Man! What a pain to write!
But it's out now! Enjoy!
~Silverleone
The Furry Fury and I made our way through the woods. She, understanding how scared I was, kept any other wild dragons at a distance. I was beyond grateful she had decided to help me. I just couldn't believe that a dragon had a stronger moral compass than I did, being unsure about stealing something.
'Maybe that says more about me than her…' I thought with a slight frown. 'I'm doing this to survive, not for malicious intent.' I told myself as I stepped around a rock. The dragon blocked my path with a wing as we stepped up to the edge of the forest. I peaked out and saw a few houses around the area.
"Okay," I whispered, leaning close to the dragon, "You stay here. I'll be right back." She looked at the village before resting her gaze on me. "I'll be fine. It's not the first time I've done this." I barely ducked under a swinging paw and shot her a stink-eye. "Just stay here." I ducked into the brush and disappeared into the shadows. The Fury sat down and did her best to track me from her position.
I moved through the forest carefully, looking for an outside storage room. Whether it was a shed or something else, as long as it had what I needed.
I came across a house that looked familiar. It was Hiccup's house.
'If anyone would have some sort of fire starter, it would be him.' I hesitated. His father could be in there.
I started to move along to the next house, only to freeze when I saw a black object flick around the corner.
««{{¤}}»»
Toothless was having a pretty normal day. Pounce on Hiccup's dead-tree-cave until he came outside, wait impatiently for him to hook up the tailfin, and go on their morning flight. It was that same routine for most days, but it never got old. Especially after his rider decided he wanted his own wings.
That first landing had been scary, he almost hadn't caught him in time. It was way too close to the time with that queen.
He was pretty sure there was still a kink in his tail from it too.
The Night Fury was, at the moment, lounging outside his rider's house, enjoying the warm sun in the chilly air.
Wait. What was that?
He lifted his head and sniffed the air. It was faint, but he thought he picked up on…the human had that had run away? Did he decide to come back?
Toothless had to find out. He liked that human.
««{{¤}}»»
I slipped through the shadows, barely avoiding things that would give me away. There was one thing that I hadn't considered when doing this.
Dragons.
They were everywhere. I was finding it extremely hard to not be seen by them. The Vikings couldn't have been less observant if they jammed sap in their ears and put on blindfolds. Maybe it was because of the dragons being there as a source of protection. Maybe they were that overconfident in themselves.
Maybe this was how care free normal people were.
I shook that thought away. I couldn't get distracted myself. I moved behind a shed and peaked out. There was a fat dragon laying outside of a forge.
'A forge. Perfect.' I crept along, ducking any time eyes got near my location.
I slipped around the dragon as silently as possibly. It snorted and I froze, glancing back at it. It snuffled before snoring once more. I glared at it as my heart pounded in my chest.
Peeking into the forge, I noticed a larger man happily whistling while hammering something on an anvil. My eyes gazed around before I noticed a small door at the back.
Stepping inside, I saw a small room covered in paper. Drawings of random things were etched through the leaflets, giving me the impression it was some sort of planning room.
I shook my head and looked around. I didn't see anything that could help start a fire and pushed a silent huff through my nose.
««{{¤}}»»
It was definitely that human. What was he doing, moving behind the dead tree caves? The Night Fury didn't know, but was determined to find out.
Following the trail closely, he stopped when his nose bumped into something. Looking up, he saw the door to the hot place Hiccup works in.
Why would the human go in here?
««{{¤}}»»
Deciding there was nothing that could help me in the back room, I peeked the corner to see the older man still working away, completely oblivious. I searched the area with my eyes, only to final spot a set of striking stones. I glanced between them and the man. Taking a careful step out, I snatched the stones and made for the door.
"OOOOOHH!" I nearly leapt into space as the man let out a bellow. I spun around and saw him throwing his head back. He was singing. Well, I assumed he was trying at least. It was so off key it made my head ring. I grimaced and turned back to the door, only to trip over something. I landed with a loud crash.
"'Ey! Who are you?!" I flipped onto my back to see the man limping forward with a hammer in hand. No, with a hammer as a hand. I gasped and scrambled to my feet. With the stones still in hand, I slammed my shoulder into the door, only to run face first into a black form. I hit the ground, grunting in pain.
