A/N:
I got an A/N at the end of the chapter, so lemme dive straight into responding to any questions.

Toothlessgolfer, you know me, all my cliffhangers are real because I am evil. ;) Also, yes, Skrillbies for sure.

Dragonrider's Fury, in your defense, don't worry, I had such plot twists in mind already. Let me just say that when you start reading this chapter, if you find yourself shouting, "No! FizzleMcSchnizzle, you did NOT just do what I think you just did!" all I have to say is "Muahahahahahaaaaa!" Also, I suppose I did kinda leave things hanging with the pyre. It'll be one of those mysteries that make life interesting lol.

Ember, as you guessed, I'm not delving deep into life on Berk with baby Skrills, and I'm kinda leaning towards leaving that open. Until I started writing the chapter where Toothless decides what to do with the eggs, I never considered letting them survive. More details in the A/N at the end of chapter.

Epclaymore, that is the awesomest description of a cliffhanger I've ever heard!


What's Old Is New Again

Toothless sat on a grassy bluff, overlooking the village of Berk, and the endless sea beyond that and past the cliffs. It felt good to be home again, surrounded by the dragons and land-striders he knew well. Though it was chilly enough that he had to wear a coat, he was barefoot, enjoying the sensation of dirt and grass grinding between his toes.

Down below, two villagers were in a heated discussion with Firefly, even though he was a Night Fury, no doubt arguing about silly land-strider things. Toothless tensed up, ready to run if he was needed as a translator, but Firefly made eye contact and gave a subtle shake of his head. He was fine.

"Toothless, good to see you again, even under such circumstances," came the deep, throaty voice of a land-strider behind him.

Toothless was expecting his friend, so he simply patted the grass next to him with a smile. "Take boots off. Grass feel good."

His friend hesitated for a moment, but then he did just that, slowly pulling off his heavy leather boots. Toothless liked this land-strider a lot, second only to Firefly. From the day they first met, before the dragon war ended, they always seemed to understand each other in a deep and meaningful way, even if one didn't always like what the other did. However, for some reason, Toothless couldn't recall his friend's name. He was used to this, though it was still annoying, the frailty of the land-strider's grip on memories and details.

"You're right, Toothless, this is nice," his friend said. They both spent a moment digging furrows in the grass with their toes. "I've always been so focused on doing something, getting things done, that I've never taken the time to just enjoy entirely pointless pleasures."

Toothless snorted at that. "I know how you feel. We both like that, too tense too much. But not pointless. It good to just feel good sometimes. Like how land-strider learn to hear dragon. Meditate. Not hear unless spend much time doing nothing, thinking nothing."

His friend smiled at that. "I suppose you're right, Toothless. Ya know, I don't think I've ever given you the credit you deserve for your wit and wisdom that you show sometimes."

"Some times," Toothless groused, and they both laughed at that. Toothless waved it off. "I think you did. Maybe land-strider mind lose grip on memory."

His friend chuckled at that, but then his expression turned somber and serious. "There's something on your mind, I can tell. Since we're both trying to relax, let me help. Spit it out. A burden is lighter when it is shared."

Toothless stared out over the sea for a while, trying to organize his thoughts. He could sense that his friend was waiting very patiently, fully aware that he was not being ignored. They both knew that it could take time to properly grapple with a thought.

"Dragons will die," Toothless finally said.

Another long spell of silence passed. Finally, his friend said, "Dragons, humans, beasts and bugs alike. Yes, we all die someday. What matters is what you do with your life, however long or short it is, and what you leave behind."

Toothless thought about that, slowly nodding as that did make sense. However, it wasn't what he was getting at. "Maybe not right word," he finally said. "What you say if dragons live on island, then land-striders come and kill them all, and there are no more dragons on island."

"Hmm, there was a time when I would call that a good deed, cleansing the world of demons one island at a time."

Toothless snorted at that.

"I suppose 'wiped out', maybe 'eradicated' or 'extinct' might be the word you're looking for?" his friend suggested.

Toothless nodded. "Yes, that. Extinct. But not just island. All islands. World. All that is, all places dragons live, they die. All dragons, all gone."

