Hello guys. I have a late Christmas present for you.
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I'm not actually sure if this is sooner or later than it was supposed to be. Sooner I guess considering how weakly I have started my novel edit even with all the free time for almost a month (from around 13.12 to 9.1) all things considered. Next chapter is almost certainly not going to be this year anyway. I really need to not let that novel get halted. Should probably start thinking about applying for jobs too since lot of applications are opening soon. Oh well, I have managed so far. At least I don't have to wake up 6 am in a tent like in the army. That's something. :p
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Why am I still writing this stuff. I need to publish this thing and go to sleep, it's 0:33 here.
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Comments:
Cheschire28: I think your way might be the way to go with Meatlug
dennylukman12051997: I honestly have to say that your comment was quite confusing. Liberal, far right, pasture, bit of event etc.
Brenne/thearizona: Hiccup and Toothless are already tightly bonded, especially while flying. +Although the power to control is technically Hiccup's if Toothless wanted to take initiative in doing so Hiccup's mind probably wouldn't have any defenses against him. That is trust at unconscious level.
wolfenergy17: I'm glad to hear that you think I got the characters right. The specific reason for including Fishlegs was to at least try to do something different.
Transformers 0: No one actually died or got visible injuries, everyone had 180 turn in their world view with one heroic act. Hiccup forgave every bad thing in his life as soon as people started approving him (he only had to save everyone, end 300 year war and lose a leg to not be outcast in his home village), but what can you expect from animated movie that isn't from Japan.
eltigre221: Maybe I give them hard time later for their stupidity.
InfamousVenous: I'm glad the development has been positive in your opinion.
ivanganev1992: Hiccup isn't warrior first and I'm not going for some unbeatable badass super Hiccup like some stories, but with the dangers of the world (that I'm about to throw at him), Hiccup will have to learn self defense sooner or later. I agree that any fighting by Hiccup would be more dependent on speed than strength.
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Beta read by 3DPhantom
Everything was black. The only thing he could perceive was a minor headache and the constant sounding of a strong heartbeat. Still being only half-conscious, Hiccup didn't know what had happened nor how long he had been asleep for. With the familiar heartbeat and thick legs curled around him, Hiccup unconsciously knew that he was safe and thus was not in a hurry to fully wake up. He quickly slipped back into a deep sleep. The last remnants of the headache were completely gone when he finally came to. The darkness still surrounded Hiccup, but this darkness was one that he welcomed happily. Hiccup could have laid there contently for an eternity, but that would have been impractical, and his stomach was screaming for food. When was the last time he ate?
The complete darkness around him turned into slightly lesser darkness as Toothless moved his wing aside. It was already, or still, dark outside. The sun had been high last he remembered, but now it was the early morning. Toothless of course knew how long he had been asleep. Hiccup turned his head up to meet the worried gaze from a pair of large green eyes.
'Are you feeling better, brother?'
'Yeah, a lot better. Wait… what do you mean by 'brother'?'
'Yes, I was thinking that-that it sounded right, but if you don't like it...'
'No, you're right. It sounds right. 'Friend' never felt good enough. I'd love to have a big brother.' Hiccup placed his hand on Toothless' snout. 'Brother.'
The moment lasted for few seconds until Toothless' tongue appeared. 'I have to make sure that any dragons you meet know you're my brother.' Hiccup didn't complain. He had already gotten used to being licked by his dragon brother. He didn't mind if other dragons could tell from his scent that he was the brother of the Night Fury.
'So, what happened while I was out? Is everyone okay?'
'Only you would be worried for others after fainting in mid-air. We almost crashed.'
'But obliviously we didn't.'
'Thanks to you. I don't understand how you did it. I can't imagine someone giving away control like that.'
'What do you mean?' Hiccup halted as memories from them both came back to him. 'Oh, I'm not sure. I guess I tried to pull that part of my mind closer to yours. It wasn't that far from what we were already doing while flying together. I already control the tailfin based on what you intend to do.'
'You literally let me control part of your body like my own.'
'Is that so far away from what I do with the tailfin?'
'…'
Hiccup smiled to his silent brother and brought one of his hands to the scaled leg on his chest.
'Do you mind, if I get up?'
'…Maybe. Are you sure you've rested enough?' Toothless tightened his hold on Hiccup minutely.
'I'm fine Toothless.'
The dragon slowly let go of Hiccup, who crawled to the edge of the wing under him. He sat down on the grass, looking around them. Toothless folded his wings and settled next to him. It was still quite dark; the only sign of the approaching morning was an almost indistinguishably lighter colour of the sky near the horizon. Hiccup silently counted the dragons scattered around the clearing that Toothless had landed on. Sharpshot had slept somewhere near Toothless and by now had moved to Hiccup's side, instantly falling back asleep, curled up under Hiccup's arm. Hookfang had settled only a few meters away with Barf and Belch a few meters from him. Stormfly and Shortclaw were sleeping further away.