"Where'd you think yer goin'?!" I was hauled off the ground as the man grabbed my shirt.
"Let go of me!" I thrashed in his surprisingly strong grip.
"Aye, I don't think I will." He glared at me. I brought my leg up and planted my foot on the man's chest before pushing off. I wrenched free of his grasp, nearly knocking him off balance. I threw myself away from him.
"THIEF!" The man shouted. I threw a look over my shoulder and finally noticed the Night Fury sitting next to the man. "Well don't just stand there! Get 'em!" The man said, pointing at me. Toothless bounced to his feet and thundered after me. I stifled a yelp and kicked it to a full sprint.
Ducking between houses that were placed closed together made Toothless find alternate routes. The man's voice followed me, but faded as I got farther away. I finally saw the edge of the forest and felt hope.
Something large bowled me over. Toothless stood over me, a paw on either side of me as he panted happily. I used my feet to push myself backwards.
"John?" Hiccup slowed to a stop next to Toothless. He grabbed my arm as I tried to run. "John, wait!" I threw him off of me. A larger, beefier hand grasped my shoulder before I could take another step.
"Now, let's all take a second, shall we?" The deep voice made my blood freeze. I thrashed again, but the other arm wrapped around me, pinning me to the chest of Hiccup's father.
"Let me go!" A scream of desperation tore from my throat. I swung my elbow up, catching the man in the nose. A sound of pain raised to a cry as my teeth dug into his arm. His grip loosened just enough that I was able to break away again.
"John, wait!" Hiccup called out. I spun around, throwing my arm to the side.
"Leave me alone!" I was off again, crashing through the brush. I stopped for just a second and looked around. I saw a pair of bright blue eyes peeking through a bush. "Run!" I hissed to her. She hopped over the bush and we took off.
"Toothless, track him!" Hiccup's voice followed us. The dragon only steps behind it. The Furry Fury spun around and snarled at her scaly counterpart. The sound was so feral that it made my blood curdle. Not expecting her, he tripped and faceplanted. She snorted before easily catching up with me.
We ran until I was too tired, which truthfully wasn't all that far. I leaned against a tree, sweat pouring from my forehead as I gasped for air. The Fury took a hesitant step towards me, silently looking me over with icy eyes. I gently waved off her concerns.
"I'm okay, I just need a minute." She looked at the trail we had left through the trees. "Thanks, for stopping him back there." She looked at me, humming a little. "I don't know what they would have done if they had caught me." She looked forward again. A shiver ran up my spine as the adrenaline wore off. I looked at the two stones in my hand before sticking them in my pocket.
"Well, I can start a fire now."
"Now Toothless!" The Fury spun around, nearly hitting me with her wing. Toothless lunged, his eyes on me, his claws raised. I went to duck, but he grabbed me. With a flick of his tail and a snap of his wings, we went skyward. The female dragon let out a roar and leaped for Toothless.
My arms clamped onto one of his legs in fear of falling. The female Fury was right behind Toothless.
"John! Listen to me! I just want to talk!" I squeezed my eyes shut as the fear came back tenfold.
"Let me go!"
"Kind of a bad ide-WOAH!" Hiccup barely ducked under a swipe of the other dragon's claws. "Why is this Woolly Howl attacking us?!" I was too busy trying to not slip into a full panic attack.
'Toothless saved me. She saved me. She will save me.' I kept the mantra up as we all moved through the air.
"John! Why is that dragon after us?!" I didn't answer until he asked for a third time.
"Because I don't trust you!" I shouted before I slipped a little. I let out a sound so filled with distress both dragons stopped mid air. Toothless looked at me before looking up at Hiccup. They both silently agreed and headed for the ground.
Toothless landed on his hind legs, holding me against his chest with the leg I was clinging to. He gently set me on the ground while Hiccup hopped off.
"John! I'm so sorry, I didn't-! I just wanted-!" I kicked at him, catching him in the stomach. He fell onto his butt with an 'oof!'.
