Wiping the tears from his green eyes, Hiccup felt all his energy sapped from crying. Maybe he should just go to sleep and put this day out of its misery. Then, he quickly decided against this. He could not bear any more of his mind's tricks or it reminding him of something he no longer had. Suddenly, the room seemed to stifle him. It felt like the walls were closing in on him. Quietly, he snuck out the back door leading to outside. He needed fresh air. That always helped revive his spirit. Rushing into the forest, Hiccup headed for the hills, up and away from the village and everyone in it. He had no desire to be seen by everyone right now. He just needed to be alone.

After he was a safe distance from the village, his mind drifted off, and he let his legs take him where they would. He did not care where he wandered; he was too absorbed in his thoughts which were all about the dragon which had been his friend. Had been his friend? He was still his friend, wasn't he? It did not matter the distance between them; they were still friends, right? But Hiccup was unsure. He remembered how happy Toothless looked when he was with the Light Fury. Perhaps his mind was fooling him, but Toothless looked happier than he ever was with him.

Sorrow clawed at his heart. Toothless the first friend he ever had. Before he came along, Hiccup was shunned and avoided like the plague because he was different. It was like he was a sharp dagger trying to fit in with a bunch of bulky, dull hammers. He was called many things. A runt, a weakling, a mistake, a misfit, and if you were Snotlout, a girl because men were not supposed to cry or show emotion. That was, in Snotlout's point of view, a woman's job. Hiccup hated being different from everyone. He felt almost like an unloved, alien thing until he met Toothless. It felt like he actually found the one who actually understood him, who was like him. Hiccup seemed to be born different from all in the village, and Toothless was an unique dragon. They both understood exactly what it was like to feel different from your own kind. This was the reason why they were so close and had such an intimate connection. Now that Toothless was gone, Hiccup felt like his heart had been ripped out of his chest and crushed. Everything now felt so empty.

Hiccup ceased stifling his sadness and let it consume him. He began to tremble and breathe raggedly as it overtook him. What was the point of holding back something that he would always have? It was best to just accept it. He had lost his friend forever, and there was no chance of ever seeing him again.

Hiccup was relieved when he at last reached the top of a steep hill. For a moment, he thought he was going to collapse from weakness on the way up. At last he reached the west cliff. It was high above everything and perhaps the closest he could be to the sky. Closing his eyes, Hiccup let wind brush the hair from his forehead. Somehow, the wind did not calm him anymore. It felt cold and empty. Sinking to the grass, Hiccup sat cross-legged and stared at a bird crossing the sky. Hiccup squeezed his eyes shut. He could not look at anything without somehow conjuring up some memory of him and Toothless. The sky reminded him of all the times they spent rushing through the soft, wispy clouds. The grass called forth the times Toothless rolled in Dragon Nip while Hiccup stood there laughing. The evergreens told of the time he and Toothless first met in the woods.

Every happy memory was now tinted with sadness. Every time he recalled these memories with Toothless, they brought forth a sense of morose nostalgia. Hiccup wished that they still spent time together, even though he knew that could never be.

"Toothless," Hiccup whispered, turning his eyes up at the sky. "I know you can't hear me, but I still think about you. I always will."

Then, strangely, he could have sworn he heard a faint sound of wingbeats. Laughing at himself, Hiccup shook his head. It must be his imagination, playing tricks on him again. Rising, Hiccup decided it was time to go back home, but then his footsteps stopped. The flapping of wings, it seemed to get nearer and nearer.

"No," Hiccup said to himself. "It's not real. I'm not letting myself be fooled again."

They grew steadily louder. Was that-?

"No, it can't be," Hiccup interjected. "It's impossible."

Then he heard a distant whoosh. Hesitantly, Hiccup glanced over his shoulder. In the sky was something small and black which was growing steadily bigger as it approached him. It was zooming down from the sky.

"How. . .?" Hiccup started, shocked.

Then, it landed slowly on the grass. It was a Night Fury. It stared at Hiccup with its large, green eyes which were filled with joy. Timidly, Hiccup approached the dragon.

"Are you- are you real?" Hiccup murmured under his breath.

Was it really him? Was he really here? Or was Hiccup hallucinating, or perhaps was he dreaming again and soon going to wake up holding the empty air? Creeping slowly closer to the Night Fury, Hiccup stretched out his hand. He doubted his senses. He did not know whether or not to believe this was real or just his mind playing some cruel trick. Hesitantly, Hiccup's hand reached out to touch the dragon's head. When the dragon laid his head in his hand and Hiccup felt the scales against his skin, he knew. It was real; Toothless was here.

"Toothless," Hiccup whispered. "You're here. You're really here, I can't-"

Toothless smiled at him, green eyes beaming. Did you think I wouldn't come back and see my best friend?

"I-I thought-" Hiccup started, but his words trailed away.

Toothless cooed. I've missed you, Hiccup. Every day.

For a moment, Hiccup froze. Toothless missed him, and he was here. Tears trickled down Hiccup's cheeks as he laughed softly. Then, wrapping his arms around his friend, he pressed his face against Toothless' warm scales. For a long time, the two friends stayed locked in this embrace without a word spoken, for no words could express what joy they felt. Hiccup hardly knew what to say; Toothless actually left his whole kind just to see him again. No one had ever done anything like that for him.

Kissing Toothless on the forehead, Hiccup smiled. "Thank you, bud. I love you."

Toothless nodded his head as if to say "I love you" back. Then, he looked slightly at the sky. Do you want to go for a flight?

Hiccup laughed. "Yes! Yes, I'd love that more than anything!"

With an eager growl, Toothless let down his wing so Hiccup could climb on his back. Stretching his dark wings, Toothless took off from the ground at breakneck speed. Looking over his shoulder, Hiccup watched as New Berk became smaller and smaller as they rose up to the clouds. Toothless slowed as they leveled with the massive white field stretching across the sky. With a whoop, Hiccup threw out his arms and let the wind rush past him. He never thought he and Toothless would have another flight together. Toothless grinned up at his rider.

Where to?

Hiccup chuckled and shrugged. "Who cares? Let's just wander!"

Then, with a roar of joy, Toothless zoomed off across the water, and he and Hiccup flew off into the horizon.

THE END.

And that's it. I hope you enjoyed and that it ended well. Thank you for reading! I'll be coming out with more stories soon(they'll be much more lighthearted and not as depressing), so stay tuned! God bless you!