Hiccup tried straightening out a wooden beam, aligning it with the rest of the damaged house. With a few hard nudges, the arched beam found its place snuggly. Sitting back on his tail, Hiccup let out a brisk exhale of approval.
"Thanks Hiccup," Johan called out from atop the roof, "That about does it for this one. I'll secure it and we'll move on to the next one in a few minutes."
"Alright," Hiccup called back. The Night Fury rested on the cool grass for a few moments, letting his mind and eyes wander around the village. It had hardly been a day and a half but the village was looking better and better. There was still a tiring amount of work to be done before it could even begin to return to its former glory, but still, buildings and homes were being erected in the place of cinders and ashes. So far, five or six homes were already rebuilt, with countless more needing to be replaced or repaired. Mainly, the lower half of the village was the most effected by the fire while the upper half, where Hiccup currently was, suffered less damage. The air still smelled of smoke and ash as it clung to the air and the burnt grass that lay in scarred patches around the village.
Hiccup breathed out a sigh, feeling his muscles aching from just fixing up one house that had comparatively minor burns and damages. Hiccup's eyes once again rested on the lower half of the village, seeing the black and grey remains of a once thriving village. The dragon let his mind wander backwards, thinking of hard times in the past.
"Dagur didn't even do this much damage," Hiccup whispered to himself. The subtle sound of a door closing attracted Hiccup's attention. Tatsuo was walking away from the Great Hall towards Hiccup's direction. Tatsuo walked passed the dragon without bothering to spare a glance. Letting his gaze follow the boy, Hiccup watched as Tatsuo walked down the road little further to some men repairing a home. Tatso stopped in front of a few older vikings and said a few words too quite for the Night Fury to hear. The men looked at each other with hate filled faces and clenched their fists together. They turned their scorn filled gazes back to the boy and shouted in his face.
"Get out of here you disgusting brat!" one of the older vikings shouted.
"You see all this?" another viking shouted, pointing to the destroyed lower half of the village, "This is all your damned fault! You better sleep with one eye open little guy cause pretty soon, you're going to get just what you deserve!" Tatsuo stared at the men a few moments and said something to the men. The boy bowed to the vikings and moved on, heading towards another group of viking men. The working vikings Tatsuo had left watched him with disgust. Hiccup saw one of the vikings grip a hammer, facing towards the boy. The dragon could see the anger and hatred in his eyes that soon subsided. The viking shook his head, grunted angrily, and returned to the task at hand.
Hiccup really didn't know what to think of Tatsuo and his family. He couldn't help but hold resentment towards them for what they brought to Berk. On the other, it was hardly the boy's fault. The father managed to keep the whole ordeal a secret. It was almost like each side of his brain had a differing opinion. One pulled him one way, then the other would pull him the other. By the end of it, he'd still be where he started. When Hiccup looked around himself and saw the destroyed village, his heart heats up with anger. He would think back to Dagur and all the pain he would cause and the dragon would almost boil over and start screaming into the air.
Then he would remember the people the came with Dagur. Because of Dagur, Hiccup met the other tribes, he trained them and showed them how wonderful dragons really were. Hiccup brought together two species and different tribes because of that pain. He met Iona and brought a little magic into his life. He fell in love, he made new friends, he reached new heights, he ran faster, loved harder, thought greater. He changed the viking world because of that pain. If he did it once, then he damn well could do it again.
"Hey, Hiccup," Johan said in a tone that suggested he did something very wrong, "We might need to pick this up later." Hiccup looked up and saw the viking's head staring down at him with pained eyes. The dragon raised a brow at the interesting display and got up from his resting position.
"Why exactly?" Hiccup asked with an expecting voice. The dragon was just curious as to what Johan did wrong. The viking put his hand out into Hiccup's view. Johan's thumb was becoming a purple color and was definitely swollen.
"Because I might've broken my thumb," the viking said with a pained smile. Hiccup rolled his eyes and shook his head.
"Might've?" Hiccup repeated. Johan nodded in confirmation quickly.
"Might've," Johan said, sliding off the roof and landing next to the dragon, "I'll be back in an hour, probably five." With that, the viking briskly walked off towards the Great Hall.
"Okay," Hiccup said, not too sure if Johan could hear him, "I'll just go get some lunch then."