Meatlug had settled opposite of Hookfang, a bit further from where Hiccup and Toothless sat. Fishlegs was sleeping by her side, though not very peacefully. He was visibly shivering. Remnants of a bonfire next to the large teen were present; they were only a small pile of ashes.
'Did Fishlegs get any more firewood?'
'I think there is some behind Meatlug. She couldn't keep her human warm herself; too small wings to protect him.'
'Well, not everyone can be a Night Fury,' Hiccup remarked while getting up, 'but that could be a real problem. The winter is coming and we don't have any shelter out here. Maybe one of the other dragons can help.'
'Hookfang. He'd probably do anything you asked and I wouldn't recommend trusting Fishlegs to a Zippleback; they are too unpredictable. The rest aren't going to like the idea.'
'You're probably right. Now we just have to convince Fishlegs not to fear Hookfang. Fire please.' Hiccup pointed at the firewood he had piled on the old ash. Toothless didn't need to be told twice and soon Hiccup felt a new warmth on his skin. He had felt a bit cold since Toothless opened his wings, exposing him to the cold air. He couldn't go inside anymore when weather got bad.
'There's fish too. Others went fishing while you were unconscious. Meatlug and Hookfang, and Sharpshot left some for us.'
'I have to thank them when they wake up.'
Hiccup could barely wait until the fish was cooked properly. Between the dragon raid and leaving his home forever, there hadn't really been time for breakfast… or lunch… or dinner. When the fish was barely ready he bit into it like a dragon. It reminded him of the dinners he ate with Toothless back on Berk, except now there were more dragons… and there was no Berk. He had really gone and done it now, hadn't he? He had left Berk. Left everything behind. Sure, most of it was bad, depressing, and painful, but the realization of how massively his life just changed still struck Hiccup with a deep sadness. He wasn't worried about survival; as long as Toothless was by his side he would be fine, but the life of an outcast would take some time to get used to.
On top of that he had dragged Fishlegs with him! The larger teen could still have stayed home if people didn't see him help Hiccup, if Hiccup had kept him away from his own problems. Hiccup would have followed Toothless to hell and back, but what about Fishlegs? He might have been the largest and strongest Viking of their age group, but he didn't really have much resilience, and Hiccup couldn't accurately gauge how well he'd do out here. Meatlug seemed to share the same worry. Hiccup could tell she was awake a few seconds before the Gronckle even opened her eyes.
'How are you doing?' Hiccup asked the drowsy Gronckle.
'I'm grateful to finally be free, but I don't think this Viking is feeling the same. He's been shaking most of the night.'
'I know. It's too cold for him. I'm sorry, but we need to ask someone with larger wings to help keep him warm out here.'
'I understand. It would be best for him.' Meatlug's response was gloomy, but comprehensive.
'You've taken a liking to him, haven't you?'
'He always seemed gentler than other Vikings,' Meatlug answered a bit shyly. 'Other than yourself he was the only one I saw that would have even considered helping us.'
'You're probably right about that. At least we don't need to worry about those people anymore.' Hiccup brought his hand to Toothless' head while talking to Meatlug. 'I have been so afraid, for weeks, that someone would find Toothless or seriously hurt one of you guys in the ring.'
'You were worried about me? Which one of us kept coming back injured?' Toothless snorted.
'And you were always there to help me recover. If villagers found you when I was away…' Hiccup couldn't finish his thought when a wet tongue hit his face, effectively interrupting him.
'If they did find me they would be dead… injured… and we would have left sooner.'
'Well you're confident. Anyway, you should stay around Fishlegs,' Hiccup focused on Meatlug again. 'He's still not very comfortable with other dragons, but he seems to trust you.'
'I can understand how he feels.' Meatlug glanced at Toothless. The black dragon opened one eye, but he was too busy enjoying the scratching Hiccup was giving him behind the ears. 'I will look after him.'
'Thank you, for the fish too.'
'Me help too. Bulky not the only one who bring fish for Hiccup and Night Fury.'
'Good morning Sharpshot. Did you sleep well?' Hiccup greeted the little dragon.
'Sleep better free and safe with Night Fury and Viking Alpha. No fear anymore.'
'I'm happy for that, but why are you calling me an Alpha? That is the last thing anyone would ever call me.' The little dragon's thoughts surprised hiccup.
'No, you are an Alpha,' Toothless answered for Sharpshot. 'You have the power of one, you use it to protect everyone from the Queen, and you lead our flock. Hookfang even swore himself to you already.'
'Oh, um, yeah, I guess you're right. That might take some getting used to...' Hiccup looked at the still sleeping Monstrous Nightmare. Some of the other dragons were starting to stir with the first light in the horizon. Soon after Hiccup could sense Hookfang also coming to. The Nightmare noticed Hiccup sitting by the fire as soon as his eyes opened.