His friend snorted incredulously. "Don't see that happening. Dragons are bigger than us, they got scales, wings, oh, and they can also breathe fire."

Toothless stared down at the villagers below, nodding at the points being made. It was uncomfortable to talk about, but for some reason, doing this felt healing, like licking at a wound no matter how much pain he felt.

He pointed to his teeth. "Blunt." He pointed to a fingernail. "Small." A pinch of skin. "Soft." A slap to his arm. "Weak." He looked at his friend. "But land-striders able to fight dragons. Wear armor. Hide behind shield. Swing ax and sword. Throw spear. Make thing that throw large stones."

"Aye. We have had a few hundred years to figure out how to properly fight dragons, and who knows how many thousands more learning to fight each other. It seems that no matter how much we develop art and music and dancing, fighting is a constant for all ages, in all places."

Toothless grinned. "Not fight all things."

His friend looked sideways at him with a raised eyebrow. "Oh?"

"Speed, unknown. Size, unknown. The unholy offspring of lightning and death itself. Never engage this dragon. Your only chance: Hide and pray it does not find you."

His friend's expression made it clear that he almost instantly recognized the reference. "Yeah, until some snarky kid just goes and shoots you down." He grinned. "Wish I coulda seen the look on your face." He slapped Toothless' shoulder, then held a hand by his head and let it arc down to the ground. "Nooooooo!" he shouted dramatically.

Toothless chuckled at that memory that he fondly held close to his heart. "I very mad that night. Then wake from mind snare, and very sad. Then see Firefly, and want him to kill me. I look back and smile, though. Start of new life. Better life. No regret. Not one."

His friend shifted uncomfortably. "I took us on a detour. You were saying?"

Toothless stared blankly, scrabbling to recall what he was saying. "Ah! Firefly show me how he shoot me from sky." He tapped a finger to his temple. "Back when I dragon and he land-strider, and he learn to hear dragons. He show me memory of bola launcher. Building it, hiding it, breaking it, fixing it, failing with it, building it again. He do what no other land-strider do. Firefly clever. Very clever."

His friend nodded. "Yes, he certainly is. Nobody can deny that."

"Firefly not only clever land-strider."

Another nod. "I suppose you're right about that too. It seems too rare, but every now and then, I've come across someone with a certain light in their eyes, and I can tell that they're connected with the world in a rare way."

"Rare, yes, but enough. One is clever and make new thing, then others less clever see how and make more things." He spared a glance to see if his friend could tell where he was going with this. "Firefly make bola launcher. It destroyed, and he burn plans, but some other land-strider figure it out. They make, improve, shoot net instead of bola, even better. Others see how, and they make. Every dragon trapper ship has at least two, some many more."

"True there. They're trouble for dragons, but worthless against Vikings on the ground or other ships on the sea. At least they're encouraging people to trap dragons instead of straight-up kill them. It gives the riders opportunities to free them."

Toothless shook his head. "But that only start. Arrow with poison that knock dragon out of sky. Thing in water that make dragon act crazy. Blue flower that make dragon drowsy, or even die."

"I suppose you've got a point. We humans can be a nasty lot."

Toothless nodded. "But why stop there? Not see yet, but what new thing some land-strider make to fight dragon? Capture dragon? Dragons strong, we fly, we breathe fire, yes. We not get stronger, we not fly faster, our fire not burn hotter. But land-striders…"

His friend seemed to understand. "Hmm, I suppose that makes sense. Every generation seems to have its one genius who makes a discovery or invention that everyone can benefit from. But dragons..." he sighed. "I don't think it's a bad thing to be so focused on enjoying life instead of finding bigger and better ways to kill and conquer."

Toothless nodded enthusiastically at the traction he was making. "Yes. Land-striders will find way to get stronger and stronger. Shoot arrow farther. Maybe, some day, a land-strider make thing that let them fly without dragons. Fly faster than dragons. Higher than dragons." He looked up at the sky. "Reach up, past clouds, touch shiny things in sky. Make fire like dragons. Bigger, hotter than dragons. Burn not just tree or house, but entire island. Maybe, some day, burn entire world."

