I was so warm, I didn't want to move. If I moved, it was a sign that I was awake. I couldn't lose the blanket that I so rarely got in the winter. I couldn't help it though and tucked deeper into my bed. Then the wall behind me moved, and I paused.

'Is someone sleeping in here too? I guess I can share the warmth, it's not like I'm shivering right now…' I relaxed, allowing myself to enjoy the peace. I dozed in and out of consciousness before fading more into reality.

'Why are they hugging me?' I thought as I felt the solid arm over my shoulder. 'Great, now I have to move. Weirdo…' I went to sit up, but the arm tightened around me, pulling me against the person's chest. I grunted when they didn't let go at my next attempt either. I huffed in frustration.

"Get off!" I snapped. The blanket was yanked away and the person jumped back. I rolled over to give them a piece of my mind, only to scream at the teeth right in my face. I curled into a ball and covered my head.

There was a huff of hot air over my body before I heard a grumble. I slowly peaked around my arms. The furry dragon was grooming its front leg but stopped when it caught my eye. I ducked my head again. I heard soft footsteps before the dragon's warm breath wash over my head. I blindly swung an open hand at the dragon's nose. I felt contact and the dragon jumped back. I glared at it around my elbow as it snuffled, wiggling its nose.

"Go away," I muttered. It shot a look of slight offense at me before sitting down. I grumbled under my breath before shivering. I finally looked around and noticed that the ground had frost on it.

"…Maybe I shouldn't have moved." I began to regret scaring the dragon as I wrapped my arms around my legs. The dragon stood up half way before shaking itself out. It took a step closer and I cringed. While it hadn't hurt me, and had done a similar act to Toothless in keeping me warm, I still didn't trust it. It crouched in front of me, bringing its eyes to my level. It tilted its head to the side, a curious sound rumbled in its throat.

"Why haven't you killed me?" The words barely fell out of my lips, but it still heard me. It crawled forward, widening its pupils in a show of passiveness. I watched with wariness, but I stayed still. It hesitated, as if asking for permission. When I didn't protest, it stretched its neck out and touched my folded arms with its nose. Even knowing the touch was coming, I still flinched. It kept its nose there for a minute before pulling back and standing up.

It walked around to my left, going deliberately slow, before laying down and pressing its belly against my back again. Its wing came down and wrapped around my shoulders, gently pulling me back so my back was against its belly. I sighed at the warm fur and looked to its head at my right. My eyes drifted to the frosty soil.

"I've been, afraid of dragons my whole life." I closed my eyes.

'Why am I telling a dragon I'm afraid of it?' I didn't have an answer.

"I've been, terrified. I've never even been able to look a dead dragon in the eye. Much less a living one." I felt the wing pull me closer. I turned so my right side was pressing against its side. Its blue eyes were staring calmly. I feathered my fingertips down its shoulder, feeling the miraculous heat in the fur.

"It wasn't till a few days ago that I even touched my first dragon." The dragon shuffled, seemingly encouraging me. "It was a Night Fury. One of the most powerful dragons in existence. He saved my life." I felt shame creep in.

"I'm sorry if you were only trying to help, I…I was just, so afraid that you were playing some sick game. But then, you kept me warm. Exactly like he did." I looked up, meeting the large eyes.

"Why?" I asked after a minute of silence. It was such a simple word. The dragon leaned forward, nudging my hand to its chest before pressing my hand between its nose and side.

Bu-bumb

Bu-bumb I felt the powerful, but calm, draconian heartbeat.

"What are you doing?" The dragon then pressed its nose to my chest, looking into my eyes. "My heart?" It nodded. My eyes widened at the human gesture before I frowned. "How could you possibly know what I feel?" It shook its head like a dog; the fur on its head and neck fluffed out. I could only look at it in confusion. It smoothed the fur down with its paw, another freakishly human gesture.

"I'm sorry, I don't understand." The dragon huffed lightly before bunting my shoulder with a purr. I took it as a sign that to drop the topic, so I leaned against its side more. "I'm afraid of dragons, and yet here I am cuddling with one on a cold winter's day." I scoffed, and then a shiver ran up my spine. "How pathetic am I?" The dragon groaned and curled around me, pressing me firmly against its side with its wing.

"You're acting like I'm an injured infant," I murmured as I rested my head on its side. The dragon cooed and pressed its forehead to mine. Then it licked my hair.

"Augh! What are you doing?!" I swiped at it before touching the top of my head. "Oh gross, it's warm." I cringed as a strand of dragon spit stuck to my finger. I wiped it off on the dragon, who shot me a flat look.

"Don't look at me like that, you're the one who did it." The dragon wrapped its front leg around me, pulling me against its chest, before continuing its efforts.

"No! Ew, get off!" I tried to get away, but all four of its legs locked around my body, pinning me to it in a casual of display of overwhelming strength. All I could do was squirm in disgust as its saliva matted my hair down.