'It's good to see you are awake, Little Viking. We were worried that your battle with the wicked Queen caused permanent harm to you.'
'I'm feeling fine now, I just needed some rest.'
'The Night Fury insisted so. He almost drove us away after taking you under his wings.'
'Sounds like Toothless,' Hiccup smiled while responding to Hookfang, 'but, I need to ask for your help with something.'
"Hiccup! You're awake!" Fishlegs soon distracted Hiccup from his silent conversations. The larger boy immediately crawled closer to the newly lit fire.
"Cold night?" Hiccup noted.
"Yes. I haven't slept outside or a long time. I didn't remember how cold it can get this time of the year."
"I talked about that with Toothless and Meatlug. I didn't even notice the cold thanks to Toothless, but Meatlug's wings are too small for that."
"She has done her best. It's not her fault. Gronckles use the speed of their wings to fly, not the size."
"I know, and she already promised to stay with you, but we need to find a way to keep you warm. The weather is only going to get colder. I know you are still a bit wary of some of the dragons, but I think Hookfang could help protect you during the nights."
"You think he would?" Uncertainty was oblivious in Fishlegs' voice. Hiccup only turned his head towards Hookfang, who had gotten up and started walking towards Fishlegs, who visibly tensed with the proximity of the largest dragon among them. While Fishlegs was frozen still, Hookfang curled around him and Meatlug. He spread his wing enough to block the two from the chilly sea wind. Hiccup nodded to him.
'Thank you for doing this.'
'A warrior protects the flock and obeys the Alpha,' Hookfang answered.
"Are you talking to him?" Fishlegs asked.
"Yes, he agreed to help. Warriors are supposed to protect the flock. I still want to get further away from Berk though. Do you know where we are? I, ah, didn't really focus on keeping track."
"I have some kind of idea, but we didn't take any maps with us when we left. Actually, we didn't take anything."
"I know. We have to visit some village sooner or later. Even if we can find food and shelter I need to keep Toothless' tail working and that takes tools."
"More clothes would be good too. Especially for the winter, unless you are planning to sleep between Toothless' wings for the whole cold season."
"That is not a bad idea actually!" Hiccup said innocently. "Just joking. We really need to do something to get those things, but let's fly somewhere further away from Berk first."
"We should head south, maybe south east. It's further from Helheim and hopefully it's warmer. If dragons don't raid villages there it might also be safer for our… flock?"
'What do you think guys? Fishlegs thinks we should keep going south. Get out of the Queen's range. I think he's right.'
'We will follow wherever you lead us.' Hookfang was immediately ready to go.
'Speak for yourself!' Stormfly cut in with Shortclaw nodding next to her. 'We only want to get far enough from the Queen so we don't have to rely on this Viking to block her.'
'You ungrateful…' Hookfang growled at the others, but was silenced by a stern look from Hiccup.
'Stormfly and everyone else can choose what they want to do.' Hiccup declared with rare seriousness. 'We didn't go through all this to free you from Berk and the Queen to force you to follow me instead. You can leave whenever you want. I will do my best to protect your minds for as long as I can, no matter what you choose.'
"Is something wrong?" Fishlegs was worried about the growling dragons around him. He was the only one not privy to the ongoing discussion.
"Stormfly and Shortclaw might not stay with us much longer, but they will fly with us until it's safe to leave."
"Because of the Queen?"
"The Queen, yeah. You should get some breakfast. We'll leave when you're ready." Hiccup turned his attention to the dragons. 'If you still want to try to find food here you should go now. We have a long flight ahead of us.'
Hiccup welcomed the wind on his face as they later ascended to the sky. He couldn't help but love the feeling of gliding across the open sky. Trusting Toothless' eyes and the emptiness of the sky, Hiccup leaned back, closing his eyes. The tentacles of his mind spread out everywhere around them, feeling every dragon around them brushing against their thoughts and pieces of himself protecting those dragons from the Queen's influence. Even so Hiccup was careful not to intrude in Stormfly's or Shortclaw's minds. He didn't want to go where he wasn't welcome.
That got Hiccup thinking: Were there such places anymore? Places where he was welcome? If people knew he and Fishlegs were with dragons, they wouldn't be welcome in any Viking village. Even if they got outside the Queen's realm, would other dragons tolerate humans around them? They might have to live apart from everyone else and lie any time they needed to go anywhere near a village. Hiccup pushed those thoughts aside. There would be a lot of worrying and problems ahead of them, but he didn't want to ruin the enjoyment of flight. Even through the saddle he could feel the occasional movements of Toothless' muscles as the dragon pushed his wings down to move them forward. Where were they going? Hiccup didn't know yet.
