Disclaimer: Dream Works and Cressida Cowell own the How to Train Your Dragon franchise.

I warily stepped into the den, my sensitive nose catching the odd mix of smells that had seeped into the very stones.

ith each whiff, I found myself grow ever weary, like a sudden stress or weird as being pushed on top of me. And yet, at the start of this dusk, I felt so wide after active.

After my best friend and I awoke around dusk, we separated to do our own things. He and I might have been friends, but a part of me knew he was not willing to spend every waking moment by my side; I was not not his best friend. We did not scream or growl or anything, though, I do wish that he decided to spend more time with me. Wish we could have worked better on the tailfin, this time, I was sure I had a good idea for it! But there was no forcing my best friend.

And so I came here, to the human's den.

I was here for a reason, yet I do not fully understand what it was. I was drawn here, drawn towards the place of the human's dwelling. Was I here to meet the female again? Was I here to surprise her? Did I have an idea on how to contact her to help her fulfill her purpose and send her home? In fact, maybe I was not here for her at all, rather the Stormcutter might have been the one I had business with. I had very good reasons for either of them, both of their odors were painfully confusing.

I crept forward. She did not seem to have returned, yet. She and many of the Alpha's other dragons were probably still… raiding the human's nesting site. That was painful to think about. I hope not too many humans were hurt, though I knew that in all likelihood that it did not matter at all what I thought.

I shoved those thoughts away; I had enough on my mind. I did not need to think about humans even now. Even if one of them was my potential mate…

I turned my vision towards anything that could catch my attention; no, I needed to focus. The inside of the human's den was cold. Yeah, that's better. Think of that more. The fire near the cooking area having been dissipated and died many hours before, not even embers or heat remained in the dried tinders. A part of me urged me to step forward to the soot and ash covered wood and I drew forth.

It was so strange to think about. Humans could not make fire with their mouths, yet I knew they did not need it to create a blaze. They had their own methods didn't they? I turned my gaze turning a blackened rock nearby, a part of me somehow knowing it was important for humans to make fire. I reached out to hold it with my paws, my curiosity piqued.

Yet, once again, my paws foiled me and my pains. The little stone fell to the floor before I could lift it. I glowered win frustration and put my paw upon the stone, trying to clench my paws in the right way, like I would if I was holding a fish. Yet the stone was too small and easily slipped out of my paws.

I frowned. Using a stone to create fire was proving even more trouble than I thought it would be? Of course, why didn't I just grab onto it with my mouth? Then again, I need to use both paws use it to light a fire with the stone. Maybe a better idea was just to breathe on the wood, let my breath light a blaze of the type I need. Of, then came the reason I just needed to light a fire in the first place. Why was the first thing I wanted to do upon entering to light a fire?

I sat my rear onto the hard stone floor and stared at the firewood long and hard. Come to think of it, I think my father, wherever he was, taught me that the first thing that I should do when the den was cold was to light a fire… at least once I got the hang of making blazes. Yet, that only brought up even more questions, why would we need to light a fire in the first place? Dragons rarely got cold!

I shook my head. I was going to spend forever just thinking about lighting a fire if I dwelled on it any longer. My head hurt like something or someone had been slowly applying pressure and strain to my skull; I felt dizzy. I looked again for another distraction, something far more simple to latch onto.

At another edge of the den was a layer of fur on the floor, it had to have once belonged to a bear or possibly a yak. It was laid flat on the ground, yet unlike the fire place and its rock, its purpose was both clear for me to grasp and far less confusing. I mean, it was very obviously the human's sleeping area, though a part of me felt this was a little… sparse. Then again, Night Furies slept on the ground, without need to worry about softening the area.

I approached, putting my nose against the fur. The human female and the Stormcutter both had spent much time here; their stretches were both strong and heavily intermingled with the other's, though the female's scent was far stronger and far clearer.