"Get away from me!" I spat as I crawled backwards. He put his hands up in a show of surrender.
"Okay, okay." Toothless checked his rider before turning to me. I flinched at the four paws slamming down next to me. A growl emitted from her throat as the Furry Fury planted a foot in front of me.
Toothless tilted his head. He took a step forward, only to jump when she screamed at him like a mountain lion. I hadn't heard her make that sound before and my instinct was to cower.
She turned back to me once she was sure Toothless would stay back. She crouched in front of me, her eyes filling my view. She puffed out a breath and I slowly reached a hand out, running it through her fur. She cooed, closing her eyes at the touch before nudging my hand. I nodded, still breathless. She shifted around so she was crouched next to me, keeping a watchful eye on the other two. Her tail came around to rest against my leg opposite of her.
Hiccup stood at Toothless' shoulder. His expression was confusing to read, probably showing his own confusion amongst the other thoughts and emotions. When we made eye contact, he couldn't help but wince. I looked at the ground.
"Just leave me alone…" I muttered harshly.
"I…" He took a step forward, only for the dragon next to me to hiss in warning and move to block me more. He stopped, his brow pinching. "Alright." He slowly climbed on Toothless. Once he settled in the saddle, he looked at me again.
"Are you going to be okay?" He asked. I looked away as my hand stretched out, feathering along the dragon's shoulder. "Okay. I'll come by in a view days. I think we all need to clear our heads." With a short urge, Toothless took off. I didn't have the strength to tell him off. Once the Fury was sure they were gone, she turned and nuzzled me.
"…Can we go to your cave, please?" She nodded. It took a minute for me to get up, I was so shaky and numb. Once I assured her that I could walk, we headed towards the cave.
««{{¤}}»»
I slumped onto the cave floor, nearly hitting my head. Ignoring the ache of hunger, I just wanted to sleep. The Fury laid next to me, pulling me close with a gentle grasp. I assisted her by scooting closer, absorbing her warmth. I buried my face into her fur as I gritted my teeth. I wasn't willing to cry again. It felt wrong. I felt weak.
As if sensing my thoughts, the dragon squeezed me just a little. I was able to fight back the tears and focused on calming down, warming up, and conserving my strength.
"I don't know why you insist on helping me." She nuzzled the top of my head and I sighed. "Still, thank you." After a minute, I shifted until she let me up.
"I still need to eat." I grabbed a few fish from the small pile she had dropped earlier and stepped outside.
««{{¤}}»»
I sat back after the sparks finally caught the leaves in my little fire. After helping the flames to grow bigger, I took a fish on a stick and angled it over the fire. I finally felt warmth as the flames grew bigger. I soaked it up as I closed my eyes and breathed.
The dragon had gone off to hunt for herself after I insisted I would be fine for a while. She still looked nervous about leaving. It was understandable after the day we had.
I rubbed my face with both hands, feeling frustrated.
"Why did he come after me like that?" I only knew Hiccup for a day at best, before his father suggested the whole "life debt" thing. Could I really trust the rider?
The girl, Astrid, seemed nice. She immediately told Hiccup off once she learned of my fear. To be honest, I couldn't have guessed his line of thinking either.
Let's take a man who had a crippling fear of dragons to an island full of dragons. Brilliant.
Maybe he thought he could protect me better if I was nearby?
'Or maybe he wanted his slave within sight…' I batted that thought away as I checked my fish. It was nearly done so I pulled it a little further from the fire.
The brush across the clearing rustled and I homed in on it. The female Fury's head popped out of the bushes and I relaxed.
"You startled me," I breathed. She purred as she stepped around and rested behind me. I leaned against her side, grateful for the two sources of heat. She closed her eyes and relaxed.
««{{¤}}»»
"James?!" I froze as Hiccup's voice called in the distance.
"Is he serious?" I asked with a low brow and wide eyes. It had been a few days since our last encounter, and I had essentially forgotten that he said he would come check on me. A few seconds passed before he called my name again. "Does he think I'm his pet or something?" I grimaced. Toothless pushed into the clearing, sniffing the ground with attentive eyes picking up every detail. Fortunately, the shin deep snow that had fallen was muting my scent. Hiccup wasn't far behind the dragon.