His friend thought about that for a while. Finally, he slowly said, "So, you're saying that, some day, us humans will be so powerful that killing all dragons would be trivial? I can't see that happening in a hundred generations, but I see the logic of what you're suggesting."

Toothless nodded grimly. "Firefly kind. Firefly give, not take. Firefly… Hrrrrrrr, not like me, why I like him. But he not live forever. Other land-striders will be clever, but will they be like Firefly? Some day, a few land-striders kill all dragons, easy. If not, then make them pets. Then they not truly dragons anymore."

"Huh," his friend said, deep in thought. "That's… quite the tall tale. But hey, who knows what the future could hold. Six years ago, if someone told me that we'd be riding dragons, that ya scaly devils would be our friends, I'd have him killed."

Toothless snorted. "You almost did!"

They both chuckled at that. Eventually, the laughter died down and some silence passed. "Have you shared your thoughts with Hiccup?" his friend asked.

Toothless shook his head. "Not yet."

"Good! Keep it that way. Personally, I don't see any good in letting him stew and simmer on that. It's one thing to give one's children a better world to live in, but worrying about things that far beyond the horizon, things beyond your control, that can only stop you from doing what's good and right in the present.

A distinct, sharp bark caught Toothless' ear, and his eyes scanned around until he found Firefly at the edge of a field. There were some land-striders gathered around him, seemingly holding a contest to see who could interrupt the other the most. It was probably another case of one land-strider's cattle walking through another land-strider's broken fence to munch on his crop.

Firefly flicked his head to indicate that he needed some help. Toothless snapped his teeth and grinned, and Firefly rolled his eyes.

"I need go, help Firefly," Toothless said, rising to stand.

His friend put a hand on his shoulder. "I need to go as well. And, Toothless…" He paused in thought. "Don't ever feel like you need to figure out the solution by yourself. Or that it needs to happen in your lifetime. After all, the answer you seek could be something you wouldn't want, speaking from experience." He smiled. "You never know when another Hiccup will come along and change the world, or when your worst enemy may end up becoming a great ally after being knocked down."

Toothless smiled at that. "You right. Another Firefly, another Toothless, in another place, at another time. Can the world ask for any better?"

His friend snorted and shoved him along.

Suddenly, Toothless remembered his friend's name. "Stalwart," or Stoick as the land-striders call him, he silently reminded himself, "I sorry I kill you."

Stoick rolled his eyes. "What did I just tell you about worrying about things beyond your control?"

Toothless breathed a sigh of relief. So Stoick did know that Toothless wasn't exactly in control of himself at that time. "It just feel right to say."

"Alright, fine, apology accepted." He grinned. "Now, go help Hiccup. Gods know he needs all the help he can get. The world needs him, people like him, but he also needs you to be you, so don't let him infect you too much with his way of thinking."

Toothless smiled and turned around to help his Firefly. On the way over, he stopped by the smithy and picked up two maces. He knew exactly how to help these land-striders settle their grudge.

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Hiccup sat on a grassy bluff, overlooking the village of Berk, and the endless sea beyond that and past the cliffs. It felt good to be home again, surrounded by the dragons and humans he knew well. A chilly wind blew across his scales, invigorating him, and he idly dug his claws through the grass and dirt.

However, he felt a sad sense of loss. He turned to the three young dragons at his side, rubbing muzzles and chuffing at them. They had grown by leaps and bounds these past five years, as was common among dragons. What was not common among dragons, though, was the increased aggression and a deep longing to fly off at the sight or smell of every thunderstorm.

Hiccup had held no information back. Every relevant memory was shared with these dragons when their minds had developed enough. The fight for his life against their sire and dam, Astrid and Stormfly's last-second intervention to save Hiccup and Toothless, the genius ideas that Toothless had come up with to save the day and kill those Skrills, and the near-destruction of those three eggs found in the cave. The hatchlings knew the score, but they held no resentment, which wasn't a surprise considering they were dragons, not humans.

