REVIEWS:

Shaonics6: I like your brackets...

Silverleone: I would totally watch that!

Vognar-The Legendkeep: Doesn't everyone always need more sleep than they manage to get?

Guest: I'm not quite sure what you mean by summarising events. So far, I've visited every scene of the movie, carefully watching and rewatching every three seconds or so. I described the Zippleback and eel scene from the movie as it happened, but from Hiccup's perspective. There shouldn't have been any confusion, I don't think. Could you elaborate?

On another note, though I have read and enjoyed the Ranger's Apprentice series, I didn't specifically have it in mind when choosing possible names for Toothless.

Tim2060: Oh, that sucks. I hope you don't have any more problems with reviewing. Message received about ICBFR, but I'm like Edna Mode about older creations ("This is a hobo suit, darling, you can't be seen in this!" "I never look back, darling. It distracts from the now.")

7sky: Thank you. It will include most of the events in the trilogy, but things happening in the background will completely change the ending, I hope. You'll have to wait and see.

Prove just who I am

Thunk!

Thunk!

Thunk!

I froze in place as Astrid almost split me in two with her axe, only just catching herself at the last moment. We stared at each other for a moment, her arm still outstretched to throw, and the saddle and tail fin in my arms. Oh no!

I turned away and jogged away as fast as I dared, zig zagging around a handy boulder and ducking behind it. I waited, barely breathing, for a few heart-stopping moments.

"Argh!" Astrid finally snarled, accompanied by the sound of flesh hitting rock. "You cannot keep escaping me! I will track you down and find out your secrets!"

Yeesh, I beat her once or twice—okay, three times if you include both Zippleback incidents—and she was out for blood! I knew Astrid was competitive, but this was a bit much!

I slipped back into the cove and was relieved to see Toothless on his feet again. The effect of the scratching didn't last too long, I noted mentally.

The basket of fish still lay untouched on the ground, so I walked over and opened the lid for him. He came over to investigate, then plunged his head into the basket to get at the fish. I took one of his front paws and tugged at it gently. Distracted by the fish, he lifted it for me obediently, and I slipped the first metal ring up as far as it would go. The second ring went on without a hitch, and I carefully attached them to the saddle as I put it on his back.

He completely ignored me the whole time, which was encouraging. I slid back to secure the tail fin and pulled on the cable that connected the gears by the tail fin to the gears just under the stirrup, checking for tangles.

It seemed to be working fine, but I knew the real test would be up in the air. I'd had another godsent brainwave earlier this morning, so I knew exactly what I wanted to do. There was a stubborn tree stump on Raven's Point that could never be dug up. I knew this because Mildew had once complained so much that Dad had sent an entire squad of men to go and remove it. It hadn't budged an inch. My plan heavily relied on the stump's durability.

Toothless nudged my hand, and I looked at him, tilting my head.

"This do?"

He shook himself experimentally and listened to the jangling metal pieces, hope shining in his incredible emerald eyes. I prayed to Thor I wouldn't dash those hopes.

"So, you up for a little flight?" I asked, and he nodded so hard I thought he'd shake his head right off his neck. It took a while to get him to calm down enough to let me get on his back, then another five minutes to get him to go where I wanted him to go.

"Okay, let's go," I said, patting his side.

It was far easier to stay on with the new saddle, but we still started to plummet after three seconds in the air. Toothless growled at me, and I hurriedly twisted the stirrup. My new safety harness was put to the test instantly as he swerved hard to the right. The straps creaked and stretched, but they held. Panicking, I tried twisting the new stirrup again, and we headed straight up. I turned around in the saddle, and saw the tail fin was folded wrong. I fiddled with it a little until it was right, getting the hang of how the stirrup really affected the tail fin, and we eased into a shallow dive. Toothless steered us as best as he could, aiming for the thin strip of land on Raven's Point.

I clung to the saddle with all my strength, waiting for the wind that always blew strongly over the cliff. Toothless gave a startled shriek and closed his wings.

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING!" I screamed as we plunged straight through a layer of turbulence—and landed hard on the point. He looked back and grumbled at me. I could just imagine him saying Don't you trust me?

"I—yes, I trust you. It was just a shock." I unhooked myself and slid off his back. I pulled out my coil of rope and tied it securely to the front of the saddle. He crooned inquisitively at me.

"I can't learn while flying at the same time. I need to concentrate on one thing at a time," I explained, paying out the rope while walking back to the stump. "This way, we'll be in no danger of falling, and I'll be able to work out which positions do what."

