Chapter four: Forbidden Friendship

It had been two weeks since Dad and the others sailed to the nest, autumn had come covering the woods with orange and brown. I hadn't go to the cove in three days, we began to face the Nadder and that only had brought me problems.

Anyways, I kept trying to find something else in the Dragon Manual but had found nothing. I asked Fishlegs to help me "study" and he had been helping me to actually study.

But even with his help I still don't know anything about the Night Fury. Should I ask Gobber?

We entered the arena; it was filled with wooden walls. The gate closed and Gobber appeared above us, outside the arena. We heard a door open and then an angry Nadder jumped to the top of the wall upon us. We stayed quiet, the Nadder began to searched for us and looked down, it roared and we ran to every direction.

Gobber was right; the Nadder ignored me and went for the more Viking-like. "Today is all about attack." He called from above.

Taking advantage that the Nadder ignored me I went for Gobber "You know, I just happened to notice that book had nothing on Night Furies. Is there another book? Or a sequel, maybe a little Night Fury pamphlet? AH!" The Nadder blasted the head of my axe -my father's axe- letting a hole behind me. I yelped and ran away, the Nadder ignored me again.

"Focus, Hiccup! You are not even trying." The dragon hopped from wall to wall meanwhile we ran among them. "Nadders are quick and light on their feet. Your job is to be quicker and lighter." Gobber said almost bored. Not big deal, I was quick and light. "Look for its blind spot. Every dragon has one. Find it, hide in it, and strike."

I saw the twins one behind the other just in front of the Nadder but it didn't see them. Guess they find the blind spot. They began to fight and the Nadder saw them and shot.

"Blind spot? Yes. Deaf spot? Not so much." Gobber laughed of his own joke as I reached for him again.

"Hey, so how would one sneak up on a Night Fury?"

"No one's ever met one and lived to tell the tale. Now get in there!" He pointed his finger aggressively to the arena.

"I know, I know, but hypothetically…" I kept talking walking backwards.

"Hiccup!" Asher whispered, he put his finger to his lips. Snotlout at his side gestured for me to hide with them. Asher looked at the Nadder and rolled to the next wall, Snotlout followed him and then I, okay, may be I'm too light. The shield was too heavy for me and I fell, the noise got the Nadder's attention and it shot at me. I ran escaping from the fire with a scream stuck in my throat, passing by Asher and Snotlout's side.

I stopped to catch my breath and wandered to Gobber again, "They probably take the daytime off. You know, like a cat." I looked over my shoulder; the dragon was chasing Asher knocking down a wall in the proses. "Has anyone ever seen one napping?" I asked returning my attention to Gobber.

"Hiccup!" Gobber warned me, I looked back and saw Asher jumping from a wall.

"Hiccup!" He screamed and fell upon me.

Everything went black for a second, probably because I had my eyes closed. When I open them Asher's face was way to close to mine, he had his eyes shutted but open them after he impact realizing as I that we were too close.

He put his hands on the ground by my head and tried to stand up. I felt a pull on my legs and turned to see that our legs were tangled together in a very, very weird position.

His legs were between mines and he began to shake them to try to get off of it as soon as he realized; and I made my best to help.

"Oh! Love in the battlefield!" Tuffnut said, it wasn't time for mockery.

"He could do better." Ruffnut said to her brother, did they know we could hear them?

Asher stood and glared at his axe stuck in my shield; he looked at the Nadder who after getting off of the rest of the walls shook its head and saw us. Asher gasped and tried desperately to pull his axe hurting my arm in the process.

"Ouch… Hey… Wait!" He put a hand in my shoulder and tried to unstock the weapon, the Nadder was getting closer; Asher changed his hand for a foot and pulled harder. I twisted my arm letting him to yank the ax free but still burrowed into my shield. He swung the axe and shield hitting directly at the Nadder's nose. It yelped and scurried off.

"Well done, Asher." Gobber, that had made his way down after the walls fell, put the Nadder back into its cave. Still in the floor I looked up, all the eyes was upon me. I turned to find Asher glaring at me.

"Is this some kind of a joke to you? Our parents' war is about to become ours." He pointed at me with his ax, "Figure out which side you are on." He lowered his arm and leaved; that was rude.

"You need to focus." Gobber grabbed my arm and pulled me up. I did exactly the opposite and didn't listen to what he was telling me while we leaved the arena behind the others. I had my head in other thing, "Are you even listenin' to me?"

"Hum?" I looked at him.

"It seems like not."

"Sorry, I'm just a little distracted."