They grew up in a village where humans and dragons lived together in peace. Well, there was the occasional scuffle, and they had to figure out how to apply the law of the land to Vikings and dragons alike, redefining the Viking lifestyle and law to include dragon expectations and consequences, but these hatchlings had grown up knowing peace and mutual respect. Children learned that Skrill hatchlings were not as cuddly as a Terror with a full belly, nor as steady as a Gronckle. Likewise, while hatchlings could be as rough as they wanted with each other, and they could easily read the signs for what sort of play-fighting was appropriate with other dragons, they learned to be either delicate or distant from the humans who weren't so scale-hardened.

Still, despite all the progress made, in the end, Hiccup and his fellow Vikings and dragons could do only so much. Nature had certain laws with which one could not negotiate. Skrill were naturally attracted to lightning storms as it gave them power, and that caused them to become dangerously aggressive. In the aftermath, they were very remorseful for having almost killed Hiccup and Toothless with lightning during one thunderstorm that had passed over Berk, and after that, it was by their own volition that they would dive into a cave deep underground reserved for them, with heavy stone doors that could be opened only from only the outside. They loved their friends so much that they would rather spend the duration of a storm in confinement like caged, feral animals, than to risk harming those they loved again.

That was no way to live life, though, not in the long run. There was much discussion and humming and hawing about how long to keep this up and see if it was a phase that would pass. However, everyone agreed, including Hiccup – with great reservation – that they were only delaying the inevitable. The Skrills were grown enough to be fine on their own. The horizon was endless, and the world was large.

Today was as good a day as any. Dark clouds loomed on the horizon, and to his sharp eyes, the occasional subtle pulse of a lightning bolt could be seen.

As Hiccup exchanged long stares with the Skrills, with Toothless at his side, he knew he would be crying if he was a human. His crooning, though, was the draconic expression that came naturally. Toothless tried to hold back the little tear that escaped his eye and smiled sheepishly when Hiccup noticed it.

Finally, Striker took a step forward and chuffed at them. {We will not forget the mercy and kindness you have shown us, Firefly and Toothless. You know it is because we love you that we leave you.}

The other two Skrills barked their support.

"I still think this bad idea," Toothless huffed. "Back to where we were many years ago. Skrill spawn eggs, they hatch, more Skrill, more danger in every storm." Striker visibly flinched, feeling guilt at the natural tendency he had learned storms gave him, though they all expected that such guilt would likely fade in the coming months and years.

He gave Toothless' cheek a little lick. {And yet it was my egg that you held above your head with every intent to smash it on the stone at your feet. You know that everybody would have considered it wise and just. If you could take back the decision you made, would you?}

"No," was Toothless' instant answer with a shake of his head. "I not take it back." He looked at Hiccup and grinned. "If they kill us, I blame you for letting me choose to not break eggs."

Hiccup took a step forward and nuzzled them all. {I once heard a saying, that if you love somebody, let them go, for if they return, they were always yours. If they don't, they never were. Ahead of you is the ultimate test, and I regret that there is nothing more I can do to help you. Your kind has always been loners, hating and hated by all others. If there is any hope for change, it lies in the decisions you make and the actions you take. Whenever the storms fade, and you feel lonely, tired, or hungry, always remember that we will gladly welcome any peaceful Skrill.}

With that, the three Skrills took a step back, turned around, and with a loud roar – by their juvenile standards – took to the sky.

Hiccup stood there, wing around Toothless, staring at the departing dragons.

Suddenly, Toothless pushed away and took a step back to glare at his dragon. "Really?!" he shouted indignantly. "After all– … You just… Really?!"

Hiccup shrugged. {It felt like the right thing to do.}

Toothless snorted. "That's it! Get over here!" He leaned in close and ran his tongue up Hiccup's face from chin to forehead, and to Hiccup's great surprise, his entire face felt sticky with saliva. Toothless gave a feral grin and licked him gratuitously, and Hiccup spluttered on the saliva in his mouth. He closed his eyes against the assault as he coughed and spat it out, thrashing around impotently.