He didn't seem very happy, but accepted that I needed some time and a lot of practice. Reminding him of our earlier falls was quite persuasive, and he sighed in resignation as I checked my knots for the fifth time. I didn't want them to snap or come undone while we were still so unsteady in the air.

"Okay, I think we're ready," I declared, and Toothless bent his front legs slightly to let me get on. "Thanks."

Before I had a chance to observe what he did, we were in the air. I blinked, then turned my attention to the front. The rope was holding, that was good. I looked back at the tail, and made a note of how Toothless was holding his tail fin—flat-ish—then randomly clicked the stirrup. I found the up position, which was actually more like forty five degrees upwards, instead of mostly flat like I'd thought. I made a quick note of that fact on the back of my paper, and nodded to Toothless.

He outstretched his wings again, and we started to lift into the air.

Whoosh! We both yelped as a sudden gust of wind blew us backwards. The rope held for a moment, then it snapped and we went flying through the air—and not in a good way. At least my harness held this time, I thought as I landed in a heap next to Toothless, my butt sticking up in the air in a most undignified way.

Shaking off the daze of crash landing, Toothless stood up. Something tugged around my waist, and I ended up almost upside down, staring at my own boots. He instantly stopped moving.

"Okay," I said slowly, bracing my hand against the ground and pushing myself upright-ish. What was the problem? I followed the tug at my waist, up the safety line, and groaned. One of the clasps that let me attach the backwards vest to the saddle was bent out of shape.

"The days just get better and better, don't they," I said sarcastically, and Toothless grumbled questioningly. Just to make sure, I tugged at the clasp. It didn't budge an inch.

"We bent the clasp, and now I can't unattach myself," I explained. "And I only got one position!"

He glanced at the sky, then hunkered low to the ground. I twisted and wriggled a bit, and managed to get to my feet. He stood up and nudged my arm. "What is it?"

He tossed his head towards his back.

"Yeah, you're right. We can still practise a bit more before the sun sets. After that… I don't know."

oOoOo

I looked at the completed table of positions, and sighed happily. It was a good day's work, I reckoned.

"Okay, position five," I told Toothless, and we descended to the ground. I checked the sun. "We're out of time for today, but maybe we can do some more tomorrow."

He crooned excitedly.

"We just need to figure out how to undo the clasp," I muttered. "I can't take the vest off when it's attached to your saddle."

Toothless crouched, offering the saddle to me. I already knew it wouldn't be any good, but it was worth a shot. I bent down and moved backwards as far as I could. The tail fin flickered tantalisingly, just out of reach no matter what I did. I couldn't remove the saddle either, it seemed.

"It's no good," I sighed. "I need my tools, and they're back in the village."

He nudged my arm with his head, then nodded to his back again.

"Toothless, we can't just walk right into the village! There'll be people, and if they see you—" I shuddered, imagining what Dad would do if he knew I was harbouring a dragon.

He snorted, as if to say, let's see how well you do, bringing an actual dragon to Dragon Training tomorrow.

"You're right, you're right, and I hate it when you're right," I muttered, swinging myself back onto his back. It was getting easier to ride him; we were getting into a rhythm that sort of worked. Flying was still tricky, but running would be easier.

"Okay, we need to go to the forge…" I trailed off as he looked back at me, confused. "Umm, it's the building with a hole in the side, Gobber and I make weapons in it. It probably smells of smoke?"

At the last one, he nodded in comprehension and set off at a bone jarring pace. Every time he landed after a leap, my teeth smashed together painfully, and I considered myself lucky for not biting my tongue. Even on the ground, he moved quickly and confidently, squeezing through gaps between trees I'd never have considered attempting. He was fast, and it only took us about five minutes to reach the outskirts of the forest.

The forge was near the edge of the village, but there were still a few houses and a wide open space between the cover of the trees. He looked back at me over his shoulder, not even panting after the journey.

"Okay, let me go first and keep quiet," I hissed, and he nodded.

Even though no one was in sight, my legs shook and sweat soaked through the back of my shirt. Every house followed me with a disapproving gaze as we crept past. Was that a Viking?! I froze, only to see it was just a sheep. Thor, it didn't even look like a human, and I was freaking out!

Light rounded the corner, and I had precisely three seconds to slip into a dark gap between two houses before the night guard came past me. I held my breath, leaning against the wall for support. My heart pounded so loudly it made me dizzy. Toothless seemed glaringly obvious behind me—who in their right mind would miss a Night Fury?

