NOTE: This story is inspired by, and meant to be a continuation of, user Alice Bekett's story "Running Away." I hope to read her full story one day. This is not her story, but an alternate story based on the events of her posted first chapter.
Tl;dr version: Hiccup never took Astrid on the flight that changed her mind. She spotted him with Toothless and, rather than trying to confront her, he fled Berk as he originally planned. He and Toothless settled on an empty island near a small trading village.
But seriously, y'all should read her story before you read this one. 10/10 recommended reading experience.
It amazed Hiccup how quickly he adapted. Toothless helped; the dragon's delight in their new home was so obvious. Watching his buddy gambol about, rolling in the mud and chasing the sea birds, made the teen's heart feel lighter. It also helped that their island was so-well, empty. It made Berk's simple amenities look luxurious in comparison. Turning this place into a true, comfortable home would take ingenuity, and Hiccup relished an intellectual challenge. It was a perfect distraction from his feelings.
First step, getting supplies. He found a reef near enough to the trading hub that Toothless could wait there while he rowed the rest of the way. Nobody questioned why a skinny teen in a one-man boat needed bricks and mortar. Hiccup wasn't the best builder, but he cobbled together a simple stone forge. Blacksmithing was something he was good at, and valuable enough to bring in a profit. Next was a tub built over a fire pit, good for both quenching metal and heating bathwater. Weeks passed and Hiccup kept busy, renovating the cavern and improving Toothless' tail. They spent hours flying, no longer at risk of being noticed. It was...nice. Peaceful, even. Some nights, the two of them just passed out on the ground, exhausted from work and play.
Some nights, though… Some nights, Hiccup lay awake until dawn, face buried in his blankets so his sobbing wouldn't wake Toothless. Some nights, a parade of regrets and memories stampeded through his brain and wouldn't leave. He could push his emotions aside when he was busy, but every time he rested, the shame settled back on him like a smothering cloak.
Tonight was one of those nights. Hours of trying to quiet his mind failed, and he finally couldn't sit still anymore. Hiccup rolled out of bed, barely aware of where his feet were carrying him. It didn't matter, so long as he was going somewhere. A questioning mrrp trilled from the shadows where Toothless curled up.
"Ignore me, bud. Sorry I woke you." Hiccup slipped through the crag that served as his front door and clambered down the rocky ground to shore. The air was chilly. He clung to that sensation, hoping the discomfort would drive other thoughts from his mind. Yet he still found himself facing west. Toward Berk. Toward home. No, he chided himself, it's not home anymore. You can't go back, so just move on.
A warm snout nudged him. Hiccup jumped in surprise; he hadn't noticed Toothless appear beside him. The dragon sat on his haunches, holding his saddle in mouth. He stared at Hiccup, waiting for the human to get the hint.
"You wanna go flying? Now?"
Toothless chirped the dragon equivalent of "yes." Over these last few weeks, Hiccup had learned to interpret a lot of the noises he made. It was bittersweet, realizing how much dragons could say, and knowing that no one but him would ever bother to listen…
Toothless snapped him out of the gloomy thoughts with a nudge and a whine. "Yeah, you got it, bud. I could use a flight."
Minutes later, Hiccup was in the air, skimming his hand through the clouds they passed. Up here, everything looked so small. The archipelago, the place his whole life revolved around, was just a handful of rocks in an endless sea. Insignificant. Meaningless.
...Nope, that wasn't working. It may be insignificant to the rest of the world, but he couldn't trick himself into apathy. Berk would always matter to him.
Toothless gave a warning growl. Hiccup's head shot up. Speak of the devil-he'd steered them toward the island without realizing it. The village was barely visible at this distance, but the sight still made his chest ache. For a moment, he considered flying over it-not too close, just enough to glimpse the familiar houses and see if anything had changed. Luckily, he still had the common sense to realize that was a horrible idea. He was homesick, not stupid.
"Let's run the seastacks, Toothless," Hiccup suggested quietly. Toothless perked his ear flaps and changed course. Berk disappeared into the night. Out of sight, where it belonged. The sea stacks came into view-a labyrinth of stone towers carved by nature, deadly to travelers in the sea and the air alike. Hiccup gripped the reins and shoved everything to the back of his mind. Dodging through the obstacles left no room to think of anything else.