I took in the vapours like I was drawing in water to my mouth. The scent brought in me a mix of feelings and sensations that were equal parts alien and familiar, just like everything about the female's prescence. The answer was on the tip of my tongue, yet I could not fully grasp what it was. I broke away from the blankets, frowning. I knew there was some secret, some mystery I wanted to learn within that odor, yet I could not… grasp it.

I frowned and sat on my rear. I was getting distracted. I was here to wait for the human and the Stormcutter, not to go around sniffing at all their things because something caught my fancy. It was improper, impolite to go through anyone's things, especially if she's… especially if she's what?

I sighed. Why did even having to complete a thought just referring to the human prove to be a challenge?

I turned to the fur mat again, wondering for a second time. There was not much I could do other than wait, maybe I should do my best to kill some time. I was here for the human and or the Stormcutter and only this old, one eyed human with a pointy tree branch knew when they'd be back… for reasons that were even just as perplexing as wondering.

I laid my body down into the bed of scents and rolled it into my body. know that the Stormcutter and human might not find it too pleasing to learn I had been rolling into the furs and violating this resting place, but this was important enough to risk it; I needed to know this. I drank deep of the odors, bringing the odor deep into my thoughts. With each whiff, with each deep inhale, the scents grew stronger, more familiar in my mind.

It felt so strange, the human's scent resonated so strongly within me. Feelings of tenderness, security… longing steadily grew inside of me, building up into an overwhelming sensation of vague, yet familiar nostalgia.

With a sudden realization, I stopped rolling, my eyes pointed upward into the roof. I… knew the female, her scent was no so alien, unfamiliar after all. I smelled it once before… long ago, somewhere, somehow. It's a vague memory, that much I knew. It was very much long enough that I might have been a hatchling when I had it. It was something I had forgotten due to sheer time elapsing. So, again, where did I catch the female's scent?

"What are you doing!?" I heard a voice growl.

I quickly jolted out of the furs, startled. I leapt onto my feet and angled my body low, ready for the speaker to strike at me.

At the entrance to the den were the human female and the Stormcutter, both eying me. The female looked at me with a neutral look, while the Stormcutter glared at me with a hard gaze. "I will ask again. What are you doing?"

"Nothing! Nothing!" I bowed my head, yet I firmly kept my gaze at the dragon. Yeah, I figured this would happen. I am such a terrible dragon for forgetting that all important rule of draconic etiquette: if you never visit another dragon's den uninvited, never get hurt.

The Stormcutter approached me, teeth bared and ready to strike if the need arose.

I backed away, tail between my legs. Okay, yeah, this time I provoked him and this was what I was getting out of it.

The other dragon looked ready to roast me or bite me or otherwise punish me. However, the human female stepped in between us both, stopping the other dragon from acting. "He disturbed your furs," said the Stormcutter, almost sounding weary or tired. "He needs punishment! No repeats!"

To this the female responded, just by patting the dragon on the head. She may or may not have not understood a sound dragon made other than his general mood, but that might have been all she needed to convince the dragon of something, especially after gently scratching the underside of the Stormcutter's chip.

"Fine!" the Stormcutter sounded even more tired now. He walked over to a nearby wall and laid his body against it. "You handle him!"

The female gave a grin at the dragon and turned back at me. Unlike the other times. where she looked at me more neutrally or gladly, this time I could tell she was not too pleased with me. She deeply exhaled and gave me an unhappy look.

I gave the female a nervous look. Okay, I might have not got the Stormcutter being the one to punish me, but the female might have had her own ways of punishing me. And if not her, well, maybe the Alpha. I gulped and moved as far away as I could from the fur on the ground whilst simultaneously keeping my body low to the ground and my gaze locked onto the female.

Once I was far enough away, the human looked at me more neutrally, a step up from his previous appearance. She seemed contented now. She approached me and reached my head with her paws and gently stroked the back of my neck. She grinned and turned to the Stormcutter, making a inane call.