"Hiccup." I almost jumped out of my skin, but weakly brought my hand up in greeting. He waved, then carried on walking round the village. Apparently, this watch man could miss a dragon when it was two metres away from him.

I couldn't calm down, even when the last light from the lamp had long faded. Toothless nudged my clammy back, and I carefully peered around the corners. The forge was just in front of us, but to get to it we had to cross a huge open space.

"L—let's go," I stammered, and sprinted across the square as fast as I could. Disappearing into the forge, I slammed the door behind me and gasped in relief.

"I need a file, file, file," I mumbled to myself, squinting for the tool in the dark. He tried to help, sticking his head into a nearby bucket. Unfortunately, it got stuck on his head, and flew away with an enormous clang when he shook it loose. "Toothless!" I hissed angrily, as loud as I dared and as quiet as I could.

"Hiccup?" Astrid! Help help help help help! "Are you in there?"

I had a ridiculous urge to say no, and I bit my lip to hold back a hysterical giggle. Her footsteps came closer, and I shoved an apron over my head and leapt out of the forge, shutting Toothless inside. I prayed to Odin that she hadn't caught a glimpse of him.

"Astrid. Hey! Hi, Astrid. Hi, Astrid. Hi, Astrid." I had no idea what to do, I was nervous enough talking to her without hiding a freaking Night Fury less than five metres away from her.

"I normally don't care what people do, but you're acting weird." Oh no, oh no, oh no. To make matters worse, Toothless jerked me backwards till my feet almost lifted off the ground. I twisted to the side, trying to cover the offending lines of the safety harness. "Well, weirder." Astrid corrected herself.

At that point, I was actually grateful to Toothless for pulling me all the way through the shutters and away from the immensely awkward situation.

"Go go go!" I hissed, scrambling onto the saddle. He leapt out the back and crossed the street in a single bound. We landed with a rocky jerk, and I bit my lip hard. Blood trickled into my mouth, and I gagged, clinging tightly to the shaking saddle. The trees raced past in a blur, each one a Viking with weapons pointing at us. His shoulders rippled with muscles as we travelled back to the forest, absorbing a lot of the shock each time we landed. My legs were still black and blue by the time we got halfway into it, but I knew it could have been a lot worse.

I half dismounted and half fell off his back, only to be brought up with a jerk by the safety line. "That was too close," I said shakily. "And I didn't even get the file!"

He dropped something slimy into my hand, and I crinkled my face in disgust. "What have you—oh, the file." Covered in slobber but still quite usable, the small tool fit perfectly into the bent clasp. I levered it open and unhooked the clasp. Instantly, he whirled around and bowled me over, then licked my face enthusiastically.

"Wha—? Get off!" I sputtered, uselessly trying to push him away. My hair was completely soaked by the time he decided to finish my impromptu bath. "Yeah, I'm glad to be unhooked too."

He looked at me, then into the depths of the forest, where I knew the cove was. It was late but thankfully moonless, the sky as close to pure black as it ever got. Berk's sky could be blue, or grey, or even silver, but it was almost never black.

"Time for bed?" I asked, yawning a little. It was later than I'd normally go to sleep, but I didn't want to leave him. He nodded, then with the speed of a striking snake, shoved his head under me and lifted. Sitting on his neck, I looked down at him in confusion.

"What?" We started to move through the forest, still fast but less jerky, and I realised. "Do you want me to stay in the cove for tonight?"

He nodded, adding a sound that started as a croon and dissolved into a purr. How could I resist a noise like that?

"Sure. No one will miss me as long as I'm back in time for training tomorrow."

We started speeding through the forest again, dodging between the trees like they weren't there. A massive leap, followed by a quick glide, and we landed in the cove. I got off and started searching for the most comfortable place to sleep. My bed might've only been a wooden platform, but I wasn't used to sleeping on the open ground and I wasn't sure how to start.

Toothless snorted at me and I looked up. He pawed at the saddle, wriggling his shoulders. "Do you want me to take that off?"

He nodded, and I started to strip his harness off. When it was gone, he stretched, wings high above his head and his legs out in front of him, chin almost touching the ground. Then he rolled onto his back with a tired whoosh of air, wings outspread, and snapped his tail out sideways at me

My legs flew into the air—that seemed to be happening a lot recently—and I landed on his wing again. I was closer to him than last time, but still not quite touching him.

