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It had always been a game. A dangerous, fun, and incredibly foolish one, but a game none-the-less. Was that regret? No… No I don't think so. It certainly hurt when the odd rocks and rope wrapped around my form, not to mention the very ungraceful landing…

Oh, mother, if you could see me now. Would you be ashamed? Would you be fearful? The same boy who tore away the freedom of the skies gave them back just as heartily. He is… different. Odd, like me. The wolf in a flock of sheep. Or more like a sheep in a pack of wolves. A few weeks and he had been turned into that wolf for a few brief beautiful minutes.

Then he lost it all again and went back to the starving, beaten predator. The things I can show him! Size is not everything. I have beaten dragons four times my length and height. He is quick, agile, stealthy.

Like me.

It had taken me so long, so long, to reach my own potential, but ever guttural sound, every touch, every reaction pushes him further and further from his greatness. I was with him when he first tasted that freedom. I showed him the way!

Now they are beating him back with whips and sticks of silver, but I saw him taste that blood, he smelled it and he liked it. But now he lets them control him, wrap chains around his wings and showing him the sky, mocking him, telling him that his dreams will never become a reality. I remember those days when I had felt the same… seeing what I had just out of reach.

Patience, man-child. I will guide you, and I will take you to where your dreams will come to life. There you will be great, will be respected. Places that I have seen, where they cried out my many titles in fear, in horror. They will repeat yours in similar ways.

I can promise that.

Toxic eyes watched over the withering form on the bed, scaled lips pulled back into a harsh snarl. Tired murmurs awoke in the silence, spilling form lips that had once said sweet, kind words that had comforted a dragon. Fingers loosened and tightened again and again, trying to find something to hold onto as the Viking was whipped through a dream.

There was nothing the Night Fury could do to quench his fears until those leaf-like eyes snapped open and Hiccup was dragged from his nightmares back to reality. So the Dragon waited, impatiently, occasionally nudging with his large nose, easing the boy away from the edge. Huffing in annoyance, ears curling back, tail swishing over the wooden floor in irritation, Toothless stood. His black form was invisible in the darkness; only his semi-glowing eyes piercing through the night.

The dragon readjusted himself, making the floorboards creak. Hiccup muttered again, curling up further under the half-thrown off the bed blankets. Snorting, Toothless leaned over him and nudged gently once more, a small, fragile hand moving up to touch his face. A low purr escaped his chest, blowing hot hair onto the boy's face, ruffling his auburn locks.

Hiccup groaned, but didn't curl up tighter. His eyelids flickered before springing open, landing on glittering, short white teeth. "Hmm, Toothless?"

The dragon let his head fall on the boy's stomach, tail twitching as the hand moved to scratch in just the right places. He could feel the trembling of the small, fleshy body beneath him, and settled with turning and licking the young Viking's face.

"Oh, gross!" Wiping away the saliva with his shirt, Hiccup glared half-heartedly at the Night Fury before a grin stretched his lips. Toothless lifted his head when the boy moved, getting to the edge of the bed and slowly putting—hissing in pain every so often—his metal leg into place.

When the boy finally stood up (wobbling and stumbling about) and made his way to the front door blindly through the dark, was Toothless able to lift him onto his back with a grunt. A late night routine for them; Hiccup woke from his nightmares, and the dragon would take him flying. The black tail easily closed the door before they were soaring past the beacons of fire that outlined the village and then over the icy blackness of the ocean.

For a moment, Hiccup wondered if this was what Valhalla felt like; a rush of freedom and joy. Or even if the Valkyries didn't arrive to gather fallen warriors on horses, but dragons. Did they enjoy the rushing of the air brushing their face? Of the clouds painting small water droplets across their skin? Sighing and letting his eyes droop partially, the boy rested against Toothless' smooth body even as the dragon twisted in the air, easily moving around towers of stone human eyes couldn't see.

For a moment, one of the dark shadows reared an ugly head that spouted fire and heat straight out of a nightmare, out of his nightmare. Hiccup shook his head, trying to make the image vanish back into the depths of his mind, but the Green Death still haunted him, even though its body lay rotting at the Nest.