After a few minutes of torture, I noticed the tongue was cleaning off the spit, rather than leave more behind. Another minute passed and my head was less sticky than after the first lick. The dragon deemed me clean and released its hold, lifting its two left legs.

I rolled away before glaring at it. I ran my fingers through my hair. It had been slicked back. If I had to guess, similar to the dragon's fur. My hands slowly came down to my sides.

"Strange question…" I waited for a response. The dragon blinked and gave a little huff. "…Are you a female?" It nodded and I sighed.

"Great. I've got a mother dragon that's attached itself to me," I muttered, nearly running my hands through my hair in exasperation. The dragon shuffled her front legs a little, as if anxious. She got up and walked over. When she brushed her head against mine, I reached up and patted her neck, almost mindlessly.

"I need to get a shelter going. Again." I stood up, only to see the dragon perk up. She turned to look in a direction before looking back at me.

"What?" She looked again, this time raising a paw into the air. "You want me to follow?" She nodded before walking to the edge of the clearing. My shoulders slumped and my head fell forward.

"Fine…" I stepped up next to her shoulder, which almost came up to my head, and we headed out. Wherever this was going, I hadn't a clue. I had pretty much given up caring by this point.

««{{¤}}»»

I followed the Furry Fury, for lack of an actual name, to a small cave. It was probably thirty feet deep, and just wide enough for her to move around comfortably.

"Well, this is definitely better than tree branches." She made a convulsing sound and I frowned. "Are you laughing at me?" She stopped and looked away. "You were, weren't you?" A glance over her shoulder gave me the answer and I huffed.

"It was your fault the stupid thing collapsed on me." She shot me a look with a raised eyebrow. "Don't look at me like that, you stuck your nose where it didn't belong." She snorted before shoving me from behind with her head. "'Ey!" I protested as I nearly stumbled. She pushed me into the back of the cave before sitting down. She started grooming herself, leaving me to look around. The cave had nothing special in it, just barren rock. I sat down against the wall, resting my head back.

RrrrRRRrrrr We both shot to attention before I felt my face grow hot.

"R-right, haven't eaten in a few days. Eheh." I looked down at my already thin stomach. It growled again and the Fury looked affronted. She dashed out of the cave without a second glance and I frowned. "I hope that didn't offend her…" I ignored my stomach as I looked myself over. The bruises from the Nadder that attacked me had mostly healed, they were just a pale yellow. I noticed a mark on my right shoulder where either the Nadder's talon scraped me, or a tree branches caught me while I was running.

I had run a lot since getting to Berk.

Speaking of…

"Should I have trusted Hiccup…?" I asked myself for the millionth time. "He seemed like a genuinely nice person. But his father…" His father was too close to my own. Maybe I misinterpreted his words, but could I really take that risk? It wasn't unreasonable to want to be free, was it? To stay away from those who would abuse me? I thought so. I rested my head against the wall behind me.

The Fury came bounding into the cave, skidding to a halt and scattering loose pebbles and dirt. I covered my face with a cry of protest before glaring at her. She ignored the look in favor of dropping a mouthful of fish at my feet. I paused before lowering my arms to my side.

"Is that for me?" She bent down and nudged at the pile, some of the fish sliding towards my feet. My heart twisted with something I couldn't describe. I felt my breathing get heavier as my eyes searched for an answer among the dead fish. I looked at the dragon, and I realized what it was that I was feeling.

I felt cared for.

««{{¤}}»»

The dragon had been happy to get food for the starving youngling. She took off and soared through the air, heading for the ocean to gather fish in her favorite hunting spot. As she surveyed the waters, looking for a school of fish, her mind went to the human. He reacted so differently to her compared to any other humans that she'd met. Though, they have been far and few between.

But this scrawny little human…he had no weapon, no desire to kill her, he only feared her. At least at first. It was the oddest thing, but she sensed that he would never harm her. Well, the kick to the nose stung a little, but she had probably deserved it, getting too close too soon.

She spotted a good size school of fish and tucked in her wings, diving down as silent as a mouse. A single hail ball hit the water with a force that stunned the fish close to it, allowing her to swoop by and scoop them up. She needed to eat as well, so she took the first few mouthfuls for herself. She swung around and headed back to the cave, hoping the human hadn't run off.

In her earnest to get back, she didn't realize how fast she was landing and had to put the skids on before she collided with the back wall. The human let out a noise of protest, not that the blamed him, before she set the fish down in front of him.

"Is that for me?" He sounds shocked. She nudged the pile closer, encouraging him to eat up. He didn't, instead choosing to look at her. She felt his mood shift and stopped. Why was he feeling conflicted? It was food. You eat food. He changed moods so sporadically that she shifted where she sat, feeling a little uncomfortable.