"You sure?" I asked, pretty sure he'd done that on purpose. He nodded and brought his tail up to cover most of me. Not quite able to believe I was being so bold, I reached up to trace his tail with my fingers. He stiffened slightly, but seemed to trust me enough to stay still. The one tail fin was flesh and bone, warm and living under my hand. I ran my fingers along the bones, marvelling at how flexible they were, ready to make fine adjustments to his flight at any moment. My artificial fin seemed so clumsy and crude compared to the real thing. I turned my attention to the other side, and he gave me a warning growl.

"It's okay, I'm not going to hurt you," I soothed, and he quieted.

There was a thick scar down the left side of his tail, ropey and slightly raised. I ran my fingers over it, and he shivered slightly, trembling. That was enough for the day. I tucked my hands under his remaining tail fin and curled up on my side.

It was probably the most comfortable place I'd ever slept, but I couldn't relax. The day's events had driven home exactly what I was doing. My fear in my own village was real, it wasn't just guilt for going behind my father's back. I was right to be scared of my own villagers, when they were supposed to be my extended family. If they caught me, I'd probably be outcast and set adrift in a small boat. If they caught Toothless—I couldn't stop myself from thinking about it, but I wish I could've. Every situation involved too much blood and too much pain. I shivered, and Toothless pressed down on me gently with his tail.

"It's okay. We're gonna be okay," I muttered to myself, but I couldn't believe it. Eventually, I fell asleep anyway.

oOoOo

I shot up, choking and coughing, panic racing through my heart. The change from sleep to awareness was so abrupt that it was hard to understand what was going on.

Limbs bound, staring up at me in terror, so much blood!

My hands shook, trembling uncontrollably. I drew my legs up to my chest, rocking back and forth, and bit back a screaming sob.

Dad, cruel and unforgiving, brandishing the bloody knife. Gobber's hand and hook on my shoulders, holding me back.

I stifled the scream, but the sobs came out and I curled up tightly, trying to bury my head in my stomach.

The knife stabbed downwards, piercing black scales where tail met back. Blood spurted, red and thick, and Toothless groaned, straining against his bonds.

I forced my head up, searching, desperate.

The groan turned to a scream, far louder and more piercing than his attack shriek as Dad dragged the knife upwards, along his back.

I must have turned around in my sleep, because though I could feel Toothless' wing beneath me, I couldn't see him. The shadows around the edge of the cove seemed far blacker than was natural, and I kept seeing hidden Vikings—behind the tree, under that rock, in those vines—

Exchanging the knife for an axe, Dad raised it above his head and brought it down through bone with a horrifying crack. Every stroke broke a rib away from a ribcage, and Toothless writhed in agony, shrieking till his voice broke. I almost dislocated my arms, trying to escape from Gobber, but I couldn't get free.

I'd have to turn around to find Toothless—but that meant turning my back on the shadows. They irresistibly drew my eyes and I shivered in fear, my throat locking up.

Spitelout, silent and dignified, walked over with a small pot of something. I redoubled my efforts, screaming and sobbing, almost choking on my tears and snot, and slipped out of Gobber's grip. Lurching forwards, I fell to my knees in front of Toothless and clung to his neck, begging Dad to stop.

A tail fin rose to my chin, gently lifting my face. I dragged myself away from the menacing shadows and held tightly to it, burying my face in his scales.

I could feel everything. It was my back that hurt so much I thought I'd die, my throat that ached from screaming, my lungs that were filling with my own blood. I squeezed his neck as hard as I could.

Toothless lifted me gently, pulling me closer. My hands couldn't hold onto him tight enough.

Salt water poured across his back, ebony scales coated in slippery blood, and we howled together. It was excruciating, but I somehow knew it was far worse for Toothless.

I couldn't stop crying. I buried my face in his shoulder.

Gobber stepped forwards—no, not Gobber, he's supposed to be on my side!—and lifted his hook in the air.

"Hear ye, Night Fury! By the power vested in us, we sentence you to death by blood eagle, in the hopes that Odin will look favourably on us and grant us relief from the constant dragon raids!"

He brought one of his wings over me and I squirmed under it, trying to hide from something—everything. Warbling worriedly, he gently picked me up and pulled me onto his belly.

The hook featured in most of my favourite memories, but now it plunged down and lifted out one of Toothless' lungs. I couldn't stand it any more, the pain was too much. I had to let go. Toothless choked on his own blood as Gobber thrust his hook through the other lung and lifted it out. He gasped for air, terrified and alone.

"Oh, buddy!" I pressed my ear against his chest, filling my head with his strong heartbeat. He was alive and well, alive and well, alive and well—

Toothless' eyes stared back at me, sightless. It almost seemed like they were blaming me, pinning his death on me. I shrunk back, watching in horror as Dad and the villagers, my family, washed their hands in the blood of my best friend.

