A/N: Hello, everyone! Thanks for the views, follows, favorites, and reviews! You are all so awesome! P.S.— I'm so close to a 40,000 word count! That's been my goal from the start, so I'm super excited I'm almost there. I'll be honest—I thought I'd spit out five chapters and get bored. As it turns out, though, I've developed an unhealthy addiction to writing this story.

joeyjumper94 - I actually have a very specific storyline already planned out for those two. *wink wink* Plus, in my world, Night Furies can't be controlled by other dragons so I don't think Jade or Shadow would do anything for her. Very interesting idea, though.

CHSHiccstrid - I don't want to spoil anything that happens in the story's future, but Astrid will be a major character eventually...

Disclaimer: ┻━┻ ︵ヽ(`▭´)ﾉ︵ ┻━┻

HICCUP'S POV

*What do you think? Accurate?* I asked the Tiny-wing on my shoulder, showing him my drawing so far. I was working on the page in the Book of Dragons dedicated to his species, and he was acting as a model so I could be sure to get all the details right. If it wasn't a perfect representation, it was a failure.

Perch licked his eyeball and tilted his head to look at my artwork. *Very good looks like me just like me so smart you are young human I like it very much yes yes!* He answered, bobbing his head up and down. I smiled with satisfaction and set the book back on my lap, reaching up to give him a scratch underneath the chin. He melted into my touch, leaning against my neck for support.

This was the same Tiny-wing I'd found on the human ship almost a year ago. He'd disappeared without a trace for a long time after that, which Tiny-wings were easily able to do considering their size. It wasn't until a couple months ago that he showed up again. It only took me a second to recognize him—how could I ever forget? I liked to consider him my first dragon rescue, even though all I really did was make a big mess that my mom had to clean up...Still, he remembered that I at least had some part in his freedom. He expressed his gratitude by bringing me fish every day, which I tried desperately to decline, but once Tiny-wings get in a routine, it's difficult to break them from it. His name was well-earned—he used me as a perch whenever he could. I didn't mind the extra company, but Toothless was not a fan of my new shadow. After a few weeks of chasing the small dragon away, he'd managed to give Perch a pretty nasty bite that sent him into hiding again for a couple days. I'd scolded Toothless for being mean (he'd simply rolled his eyes, completely indifferent), but I had to admit his actions had been beneficial. Perch came back around, but he stopped bringing me fish. Mostly because Toothless ate whatever he caught, anyways. Things settled down after that, and Toothless became a little more accepting of Perch's presence, though he still thought of the little dragon as a pest more than anything else.

Perch was happy to pose while I drew him. The book was now about halfway full, and there was still a lot more to put in. My mom and I had been adding more sections to it steadily over the last six months. It was a slow process. My mom said she wanted it to be way more detailed than the original one on Berk. Our progress stalled when she went on missions, or when I was too tired from lessons and training. Plus, there were just so many dragons. Alpha had even told us of species that lived in hot climates on the other side of the world, or Tidal Class dragons that lived deep in the ocean that humans didn't even know about. My sketches of those dragons were experimental, just based off of whatever information Alpha could give me. If I'd known how long making this book would take, I might've not been as excited about it when my mom first introduced the idea.

I glanced up to where my dragon was crouched on a rock nearby overhanging the lake by a few inches. His sharp gaze was trained on the water, waiting for an oblivious fish to swim beneath his nose. So far, his luck had been pretty sour. Perhaps the fish could sense the danger somehow. "Toothless, come check out my drawing!" I called out. His opinion meant more to me than anyone else's, and he liked when I showed him my artwork. He had attempted to draw in the sand with a large branch once...It was good...for a dragon with no opposable thumbs.

He didn't respond, too distracted with his task. I rolled my eyes in exasperation. "You know, it would be a lot easier if you just dove in. The ol' snatch and grab," I pointed out, swiping at the air in demonstration.

His ear flicked dismissively. *That's not an option.* He stated firmly, creeping closer to the edge of the rock.

"You can't be afraid of the water forever, bud," I sighed.

*Do I look like a Tidal Class dragon to you?* He retorted, still not looking up.

"You know that has nothing to do with it," I argued. He was silent. "I'm just saying...I thought you were supposed to be the big, bad Night Fury," I pressed, trying to appeal to his ego. More silence. "What if we're on a mission one day and we get shot down into the ocean, huh? I don't need you freaking out and getting us killed!" I reasoned. That caught his attention, and his wide eyes shot up to meet mine. He abandoned his hunt and jumped down to the sandy beach, padding over with a defeated posture.

*Well, when you put it like that...* He mumbled, slowing to a stop in front of me. I held out my hand, and he immediately pressed his snout into my palm.

*I just wanna help you, bud. You'll see! With a little bit of practice, you'll be a great swimmer!* I reassured him. He still appeared unconvinced, but I knew he'd do anything if it meant protecting me.

*Swimming so easy you see you see just kick and flap easy!* Perch chimed in. He was trying to be helpful, but Toothless swatted at him in irritation, sending the little dragon flying away with an indignant screech. *Stupid big dragon mean me not like you no like no!* He spat, his angry voice fading the farther away he flew.