The battle that had stolen his leg now replayed itself in his mind, tormenting him night after night. Scars, though healing, reopened but one thing always stayed consistent; Toothless. Running a hand over his friend's head, Hiccup sighed. The dragon had been the first thing he had seen when he had finally woken up, had stayed by his side, and was the only one to comfort him after the nightmares.

Especially after the first night when he had woken up screaming his throat raw. The boy couldn't even talk the following day, so he stayed upon his dragon. But now… now that everyone had a dragon, they got no peace. The sky was no longer just theirs to claim, and Hiccup wondered if it was selfish to think that; to believe that flying was the one gift that the Gods had given him, then split it and handed it out to everyone else.

He was glad that the two species had stopped fighting, but now Toothless couldn't dive through the rock formations without an eager Nadder trying to follow, soar above the clouds there were swarms of Nightmares, and swooping over the trees; Zipplebacks. For once, he wished that the village had let the dragons go on their way instead of keeping them as pets.

A soft rumble shook Toothless' frame, dragging the boy out of his thoughts. Thankful, he patted his friend's head and turned to look back over his shoulder, realizing that the fires marking the village were now fading like the stars, getting further and further away. "Toothless?" He murmured softly and the dragon, with a slight huff, answered the unasked question and turned back around, toxic eyes narrowed. It wouldn't be today, it wouldn't be tomorrow, but they would leave the pain and nightmares behind if the dragon had anything to say about it.

At their front, the sky began to turn a steady lighter blue before it was tinged with pink and orange. When they finally reached Berk, a large shadow had fallen across the village and the early risers were rubbing the sleep from their eyes as they went about their daily chores. Toothless landed outside the Chief's home, following behind the limping boy as he made his way inside.

A spurt of blue-purple set the fireplace aglow even as Hiccup settled with making himself and his father breakfast before dragging a sack full of fish to the eager Toothless. Sitting down heavily in one of the rickety chairs, the boy looked out of the corner of his eye at the eating dragon, smiling when the long tail curled, the red tailfin a contrast to his dark body.

Yes… perhaps the nightmares will go away someday, and his world will be filled with dreams again…

They stare at us, watch us with their bulging eyes and ugly, pink faces. For a while, I hated them, I still hate them, but for other reasons now. The only thing they were good for was entertainment. They played along with my game; they built weapons, I knocked them down. Simple, easy, and their fat cheeks glowing red from anger and the heat of my fire made it worth it.

Now, now I know that they never singled me out except that I'm perhaps more dangerous than what they normally see, no. But they singled out one of their own kind. When he had raised the pathetic knife over me, I saw the bruises hidden beneath the shirt, the scratched knees from being pushed down too many times.

Oh, yes, I saw it, and I hated it.

How dare they?! He is mine, and should anyone ever think to cause harm to him again, I'll tear them into little, gory bits. I can protect him from their weak bodies, smash their shields, break their weapons. But I know I can't stop one thing; their vile tongues.

Dripping with caramel coated hooks, they wait and he bites. Again and again and again. He trusts too easily, performing to their beck and call. It's disgusting, but I can't help and feel sorry for him. He who smells of the sea and wind, who laughed like the hyena and howled like the wolf.

The boy who is as kind and trusting as a lonely, starving dog. They do not deserve his friendship, I—who no other human has touched—feel as though I do not deserve his love. But he gives it anyway, in plentiful amounts.

It will be his undoing.

And it's time that he knew that. I will make him strong and hard, ready for the world to rest upon his shoulders as the Gods wished. But first… first he must leave this brittle place behind.

I can show you a world, man-child, that you have never seen before…

It was a slow day, Hiccup deciding to stay inside and just wave his worried father on. His attention was elsewhere, focusing instead on his thoughts that seemed to be weaving a never ending web. He wanted silence, freedom, and the old forlorn sky welcoming him back with mothering arms. Toothless stayed by him, curious and rumbling, every once in awhile, looking out the window as if the clouds held the answer to life.

Perhaps they did.