Out of habit, Hiccup walked slowly towards his home. The dragon wasn't thinking too much about the world around him, but rather of the world above. The skies and all the world that lies between. It had been so long since he and Toothless actually enjoyed a flight together. Almost a month, then life just kind of, got in the way. Wind brushing past his skin as he flew through the sky, that was the feeling Hiccup longed for so much. The surreal emotions he felt flying with Toothless was the adrenaline he needed. The sunrises, the morning skies, the evening winds, the marvelous sunsets, and the star filled night air. Those were the memories he longed to relive, those were the times he felt freest.
Hiccup stopped and looked up from his low gaze that was once fixated on the ground in front of him. His home was now a hollowed shell of what it used to be. The wood was stained black and brittle to the touch. The slightest gust of wind would make the entire structure groan and shift. The home was just as Hiccup had last left it. Door ajar, revealing the burnt and destroyed innards of the house. The once intricate designs were burnt into one another creating a mess of what once was. In just a single night, memories were burnt away from the unfortunate event of a mass fire. Something in Hiccup's heart stirred, something hopeful.
"Something old ends," Hiccup said softly to himself, "and something new begins." The dragon smiled at himself, thinking poorly of himself from the cheesy quote, though, it did convey the feelings he held deep down inside.
"That seems to be a reoccuring theme lately in life," Hiccup whispered to himself softly. It was strange to him how he could feel such a broad range of emotions looking at the shell of a house. Sadness, anger, happiness, renewal, and they all melded together inside Hiccup's chest, but, that was just the complexity of the human...dragon heart.
"Hiccup!" yelled a familiar and soothing voice from a distance. Taking his eyes to the skies, Hiccup scanned above him for the source of the noise. To his left, a black shape was quickly coming into focus as the Night Fury drew closer. Hiccup smiled when he laid eyes on his mate, always joyed to have him around. With the skill of a veteran flyer, Toothless landed gracefully next to his mate, taking a few steps forward.
"And how has your day gone?" Toothless said after kissing Hiccup lightly. The smaller dragon let out a low groan of annoyance and let his shoulders sag.
"It took the entire morning to fix up one house," Hiccup said with an exhausted voice, flinging himself onto Toothless, "I only got out of it because Johan broke his thumb." Toothless raised a brow, noticing the over dramatic tone Hiccup was putting off.
"Really now?" Toothless said, wanting to mess with Hiccup a bit, "The group I was with already finished their houses for today and I got off to get some lunch." Hiccup looked at Toothless with skeptical and annoyed eyes. The smaller dragon pushed himself off his mate and gave up.
"Okay it wasn't that bad," Hiccup said in response to the teasing tone, "My body still hurts though. I'm not used to this stuff." Toothless smiled at Hiccup and motioned towards the skies.
"Soar enough to not join me in an afternoon flight?" Toothless said. The larger Night Fury watched as his mate's eyes lit up with excitement and joy. Hiccup glanced back at his tailfin, happy that Gobber fixed it up for him earlier that morning. Looking back to Toothless, Hiccup shook his head.
"Never too tired for flying, bud," Hiccup said. It had been a while since he last used the word 'bud' when addressing Toothless. It didn't quite feel foreign on his tongue, but it certainly felt different, almost a good different though. Like somehow life had steadily returned to normal, well, as normal as it could get. Back in the old days when it was just the two against the world.
"Then lets go," Toothless said happily, lifting himself off the ground. Hiccup quickly followed after his mate, going wherever it was Toothless was heading. The dragons flew high into the skies above Berk. Looking back, Hiccup could see the village. From up above, it seemed like he was looking at an entirely different place. The lower village was pretty much a black canvas of ash that trailed off the higher one went towards the Great Hall. In that blackness, however, stood newer buildings that signaled the hope for the future of Berk. They were the pillars of the vikings. Their persistence, their tenacity, and their stubbornness to never give up in the face of adversity. It was one of the qualities Hiccup could admire about his viking heritage.
A black figure flew past Hiccup, catching him off guard. Reeling backwards a few feet, the dragon looked down and saw Toothless spiraling gracefully through the air before turning back up and flying back up towards Hiccup. Toothless went above Hiccup and went down to repeat the process. Hiccup caught on and let himself fall. Within seconds, Toothless was right next to his mate as they spiraled towards the oceans below. The two smiled at each other, missing the days they did this daily. Toothless reached out and pushed on Hiccup a bit, sending him spinning lightly around in circles, getting joyed laughter from his mate. Hiccup quickly came to a stop facing Toothless. The two dragons stared into each other's eyes as they fell to the earth below. Their hearts were intertwined in those few moments. No need for words, they knew what the other felt.
