They reached the far sea stacks, landing on one that had several in a row after it. The line of stacks stretched far out from what was considered Berk waters into the open ocean. It had been the farthest of those that Hiccup saw when he and Toothless brought Johann and the two female Night Furies back. The third in from that last one had been where Fishlegs informed him of the invasion. Funny how a day could change everything.
[Hm,] the male Night Fury began, [yes, the distance is good.] He turned to face Sharpshot and Sneaky, who sat upon Stormfly's back. [What did you mean about sitting at the start and the finish?]
Sharpshot lifted his tail so the end pointed at Astrid. [Lady Alpha challenged Alpha to a race down the tallest mountain. I sat in a tree near to where they started so I could say they both started equally. Sneaky sat in a tree they deemed the end of the race and said who cross it first.]
The male Night Fury titled his head. [In theory that would work, but I'm the outsider and this one,] he continued laying the tip of his wing over Toothless' eyes and earning a snort from the dragon in question. [He's your brother and all…]
Sharpshot grunted. [Are you implying we would not judge this race fairly?]
[No, course not. Just think you two might need extra eyes. We Wind-shriekers are fast.]
Toothless shook his brother's wing off is face. [Why not let your mate and her friend be those extra eyes?]
The male snorted. [Her friend has been making eyes at you almost the entire time we've been here.]
[That's not true,] the non-mated female protested. [I just have never met a Wind-shrieker that accepted a human as their brother before. Or allowed a human to craft and operate something that lets them fly.]
The male looked at her and snickered. [You keep telling yourself that.]
[Hmph,] Toothless said, [Big brother are you going to race me or are you going to keep coming up with excuses to get out of it? Cause that slab is still waiting for me back in my nice, warm, den.]
[How about we make this race more exciting?] the male asked.
[What do you have in mind?] Toothless questioned.
[These tiny islands are set far enough apart to allow for weaving in and out. How about we see who is the fastest past the finish while weaving and each of us flies the course separately so as not to interfere with each other?]
Toothless chortled and Hiccup felt a smirk cross his lips. Their first flight had been a tighter, more death defying, version of the race the male wanted. Hiccup wondered if the male knew what he was getting himself in for. Hiccup noted that even before Gyda came and unlocked most everyone's memories, he and Toothless seemed to become one entity when flying. Hiccup never needed to think. He responded to subtle movements and different warbles Toothless gave while flying and Toothless responded whenever Hiccup shifted one way or the other. Neither fought the other for lead, they just flew. It was something that amazed and astonished any who saw it, at least according to Stoick, Gobber, and Astrid who always told Hiccup after such a flight.
Toothless lifted his head and cackled. Hiccup, grinning, joined him. The male Night Fury blinked.
[You really do not know what you are asking for,] Stormfly said. [Sister, shall we take Sneaky to the end?]
Astrid smirked. Sharpshot hopped off, landing upon Toothless' back and right behind Hiccup. Stormfly gave Hiccup and half bow before stepping back and flaring her wings. She rose, Astrid and Sneaky upon her back, and flew down the line of sea stacks. The two female Night Furies rose and flew to join them at the end stack.
"Sharpshot," Hiccup began, "since we're not going to start at the same time, why don't you sit where they can see your flame and use that to signal when one of us starts?"
[Aye, Brother Alpha.]
Sharpshot hopped down and moved around the male Night Fury to the edge of the sea stack. Toothless tilted his head, one eye staring up at Hiccup. Hiccup grinned and nodded. Toothless snorted.
[You go first, dear brother,] he said looking at the male.
The male snickered, walked to the edge far enough away from Sharpshot his wings did not buff the Terror. Hiccup watched the male shoot skyward. Sharpshot's flame followed a heartbeat later. The male sped up. He flipped. Dove. Hiccup and Toothless moved to the edge. Hiccup saw the male weave left, around the first stack. He banked right, around the third. Hiccup whistled, impressed. The male was fast and hugged the sea stacks, just not as closely as he and Toothless did.
Hiccup lost sight of him as the male passed the fourth stack. Eight heartbeats after Sneaky's flame shot skyward. Stormfly's mouth opened and she let her flame rest in her throat. Hiccup saw a darken shape land in front of her. Stormfly closed her mouth. Sharpshot looked up at Hiccup and Toothless.
[Make him eat his words.]
Hiccup smirked and from the tilted of Toothless' head, he knew the dragon was giving their brother his gummy smirk. Hiccup leaned over Toothless' back. Relaxed. He tapped Toothless' neck with one finger. Toothless shot up. Hiccup heard Sharpshot's flame. He felt the wind. He closed his eyes. Something within, similar and yet different than the thing that added to his voice, rose. This Hiccup allowed. This Hiccup welcomed. He had noticed it rising each time he and Toothless flew, even before Gyda came to live with the tribe.
Toothless paused for a half a heartbeat at the top of his rise. He dove. Hiccup clicked the tailfin without thought. He felt Toothless tilted left. Hiccup clicked the tailfin accordingly. Toothless tilted right. The tailfin clicked. All too soon Toothless rose. Hiccup heard Sneaky's flame. He heard Stormfly's squawking chortle. He heard Astrid's cackle. He heard two Night Furies snicker.
Hiccup leaned right. Toothless spun. At the apex Toothless flipped. Dove past the top of the sea stack. Hiccup heard many questioning warbles. He heard Astrid still cackling. Hiccup clicked the tailfin. He leaned back. Toothless leveled out. Rose. Spun. Hiccup felt the sensation of being upside down. He tilted his head back. Watched those on the sea stack below gazing up at him and his brother. Toothless flipped. Banked slowly right. Descended. Hiccup closed his eyes again as the same yet different thing settled. Hiccup heard Toothless coo and felt his brother shift under him. Hiccup opened his eyes. The male Night Fury was staring at them with a strange expression upon his face.
[I conceded defeat,] the male said, an odd tone in his voice. [You are still the fastest out of the two of us, little brother.]
Toothless gave a loud warbling laugh. [Told ya. Now, that slab of mine is yelling my name. I'm going to go answer it.]
Kirika: I hope it was fun. It was fun writing it. Hehe, and noticed Hiccup backed off. He's a smart one.