Toothless held me with his front legs, gently nuzzling my hair with his nose. I curled up on his chest, trying to be small and hide. Everything felt scary and against what I had with Toothless. Something rustled, and suddenly the world was darker and warmer. It was quieter too, and smaller. Smaller and safer. He'd wrapped his wings around me.

"Odin, I c—can't lose y—you."

He squeezed me tightly, crooning and purring comfortingly, and I gradually started to calm my hiccuping breathless sobs. I wanted to squirm out of his grasp and run my hands along his back, to know deep in my bones that he was alright, but that would mean exposing myself to the world. Here, in the hidden space behind his wings, I was safe.

oOoOo

I barely went home that night, just a quick trip into the village to get some tools and Toothless' breakfast. My home for the past fifteen years now felt like a death trap, like the slightest misstep would doom both me and Toothless. Even though I'd barely been in between the houses for a few minutes, seven Vikings had waved at me as I passed. My cloak of invisibility, carefully built up over fifteen years of failure, was rapidly dissolving. I felt exposed.

Recently, though it felt like months ago, Astrid had told me to 'figure out which side you're on.' Well, I'd made my decision.

I was on Toothless' side.

Not the Vikings', but not the dragons' either. It was just the two of us, but that was enough for me, although I would do my very best to ensure that no one from either side got hurt. We—the Vikings—had always thought that peace was impossible. Here is proof that it isn't. I slipped through the entrance to the cove, and Toothless bounded over to me, crooning happily.

"You hungry?" I laughed, swinging the basket and my tools off my shoulder. His eyes suddenly fixed on a point just to my left. I shrugged it off as more weird dragon stuff, and bent to pull the lid off the basket of fish. Kicking my hammer aside by accident, I spilled fish across the floor.

"Here you g—"

Only the rush of air let me duck in time as he sailed over my head, wings unfurled to let him jump further.

"What the—?"

Slamming his paws down on the ground, he growled in frustration.

"Uh, what are you doing?"

He lifted his paws and I caught a glimpse of light under his paws, before he tried to 'catch' it again. My eyes widened, and I looked down at my tools, scattered across the ground. Only two were in the sunlight, the hammer and a needle. I bent down and picked up the needle. Nothing changed, so I reached for the hammer.

Simply picking the thing up made Toothless go crazy, racing round the cove at top speed after the small dot of light. He could never catch up to it like that, so I stilled the hammer and waited. The moment he pounced, I tilted it a fraction. Annoyed at missing his 'prey' by mere inches, he turned a little to the left and tried again. Again, I moved it a fraction and he missed. Then I sent it over to the other side of the cove and he chased after it.

I shouldn't have found it funny. I really shouldn't have. But who could keep a straight face while a massive dragon chased a tiny spot of light across the room as though possessed? Not me, certainly.

I ducked behind a log to avoid his mad leaps and continued to manipulate the hammer. Suddenly, the empty page in the Dragon Manual floated to the surface of my mind. I knew what size he was, and speed would be impossible to measure until I was far better at flying—but other dragons normally had an extra bit, as well as stats. Endurance was normally written somewhere on the page, and here was my chance to see how much stamina he had. It was a good excuse to keep playing with the hammer.

A grin—probably a wicked one, I wasn't sure—rose to my lips. I considered it payment for the multiple drenchings and baths he'd submitted me to, not to mention the late nights I'd spent working on the saddle and tail fin.

The hammer was light in my hand, easy to tilt this way and that without getting tired. I could send the spot of light darting across the floor with a flick of my wrist, Toothless mere moments behind it, and I may have enjoyed that power a little too much.

I sent it up the walls, racing across the floor, dancing round in circles, then repeated in a random order. It was hilarious, and I completely lost track of time.

oOoOo

He started to tire, and I gradually slowed the light's movement to match his slower speed. I was astonished at his consistent agility and determination—he'd probably been going for four hours by now.

Eventually, he stopped running and stood in the middle of the cove, swaying slightly and panting hard. I came out of my hiding place, wincing as pins and needles started to prick my legs.

"All tired out?" I chuckled quietly. He nodded with a groaning sigh, and lay down on the ground, his head resting on his paws. I sat down next to him and leaned against his neck, resting my arm on his back. He fell asleep almost instantly, and I reluctantly pulled myself away. I had to go, or I'd be late for Dragon Training.

This is officially my most viewed story! Three more reviews to catch up with ICBFR...