The two dragons broke apart, pulling out in different directions. Hiccup looked around for Toothless, but could not find the dragon. Looking ahead, he saw the familiar shape of the Night Fury slowly falling back into place with him. Toothless looked over at Hiccup and smiled.
"I was thinking we could get some food and have a nice picnic out at the cove," Toothless said, "Get away from this depressing atmosphere." Hiccup nodded at the request and twirled in the air.
"That is exactly what we need," Hiccup said gleefully, "Race you there!" Hiccup shot down low, heading straight for the Great Hall. Toothless hesitated a moment, caught off guard by the sudden exclamation for a race. Smiling with adrenaline, Toothless lunged after his mate. In a matter of moments, the larger dragon had already overtaken the smaller one. Hiccup exhaled in annoyance and tried to fly faster only to be met with the fleeting tailfin of Toothless. Both the dragons landed in front of the hall within moments of each other.
"You even got a head start," Toothless said teasingly. Hiccup glared at him playfully.
"One of these days I will defeat you," the smaller dragon said, pushing into the large wooden doors. The creaking of wood echoed throughout the almost deserted Hall. Most of the families were out gathering what they could while others built, farmed, and carried on with their daily lives as much as they could. All of Berk was determined to not let a fire burn away their spirits.
The room was almost deathly quiet with only the soft footsteps provided by the dragons breaking through it. The pair walked to the fair end of the Hall, weaving past the little piles of belongings and personal areas. Towards the back was the last minute kitchen area. The Hall was already equipped with pits and places to cook, but with such a large crowd of people, creating an organized and efficient way of cooking and delivering food was crucial.
A small body was behind the counter, cutting into vegetables and herbs. The small figure stopped their chopping and looked up at the approaching dragons. Gothi was the last person Hiccup thought would be cooking, but she had helped so much. She really was one of the greatest vikings Berk had ever seen, even in her elderly age. Others always came before herself and she proved that time and time again. The elder smiled at the younglings in front of her, happy to see bright faces among the darker times.
"Good afternoon Gothi," Toothless started off, "We were hoping you'd be able to fix us up a little basket of food? We wanted to get away from the village for a bit and have a nice picnic. Think you can help us out?" The old viking scratched her chin and looked around her. After a few moments of surveying her supplies and nodded her head with a bright smile upon her face. She motioned for the dragons to take a seat while the basket was prepared. Sitting down near the center of the Hall near a fire pit. The fire was slowly burning, taking its sweet time as it crackled into the air. Hiccup's eyes wandered from the fire and towards the door. It was only a few short months ago that he'd done something he still couldn't let go. He realized that if he hadn't acted, someone he loved could've gotten hurt or killed, but it still ate away at him. The Berserker he once killed. That gruesome image etched into his mind. It wasn't nearly as bad as the blood bath that the boy Destin had created. Hiccup understood he should've killed the boy, but even if he had the chance to, Hiccup didn't know if he could really do it. He knew the kid killed his mother and father in cold blood, but he still couldn't kill him. Not a child.
"Well what do we have here?" said an unusually annoying yet familiar voice. Both of the dragons looked in the direction of the voice, seeing Tuffnut lying on the ground a few yards away. His leg and head were propped up comfortably as he sat staring at the ceiling. Hiccup couldn't help but smile seeing that his friend was okay. The stump where his leg used to be was healing quickly and from what Hiccup could tell, was looking just fine.
"Hey Tuffnut," Hiccup said with a slight smile, "How's the leg doing?" The viking shifted around and continued staring at he ceiling.
"I'm a little disappointed," Tuffnut said with clear annoyance in his voice, "I thought it would hurt more than it did." Hiccup opened his mouth to say something, but no words came out. Toothless glanced back at the smaller dragon and raised a brow. In the end, both dragons just shrugged their shoulders and went along with it.
"That's too bad?" Toothless said with a tinge of question in his voice. The sound of a basket being locked into place attracted the attention of the two dragons. Gothi motioned them closer and presented them with a nice sized basket filled with so many sweet aromas. Toothless' mouth watered just smelling it and couldn't wait to crack it open and eat what was inside.
"Thanks Gothi," Hiccup said with a wide smile on his face, "We really appreciate this!" Gothi merely bowed her head and motioned for the boys to be on their way as she went back to work. Obliging to her request, Hiccup picked up the basket and the pair set out on their way into the dense forests of Berk.