They ran the seastacks once. Then again. And a third time, because why not? Hiccup was whooping wildly by the end, cares washed away in a rush of adrenaline. Toothless echoed his joy, letting out that barking laughter of his. They shot upwards, slicing through the clouds like a sword through warm butter. Hiccup leaned into the wind, savoring the feel of it on his face. This is what freedom felt like.
"I miss Berk. I probably always will. But you're worth it, bud. I wouldn't trade you for all of Midgard." Hiccup patted his dragon's neck and made the gravelly sound that Toothless identified himself with. Toothless crooned his name back. They glided for awhile, content in each other's company. Yeah… this was fine. As long as Toothless was happy, Hiccup could be happy too. All they needed was each other.
The fog around them thickened. That was odd-they'd descended enough that they should be out of the clouds by now. "You're not lost, are you, Toothless?" Hiccup teased. Toothless snorted, as if the very notion was impossible. Then suddenly he went rigid. Not just still, but rigid as a bone. Hiccup had never seen that happen before, not ever.
"Toothless?!" He tapped the dragon's sides, hoping for a reaction. None came. "What's wrong, bud?"
A Nadder's shriek suddenly cut through the fog to their left. Hiccup's heart nearly stopped. He flattened himself against his dragon's neck as a Nadder swooped by them, carrying a yak in its claws. It wasn't alone. He watched with a mix of awe and horror as the sky around them filled with flapping wings. Every dragon he could name was here, bearing prey that ranged from stolen sheep to full-size sharks. He hunkered down and tried not to look like dessert. Toothless still did not respond to his prodding.
At some unknown cue, the whole flock dove downward. A scream ripped from Hiccup's throat despite his attempts to stifle it. A red glow lit up the fog; the mouth of a tunnel came into view, and Toothless hurtled down it along with the other dragons. Hiccup frantically adjusted the tailfin to keep up with the twists and turns Toothless signalled. Miraculously, they didn't ram into a wall. The tunnel opened up into a cavern-no, not a cavern. A volcano, its sides riddled with ridges and burrows where the dragons rested. Like… like nests.
Toothless had brought him to the Dragon's Nest.
"What my dad wouldn't give to see this," Hiccup muttered. Toothless swooped over the crater in the volcano's center. Heat rose from it, though not as much as Hiccup would expect from an active volcano. The dragons each dropped their cargo as they passed over the crater; prey both living and dead fell into the mists below and vanished from sight. Hiccup stared in disbelief. The dragons caused so much damage stealing that food, they took so many losses from stealing that food-and they were just dumping it down a hole?!
Toothless, thankfully, did not try to toss Hiccup down. He landed in one of the burrows. Once his paws touched ground, his body finally relaxed; whatever spell had called him here was broken. The Night Fury immediately scuttled behind a stalactite, eyeing the crater with wariness. That was not reassuring. Hiccup stroked the dragon's scales, half to calm Toothless and half out of his own nervous reflex. The cloud of flying dragons had thinned out now. Most of them had taken roost in the walls. A Gronkle buzzed in, a straggler from the rest. It horked up a fish into the pit below. Less than the others had brought, but it looked very pleased with itself.
Until it got eaten.
A reptilian head shot up through the fog, jaws snapping shut around the Gronkle. Toothless shuddered, and Hiccup could see the other dragons cowering in fear. He didn't blame them. A dragon that ate its own kin like they were peanuts; that was something straight out of a Viking's worst nightmares. That poor Gronkle… What a price to pay for failure. The scaly behemoth licked its lips, sinking back into the fog. Then it paused. And sniffed. Its cavernous nostrils twitched, and slowly turned.
Towards Hiccup.
"Uh...Toothless?" Hiccup squeaked. The behemoth's nostrils flared. With unnatural speed, it lunged. "TOOTHLESS!"
Toothless leapt away, a second ahead of the massive nest erupted. Dragons swarmed and fled the nest, spiraling out into open air. Behind them, a deafening roar reverberated through the tunnels, leaving Hiccup's ears ringing. The nest was soon swallowed up by the fog, but the roar seemed to follow them all the way home.