's words found an even stronger foothold in his mind.

'He was a burden. He would probably have been hurt or worse if Toothless had not arrived. He was unable to protect himself. He was dragging his friend down!'

Hiccup was focusing so much on keeping his thoughts and emotions in check that he failed to notice the departure of the other Nightfury and Toothless poking quietly around his things on the shelves.

He was startled by thick scales messing with his hair, followed a deep voice murmuring to him "time to wake up my boy!"

Instantly Hiccup was up and reaching for his friend, unsure as how he should greet him. The dragon had just been expressing doubts about him and may even shout at him for some screw-up he had committed. But Hiccup was used to that from Stoick and everyone else back on Berk, so he pushed his fears aside and jumped straight to his usual dead-pan-quipping self as he sat up, "ugh… agh.. uh… Toothless… hey buddy, long time no see!", he muttered groggily.

The greeting wasn't as warm as Hiccup wanted to give and he immediately felt guilty but before he could apologize, Toothless was nuzzling his head into Hiccup's chest, purring deeply. The pleasant feeling made Hiccup feel so conflicted. He loved this affection the dragon gave him but he didn't want to be selfish, seeing he was no longer the only priority in the dragon's life anymore. Hiccup longed for those days in the cove or even when they flew away from Berk, so long as it was just them. It hurt to know he would never have those days back again. So much so his eyes threatened to leak fresh tears, but he held them back as he wrapped his arms around the dragon's wide head whispering "I missed you so much!"

After a few moments, Hiccup withdrew his hands and as he idly gazed down them he let out yelp "AGH!"

General P.O.V.

"What? What is it Hiccup?" Toothless crooned in concern pulling back from the boy's embrace.

"You're hurt Bud!" Hiccup gasped as he turned his palms to show the Nightfury they were covered in dark crimson blood.

Panicking Hiccup scrambled to his feet and began running his hands all over Toothless' body, hastily searching for what kind of injuries his friend had received and what had caused them. Toothless remained still as the human's concern for him never ceased to warm his heart along with the humorous bouts of rambling Hiccup would descend into when he was overly worried. Stifling a deep throaty laugh Toothless nudged Hiccup back a step with his paw, his eyes wide with playfulness.

"Never fear Hiccup, they just a few sparing marks! Trust me, Nightbreaker faired far worse than I!" Toothless declared warmly with a small degree of smugness, knowing he had nothing to fear from fighting his own kin anymore.

"Oh…well…..that's…ok I guess….." Hiccup muttered as he calmed down trying to wipe the blood off his hands. Yet he could now see the Nightfury had large patches of the dried blood all across his back and legs as well as a big lump of clotted blood below his left nostril. Hiccup felt bad at not being able to help for he was no dragon doctor and his own wounds had yet to fully heal.

'Maybe Midnight was right. How could he take care of Toothless if he couldn't even take care of himself?'

As the boy went quiet, still with a deep look of concern on his face, Toothless decided he would begin the child's education as Blacklight suggested and take care of several things before they got out of hand. But also have some fun at the same time!

"How about we go for flight?" the Nightfury warbled.

Hiccup's face split wide with a smile of surprise, relief and gratitude that made the Nightfury chuckle. Normally it was Hiccup who got Toothless excited by suggesting a flight. As the boy moved quickly to lift his saddle and tailfin, Toothless continued pleasantly as the apparatus was strapped on.

"And while we fly, I will show you more of our home! There is much I have to teach you. For starters I know of a series hot spring where we can wash this blood off and you can clean that muck off your coverings."

Hiccup paused in his movements at the word 'teach' remembering the stern words spoken while he supposedly slept. He looked at his clothes and let out an aggravated groan, as if noticing his dishevelled appearance for the first time, "Uggghhh, no! I can't believe I looked this bad in front of Twilight! She must think I'm disgusting!"

"Nonsense!" Toothless warbled playfully, "Twilight is one of the most understanding Nightfuries I know! All we need to do is get you cleaned up. There's actually a legend about the hot springs! It is said that they are heated by…"

"…..By the soul of a great Fire-Worm that haunts the land and heats the earth?" Hiccup interrupted a small smile on his face.

"Why…..uh…..I mean…..yes!" Toothless uttered stunned that Hiccup knew such a thing, "How did you?….."

"A certain understanding Nightfury told me." Hiccup replied, trying hard not to laugh at surprising his draconic friend.

Toothless broke into a loud draconic laugh that made his whole body shiver. Truly something amazing must have happened for Twilight share such a thing with Hiccup and the dragon started bouncing around the cave in excitement, causing Hiccup to run after him, barely getting a hold on the saddle to stay beside him.

"Come Hiccup!" Toothless chirped joyously, "bring all of your coverings and your flower-rock!" Hiccup always smirked when he heard Toothless say the word he had chosen to call Hiccup's soap. "Let us fly! Let us show my kin what we can do together! And we shall cleanse ourselves from our past trials!"

The Nightfury's happy tone warmed Hiccup and he momentarily allowed himself to set aside Midnight's taunts and the conversation he had overheard. A few short minutes saw Hiccup pack all of his clothes into his wolf-skin sack and mounted on the Nightfury before the pair shot off into the sky.

But Hiccup's jubilation was again replaced by fear and uncertainty as he saw that they were not the only ones in the sky that night.

For, above, below and all around them, the sky was literally filled with Nightfuries!

All Hiccup could utter was a fretful "Oh boy!"

There you are.

Not much to say about this chapter except the pressure is starting to mount. But we are in no way getting close to seeing how much stress is going to be piled on our luckless hero!

Figured a bit of a quiet domestic scene was in order before we get back to some action which will involve Hiccup and Toothless' first flight with the nest and their next encounter with Deathwing, amongst others.

Hope you like the story so far and as always any comments, reviews, P.M's or feedback is greatly appreciated.

Until next time,

Take care yourselves and each other

And Merry Christmas!

Razor95