'I really wish I wasn't alone at the moment!' The Woolly Howl, which I had started to call her after I heard Hiccup mention the name, had taken off for a short time. I wasn't concerned. Until now.
"James?" Hiccup looked around before noticing smoke trailing from the firepit. He knelt next to it and hovered his hand over it. His mouth turned to a frown and he looked at the cave. I internally cursed my stupidity as I held still. Hiccup stood up and slowly approached as Toothless continued sniffing around the area.
"…James?" He hadn't found me yet. The darkness of the cave compared to the white snow outside made it hard for him to see. He took another cautious step before stopping.
"James, if you're in here, I'm sorry. I saved your life to save your life, no other reason. I don't expect you to fulfill a life debt or anything like that." He glanced around, but he still hadn't noticed me.
"The rest of the village doesn't even know about you. I talked with my father. I think he understands." I nearly scoffed. "I just, want to make sure you're okay. I saw that Woolly Howl and thought it was attacking you. I didn't realize you had made a friend." I closed my eyes and pushed out a slow breath.
"Neither had I," I said as I stood up. Our eyes met and he seemed to deflate.
"Oh thank Thor. I thought I was talking to an empty cave." He didn't catch me rolling my eyes a little.
"Yeah, well, I'm fine. You can go." I was cold towards him, I admit, but my instincts were screaming at me.
"We have a warm room…" He offered. I looked at him through my eyebrows.
"Why should I trust you?" I asked under my breath. He looked around for a second, as he thought about it. His mouth tightened, and he met my eyes.
"After what my father said, I get why you don't." He sighed. "I'm not going to drag you back to Berk if you don't want to go; I just thought I would extend the offer." Toothless finally stepped into the cave and happily stepped up to me. I fought every urge to flinch after the way he had grabbed me the last time we met. He must have noticed my tense posture because he sat down and lowered his head, looking up at me. I raised a brow before shaking my head.
"I can't be mad at you." He perked up and wiggled on his haunches. I thrust a finger into his face. "But if you ever grab me like that again, you're going to regret it." He turned submissive once more, licking his lips a little. I sighed through my nose before looking at Hiccup.
"What?" I asked.
"Nothing! I just never imagined you scolding a dragon in such a short period of time." He folded his arms and smiled. "It's impressive you've come this far." I went to answer, only for something to slam into the ground outside and a roar to shake the cave. Hiccup and I covered our ears, while Toothless nearly hit the ceiling when he jumped. Recognizing the roar, I shoved past Hiccup before he could become charcoal.
"Wait!" The Woolly Howl looked at me in surprise. "It's okay. They weren't hurting me." We met each other half way and she began poking me with her nose, checking on me. When she caught Toothless' eye, she paused just long enough to let out a warning hiss before continuing her checkup. Once she deemed me unharmed, she nudged me away from the cave, growling a warning when I resisted at first. Once I was across the clearing, she planted her rear between myself and Hiccup, shooting him a look that said "try it". Hiccup held his hands up. Toothless was watching her with rapt attention.
"Hey, hey girl," Hiccup started, only for a louder hiss to cut him off. I felt my heart swell. She was protecting me. Overbearing as it was, she was protecting me. I wrapped my arms around her neck, giving her a partial hug.
"Thank you. But I told you, they won't hurt me." Her unwavering stink eye said she believed differently, which was fine by me. I craved for years to have someone care for me this way. I wasn't going to ask her to stop unless she made a drastic move. Hiccup watched with a smile, and I shot him my own stink eye.
"Hey, earth to Mr. Smiley," I snarked from across the clearing. Hiccup blinked and returned visual fire.
"Oh come on, you have to admit this is pretty cool! I've never even seen a Woolly Howl up close, and I'm the so called 'Dragon Master'." I huffed while scratching my dragon under the chin. "Uh, John, you might want to mo-."
*Whump* I jumped as the Woolly Howl hit the ground. She looked to be unconscious. I freaked out.
"Woah, what's wrong?!" I dropped to a knee and tried looking her over, but I had no idea what could have been wrong.