I glared at Toothless, tossing the book and my pencil to the side. *Well, thank you for that!* I grumbled. He chuffed in amusement, walking up and curling around me. I leaned against him, grateful to have a backrest.

*He'll come back later.* He snorted, shifting to find a comfortable position. *I don't get what's so important about this book thing anyway.* He added.

I raised an eyebrow, pushing at his head in irritation, though it only moved an inch. *It's just a way to keep track of all the species. Humans don't have perfect memories, you know.* I reminded him.

*Just another thing that makes humans so strange.* He mused.

I bared my teeth at him. *At least I'm not afraid of the water!* A tail fin to the face was the only response I received. I huffed, leaning my head back against his shoulder. Most of the dragons, including Alpha, were gone for feeding time, but there were a few that lingered behind. I noticed a pair of Spike-tails on a cliff across the lake circling around each other. They were performing a mating ritual, which always started with a lot of head bobbing and bird-like dancing before a chase in the air ensued. If the male couldn't catch the female, he was considered unworthy. It was pretty interesting to watch.

I nudged Toothless lightly, nodding up at the two dragons. He followed my gaze, but didn't seem interested at all. *When are you gonna get a mate?* I wondered. He was a mature dragon, after all.

He looked around dramatically, even lifting his wing to glance under it. *Is there a female Night-wing around here that I don't know about?* He teased sarcastically, and I slapped him lightly, crossing my arms.

*Come on! I'm serious!* I whined.

Toothless let out a deep breath, nosing at my arm until I reluctantly pet him between the ears. *I don't think I'll ever have one, Hiccup. I wouldn't even know where I would begin to look for a female.* He remarked. His tone wasn't upset. He was just acknowledging the truth of the matter.

I frowned. *Well, that's not good enough for me!* I protested, and he raised both brows, surprised at my determination. *We'll keep searching until we find one!* I declared.

He groaned, nuzzling against my stomach. *Why can't it just be you and me like always?* He complained.

I shook my head, lifting my chin. *Nope. We will find you a mate. Eventually.* I stated, leaving no room for argument. I didn't care how long it took—we were gonna find him a mate whether he liked it or not! He grumbled with displeasure but didn't argue any further.

A familiar roar made us both look up, and I had to quickly shield my eyes as Cloudjumper lowered onto the beach next to us, his large wingbeats sending sand flying all over the place. Once all his limbs were on the ground, he lowered his body so my mom could slide off his back. I stood up, brushing off my tunic, while Toothless bounded forward to greet her. She cooed at him, gently grabbing his jaws and shaking his head. He gave her a gummy smile in return. I picked up the book and my pencil and walked over, waving at Cloudjumper.

My mom let go of Toothless and grabbed the book from me without warning, tucking it under her arm. "Hiccup, pack some supplies. We're going on a trip!" She announced excitedly, ruffling my hair. I leaned away, scrunching up my nose.

"What are you talking about?" I questioned.

She tucked a piece of hair behind her ear and grinned. "There's this festival that the humans have every year," she began, and I was immediately on edge. Any mention of humans made me uneasy. "It's on an island out west, just off the mainland. It's not like the Northern Markets. It's not full of thugs and hunters and other lowlifes. I've been there a couple times before, when I was still living on Berk," she rambled, but paused when she noticed the look on my face. I was not pleased with the direction of this conversation. She sighed, her posture slackening a bit. "It would be a good experience, Hiccup," she insisted. "You need to be around humans a bit before you can start coming on missions with me. I thought we would start out slow...less dangerous...fun, even..." She suggested, biting her lip.

So...it would be like training? I could hardly say no to that...but my first and only run-in with humans went horribly wrong. Why should this time be any different? Toothless had a similar mindset, and he growled at her, wrapping his tail around my legs.

*He's still too young!* My dragon protested. I scowled, offended at the implication that I couldn't handle this "festival" thing.

My mom shook her head and stared down at him in disapproval. "He's gotta start somewhere. This festival is as safe as it gets in the Archipelago. It'll be great practice," she said firmly.

"I think she's right, bud..." I cut in before Toothless could become too defensive. My mom tried to hide her smile, but her efforts weren't very effective. "I could use the experience. Besides, if she says it's safe, then don't you believe her?" I pressed.

He glared between the both of us, sensing he was being double-teamed. *I guess...* He acquiesced, ruffling his wings in agitation.

I threw an arm around him and grinned at my mom. "Well, then, looks like we're going to this festival!" I exclaimed. "What's a festival?" I added as an afterthought. If it was mentioned in any of my books, I certainly didn't remember.

My mom chuckled, turning and climbing onto Cloudjumper's back. "I'll tell you on the way. Let's pack and get going. I want to find an island somewhere around the halfway point to rest for the night before we continue on tomorrow. It's not a trip we can make in a single day," she told us.

I glanced at Toothless. "Too bad you didn't catch any fish earlier. It's gonna be a long flight," I snickered. Another tail fin to the face. Stupid, sensitive reptile! I thought irritably, climbing into the saddle so he could fly us up to the cavern.