He finally settled on one and he looked at his hands, which were starting to shake.

"I." He swallowed, as if something were caught in his throat. "Wh-." A tear fell down his cheek and she pulled back. Was the human so fragile that simply offering him food sent him into a fit? He covered his face with his hands and her motherly instincts took hold.

The dragon stepped around the pile and touched his shoulder with her nose, asking if he was alright. She locked up when he threw himself at her, wrapping his arms around her neck. He dug his face into the fur on her shoulder as his body heaved. The dragon's immediate thought was that he was sick, but then she pushed a sigh through her nose and wrapped her right foreleg around him.

He was fragile, but not for the reason she originally thought. Her gut told her she was the first "mother" type being he had in his life. It made her wonder what happened to the one that brought him into the world.

Oh how she wished he could understand her!

««{{¤}}»»

I often thought about what it would be like to have someone who honestly cared about me. That was before I became jaded. Now? I finally had a semblance of my wonders.

And it hurt.

I couldn't comprehend why it felt like my heart was being torn apart again. I honestly wasn't sure how much more I could handle.

She started to purr and croon, the sounds right next to my ear as I clung to her like a lifeline. I didn't know how I had any tears left, but a few still fell.

"I-I, all I wanted was a mom!" My words came out in a broken whine that made the dragon whine back. She laid us down and curled around me once more, holding me as tightly as possible. I gripped handfuls of her fur, trying to ground myself in reality. The world went dark as she wrapped her wing around me like a cocoon. I didn't know it, but she could feel my pain, even if it was just the shifting of the air on her fur. She watched over me, comforting me without words.

I slowly pulled away after a while, wiping my tears.

"I got your fur dirty. Sorry…" I droned. She gently pressed her nose to my forehead in a show of forgiveness. She tilted her head down and looked at me with wide eyes. "Are you asking if I feel better?" I sniffed and wiped my nose with my sleeve, grimacing at the filthy cloth. The dragon used a claw to catch the final tear on my cheek.

"I honestly don't know how I feel. I should be angry with those people. They tortured me. But…I'm just grateful that I'm free." I stopped. "I'm…free." I tasted the word, savoring its meaning. The dragon looked like she thought I had lost my mind. I shook my head. "Sorry." She sniffed before jutting her head towards the pile of fish. My stomach roared and I blushed.

"Right. I'm, going to need a fire." She tilted her head. "Humans can't eat raw meat. We get sick." I stood up, feeling a little shaky from the lack of food and exhaustion. Steeling myself, I walked outside and began gathering whatever firewood I could. I didn't need a bonfire, but I did still needed a steady flame.

I turned when the dragon let out a small roar. She was standing at the cave entrance, she tail lightly swaying behind her.

"What's wrong?" She looked at her feet. Was she embarrassed about something? "I won't be long, just a few more branches."

I gathered up the necessary wood and walked back to the cave entrance. I set up the small campfire, wiping my forehead.

"Whew. Hey, do you mind lighting this?" I asked, only to see her shuffle her front feet and refuse to look at me. My brow furrowed. "Hey, what's wrong?" I placed my hand on her head. She glanced at me, then the fire, then the rock wall just outside of the cave. She sucked in a breath before I could ask and shot a white ball out of her mouth. It hit the rock with a loud crack, shattering into a million pieces. She slowly glanced at me, keeping her head down.

"Ah. Ice breath. Good," I said, staring dumbly at the point of impact. I slapped myself across the face before kneeling down. "Wait, I didn't mean it like that!" She shied away a little and I sighed. "I didn't mean any offense. I had no idea you couldn't breathe fire. I'm sorry." She hesitated before brushing against my shoulder. I stood up and looked around.

"However, I still need a fire." We both were deep in thought, but when we glanced at each other, we could tell the other had no idea. "Man…Do you happen to know any dragons nearby that would be willing to help?" She considered it before shaking her head. My lips pressed together.

"I might have to steal something from the Vikings." I stared into the middle distance for a split second before snapping out of it. "Won't be the first time." I grimaced when my stomach growled in anticipation. I shot a look at my midriff before looking at the dragon.

"Do you know where the other humans live?" She observed me for a moment before giving me a single, slow nod. "Can you lead me to them?" She turned her head, eyeing me with a single, blue orb. "What?" The eye narrowed.

"Don't tell me the one dragon in this place that I don't have to be afraid of has high morals." My shoulders slumped and I sighed. "It's not going to be anything they'll notice missing. A simple striking set will work. I need something to light a fire." The eye narrowed further.

"Fine. I'll just find the tribe myself," I said matter-of-factly before turning and walking off. I stopped when I heard her call me, and looked over my shoulder. She stared for half a second before huffing and jerking her head to my left. I felt my face glow red. I muttered under my breath as we both began to walk towards the village.

I only got a tailfin upside the head as a response.