Finally, when the assault ceased, and he dared to open his eyes again, darkness greeted him, broken by flickering orange lights illuminating irregular stone walls and… and…

Hiccup felt like he was going to faint. He was looking at himself. No, his lethargic mind came to realize, he was looking at a Night Fury, at… Toothless!

The dragon flopped forward like a fish to lay on top of Hiccup. {I never realized how much I missed sitting on you!} Hiccup groaned. {Enough of that, now. I saw your dream. You have got to be kidding me! That is how you envision things turning out with the Skrill eggs?!}

Hiccup took a moment to take in his senses. He blinked his eyes, and wiggled his toes and – yes, he couldn't believe it – fingers! With opposable thumbs!

"Shraaaaawwwwl" Hiccup ground out, trying to get a feel for the new hardware he had to work with. "Rrrrrroooolllleeessss. Tooo… Tooh-" he coughed. "Toooooth… less…"

{It's good to see you too, Firefly. Words cannot express how much I do not miss that stupidly narrow land-strider throat. Fortunately, I don't need to rely on words because I can let you literally feel it for yourself!}

"Uhhhh..."

Hiccup jerked his head around to see a few Meatheads gathered in the tunnel.

"Did the Hooligan turn into a draugr?" the Meathead asked, scratching his head

"Is he possessed or something?"

"I suddenly realized I left… something… outside. Very important I get it… immediately."

Hiccup just closed his eyes and embraced the reassuring feeling of being mashed between his dragon and the cave floor. It worked. By the gods, that gemstone actually worked!

"Whew, glad you came around," came the familiar voice of … one of the Meatheads... For some strange reason, Hiccup felt like he recognized that pattern of freckles on the man's face, but the name eluded him. It had something to do with… a barn, maybe? A needle and thread came to mind, but he had no clue why.

Hiccup suddenly gasped at a realization. The Skrill's lightning bolts had "refilled the bucket" so that the gemstone could swap their souls back. They could construct lightning rods and mount the gemstone on there for the next lightning storm and use it to help establish mutual respect. Oh oh oh! Better yet, in a few years, they would have Skrills who could give the gemstone a quick zap. Tribes who were loath to accept dragons might change their tune once their heir or chief had an "accident" and had to walk around on a dragon's paws for a while before being swapped back. Skrills and Night Furies could learn to get along by experiencing life through each other's eyes. There was so much potential to encourage peace and respect among all people, Vikings and dragons alike!

"I was afraid that your big friend back there–" The Meathead jerked his thumb up the tunnel – "was getting ready to roast me if anything happened to you. He was suddenly all up in a tizzy, and practically threw me into the cave, and I told him it's not my fault if some fool goes into the haunted cavern and…" he gasped. "Well, stuff my britches with fish and call it a feast. It's… just… gone!

"Whaa…?" Hiccup started to ask before he coughed again. This whole business with talking and breathing through a narrow throat would take some getting used to. Again.

"Yeah," the Meathead said, pointing at a wall nearby. "That cursed cavern just… disappeared."

Hiccup squirmed to get out from under Toothless, and his dragon shifted back to allow it. He stood to see better – at least, he tried to. It was suddenly strange to try to stand on only two legs… that were long and spindly… without claws for grip… Or a tail for balance. Still, after a few attempts, he made it up, leaning against Toothless for balance. Having grown up in this body for many years with only a three-month hiatus, he could tell already that things would come back quickly.

"Why is he sticking his butt in the air like a yak?" One Meathead mumbled as Hiccup worked on standing.

Finally upright, Hiccup looked over his dragon's head at the chamber with the gemstone– and solid rock met his eyes. "Heeeerrrre?" he drawled out, still getting the feel for talking again.

"Yes," the Meathead said. He brushed his hand against the opposite wall. "Here's the little channel I started picking out to see where this copper vein led. I fled after a moment's picking, though, got the shivers just being so close to the haunted cavern, but it's just… gone. It's like the gods themselves swooped in and scooped it clean away, leaving nothing but stone behind." He gestured impotently at the uninterrupted stone wall where the chamber used to be.