Hiccup stared across the small lake that occupied much of the cove. It was nice returning here with Toothless. All of the memories they shared together, some good, some, not as much. The cover would always be important to the both of them, even if they can't always go there, it still held a deep place in both of their hearts.
"Hiccup?" Toothless asked, pausing mid-sentence to recapture the Night Fury's attention. Hiccup looked at this companion blankly for a moment, not quite realizing Toothless was talking at all.
"What?" Hiccup said, showing a bit of confusion and embarrassment. Toothless rolled his eyes and smiled.
"It was nothing really," Toothless said, grabbing a smaller fish from the basket and eating it, "I was just explaining how Snotlout can't use a hammer." Hiccup smiled at his love and cocked his head to the side in a slight accusational manner.
"Tooth, you struggle to even hold a hammer," Hiccup said in a matter-of-factly voice. Toothless stared at Hiccup intensely for a moment, deciding his next few words carefully.
"Thats not the point Hiccup," Toothless started off, trying to hold back a bit off laughter. Hiccup shook his head and reached into the basket for another small fish. Hiccup pulled his hand back out with a decent sized fish and he popped it into his mouth.
"So, what happened last night," Toothless said softly, "I woke up and found Ryuu snuggled up against you." Hiccup slowed his chewing and eventually swallowed, thinking about the previous events.
"He was tired, and he asked to sleep with us," Hiccup said, "He doesn't even feel comfortable with the people he's known for...I don't even know long." There was a momentary pause from both parties that filled the air with a sick silence that could make the most confident man falter.
"Try not to get too attached to him," Toothless said softly, reaching into the basket for another fish. Hiccup looked over at the dragon, confused by his words.
"Why?" Hiccup asked briskly. Toothless could feel his paw grabbing at another fish, but he withdrew his hand from the basket, bringing nothing back with him.
"I know what you're thinking," Toothless said carefully, "You really want to adopt him, raise him as your own. We don't know how long he lives Hiccup, we really don't know anything about him. He's in a foreign land with foreign dragons and foreign people. He's evading murderous dragons and is too young to understand whats really happening around him." When Hiccup didn't supply an immediate response, Toothless continued on with his mini speech.
"I'm not saying we should keep him at a distance, I'm just saying we should be careful about who we decide to let in. He may be a dragon, but he's still a stranger and you know how I don't take too kindly to strangers," Toothless said, his words losing their intensity as he went on, "Not after everything thats happened." Hiccup nodded his head slowly as Toothless talked, having lost the will to talk. Deep down inside, he wanted a family, but he also knew he was just not ready. Toothless pointed out everything wrong with raising a family right now and the difficulties the two would undoubtedly face. Still, the lingering longing still persisted. Toothless watched as he saw Hiccup's mind wander again, that almost void expression in his eyes as his heart took him to other place. Sighing softly to himself, Toothless got up and stretched, hearing the popping of muscles and bones as he moved around.
"We should probably head back," Toothless said quickly, "We're probably needed." Hiccup slowly rose from the ground and nodded in agreement.
"Hiccup, what's wrong?" Toothless finally asked, seeing how distance his love was acting, "You've been quiet and distant since we got here." Hiccup stared at Toothless for a couple seconds before fully registering the question. The dragon looked down at his feet for a few seconds then back up at Toothless, the familiar gleam in his eyes returning.
"I'm sorry, I was just thinking about life," Hiccup said quickly, "Nothing to worry about."
"Hic, you know you can tell me anything," Toothless said softly. The Night Fury was met with a brisk nod a seemingly cheerful smile. Hiccup folded up the basket and made sure the contents inside were safe and secure.
"You ready to go?" Hiccup asked before slipping the basket handle in his mouth. Toothless nodded softly, not convinced in the slightest that the silence was nothing. Hiccup lifted into the air and headed back towards the village. Toothless watched for a moment, seeing Hiccup flying off. Shaking his head quickly, Toothless tried to subdue the growing feeling of worry and followed after the Night Fury quickly.
The two flew in silence, passing over tall trees and the occasional dragon or wildlife on the forest floor. The dragons steadily rose in altitude, making sure to avoid obstacles that could hinder their flight back into the village. Toothless was feeling more and more uneasy as time went on. He wasn't entirely sure why, but something in his gut just didn't seem right. He remembered feeling the same right before Berk erupted into flames, only this time it persisted for a few moments longer. As suddenly as it appeared, the burning feeling was gone.