But when the boy turned his attention to the outside, there wasn't a cloud in sight and, for the first time, Hiccup wondered where Toothless had been all those years before he suddenly attacked the guard tower for the first time. Maybe—in all the strangeness that had followed him—the dragon was feeling homesick.

Hiccup gave him extra fish that day, hoping it would distract the creature long enough as he tried to figure everything out. He, after all, couldn't just leave Berk…

Could he?

Sure, his uncle had done it; actually had settled someplace else and made quite a good village with a few others. And it wasn't like he would be gone forever, right? Just until Toothless was able to see his home again.

Should he ask?

Hiccup sighed and rested his head in his hands until something wet and cold touched his cheek. Jumping, he stared in shock at the offered fish hanging from the grinning Night Fury's mouth. Smiling, the boy took it, pulled his chair closer to the fire, and began to cook, Toothless curling beside him, falling into a deep slumber.

The dragon had always been there for him, who's to say that he couldn't do this one thing for his first friend? Leaf-like eyes rested on the sleeping beast. He looked peaceful; snoring in that soft, echoing laugh that made so many cry out in fear. Only now did Hiccup know it was a sign of amusement.

But what about Astrid?

Hiccup frowned in thought. She seemed fine, helping the others and learning about her own dragon. Would she even want to come? Shaking his head, the boy sighed and propped the stick holding his fish with his foot. It was Toothless' home. And the dragon wouldn't steal him away until the end of time, would he?

No, no of course not. This was Toothless and if he wanted to go home for a bit, Hiccup was sure the dragon would understand his need to return to Berk after a while. Worrying his lip, the boy turned the fish, sighing. That's it, then. He would talk to his father, ask if he and Toothless could take a trip together. With the dragon by his side, he would be safe, and after felling the Green Death, how could anyone doubt their skills?

He was handicapped, not defenseless.

Nodding in resignation, Hiccup settled on tomorrow, during their early morning flight, he would urge the dragon to keep going until they reached land. Flying by themselves for the first time in a couple of months. It would be nice, to be alone again with just the skies and daring birds for company.

Yes. It would be tomorrow.

For the first time in a while—when his feet were firmly planted on the ground—Hiccup found himself grinning like a madman.

I am terrifying, I am deadly, I am… completely and utterly smitten. It's not fair that he holds all this over me, that he can lord around my body—even though he doesn't. Even though he would never, ever do that… Do the others feel this way about their humans? Is this what a dog feels when he finds his master safe and home after a long days work?

Why do I strive to make him happy? We both are missing physical characteristics, he loves more than I ever have… so why do I feel heart broken when he sits on the stairs and gazes sorrowfully over the water? I always whine and snuggle close, pulling him under my wing with a soft purr, my breath ruffling his hair until he is smiling that crooked grin again.

Sometimes… I lose myself around him, acting like a playful puppy. It is foolish, it is idiotic, it-it is fun. The most fun I have had since… since… never. How can I deny the flips and turns I only used for enemies, now performed just to hear him holler in glee?

The first time I had ever let out a burst of flame just for the sheer joy of living… it was with him straddling my back. A year of firsts, this all was. Never would I have thought that She would go down under my paw, beneath his hand. Should some say that those pure blood idiots would welcome dragons into their village, that I would befriend a man-child, I would have torn them to shreds just for their foolish words.

But here I am and life has been passing so quickly now… wonders are vanishing. I can feel his irritation when our precious flying is interrupted by another. And I understand it, because I feel it too. What use to be ours is now theirs. I-I hate that. I really do. Our time together has been pushed to the early morning when Sól hasn't even appeared over the horizon.

It's not relaxing, it's a way to get a flight in before the sky is herded and crowded. My human knows this, and he accepts it with grace.

I, however, am not as kind.

It is time to go, and no matter what he says, I will not turn around.

Home is waiting.

Two of these in an hour? WHAT AM I DOING? Plot bunny, sorry guys. It popped up in my brain, I had to write it, and now I give it to you. What's going on with this piece? No idea. Hope you like it though! This was the fastest I've ever written. It took me about thirty minutes BUT WAS NOT EDITED! Let me know if you see any mistakes.

Happy Reading and Reviewing!

Grim