"Gone…" Hiccup echoed breathlessly. A sudden feeling of loss overwhelmed him. He had ideas! He had workable plans stewing in his mind! If it was as the Meathead suggested, he knew which god specifically was playing with them. Did they think it would be funny to just drop a cavern into a cave, let some poor fool figure things out, and then whisk it away to… to… prank someone else somewhere in the world? If so, then the gods were definitely jerks.

"Hahahahahaaaaa!" the Meathead howled, hopping and visibly straining to contain his excitement in a nonexplosive manner.

He grabbed a pickax and struck the wall in a few places, sending some stone chips flying. Toothless winced and snarled at the noise. "Oh, sorry there, Toothless, really, I'll stop, but Hiccup, look at this!" He bent down to pick up a chunk and a flake of stone as he impatiently gestured for someone to bring a lantern closer. "This is the purest copper vein I've seen in my whole life! Wowee! Whatever you did in there– … This is… incredible!" He shook Hiccup's limp hand enthusiastically. "Oh, Hiccup, thank you! Know that Arn Gilsson is in your debt. Woohoo!"

He skipped up the tunnel with his fellow Meatheads following, shouting, "C'mon boys, let's build another smelting stack. We got copper for days baby!"

Hiccup sighed. So much for that. "Toooothlesss. Toothless." He forced a smile at his dragon. At least speaking was coming back quickly. "Let's go."

{I'm right behind you, Firefly!}

They both took a step forward and tripped over absolutely nothing at all, sprawling in a tangled heap.

"Ugh!"

{Well, this sure feels familiar.}

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Astrid watched as a Night Fury and his rider descended to land in the clearing with a delicate flaring of his wings and an elegant trot. Already, she was studying them, analyzing, trying to figure out what had happened. The dragon sure did move with the sort of grace of one who was used to being a dragon for a while.

The rider unclipped the tethers and slid off, landing in a crouch and springing up to trot over to Astrid with his arms open… as if he was so used to being in a human body…

Astrid left Nuffink to sleep where he lay on the ground to accept the hug for a moment, then held… her husband's body… out at arm's length. "So?" she asked.

The man grinned. "We fly by nest. It close to cave. Tell them we stay with you and come back soon. Gobber say he glad we be alpha again."

Astrid frowned at him. That way of speaking with broken sentences was the flame to her pyre of hope. The gemstone didn't work, and Toothless was still in her husband's body. Astrid had already felt disappointed when they had initially touched the gemstone after the battle with the Skrill and nothing had happened despite it glowing as it apparently had before this mess began. They were holding out for the hope that placing it on that stone hand pedestal would somehow make it work, but Astrid didn't see how that would change anything

Still, she bit back her groan and tried to force a smile instead of moping. There was still the hope of acquiring lenses from the Hysteric tribe to get that gemstone working again, but Astrid had long since passed the point of leaning more towards cautious skepticism than blind optimism.

"Well, at least we still have the gemstone," Ruffnut said from nearby.

"Well…" Toothless started to say. "Cave gone. Touch gemstone, we sleep, and when wake up, cave gone. Gemstone gone. We look, not find. Not there. Many Meathead there. They help look. Not find."

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" Ruffnut cried out, falling to her knees. "I was gonna use it to swap places with Eret so I could feel his bulging biceps whenever I wanted! But now you come back and all my hopes explode in my face!"

Snotlout sidled up next to her. "You can feel my bulging biceps any time you want."

Ruffnut turned to her dragon. "Just eat me now! End my suffering! I beg you! I'll even brine myself first if you want!"

Astrid felt her knees shake as she took in everything. They hadn't changed back, and on top of that, the gemstone was gone. Gone! Her husband was a dragon for the rest of his life, and his body was occupied by Toothless.

Gone… it was gone. There was nothing else to cling to for hope.

Astrid swallowed hard to prevent any tears from coming out. She was strong. She needed to be strong… for Hiccup. No doubt he was as distraught as her except for having had a day's head start in processing all of this.

Stormfly's chittering from behind caught her attention. The Nadder took a couple paces around the Night Fury before snapping at him. The Night Fury snapped back.

She gave Astrid a significant look.