"Hey Hiccup," Toothless called out, wondering if his mate had felt anything he just had. The Night Fury turned his head and smiled softly at Toothless.
"Yeah?" Hiccup said, unintentionally letting the basket fall from his mouth and down to the earth below. Both dragons hovered where it fell, hearing a final and soft thud.
"Great," Hiccup said to himself, staring at the house the basket fell near. Toothless opened his mouth to speak, but decided against it, thinking the weird sensations he was having were nothing. The two dragons lowered themselves onto the ground. Hiccup looked around cautiously, hoping that the door to the house wouldn't open. The dragon collected what remained of the basket and pieced it back together the best he could. Suddenly, the door swung open and out walked a grumpy old man, clearly not amused by any of what was happening before him.
"What are you doing here," the old man yelled angrily. Hiccup looked with slightly scared, slightly annoyed eyes.
"I dropped this basket, and I'm picking it up," Hiccup said quickly. The old man stared at the dragon with suspicious and distrusting eyes. The man glanced over at Toothless and glared at him harder, disgusted by the creature.
"Get off my land," the old man said, slamming his staff into the ground as hard as he could manage. Hiccup looked up at the old guys and sighed inwardly to himself.
"Whatever you say Mildew," said Hiccup, dropping the remains of the basket back onto the ground. Hiccup motioned towards the sky and the two dragons turned away from the cantankerous old man. Mildew slammed his staff into the ground again, prompting the dragons to turn their heads back to him.
"And what about this mess you've made?" Mildew said expectantly, moving his staff in the direction of the shattered basket and its strewn out remains. Toothless stared at the old man and raised a brow.
"It is your land right? Why don't you take care of it," Toothless said, turning his head away from the old man. Mildew's mouth hung open a bit, listening to the dragon talk.
"I don't know what your dragon just said to me, but I don't like it," the old man said, "and I care to listen to his voice either! Keep your filthy dragon scales and magic off my land!" With that, the cranky old man turned away from the dragons and slammed his door shut. Hiccup winced slightly at the banging of the door. Turning away from the old man's rickety house, he shook his head in annoyance.
"It's bad enough he's stubborn, but he didn't even consider letting Iona cast that spell on him," Hiccup said with an annoyed tinge to his voice. Toothless breathed out, trying to ignore the old man for now.
"I say we just go back and forget he even exists, like we usually do," Toothless said, clearly not hiding any of the dislike in his voice, "He should be lucky his farm was spared from the fire." The two dragons lifted off into the sky, heading back into the village. Hiccup called out to Toothless, motioning for a detour rather than a straight forward march to the village. Weaving down into the lower forest, Hiccup led Toothless around a bend and onto a small beach. Landing softly, Hiccup let out a satisfied breath feeling the smooth sand against his bare paws. Within seconds Toothless landed too, spraying small amounts of sand into the air. Hiccup turned away, trying to avoid the sandy blast that seemed to be purposefully directed towards his face and eyes.
"Hey! Watch it," Hiccup said playfully as he stared out into the ocean and away from the gust. Toothless smiled and laughed softly, apologizing as he landed gracefully on the ground. Toothless noticed Hiccup's gaze still fixated on the ocean.
"Hiccup?" Toothless said, bringing his paw in front of Hiccup's face. Hiccup grabbed his dragon's paw and slowly lowered it too the ground.
"Toothless," Hiccup said, bringing a claw up towards the distant sea, "Can you see that boat?" Toothless followed Hiccup's claw that lead him straight to a vessel. It was far enough away that it would be difficult to see, yet close enough to make out minor distinctive details. The hull was darkened, the masts were slightly torn but were still in condition for catching the wind currents. The ship just looked horribly managed, menacing, and it almost looked makeshift. It took a few seconds, but the image sunk into Hiccup's mind and flipped a switch. The longer he stared, the stronger the urge became. He knew what the ship was, he knew who it belonged to, and it frightened him. Berk wasn't ready to fight again, not like this.
The ship in the distance changed direction, heading away from the island and towards the south. Hiccup felt a little dizzy and exhaled. It hadn't realized he was holding his breath. Toothless stared at Hiccup and back out to sea, wondering what it was his mate really saw.
"That was an Outcast ship," Hiccup said softly.