I filled my satchel with necessary items—my dagger, my map, some bandages in case anything went wrong, and an extra shirt—plus a few other little things. My mom packed similar items. After we fed our dragons some fish (upon Toothless' insistence), we departed the nest. I would've liked to say goodbye to Alpha, but he and the other dragons were still out for meal time. My mom assured me that she'd already told him of her plan to take me to the festival, and he had been fine with it.

Once we made it off our island and up above the clouds, Cloudjumper set a steady pace. It was slow enough that the dragons wouldn't tire too quickly, but fast enough that the trip to the halfway point wouldn't take forever. Toothless and I wanted to practice some of our tricks in the air, but my mom insisted that he conserve his energy for the flight. That made him a bit pouty, but I was still enjoying the cool wind on my face. This is freedom, I thought contentedly, holding out my arms. I could stay up here forever.

"I really think you're gonna like it, Hiccup," my mom called out over the wind. Cloudjumper shifted closer so we could hear each other better. She was crouched on his back, her left hand resting on one of his frills for balance. "There are all kinds of food, music and dancing, and sometimes they put on plays," she said, her gaze a bit distant as she got lost in some memory.

"Music?" I echoed, tilting my head.

She smiled and nodded. "People sing, and they play instruments that make the most wonderful sounds," she explained. My mom sang sometimes, which I always liked—her voice was calming. We didn't have any instruments, though. She tried teaching me to dance, but I was too clumsy to keep up—I'm not always perfect on two feet. I'd read about plays in some of my books. I'm not sure why humans would be entertained by other humans pretending to be someone or something they're not. Seems like lying to me.

"I'm just going so I can study the humans, Mom," I reminded her, shaking my head. "This is just training."

She raised an eyebrow, the corner of her mouth lifting slightly. "Uh huh...Well, don't take it too seriously. You're eight, remember? Not thirty," she chuckled. Toothless warbled in agreement on that note.

I crossed my arms. "I'm not just some stupid kid!" I argued.

She shrugged. "Maybe...but you shouldn't try to grow up so fast, Hiccup. Childhood is a blessing. Trust me," she said, wagging her finger at me. I didn't think so. I hated being so small. If I was bigger maybe I could've fought the men on those ships myself instead of...

I gritted my teeth, clearing my thoughts. Stay focused. Toothless glanced back at me, feeling my tension run through the saddle and into his muscles. I sent him a sheepish smile, scratching between his ears.

*Sorry, bud. I'm okay.* I mumbled. He grunted in a disbelieving manner, but turned his head to look straight ahead again.

We were in the air until the sun started to get low, then my mom pointed out a tiny island that we could rest on, and we landed there. The cold was already starting to set in, especially since the trees blocked out any remaining sunlight, so we decided to start a fire immediately. I went into the forest to gather sticks, Toothless following at my heels for protection. I doubted there was anything on this island (which was more of a large sea stack, really) except squirrels and birds, but he wasn't taking any chances.

When we returned to the cliff where we'd landed, my mom was just finishing up making a circle of rocks for the fire. I dumped my pile of sticks in, and Toothless shot a small plasma blast to light it. I shuddered, letting the sudden warmth seep into my bones.

"Where's Cloud?" I asked, noting the obvious absence of the large Four-wing. Toothless stretched, then lay down next to the fire. I sat down and leaned back against his shoulder.

"He's fishing for dinner," she replied, gesturing behind her towards the cliff edge.

"Thank the gods. I'm starving," I groaned, placing a hand over my rumbling stomach.

Toothless' ears flipped up. *I could've caught you something on the way!* He exclaimed.

I rolled my eyes, meeting his gaze with hooded lids. *You couldn't even catch a fish from the lake because of your fear of water!* I protested.

He huffed, looking away and setting his head on his paws. *I would've at least tried…for you.* He muttered. I patted his leg, grateful that he cared.

It was only a few minutes before Cloudjumper returned with a mouthful of fish for me and my mom. As we cooked them over the fire, he left again to get some for Toothless. My dragon wouldn't fare well if he ever got stranded in the middle of the ocean. Hopefully that never happens.

It was dark when Cloud finally settled next to my mom for the night. I chewed on my fish absentmindedly, thinking of tomorrow. We were leaving before dawn so we'd reach the festival while it was still daylight, though my mom said it lasted over a week so we wouldn't miss out either way.

I was starting to get a bit nervous. What if the humans were just like the ones on the ship? What if they tried to attack us, or kill us? What if my dagger wasn't enough protection? I wanted more than anything to be able to bring Toothless to the festival with me, but he and Cloudjumper had to hide in the surrounding forest while we were there. Me and my mom were going to be on our own.

"Hiccup, stop worrying," she spoke up suddenly, interrupting my thoughts.

I took another bite of my fish, avoiding her knowing gaze. "I'm not worrying...I'm just..."

"Worrying," she finished, tossing the boney remains of her meal into the fire. "You can't fool me, son. Look, I get it. It's new. It's scary. But I'll be with you the whole time," she promised.

I nodded in acknowledgement. "I know, Mom. I'll be ready tomorrow. It's us against the world, right?"

She smiled. "Of course, buddy. Us against the world."