"John, it's okay! You just hit a sensitive spot for dragons." Hiccup said before reaching under Toothless' jaws. "Here, watch." Before the dragon could react, he too was melting to the ground. I looked between the Furys, my brain jumbling its thoughts. After a minute or so, the Woolly Howl stirred awake, shaking her head and blinking a few times. Toothless wasn't far behind her.
"Are you okay?" I asked, holding her head up. She nuzzled my chest and I sighed. "Oh boy, I'm not touching that spot again."
"It's a good trick to learn. Before Berk learned the truth about dragons, I saved a Gronkle from Astrid's axe by knocking her unconscious." I furrowed my brow.
"Astrid, or the dragon…?" Hiccup laughed.
"The Gronkle. Her name is Meatlug." I wrinkled my nose.
"Meatlug?"
"Mh-hm!" He looked proud of his little story. I could only shake my head.
"Alright, are you good enough to stand?" I asked my companion. She sat up and shook her head again, her fur standing on end for a second before laying flat once more. I smiled.
"John, I don't want to push you, but Gothi, our healer, informed us of a bad storm coming. I think it would be safer for both of you if you were in a house." I groaned.
"You couldn't have led with that?"
"It uh, kind of slipped my mind."
"So why remember now?"
"Because, it just started." I then noticed the falling snowflakes. One landed on my nose when I looked up and a shiver ran down my spine like lightning. I wrapped my arms around myself, only for my dragon to wrap her right wing around me and pull me into her side. I patted her in thanks.
"John, please. I promise, no servitude, no slavery, of any kind," Hiccup insisted. I squeezed my eyes shut.
"As long as she can come." I drew the line.
"I wouldn't dream of separating a dragon and her rider." I looked at him in surprise. "Come on, let's get back before the bad part hits." He hopped on Toothless and clicked his prosthetic into the stirrup.
"Uh, Hiccup?"
"Yeah?"
"I've never…"
"Oh come on, she's going to do all of the work. All you have to do is hold on, just like when you rode on Toothless." The black dragon gurgled in agreement. I looked to my dragon.
'…When did I start referring to her…' I shook my head.
"Is…is it okay with you?" I asked her. She stood up, her back about eye level with me, before kneeling on her front right leg. My jaw locked and I stiffly nodded, hesitantly climbing on. Just when I was going to abandon this crazy idea and hide in the cave, I felt something press against my back.
When I looked over my shoulder, her wing was extended a little. I met her eyes and she squinted. Her wing pressed a little firmer against my back and I climbed on. Straddling her neck, I realized just how much bigger than Toothless she was. I was almost doing the splits, and my shins were pressed outwards slightly due to her neck's width.
"O…okay. I'm…sonotreadyforthis!" I leaned forward, wrapping my arms around her neck and burying my face in her fur. A purr seemed to resonate through my entire surroundings. "just, go, before I jump off!" I stammered. I felt her crouch, heard what I guessed was Toothless taking off, and then she leaped. My throat closed, barely letting a whine slip through. We leveled out, though I kept my face down.
Not only was I scared.
It was cold.
The wind only got worse up here, and it felt like there were buckets of snow falling. I shivered and hugged her tighter, wishing I had some thicker clothing. The snow got heavier within a minute, piercing through my shirt.
"No please!"
*CRACK*
I flailed, only to find my grip void.
The air in my lungs left in a breathless scream. A whistle filled the air as a gray form grew bigger. Something wrapped around me. Something warm. Something gentle.
"John!" I gasped when I heard my name. Hiccup. I looked around, trying to spot him. There he was, riding on Toothless, just to our left, a little ahead. "John! Are you okay?!" I couldn't answer verbally, and could only shake my head.
The Woolly Howl looked down at me in her firm grasp, cooing in concern. It was even colder in her arms, but I knew she wouldn't let me fall. It was a strange comfort, knowing a dragon would never hurt me.
At least not this one, specific, dragon.
Hiccup directed us back to his house, where the Woolly Howl landed on her hind legs, setting me on my feet before getting on all fours. I pressed against her, whispering a shaky thanks.