Suddenly, everything clicked into place. "Oh, don't tell me…" Before she could lose her grip on her emotions, Astrid grabbed the rider by the ear to haul him over to stand by his dragon.

WHAP!

WHAP!

Both dragon and rider received a slap, one to his nose and another to his cheek. One of them snarled and flared his wings while the other stared at her, shocked, delicately holding a hand to his stinging cheek.

It was all she needed to see to know beyond any doubt.

"Hiccup Horrendous Haddock the Third!" she screeched, hysterical in outrage at his prank and relief that normality had been restored. She slapped him on the other side. "That's for trying to fool me!"

Hiccup grinned through the burning in his cheek. "Try? I dare say I did more than–"

That was all he got out before she mashed him against his dragon, desperately biting at his lips.

"Ow! Ow ow ow! Owwwww!" Hiccup whined, even as he pulled her in with all his strength.

Astrid pulled away and grinned. "Crybaby. You deserve it!" She then went back to tormenting her husband to burn out her frustration with him.

Valka rushed in and pried Astrid off so she could hug Hiccup and congratulate him on becoming himself again. Astrid rounded on Toothless. "And you!" She moved to slap him, but he deftly caught her wrist in his toothless maw. "You deserve so much more than a little slap, playing along with his prank. What are you, a Thorston?" The dragon gave a look of mock-indignation.

Astrid pulled her hand free and pointed a slobbery finger at him. "You owe me, Buster!"

{For what?}

"Oh, don't 'for what' me! For… for… everything!"

Toothless huffed at that. {Well, I suppose that you did technically save our lives back there with the lightning dragons.} Astrid smiled triumphantly. {Even if you almost died and I barely suffered a scratch.}

Astrid gave him a venomous glare. "Stormfly, bite him! Whack him with your tail!" Toothless yelped and twisted around, and they were both off in a flash to chase each other around.

Astrid looked over at Hiccup. "Did you hear what he just said?!" she demanded, pointing a shaky finger at the smarmy dragon. "This sort of behavior is new." The accusatory finger shifted to Hiccup. "It's your fault he's picking up these bad habits.

Hiccup grinned and shrugged at her, and Toothless spared a moment and accepted a tackle to do likewise.

Astrid saw Hiccup's eyes on their child and gasped at her thoughtlessness. "Oh gods, Hiccup, you've been denied for so long!" she exclaimed as she picked up their child and showed him how to hold him for the first time.

It was immediately obvious from the ecstatic look on his face that it was everything he had ever hoped it would be. No more nosing the child as a scaly dragon, he delighted in the reaction he got when he burbled into Nuffink's stomach and offered a pinky to grab onto.

"And for the record," Astrid said with an evil smirk, "I do so look forward to showing you how to clean up the messes he makes."

Hiccup looked at Toothless, who demonstrated an impressive acrobatic stunt by managing to give him an innocent smile while simultaneously flipping over to kick up at Stormfly as she leaped at him.

After what seemed to be a brief moment, Hiccup said, "Alright, he's starting to get really heavy. Gods, how do you do it all day, Astrid?"

Astrid snorted and looked over at Valka. "You're good with Nuffink for a while?"

"Yes, dear," Valka said with a wink. Hiccup raised an eyebrow and Toothless gave an inquiring trill from where he lay upside-down under Stormfly's claws.

"Daddy will be back, my little bumpkin," Hiccup whispered to Nuffink's forehead. He suddenly giggled as he handed the child over to Valka. "Heheeee, Bumpkin. I made up a word. Gods, I realize how silly it seems to feel proud of such a silly thing, and I really don't care at all."

"Uh-huh," Astrid distractedly said as she snatched his wrist in an iron grip. "Toothless, get over here. If you give us a ride, I'll call us even. Stormfly, you can finish kicking his butt later."

Toothless rolled to all fours and trotted over with a smirk on his face. Astrid hopped up on his back and yanked Hiccup up in front of her. "Sit!" she commanded Hiccup. "Good boy!" She pointed up at the flat side of the mountain and the little dot of the cave up there. "Fly!"