"A Little?" Gobber raised an eyebrow to me, "That 'little distracted' could have killed you." I blinked twice, trying to process his words; he sighed rubbing his face, "Go to 'enjoy' the silence" He said with a dramatic voice; I smiled a little and rant to the house.

Taking the biggest fish I found and a shield from the wall I opened the back door and was the woods. It's time. I had being waiting for this day and now I was afraid.


Looking inside the cove I took a deep breath for the tenth time and made my way down with my shield in my back and the fish… well, I needed to tuck it on my belt to use both hands. Hiding between two rocks and putting the shield in front of me for protection I took a few steps forward and threw the fish.

It fell a couple of meters away; the dragon didn't show up. I stick my head out of he rocks and looked for it. It was hided, well… shit.

Stepping forward with the little determination that I had I knocked into my shield. And there it goes my determination. I looked down and saw the shield tucked. Pulling form it to unstock it, it didn't move; I crossed to the other side below it and tried again with the same result. I sighed, why this things always happens to me? Oh, right. Because I have the worst luck among Vikings – by now I am sure that among humanity.

I took the salmon from the ground and looked around, unprotected and only with a dagger as a weapon I kept looking for the dragon with slowly steps. Everything was so quite; just the birds chirping and the waterfall made noises, that and a snort on my back.

Freezing with a gasp I slowly turned, hugging the fish, and saw the Night Fury crouched on a rock, it descended approaching to me; it was ready to pounce.

I swallowed my fears and offered the fish jerking to put it as far away from my body as possible, the Fury got closer and opened its mouth, I stretched more and it hissed at me backing up.

Following the Night Fury's eyes I looked down to me, oh man, I know what it was looking to; I moved my vest a bit and the dagger showed up. I looked at the dragon, its attention were now in my hand. Slowly I took the knife; it snarled, its back arched and it took a better position to pounce, I took back my hand.

Calm down, just take it off.

Carefully I took the dagger for its handle with the tip of my fingers and paused to look at the Night Fury's reaction, it was quiet with an angry scowl directed at my hand. Slowly I lifted it and dropped it at my side.

Its eyes were in the dagger on the floor, it gestured with its head to the pond. I picked the dagger up with my foot and tossed it to the water with a blop. The dragon calmed and sat on his haunches, looking me with big rounded eyes, it even looked cute, like a giant, black cat. I tried with the fish again and it approached opening its mouth, then I noticed something, it had no teeth.

"Huh, toothless?" I lowered my hands, looking at the gums on its jaw. "I could've sworn you had-" a set of sharp teeth emerges from its gums to snatch the fish making me yelp and recoil. The Night Fury swallowed it in two bites making that weird sound as the food passed his throat. "teeth…" I finished. Its teeth retracted again as it licked its gums.

The Fury looked at me and got closer with a low growl; nervously I backed up, "Uh, no, no, no." My feet trip over a rock and I fell but continued crawling back, "No, I don't have anymore." I reached a rock; the dragon put me in the same position as days ago. It got closer looking at me with sharp eyes, his eyes rolled back… then he regurgitated a piece of fish onto my lap. "Eww." The dragon sat in front of me and looked me expectant with that big, rounded eyes; I sat and look at the dragon. Now what? I can't scape that's for sure. Nervously I recoiled my knees.

In front of me the dragon looked at the fish on my hands, then at me; I knew what he wanted me to do. I gave the salivated fish a fast look - there was no way I was going to do it – then turned to the Fury, it was waiting. Oh man.

Putting the fish closer to my mouth I looked at the dragon, it was just sitting there, waiting expectantly. "Oh, gods." I mutter and bit the fish; the dragon turned a little its head "Mmm…" I forced a smile and showed it the bite on the salmon.

The Fury gulped, mimicking what I have to do next, like if it where teaching me how to eat. My hands fell on my lap, it got to be kidding, I'm not going to swallow it. The dragon stared me with its big eyes; why was I doing this? I tried to swallow the piece of salmon but it returned from my throat, I put a hand in my mouth not letting me vomit, and swallow it. "Ugh" I shuttered, this is the most disgusting thing I've ever done. The dragon, however, slurped and licked its lips.

I looked up at it and forced a smile. It squinted and inspected me with curiosity and tried to mimic me… wait, was it trying to mimic me? Yes, the Night Fury gave me a gummy smile; it looked weird but cute. Amazed at the dragon behavior I sat up and tried to touch it. It hissed at me and flapped off to the other side of the cove.