"Here, inside! It's only going to get worse!" Hiccup called as he tried to see me through the blizzard. I nearly stumbled, but my dragon caught me and helped me hurry over. Hiccup opened his door and Toothless leaped inside. I followed, and the other two were quick to follow.
"Hiccup? What are you doing out…" I stopped at the voice. "Ah, John, is it?" I turned, my head bowed, to the mountain of a man. He was seated in his chair by the fireplace, Toothless already claiming the rock in the corner.
"Dad, they were going to freeze out there."
"I didn't say he couldn't come in, Hiccup." The man said with a frown that showed through his beard. He turned back to me, observing the Woolly Howl that crouched protectively in front of me. Their eyes met and there was a silent conversation before the man 'hmph'd' and sat back.
"Well, come on, there's plenty of heat for everyone." I glanced at my dragon before taking a cautious step closer. She hesitated, but we were soon sitting to Hiccup's father's right, against the wall. She laid behind me and began cleaning both of us.
Once she had us both clean of snow and ice, she curled tightly around me, covering every part of me but my head. I could only look at the fur on her wing that gently wrapped around my neck. I didn't dare look up, for fear of meeting those eyes.
"There you go, Bud." Hiccup had finished taking Toothless' saddle off, and the dragon rolled onto his back, rubbing against the stone beneath him. "I'm going to change really quick. That storm hit much faster than I thought." Hiccup jogged up the stairs, his uneven steps fading as he disappeared. Silence, aside from the crackling fire, filled the room.
"I scare you, don't I?" Came the soft, but still gruff voice of Hiccup's father. I closed my eyes as I controlled a flinch. "I remind you of someone, and that talk about a life debt only made that reminder stronger, didn't it?" I couldn't hide the wince that time. "I see." Silence reigned supreme again.
Hiccup came down, seemingly unaware of the few sentences that had been said, with a bundle of blankets in his arms.
"Well, John, I figured you might want to stay near the fire, so I brought you some pelts to sleep on." He set the pile down in front of me. Surprisingly, my dragon only shuffled a little, rather than growling or hissing at him. I guessed she knew she was in his territory, and wasn't willing to get kicked out of this glorious warmth. Hiccup smiled at her, possibly drawing the same conclusion, before walking over to Toothless.
"Hiccup. A word." His father stood up, the chair sighing in relief.
"Uh, yeah, sure." They stepped into another room. Either I had better hearing than they realized, or they were louder than they realized. Considering they were Vikings, I'd lean on the
"Hiccup…" That was a warning tone if I ever heard one.
"What?"
"Where did you really find him?"
"I told you, on that island."
"And why does he cower at the mere thought of me?"
"Well, to be fair, you did try and put that stupid life debt on him."
"Hiccup." That was a sharper tone. "This is serious." There was a pause, then a sigh.
"He…showed me his back, when I found him on the cliff. It wasn't pretty." There was another, heavier, pause.
"How long do you think?" The man's voice was so soft, I almost didn't hear it.
"His whole life, from what he told me."
"Who do I remind him of?"
"He made it sound like his entire family beat him. Or at least didn't stop it." I could almost see the grim scowl.
"And which family was this?"
"He didn't say." More silence. I glanced down when I felt eyes on me, and saw the Woolly Howl looking at me. I cringed when I noticed the fur around her ears was lifted in the direction of the conversation.
"Goodnight, Hiccup."
"…Goodnight, dad." Hiccup stepped back into the room, closing the door behind him. I acted like I hadn't heard as I pulled one of the pelts under the wing.
"Hey, John?" I looked up. Hiccup looked exhausted as he leaned against the stairs.
"Yeah?"
"Thank you, for trusting me. I know it can't be easy." My eyes fell back down to the fur that was covering me.
"It's not," I whispered.
"I'm going to try and help you grow that trust."
"Don't." He furrowed his brow at that. "Please don't. Just, let it be." He caught the pleading tone in my voice. The fire popped. Toothless headed upstairs after brushing against his rider.
"…Goodnight, John." Hiccup headed upstairs.
"I hope so," I whispered as the flashes of a whip cracking entered my mind, "I hope so."