The Stormcutter just snorted as if he had an idea of what she was telling him. "You are too nice!"

I bent my neck into the human's tender limb. Okay, so I was not totally on her bad side. That was such a relief. Too nice was infinitely better than being too mean. So, don't do that again, that much was clear.

The human then stepped away from me and then to the fire place. She easily lit a blaz using that black stone, using her deft paws much more nimbly and more swiftly than I ever did with my clumsy paws. I felt so insecure looking down at my paws. At the very least, the female looked quite nice in the firelight, her face illuminated by the soft blaze, yet I still felt she could have looked even better. I mean, I knew she looked much better all those.

And that was when it hit me. The combination of images and scents, both real and imagined, suddenly struck me. I met the female, long, long ago, back in my early youth.

Yes, that was right! She took care of me. I was so small then, small enough for her to carry and cradle me in her arms; just a hatchling. And yet, there was more to it than that, the scent I remembered told me so much more than I needed to. The female was not just any old caretaker. "Mama!" I barked out loud., wagging my tail in delight. Nothing felt so good as answering such a complex riddle.

The female turned to me, a smile on her face. I don't think she understood me, but that did not contain my happiness my joy. She waved her hands a little in the air and turned back to her fire.

I decided not bother her, instead, my every thought suddenly turned to the task of wondering how I would tell the female. I mean, dragons did not speak to humans and humans did not get understood by dragons.

The Stormcutter looked at me oddly and called for my attention with a bark. "What are you talking about?"

The smile on my face was practically unwavering. I wagged my tail even at the other dragon. "She is my mother!" I declared happily.

The Stormcutter rolled his eyes, as if he already knew where this was going. "You are not a hatchling!" he grunted. Somehow I got the feeling this was not the first time he had to discuss this matter with other dragons before… "Only little ones think that!"

I shook my head. I was not being delusional about it. I mean, I am sure all sorts of little dragons would not mind to have the female as a mother, but I was not being delusional about it. I mean, the female really was my mother; I was sure of it. "I am hers! Really!"

The Stormcutter gave me a skeptical look, almost as if he had the same expression my best friend had. "Forget the furs then! You are crazy!"

I gave the Stormcutter my biggest smile. "Guilty as charged!" I think with all my of crazy ideas, it was far too late to salvage any hope of any other dragon calling me sane. After all, even my best friend things I am crazy!

The Stormcutter looked at me again and let out a sigh. He was clearly very tired from a hard day of fighting, or most likely talking to me. "Then why is she human?"

I opened my mouth to respond and then closed it again. That was a good question. Why were we different? I mean, as far as I know, only humans gave birth to other humans. And dragons only came from other dragons? Yet, here I was claiming the human female was my mother. That was utter nonsense to think about. Either she should be a Night Fury… or I should be a human. That was the only way I could be her actual child and yet that clearly was not the case.

"I do not know," I answered after a while.

The Stormcutter got up from his resting place and headed out the den's entrance. He turned to me to give me a tired look. "You figure that out yourself," he said. Then he took flight and left me alone with the human, my supposed mother.

I turned to the female again. She was too preoccupied with cooking something over the blaze to pay much attention to me. Why were we different?

I got up approached the female. She smiled at me and then patted the back of my head. She seemed to enjoy my company. In response, I tried to lick her paws every time she tried to rub at my back.

My mother was no longer a complete stranger to me and I sad down by her side, watching the blaze broil meat. Yet, my mouth did not water at the burning fish, I had something far more important in mind. Why were we different? And did it have something to do with all of my confusion?

And better, was I what she was waiting for?

Sorry I have yet to explain why Hiccup is remembering, but the reason Hiccup is able to recall and make a connection to his mother is actually based on some research I read up about a while back. It's actually quite interesting, but incredibly obscure information scientific studies, but you should actually be able to piece the information a bit more clearly once you reread the hints I've scattered about.