Running to see what was it doing I saw it blast a low flame to the ground and curling up on the burned grass. A chirping bird distracted it and I sat at its side. Its ears perked up as the bird flew away to my direction, the dragon lowered its sight and saw me, its ear-flaps lowered as it rolled its eyes and moved to cover his face with his tail. I looked at him and saw something on its tail fin, like if once was other side… I got close, it didn't move; I got closer and stretched my hand. The Fury lifted its tail, his eyes looking directly at me just a few centimeters away from my face; I didn't wait for it to attack me –even when it seems it wasn't going to– I sat up and walked away.

Looking over my shoulder I saw the dragon climbing a tree and hanging on a branch with its tail like a bat. I walked around the cove, waiting for the dragon to wake. Taking a stick I began to play with it like a sword meanwhile walking.

What are you waiting? Run now that you have the chance! My inner voice told me; and I did want to run, all my instincts told me to but… something a bit stronger that my instincts told me to don't.

Curiosity. That was it. I want to touch it, I want to know why it didn't killed me the first time, why it didn't kill me a minutes ago instead of give me food, why he didn't attacked me when I tried to touch him and just moved away. Why once I didn't had a weapon he relaxed…

There were so many questions that maybe I would never have an answer. I sat on a rock trying to find and explication, I began to hum in a minute as I drew lines with the stick; erasing the lines with my foot I started over, looking at the pink sky -when I was a kid I used to call it the magic our; after the day-blue sky, it turns to some kind of green, then yellow, orange, red, pink and as the sun began to disappear it tuned purple every minute more and more dark till it reach a jet back. I always loved Berk's sunsets.

Making new lines on the sand I began to hum another song, resting my head on my fist and my elbow on my knee and without noticing the lines became the dragon. I kept drawing letting my arm move freely.

Sensing somebody by my side I turned my eyes to see who was it and saw a black mass sitting by me; it was the Night Fury, well, who else would it be? I continued with my draw trying to not scare it off. The dragon purred and moved its head following the stick; it stood and walked away.

The noise of a braking branch made me turn to see what was the dragon doing. The now over joyed Night Fury had an entire sapling in its mouth and began to draw lines in the sand. Amazed and with my jaw dropped, I looked at him while it rushed around me making lines in every direction, what was he even doing?

The Night Fury stopped and turned to me, I stood still, it turned to his draw and put a dot in the sand and then continued making lines; wait, was it… drawing me? The dragon readjusted the sapling on its mouth and walked behind me making circles, it passed by my side hitting my head with the branches in accident.

It stopped and dropped the sapling, nodding at its draw. I stood and tried to see a form in the lines but I was on the middle of them. Moving to have a better perspective I accidentally stepped on one of the lines making the Fury snarl. I moved my foot and it purred. I stepped on it again and it snarled till I put it off. Teasing it I put my foot on it one more time and the Fury now were ready to pounce. I moved my foot but now the threatening snarl didn't stopped, realizing how sensitive it was I put my foot by the line.

The dragon purred again and recovered its posture, I gave him a sweet smile and began to walk stepping carefully between the lines; I began to hum again, continuing the song I started a minutes ago and turned around in circles, looking only at my boots, raising my arms to see better around me and to keep balance. I kept walking around until I made it out.

A hot exhale moved my braid making it fall on my shoulder, I froze and slowly turned to see him just behind me. Once again we were face to face but this time I wasn't afraid.

Our eyes meet for what it seems an eternity and I just could think that… we had meet before, and I didn't meant it like a days ago, like… ages…

My hand reached for him, slowly but without hesitation; he snarled till I stopped and retreated. I looked at my hand for a second, I knew what to do; holding my breath I turned my head away, closed my eyes and extended my arm one more time.

What. Are. You. Doing? It can kill you right now! No. He didn't kill me when I found him in the woods, he didn't kill me today when I gave him the fish or when I was distracted drawing- HE? It is a dragon! And will kill you! No, he won't. A dragon always goes for the kill, remember? Yes, but… he's different, he won't kill me. How you know that?

I didn't want to answer that; it was something about his eyes, about his look that remind me to… me. I didn't knew of he was going to attack me, this could be the end of Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III; of all the times I had been with the Night Fury this is the one I had been more vulnerable; he could kill me. But he won't, I could feel it. I knew. I trusted him.

Something wet and warm pressed against my hand and the voice in my head that was screaming to me to run away shut up… forever.

Recoiling a bit and releasing my breath I turned to see the Night Fury purring with his muzzle in my hand. He opened his eyes and looked at me for a moment then snorted and shacked his head before flapping away to the other side of the cove. I didn't go for him, I just stayed there, looking impressed at my hand.