Toothless craned his head around to give her a flat stare. "Oh, c'mon. You owe me big time, Mister! Just give us a ride to the cave or I'll cut off your tail and–"

{And shove it down my throat. You really do need to come up with some new threats.}

Astrid stared at him, mouth agape, then she smiled. "You're right. I'll have a new one by tomorrow, and it will absolutely terrify you."

Toothless chortled and took off. {Why do I have a feeling that you both have some catching up to do?}

"But is this wise, Astrid?" Hiccup asked. "You're still healing, and I'm still getting used to being me again, and–"

He gasped when Astrid reached around and squeezed a certain part of him. Wide eyes looked back at her feral grin.

They landed at the mouth of the cave, which now featured a pile of boulders that one would have to climb over to enter and exit the cave. It was a safety feature that Meatlug was a dear to help in adding after having seen Toothless' amazing feat of somehow falling out, back when he was a human. She had also made sure to threaten great bodily harm to any rider or dragon who interrupted them.

As they took a few steps into the darkness and their eyes adjusted, they could see the blankets and coats that Astrid had laid out as a bed not long ago. Beside that were some water skins and a basket of smoked fish.

"You've, uhhh, prepared, I see," Hiccup said.

Toothless nosed at the basket of fish. "Oh no you don't!" Astrid hissed, batting at the scaly snout. "Touch our food and I'll rip your spine out and beat you with it."

Toothless warbled at that with a flash of his teeth. {That's a good one!}

"Eeew!" Hiccup whined.

Astrid nodded at the dragon, then flicked her chin towards the mouth of the cave. "Take a hike. You've had him all to yourself these past few days. My turn. Don't come back until tomorrow."

Toothless chortled mirthfully as he flew off, flicking his tail to lock the fin open in the neutral position. They both stood there, and Astrid suddenly noticed Hiccup staring at the little cavern at the back of the tunnel. Just enough light managed to creep back to faintly see the broken-up nest where the eggs used to be before Stormfly started roosting on them.

"Oh, uhhhh," Astrid drawled out awkwardly. "I didn't think about that. Probably not the best way to set the mood."

Hiccup shrugged. "Actually, this place holds happy memories. I don't know what will come of it, but this is where Toothless, of all people, decided to spare the eggs."

Astrid snorted at that and punched his shoulder. "I still owe vengeance against you and him for– WHAA!"

Hiccup casually tripped her and fell with her, landing over her on the impromptu bed. "Oops," he said with feigned innocence.

Astrid smirked up at him. "Oh, Hiccup, Hiccup, little Hiccup." She hooked the toes of her boot over Hiccup's prosthetic foot where the metal bent at a right angle, and gave a shove to send it flying off. "You just bit off more than you can chew!"

Hiccup suddenly found himself in a wrestling match as they clawed at each other's garments, and he grinned up at her. "We're both gonna be walking funny tomorrow, aren't we?"

Astrid cackled maniacally. "As if you'll be able to get up from what I'm gonna do to you!"


A/N 2.0:
Whew! Done – for real this time. Thanks for tagging along and reading!

"But wait!" you might be saying. "You can't just end the story here. There are Skrill eggs for Thor's sake! Skrill eggs!"

Yeah, there are. We could assume that Hiccup's dream is a vision of what will happen, but who knows? Honestly, I don't feel particularly motivated to tackle a story on that. However, if you want to write one yourself, you'd have all the support I could give! In fact, if you want to use my HTTYD universe with telepathic dragons and dragon whisperers, I'd be happy to offer any advice I can think of and even beta for ya.

If you've left a review, I'd like to thank you from the bottom of my heart! This community has so much talent, and a fresh perspective on what someone did or didn't like is always enlightening.

Oh and I wanna give a big thanks to my beta, Deadly-Bagel. He did a lot to polish things up and brainstorm ideas for this story. If you wanna show him some love, check out a transformation fanfic called "A Gift of Wings". Also, if a different sort of dragon telepathy and a much higher Skrill density than this story strikes your fancy, check out a story that I'm betaing called "Living Freely" by VigoGrimborne.